#AppMondayTAS-iOS 6 - new accessibility options

In case you missed it, Apple announced last week that they will be releasing iOS 6 sometime this Fall.  There have been quite a few additions and changes that were mentioned (and some that were not) and I thought I'd share some of them here.

Voiceover changes -  one of the big drawbacks to using Voiceover was that you couldn't use it with Zoom and/or Assistive Touch so you'd have to pick what you like to use.  That is changing with iOS 6.  Now Voiceover will work with them so you can use them all as you use the device.

Speak Selection - a little known feature of iOS 5 is called "Speak Selection", located in the Settings - General - Accessibility, once on you can highlight text and you will get an option to have it spoken to you.  This works in most parts of the OS and is most helpful when using mobile Safari.  In iOS 6 it will have the addiditonal feature of highlighting the words as it speaks them.

Siri Improvements - many of the improvements in Siri are related to finding more information, but one is a big change.  Siri will now give you to option to launch apps (not sure if it's all apps or just the standard Apple apps), making these devices even easier to operate.

Guided Access - This new feature add a few different capabilities.  It gives you the option of disabling the Home Button so you have to stay in the current app.  This could be very useful for a person using the device as a communication tool.  It also allows you to block off certain portions of the screen (like settings buttons or ads) to keep individuals from accessing them.  I haven't seen how it will work exactly, but during the keynote they mentioned it was as easy as drawing a circle around the screen.

There are a few more announced and unannounced changes, you can find all of them here at Apple's website.  You can also find some more info about the accessibility features at Luis Perez's Blog.

Patrick

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#iPhone4S, #Siri & #iOS5 - #a11y #accessibility #assistivetech #spedchat

iPhone 4S

Earlier today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at their "Let's Talk iPhone" event.  While this new model is not much different than the iPhone 4 on the outside, its inside has been completely overhauled.  The iPhone 4S features the A5 dual-core chip as well as a better camera (8MP, 1080p).

Pricing:  $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB), & $399 (64GB).  
Pre-ordering for iPhone 4S begins online on October 7 and in-store purchasing on October 14.

Siri

The most revolutionary component of the iPhone 4S with regards to accessibility would have to be the "intelligent agent", Siri.  Siri not only performs speech-to-text translation but also recognizes complex voice commands!

• Siri understands what you say.  Have a conversation with your iPhone as you would another person!
  
• Siri knows what you mean.  It is proactive and will ask you questions until it finds the information you are looking for.
  
• Siri can help you easily accomplish a variety of daily tasks, such as set reminders, schedule appointments, find directions, find locations near by, perform web searches, and much more!
  
• Siri can read & dictate notes, text messages, or e-mails.  Dictation also works with third-party apps.  Anywhere you see the keyboard, you'll see a microphone too!

This breakthrough software upgrade makes the iPhone more accessible for individuals with special needs, who benefit from the ability to interact with their smartphones using natural voice.  The potential benefits of an "intelligent agent" like Siri for students who have special needs are mind-blowing!  Let's think about a simple daily task like maintaining a planner.  How cool would it be if a student (or teacher) could easily setup reminders for assignments by simply speaking into the student's device?  There are many more possible uses of Siri for students with special needs.  I will write another post soon to share the ideas I have.


Unfortunately, Siri will only be available on the iPhone 4S. The reason for this limitation being that the voice activation features are processor intensive (requiring the A5 chip).  Additionally, Siri relies on the integration of Apple's new iCloud service, as voice commands are processed on a remote server.  To activate Siri on the iPhone 4S, just hold down the HOME button for a few seconds.

Siri will be a beta for the time being, as it only supports English, German, and French voice input.  There are more language add-ons and tweaks to come.  Furthermore, there has not yet been any mention on whether or not Siri will be available for the iPad 2, which also sports an A5 processor, or Mac laptop and desktop computers.

iOS 5

Apple also announced iOS 5 will be released to the public and available as a FREE download via iTunes next Wednesday (10/12).  iOS 5 will be compatible with iPhone 4S/4/3GS, iPad 2/1, and iPod Touch 3rd/4th generation.  Accessibility features of iOS 5 include flashing LED alerts, custom-vibration alerts for phone and SMS messages, an interested split keyboard interface, multi-touch gestures, and voiceover “element labeling” to enhance the screen reader user’s experience.

I can't wait to hear what everyone in the field of special education has to say about the new accessibility features of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S, especially Siri!


-  Jeremy

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