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Blind Access Journal Posts

Lighting the World with the Teckin SP20 Wifi Smart Plug

July 1, 2020 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 10-minute podcast, Darrell Hilliker demonstrates the use of the Teckin SP20 WiFi Smart Plug for managing the status of lights.

Download: Lighting the World with the Teckin Wifi Smart Plug

We hope the ability to turn lights on and off with our voices will draw attention, and toddler hands, away from cords and switches. This is, of course, our excuse for embracing the laziness that comes with smart home technology.

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Finding Balance: Easter in the Time of the Coronavirus

April 12, 2020 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 24-minute podcast, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker celebrate Easter in the time of the Coronavirus while putting together the Alex Active Monkey Kids Toddler Balance Board.

Download: Finding Balance: Easter in the Time of the Coronavirus

Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels.

AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Connecting All the Things: Setting Up the Eero Whole Home WiFi System

September 17, 2019 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this one-hour podcast, Darrell Hilliker unboxes and demonstrates the setup of a new Eero Whole Home WiFi system from a blind person’s perspective.

Download: Eero Setup Demo

Although not perfectly accessible in all respects, the Eero WiFi system represents a painless way to easily deploy wireless Internet connectivity throughout your home. If you decide to try one after listening to this podcast, we hope you will purchase it from our Amazon link, where a small commission goes toward supporting our work.

eero Home WiFi System (1 eero Pro + 2 eero Beacons) – Advanced Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System to Replace Traditional Routers and WiFi Range Extenders – Coverage: 2 to 4 Bedroom Home

AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Aira in the Real World: Paper Airplanes

June 13, 2019 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 32-minute eighth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Connor to construct a paper airplane. While sighted people have enjoyed the privilege of learning from YouTube videos for many years now, we blind people have been largely locked out of this opportunity due to a lack of useful description. Thanks to Aira, we explore the creation of a paper airplane using instructions from an otherwise inaccessible YouTube video titled How To Fold A Paper Airplane That Flies Far.

In addition to the verbal descriptions heard in this podcast, Connor also supplied the following written instructions upon our request.

  1. Start with paper laying in landscape (hot dog style)
  2. Fold bottom to top and crease in the middle.
  3. Open paper back up.
  4. Fold top left corner down into the middle and crease.
  5. Repeat with bottom left corner.
  6. Uncrease from the center fold and crease it on the reverse side while keeping the corners creased.
  7. Fold only one flap so that the angle becomes more acute.
  8. Fold a 2nd time making it even more acute.
  9. Flip over and repeat steps 7 and 8 with the other flap.
  10. Throw it and enjoy!

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Aira in the Real World: The Little Red Sled

January 28, 2019 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 15-minute seventh episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Jacob to read a print copy of The Little Red Sled. While we always prefer Braille books, some relatives give our children print books, and it is nice to be able to enjoy them together.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

The Twelve Inaccessibilities of Christmas

December 21, 2018 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 6-minute podcast, Allison and Darrell Hilliker sing their take on the twelve days of Christmas.

The Twelve Inaccessibilities of Christmas

  1. On the first day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: a mouse click only menu tree.
  2. On the second day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  3. On the third day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  4. On the fourth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  5. On the fifth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  6. On the sixth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  7. On the seventh day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  8. On the eighth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  9. On the ninth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  10. On the tenth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: eleven custom elements, ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.
  12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, the developers gave to me: twelve tangled tables, eleven custom elements, ten misleading link names, nine map pins dancing, eight untagged documents, seven JavaScript frameworks, six focus issues, five undescribed graphics, four carousels, three image CAPTCHAs, two unlabeled buttons and a mouse click only menu tree.

Happy holidays from Allyssa, Arabella, Allison and Darrell!

AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Aira in the Real World: Check Out My Nipples

October 12, 2018 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 14-minute sixth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell, Allyssa and Arabella Hilliker work with Aira agent Jordan to identify letters and numbers on baby bottle nipples to insure the correct flow level is selected.

For best success with breast feeding, we recommend use of preemie bottle nipples as long as possible. These typically have the letter “P” or the number “0” shown visually on the inside of the nipple. They are challenging to locate, but Aira agent Jordan was able to get it done easily.

If you use the Dr. Brown bottles, try Dr. Brown’s Original Nipple, Preemie (0m+), 6 count for best results.

As always, your mileage may vary and we disclaim everything. Please seek advice from your child’s pediatrician, a certified lactation consultant or other professional when deciding how to feed your baby.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Aira in the Real World: Out of the Box with Horizon

September 10, 2018 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 35-minute fifth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell, Allyssa and Arabella Hilliker unbox, describe and demonstrate the basic operation of Aira’s new Horizon system.

We realized soon after the recording of this podcast that, since the included Samsung J7 is placed in an Otterbox case before shipment, the phone is not as bulky as we reported.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Aira in the Real World: Sheet Happens

August 3, 2018 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 15-minute fourth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Darrell and Arabella Hilliker work with Aira agent Tai to review and label the sizes of several sets of bed sheets.

We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time.

If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

Power On: Exploring the Elements of a Talking TV

June 28, 2018 • Darrell Shandrow Hilliker

In this approximately 39-minute podcast, Allison, Darrell and Arabella Hilliker explore and demonstrate some of the accessibility features of the Element ELEFW195 19″ 720p 60Hz LED HDTV.

  • Listen or pause: Element ELEFW195 Talking TV Demo
  • Download: Element ELEFW195 Talking TV Demo
  • We thank Aira agent David for the descriptive labels and mapping of the accompanying remote below:

    1. Power, USB
    2. Picture Mode, Screen Mode, Sleep Timer, Aspect
    3. 1, 2, 3
    4. 4, 5, 6
    5. 7, 8, 9
    6. – (minus), 0, Previous Channel
    7. Volume up, Mute, Channel Up
    8. Volume down, source, Channel Down
    9. MTS (STEREO/MONO/SAP), Menu, Freeze
    10. Info, up arrow on circle pad, Previous Menu
    11. Left Arrow on Circle Pad, Ok Button, Right Arrow on Circle Pad
    12. Channel List, Down Arrow on Circle Pad, Exit
    13. Play/Pause, Stop, Previous Chapter, Next Chapter
    14. Repeat, Closed Captioning, V-Chip
    15. Auto, Add/Erase, FAV

    Would you like to have the capability and independence only an on-demand sighted assistant can provide? If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your second month of Aira service will be free of charge, our next month will be free and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal.

    We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows?

    If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).