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Using Apple Vis to Connect My Students to the VI Tech Community

Help your students get connected!

As a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Assistive Technology Specialist, I seek opportunities for my secondary students to read about the authentic experiences of adults with visual impairments using the assistive technology that I am teaching them to integrate into the general curriculum. 

Whether it’s introducing them to tech savvy adults with visual impairments in the community or finding technology websites or blogs of them to read that are written by consumers with visual impairments, my students and I have found that using the website Apple Vis has been a positive way to stay up to date on the latest accessibility news for iOS users that are visually impaired

Apple Vis offers my students several media options to receive the latest updates on the iOS Accessibility.  Offering a text rich interface makes it easy for my students to navigate the website using Voice Over or Zoom features on their iPhones or iPads.  With little visual information to translate, this website makes it simple for my students to experience what a truly accessible experience is like for visually impaired users.

My student’s favorite features on the Apple Vis website is reading the latest App reviews on iOS Accessibility with the most recent popular apps.  This last quarter I asked each of my students to research the top 3 highest rated apps on Apple Vis based on user accessibility.  

Another one of their favorite activities was listening to Randy Rusnak, Thomas Domville and Mike Malarsie give updates on the latest iOS Accessibility bugs and updates in their podcast “Apple Vis Unleashed.”  

One of the most helpful features they find on this website is reading the current list of iOS and MacOS Bugs and another list of which bugs have been fixed.

For me, as a teacher of the visually impaired and assistive technology specialist who aims to offer my students to get look up information they need to self-advocate for their own visual and assistive tech needs, I find this website helps my students to get the information they need to access their world without first asking me.  

It’s a good day when they find the answers to questions they would have asked me on Apple Vis.  Because of Apple Vis, my students often times can help me search for solutions with me, instead of depending on me to find it.  Bonus, they used a resource they will need well into their working lives.

 

By Julie Johnson

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