What's coming for accessibility on Apple's platforms later this year? My guests are Sarah Herrlinger, Apple's Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, and Dean Hudson, an engineer on the Apple accessibility team. We talk VoiceOver/Screen Recognition, accessibility improvements for XCode, Magnifier updates, new Braille features for iOS, Big Sur's impact on low-vision accessibility, Headphone Accommodation and Back Tap.
Jul 14, 2020•29 min•Ep. 33
There are accessible video games, but it's not a given. The long-awaited The Last of Us 2 has taken lots of knocks from reviewers, but it's probably the most accessible game ever.
Jul 07, 2020•47 min•Ep. 32
WWDC 2020 is like no previous iteration of Apple's annual developer event. We talk about what's new from Apple, including accessibility updates for various platforms. We also dig in on tech conferences, both virtual and real. What do we want from them and what are the barriers to making them great experiences.
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 31
Here's where you learn about developing inclusive apps – not why it's a good thing, but how developers can get started doing it. We talk about addressing a variety of disabilities, and the ways and means of user testing to achieve apps that are accessible in more than name only
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 30
Video just keeps growing as a way to tell stories about technology. Both of my guests have made video a mainstay of their creative output. I wanted these two experts to school my audio-centric self. We also talk a whole lot about accessibility advocacy through the video medium.
May 12, 2020•56 min•Ep. 29
Here's the Parallel take on two new bits of Apple gear. What will each mean for users, and for Apple itself. We talk iPhone SE the sequel, iPad's new Magic Keyboard, how WWDC could come off this year, and what Apple stories we hoped we would be talking about in 2020 – before the pandemic.
Apr 28, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 28
How do product reviewers work? Do the people who evaluate gadgets for your favorite sites do rigorous testing, or rely on their gut to form an opinion? And who are they writing for? We talk with two people who review tech products about what it takes to write an authoritative post that people looking to buy will actually want to read.
Apr 14, 2020•55 min•Ep. 27
What's it like to work at home when you usually go to an office? My guests, a Microsoft program manager and a radio reporter, will fill you in.
Mar 31, 2020•52 min•Ep. 26
I'm BACK, with a solo episode that amounts to 'what I did on my unintended podcast vacation.' With Apple products. I finally own an Apple Watch, and the latest edition of my book about iOS accessibility is out the door.
Jan 07, 2020•29 min•Ep. 25
There's a new operating system in town, and it's delicious. It's Android 10. Join us for a look at what's new.
Sep 10, 2019•57 min•Ep. 24
In the final episode featuring bonus content from "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk" I chat with someone who had very good reasons for being skeptical of Apple, but who eventually embraced iOS, once it proved itself.
Aug 14, 2019•55 min•Ep. 23
When Apple brought accessibility to the Mac, and later, the iPhone, Jonathan Mosen was a skeptic. But unlike a lot of them, Jonathan could back up his point of view. He's spent his career working in assistive technology, both as an advocate and product reviewer, and as an employee of companies that make it. He has many fans, and is a lightning rod for plenty of others in the blindness community. When I interviewed Jonathan for "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk,"...
Jul 24, 2019•40 min•Ep. 22
Research for my documentary, "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk" included interviews with two longtime iOS developers, each of whom took an early interest in accessibility. We talked about the process of developing accessible apps, why they do it and how users respond to what they build.
Jul 09, 2019•59 min•Ep. 21
From the moment Steve Jobs announced it in 2007, anticipation for the first iPhone was off the charts. And when it shipped? Customers lined up around their local Apple stores; some arriving days before the phones could be bought. But the hype and hysteria left one group of cell phone users out – if you had a disability, the new hotness was just a cold, unresponsive rectangle of plastic and glass. This is the story of how that changed in June of 2009, and what it has meant to people who are blind...
Jun 21, 2019•39 min•Ep. 20
Apple's Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger talks about new and updated accessibility features on the company's platforms, as well as a bit of iOS access history.
Jun 10, 2019•40 min•Ep. 19
Google I/O and Microsoft Build are in the rear view mirror, but what did each dev conferences have to tell us about accessibility? And which of their tent pole technologies are being used to power the next generation of fancy tach for people with a variety of disabilities? And also gaming!
May 29, 2019•43 min•Ep. 18
I talked with two iOS developers who have a lot in common. They're independents who produce series of popular apps. And without really meaning to, they have each earned a reputation for thoughtful accessibility.
May 14, 2019•43 min•Ep. 17
Each spring, all the accessibility tech nerds go to the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in Southern California. At the end, a bunch of us do a wrap-up podcast for Blind Bargains, which covers the show from soup to nuts, Braille to navigation. I'm bringing you that show in hopes that it gives you some insight into how what's happening in accessible tech matches up with the wider world.
Apr 16, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 16
Last Monday, Apple announced Apple News +. And I'm breaking usual format to give you a first look and demo, complete with extra accessibility sprinkles.
Apr 02, 2019•31 min•Ep. 15
Darcy Burnard, a friend and longtime podcast collaborator, talks with me about making podcasts accessibly. Which tools work, which ones don't, and which can be made to do our bidding?
Mar 07, 2019•51 min•Ep. 14
Every tech-savvy person ends up helping some portion of her or his family get the printer working, software installed, or spam banished. I wanted to find out how others do it, so I talked to fellow family tech supporters, who have also done this work professionally.
Feb 19, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 13
Can you turn an iPad into your primary computer, and if you do that, is it the best choice you can make, or a stunt to talk about on podcasts? I pose these blunt questions to my iPad-dominant guests. And give you a bushel of links, too.
Jan 16, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 12
I wanted to celebrate the end of another year by bringing listeners a few gifts from past Parallel guests. And as it turned out, there's great stuff for users of iOS, Android, macOS and Windows. And games!
Jan 01, 2019•20 min•Ep. 11
Which is more fun; a thorough-going discussion of home automation tech, or Allison and Mikah geeking out on any subject? Fortunately, it's not necessary that you make a choice.
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 10
Shortcuts, not just the Siri ones, have the potential to change the way people use iOS. I talk with a couple of shortcut-makers. The enthusiasm is infectious.
Nov 21, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 9
We gather to mourn the demise of the FilmStruck streaming service, a lifeline for cord-cutting fans of classic and art film, and a way to pass film history on to new generations. We also offer you an amazing array of links.
Nov 06, 2018•59 min•Ep. 8
Smart speakers have very much been a part of this fall's tech product announcement season. On this episode, we kick the various speakers and virtual assistants around, and give some thought to their place in our lives.
Oct 23, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 7
"What this operating system needs is a real dark mode." Many have made that declarative statement at one time or another. But what is dark mode, or what should it be? How have the various mobile and desktop OS makers actually implemented the mainstream version – read much better version – of what users with visual disabilities have known for years as inverted colors?
Oct 10, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 6
I let the fall Apple event soak in for a couple of days before rounding up some folks to talk about it. Watches, phones, and new iOS features are all on the bill of fare. And Mikah and David share their Apple addictions.
Sep 19, 2018•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 5
When you make and sell software, a lot of the challenges of running a business have to do with managing projects and people, and finding effective ways to communicate with customers and potential customers. I'm talking to two CEOs who run small tech companies, and who, for my money, excel in communicating about what they're doing in honest, transparent ways.
Sep 04, 2018•41 min•Ep. 4
