The Digital World with Eyes Shut $($page $81-82)-$ Due date: $05/26/2024$

THE DIGITAL WORLD IS VERY VISUAL. Email demands to be read. Web sites are full of text.

Social media feeds are constantly changing. Pinterest and Flickr are all about photos. And a

lifetime is not long enough to view all the videos on YouTube. But what would this digital

world be like if you could not see it$?$ Can speech synthesizers and voice recognition tools

change the visual experience into an auditory one? In this lab, you$$ll have an opportunity to

set up a screen reader, activate voice recognition, and experience the digital world with your

eyes closed.

Requirements:

For this lab, you$$ll need a Windows computer, an Apple computer, an iPhone $4$s or newer, or

an Android phone. The instructions are generalized; they provide helpful guidelines, but not

specific steps. You may have to explore a bit to find all the tools needed to complete the

assignment, but that is all part of the learning experience. You might find this lab goes more

smoothly if you work with a partner.

Assignment:

Activate voice commands on your device.

On a Mac, select the Apple menu, then choose System Preferences, Accessibility, and

Voice Control. Enable Voice Control. Click the Commands button to see a list of voice

commands that you can use.

On a PC with Windows, locate the Speech Recognition utility. If setup is required, select

a microphone, then continue with the setup $($choosing Disable document review$).$ You

can access a tutorial by searching online for $$Windows Speech recognition.$$

On an iPhone, access Settings, then select Siri. Make sure Siri is on$.$ Hold the Home

button to open Siri $($or hold your iPhone up to your ear if you$$ve enabled Raise to

Speak$).$

On an Android phone, access the Settings menu, select My device, then choose Voice

control. Turn voice control on$,$ then select it to find out what kinds of commands you

can say.

Try these activities and make notes on the results:

Does your device respond when you ask, $$What time is it$?$

Can you launch the camera app and take a photo using voice commands?

Can you issue a voice command to get to the desktop, Start screen, or Home screen?

Can you dictate an email message or text message using only voice commands?

Activate the screen reader for your device.

On a Mac, select the Apple icon, then choose System Preferences, Accessibility, and

VoiceOver. Enable VoiceOver. $($Leave the Accessibility window open so that you can

disable VoiceOver when you complete the lab.$)$ Take a few minutes to step through the

VoiceOver training.

On a PC with Windows, enter Narrator in the Windows search box. Start the Narrator.

On an iPhone, select Settings, then select Accessibility. Turn on VoiceOver.

On an Android phone, select Applications, Accessibility, and TalkBack. Turn TalkBack

on$.$ Listen carefully to the instructions; you have to tap twice to select any screen

options.

Close your eyes and try a very simple activity, such as starting a browser, going to

Wikipedia, or searching for information about wolves. Describe your experience.

With your eyes open, explore the Web to locate any additional information or settings

that might make navigation with eyes shut easier. Describe what you find.

Reset your device to its usual speech mode.