Hi Harry,

This is good news.  The only problem I have seen in devices with knobs is that you can keep turning them but there's no starting point.  Some old appliances had notches on the knobs you could use as a reference point and the knobs would only turn so far.  There's also an issue where some new devices require the user to turn the knob, and then push it in for the desired setting.  This may correspond to what is displayed on a screen even though it may not be a touch screen.  Buttons can be confusing if they are either too small, or too close together.  I have also seen buttons which are recessed which means you can accidentally push them.

I think this issue is still being worked out and blind people will have to come up with their own workaround solutions.  As solutions are developed we will have to determine if we like sound feedback through speech or audible beeps.  then there is an issue where people who are deaf blind need a tactile solution.  This could be resolved by using haptics where the user feels various types of pulses with varying length and intensity.  We already have haptics in devices like the Orbit Reader where the user is informed that the device is turning on or off.  We also have this in some phones.  There might be a long-term solution using refreshable Braille and graphics but that's a long shot.

Dan

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Harry Brown
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 4:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] great news!!!!

Hi all,

Just listening to a main menu show, for December 13, 2019, and here's the great news! Clark, from Access World, talked about touch screens verses regular buttons and knobs.

He said, "We went to Best Buy, in Alexandria, and just shopped for different appliances and tvs, to see what was accessible. Well now, it seems like the trend is kind of dialed back from that! While we were at Best Buy, we noticed that a lot of appliances now have mechanical buttons and mechanical knobs again!"

I sure hope that's the case!

Just wanted to let everyone know about that!

Harry


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