#Visually impaired

[mightyoctopus]

Blind Tumblr users: don’t get the latest iOS app update!

I just updated my tablet to the newest version of the tumblr app for iOS and it completely broke screen reader access for both VoiceOver and Spoken Content. This has happened in the past already, so I will file a support ticket and copy-paste my text from last time, but this really sucks. I sincerely hope this doesn’t affect all screen reader users, but I’m unsure how they could program this bug in a way it only affects me. If you rely on a screen reader to use the tumblr app, I’d advice to not get the latest update to be on the safe side.

When I say “completely broke access”, what I mean is that no posts on my dash or on individual blogs get read or recognized at all. No plain text, alt text, tags, etc. Note count and buttons still work though.

If you also run into this bug, here’s my advice. If anyone has something more useful, please tell me

File a support ticket and report this bug

Use the browser web version, which still works for me

Interestingly, if you save a post to your drafts and click on “edit” the post text seems to get read correctly. This might be a work-around for some people.

If you have the latest version but your screen reader didn’t break, also please tell me! I would be fascinated to know if this bug is only affecting some people

TL;DR: The latest tumblr app update for iOS made it so screen readers no longer work in the app

Please boost!

Edit: This issue is now fixed as of November 10th 2023. However, since this is a recurring issue, it’s possible that a future update will break it again. See notes for more details.

[netscapenavigator-official]

By the way, @staff is changing the video player and photo viewer on the mobile app to the one from Tumblr TV. As a result, they have made the abhorrent decision to remove an important accessibility feature in order to TikTok-ifying Tumblr. You can no longer zoom in on photos. Or so I thought. Because the visually impaired are now second-class users to the Tumblr Staff, they just decided to make it harder to zoom in on photos.

So, for all of you who, like me, find the pinch-to-zoom feature on Tumblr invaluable to read and view photos, you now have to:

Tap the Photo > Tap the “more” button in the description > tap the photo again

This will open the old photo viewer (for now, anyway) which was formerly one tap away. It will grant you all the former features of the old photo viewer, including the ability to zoom in.

EDIT: if you’re seeing this on your For You Dash or some other non-reblogged method you will see this edit. Before reblogging and commenting on this, there is addition information in the replies. I have replies disabled, so I am the only person who can add them. I’ve added addition info, as well as an update. Please read them. TLDR: many others, and myself, are now seeing it’s fixed. Many others are not. It may be a roll-out fix from the back-end. Be patient and wait to see if it’ll make its way to you.

[frankiensteinsmonster]

People in this demographic, please let me know how to tag to get a hold of you as someone who doesn't need Image Descriptions!!

[teddybearworld]

Question for people who use screen readers or text to speech/audio

When a post on here has lots of emojis, special fonts/text or lots of keysmashes, what is a way to tag those posts so that you guys don't have to sit there listening to nonsense for a minute straight?

Thanks!

[esotericsurgery]

WHY DID I NEVER UPLOAD MY GIRLIE!!!! this is melonie, she is awesome

my character design is not ur fetish bait! dni kink blogs

[wheelie-sick]

haha guys look how funny the Minecraft movie sheep has exotropia!! this is so goofy and weird!!! why are its eyes like that??? lolololol

[ID: a CGI Minecraft sheep. it has exotropia and is making a funny face]

my eyes are not a joke. my eyes are not "derpy" they aren't funny. real people's eyes look like this. my eyes look like this. it's upsetting to have a movie make a joke out of your eyes and more upsetting to see everyone else not only follow along but amplify it.

yes, the Minecraft movie CGI is unsettling. it is bad but the problem with the sheep is everything except the way its eyes look. real. people. have. eyes. like. that. I cannot emphasize enough that real people have eyes like that. I promise you are capable of criticizing the Minecraft movie's appearance without mocking exotropia.

and if you really want to go above and beyond criticize the Minecraft movie for using exotropia as a joke. call them out for using a disability for laughs. this kind of humor will only continue while people find it funny. make it clear it's not funny.

[differentlylimbed]

i am once again asking sighted people to stop posting in disability tags without image descriptions. yes, even if you have no spoons. yes, even if you 'don't know how to write IDs'. ask someone to help you, read one of the many tutorials floating around, or wait until you have energy to post. this applies doubly to content about blindness and visual impairment, and triply to posting in the blind and VI tags sighted people encouraged to reblog

[frozenflvrries]

Like this if you either or both are blind/low vision, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, neurodivergent, disabled, chronically ill, has a rare disability, apart of ROYGBIV crew, introverted, or you are awesome!!!

[ellecdc]

broken bowls & hearts

🩷's request: i just had the most horrid day. I was at a bookstore with my friends to buy a gift for our mutual and she was gushing over the books and i just... well my heart was breaking. because I couldn't read, and i used to love to read when i could see properly. I have my kindle but the feeling of a paperback and not being able to read just made me so upset and my friends don't even consider they were all like "just open ur eyes and see" i wanted to cry. & to make things worse, i broke a glass bowl in the kitchen and I couldn't even see it. I stepped on a shard and basically had to wait for my roommate to cancel some plans to come help me out i get so useless it's unbelievable. can I request a moonwater or wolfstar with a visually impaired reader who is in either of the situations? really sorry to ruin the vibes but oh i couldn't stop crying

poly!wolfstar x visually impaired!reader who breaks a bowl and calls the boys for help [2.3k words]

CW: fem!reader, mention of injury/blood, questionable friends... Sirius contemplating violence

Sirius had just pulled his phone from his pocket to see what you were up to (and if you felt like hanging out) when Remus’ phone started to ring.

“Are we officially at that point in our relationship that we can predict each other’s thoughts?” Sirius asked as he melted further into Remus’ side on the sofa while Remus answered his phone.

“Hey dovey! We were just about to call you.” He greeted with a wide smile as if you could see it.

Sirius sat up straighter when that smile fell slightly. “No, we’re never too busy for you…” He explained as Sirius poked him in the arm which translated to put her on speaker phone you sod!

Thankfully, Remus was well versed in Sirius-ese and did just that.

“-you guys doing something right now? I don’t want to interrupt.” Sirius heard you finish around what he assumed was your thumb as you no doubt chewed on your cuticles. 

“Doll, I was just pulling my phone out to see if you wanted to do something; we’re sitting on the couch rotting away.” Sirius called likely louder than necessary now that you were on speaker phone.

You hummed in acknowledgement before taking in a quick breath as if stealing yourself. “Do you think you guys could maybe come over? I uhm, I need some help.”

“Sure, dovey.” Remus offered quickly, Sirius also speaking overtop of him to say “of course.” 

“Is everything okay?” Remus continued then, a worried kind of divot appearing between his brows. 

“Yeah I, uhm, I broke a bowl and can’t…see the pieces now. I can wait until my roommate gets home but-”

“No!” Sirius shouted, a similar yet much more gracious objection slipping from Remus, too. 

“No dove, don’t worry about it at all. Just sit tight and we’ll be over soon, alright?”

You offered them a simple alright and thank you before Remus ended the call. 

⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆ .* ⚘ ⋆*⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆ .* ⚘ ⋆*⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆ .* ⚘ ⋆*⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆ .* ⚘ ⋆*⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆ .* ⚘ ⋆*⋆⸜ ⚘ ⸝⋆

No sooner had Remus pushed open the door to your flat were you calling out to advise them to keep their shoes on.

They moved through your flat with ease and familiarity (and Sirius following the sound of your voice like a scent detection dog) to find you in your kitchen. 

Sirius’ smile was completely involuntary when he spotted you perched on the edge of the counter in an attempt to avoid the ceramic shards on the kitchen tile, but the smile was quick to fall when he noticed a few spots of blood on the floor.

“Baby.” Sirius exclaimed as Remus took careful, shoed steps towards you. 

“You didn’t tell us you were hurt, dove.” Remus chided gently; glass crunching beneath his feet as he stood in front of you. 

“Where are you bleeding from?” Sirius asked as he scanned your person for any sign of blood.

“My foot.” You murmured, kicking out said foot slightly and letting it fall back against the lower cabinets with a thud.

“Why didn’t you tell us on the phone?” Remus queried as he rubbed the leg of your injured foot.

You simply offered him a shrug. “It doesn’t hurt and I don’t think it’s that bad.” You responded quietly. 

Remus and Sirius shared a concerned glance before Sirius looked back towards you.

“I’ll clean all this up while Rem tends to your foot, okay gorgeous?” Sirius explained without waiting for your agreement, moving to the pantry where he knew your broom and dustpan were stored as Remus went to fetch the first aid kit from your washroom. 

Sirius had cleared the glass from directly below you by the time Remus returned to the kitchen so that he could kneel in front of you. 

“Awe, our poor sweet girl; the bowl bit back, hm?” He murmured as he examined your bloody foot.

He grabbed a pair of tweezers and held your leg stretched out completely so your foot fell flat. “I’m gonna pull the piece out, okay?”

You nodded and looked casual for all intents and purposes, but even from across the kitchen Sirius could see the whites of your knuckles where you were clutching the countertop. 

You winced only slightly when Remus pulled the tweezers away from your foot, pressing a placating kiss to your knee as he stood to dispose of the bloody shard of glass. 

Sirius finished up the sweeping and shone the light from his phone across the floor to ensure he hadn’t missed any pieces before grabbing some disinfectant wipes for the blood. 

“What were you making?” Remus asked - likely both in an attempt to make conversation which you seemed disinclined to do as well as get to the bottom of what happened here - as he wiped some antiseptic cream on your foot before securing a plaster over it.

“What do you mean?” You asked quietly; and though your staunch refusal to look in Remus’ direction as you spoke to him may appear to some as rude, Sirius could see telltale signs of shame permeating your being. 

“When you broke the bowl; were you making yourself something to eat?”

You let out a short breath from your nose as you stared resolutely away from either boy. “I was trying to put away the clean dishes.” You muttered somewhat harshly. 

“Do you need more help? We could-”

“No.” You insisted, finally turning to face them allowing Sirius to notice a shine in your eyes that he couldn’t before. “No, I-” you took a steadying breath that was bordering shaky and closed your eyes. “I just needed help cleaning it up, and with my foot, thank you.”

And though Sirius could tell that you really did mean that ‘thank you’, he could also tell that the words tasted bitter in your mouth. 

“We’d come and help you with anything, you know that, right?” Remus asked softly from his place by your feet, thumb swiping tenderly over your knee where his hand was resting. 

“I know.” You whispered back; your thumb back at your lips as you chewed at your cuticles much like you’d been when you first called them. 

“Did something else happen today?” Remus continued gently. “I get the sense that this might be about more than just a broken bowl.”

You sucked in a loud breath from your nose as you screwed your eyes shut, and Sirius could finally see evidence of the tightly wound tension he’d been sensing from you since he first entered your flat. 

“I can’t read.” You finally let out with a sob, and both boys had to fight the urge to let out a nervous laugh because…yes you could?

“What do you mean, gorgeous?” Sirius tried carefully.

You shook your head, hiding your face behind your hands as you tried to control your breathing. “I- I miss holding a fucking book; I miss breaking the spine and letting the pages fan my face as I close it. I miss going to the bookstore and running my fingers along the rows of books in search of the one with the prettiest cover to see if the plot is worth such an exquisite jacket. I can’t… I can’t even re- read!” You wailed at the end of your sentence, Remus straightening up from his crouched position in record time to pull you into his chest as he shot Sirius a bewildered look. 

“Baby… You can still read; you do read, all of the time. That’s what your kindle is for, yeah?” Sirius tried, but from Remus’ grimace and the pitiful sound that emanated from the back of your throat, Sirius could tell he’d gotten it wrong.

“It’s not the same, hm?” Remus offered for your sake, rubbing broad strokes against your back as you sobbed into his chest. 

“Is this because of your shopping trip earlier? Did something happen at the bookstore?” Sirius queried then, and you straightened slowly from Remus’ chest before wiping angrily at your face; sorrow seeping swiftly into ire.

“What happened, dove?” Remus pressed, and Sirius could hear the careful caution in his voice as he considered you. 

“I just…” You tried, letting your feet thunk against the cabinet again in agitation. “I just felt so sorry for myself when we were there, alright? It was my fault because I got all caught up in my own head but,”

Sirius and Remus waited after you tried taking a calming breath, but you didn’t seem particularly inclined to continue your thought.

“But what, doll?” Sirius encouraged, perhaps not as gently as he should have but he was starting to smell trouble and he couldn’t help that his protective hackles were rising. 

“But Steph was gushing about the book we had found for April’s birthday present which is good but, I don’t know, I just… I commented about how I wish I could still read a book, and all Steph had to say was ‘you’ve got eyes, don’t ya? Open ‘em up and look.’”

You ended the sentence with a pained breath and Remus had you curled up into his chest again as fresh tears started to fall. 

“And you drop kicked her, right?” Sirius spat darkly; red hot fury emanating from his chest as he pictured his sweet girl standing distressed in a bookstore when he wasn’t there for her.

“No!” You whined back as Remus murmured a warning ‘Sirius…’. 

“Okay, so you told her to go to hell?” Sirius continued, earning him a firmer ‘Sirius, stop’ from Remus following a wail from you. 

“That’s fine, gorgeous, I’ll do it. Where’s your phone?” He started as he began his search for your phone, no sooner did he turn his body was his arm grabbed roughly by Remus as he was dragged back towards you.

“Hug your girlfriend, Sirius.” Remus hissed at him severely as he stationed him between your legs before exiting the kitchen quickly.

Every sob that shook your body seemed to dislodge something hard and heavy in Sirius’ chest and replace it with wet, cold sadness as he held you tightly against him, as if the pressure of his embrace could somehow fix this for you. 

“I’m so sorry, sweetness; you didn’t deserve that at all.” He mumbled into your hair, gently swaying the two of you back and forth and pressing a few kisses where his lips met your head. 

“It’s, ugh, it’s not even just that.” You moaned. “It was fine, I’m fine. You know? I was just feeling sorry for myself, and I’m always cracking jokes anyway so she probably thought it was fine to do the same but then I come home and I can’t even put my fucking dishes away without having to call for help like it’s an emergency. I’m so useless.”

Sirius felt some of that fury seep back into his chest as he ripped himself away from you and grabbed each side of your face none-too-gently.

“Hey, look at me.” He demanded, forcing your face towards his and holding it close so that you had no choice but to look at him.

“You are not useless.” He pressed, spitting your phrase back at you like it was a dirty word.

“Well I certainly feel it!” You shot back; obstinance colouring your eyes that Sirius loved so much, even when you didn’t, even when you felt betrayed by them. 

“That’s fine.” He allowed simply, still not releasing your face from his grasp. “You’re allowed to feel any which way, but that does not make it true. I do not appreciate you speaking about my girlfriend that way, got it?” 

You seemed surprised by his scolding for a brief moment before you closed your eyes and new tears fell from the corners. 

Sirius pulled you back into his chest when he noticed Remus standing in the threshold of the room, eyebrows pinched in commiseration. 

After a few moments of gentle rocking with Sirius, Remus broke the silence. “Dove, I can see perfectly well and I’ve broken dishes; I’ve also tried cleaning it up myself only to end up bleeding, as well.” 

“I once called Remus home from work because I had a splinter, babe.” Sirius added, causing Remus to smile when he heard a wet sort of chuckle muffled by Sirius’ chest.  

“We all need help sometimes. That does not make us useless.” Remus concluded, moving to stand beside Sirius and pressing a kiss to your temple. 

“Now come on, I need your help with something.” Remus said as he began to walk into your living room. 

“How come you don’t need my help, Rem?” Sirius called after him as you sat up and used your sleeve to wipe away the last of your tears. 

“Because I need help reading and you hate that.”

Sirius groaned theatrically and turned to look at you with a grimace. “Sorry gorgeous, I can’t help you with this one.”

You giggled again with a sniffle and then shrieked when Sirius lifted you off the counter because you ‘absolutely cannot walk on that injured foot of yours, doll; you’ll just have to let me carry you everywhere from now on’.

Remus situated himself comfortably on your sofa and Sirius placed you in between his legs so that your back was against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you and placed a paperback book in your hands. 

“Think you can hold this for me, my love?” Remus murmured as he hooked his chin on your shoulder, watching as you let out a sigh and allowed him to open it to the first page. “Thank you.” He whispered when you didn’t decline, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before replacing his chin and beginning to read from… Well, Sirius didn’t really know, nor did he care.

He was too busy signing up your ‘friend’s’ email and social media accounts for spam contests and chainmail. 

And if he stole her number from your phone to sign her up for telemarketing calls? Well…could he really be blamed? She made his perfect girl cry, for god’s sake.

[gayaest]

He’s just a little puppy dog! 🍔🐶📝 woof woof arf [humanized him in the left image]

[reasonsforhope]

By the time Sue Shusterman turns away from the bench at the overlook and back toward the trailhead, she knows the paddleboarders are out in force 300 yards away on the gleaming blue surface of Chatfield Reservoir.  

She knows the high runoff waters have flooded the roots of Chatfield’s willows and cottonwoods, and that the first spring-green layers of the foothills rise to the west like soft fabric. 

How she acquired these life-affirming memories is at first a mystery, since Shusterman is blind and is heading back toward the parking lot making her usual sweep of the path in front with her ever-present white cane.  

But then a friendly voice emerges from the phone that Shusterman is pointing toward the path from her other hand.

A little to the left to stay on the paved path. Looks like there’s a trail all the way down to the beach, about 75 yards, if you wanted to go. I’ll just be here watching, let me know if you need anything. 

The voice is from a live, trained human guide FaceTiming through Shusterman’s phone camera on the Aira ability-assist app. Sight-impaired people have been using Aira’s guides to make it easier to do anything from navigating an airport to filling out an online job form. Now, all 42 Colorado state parks like Chatfield are geofenced to allow any visitor to use Aira for free to stroll the trails with a helpful set of eyes. 

The Aira guides seemingly effortlessly offer what a blind hiker either needs, or wants. If there’s a dangerous steep drop-off on the right, they warn. If the hiker would rather know if the sneezeweed is in bloom or the sailboats are luffing through a turn, Aira offers that instead.

For Shusterman, trying Aira as an outdoors adventure for the first time, the allure was simple: “Independence.” 

“So she’s doing, I think, a phenomenal job of including the necessary safety things, but the perks of the scenery, too,” Shusterman said, as she paused during a conversation with an Aira guide based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “She’s doing great.”

State accessibility officials recently announced the expansion of Aira to state parks grounds, after previously providing Aira free for other state-related functions such as navigating a government building or getting help on an online site or filling out forms. Colorado cannot control the cellphone signal, though, so parks officials encourage visitors to try Aira at a familiar or close-in park space before ranging farther afield with it. Popular parks like Staunton or Golden Gate contain pockets where signals are not strong. 

For consumers buying access on their own, Aira costs about $50 for 30 minutes of assistance a month. Private employers and governments often buy package access to Aira and other accessibility apps for all employees to use. State accessibility coordinator Theresa Montano, who is blind and accompanied Shusterman on her Chatfield walk, said Amazon buys access so that sight-impaired shipping center employees can navigate steps to pack orders.

Montano uses Aira at her state job, saying the guides on the app can share her computer screen and help her get through an online task in 30 minutes that might take her four hours without help or through older accessibility tools. 

Adding Aira for state-owned lands was wrapped into the overall $250,000 budget for free Aira use on state property and with state websites. The additional utility is an obvious plus, Montano said. 

“This gives blind people the same opportunity to come and enjoy it by themselves or with their family if they want to, and be independent,” she said...

Shusterman walked away taking more from the big picture experience, rather than any particular scenic detail. 

“For me, it was, you know what, I could go for a walk on this path, and I could feel completely safe, and I would enjoy a nice walk and get some exercise, in an unfamiliar area,” Shusterman said. “It’s definitely a real confidence boost for me.”  

-via The Colorado Sun, June 11, 2024

[violetyakumo]

My first zine woo!! I wanted to make one about the various stories and life experiences of disabled and neurodivergent individuals. As well as touching on the negative aspects that our community still encounters like ableism, discrimination, systematic oppression, and being treated like we are disposable.

A big thank you to @itsaspectrumcomic and @ conoryourhonor on Instagram for your fantastic contributions! Additional thank you to @the-delta-quadrant for inspiring a page about disabled eyes.