Day: October 6, 2020

By: Amber Kraft

The National Federation of the Blind has now released a new version of their Newsline mobile app. Newsline version 3.0 will now include a basic version of KNFB Reader integrated in to the Newsline app. The National Federation of the Blind’s Newsline app allows those who are blind, low vision, deaf-blind, or otherwise print-disabled to get access to audio publications, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more. This audio service is free, and offers access to more than 500 different publications however you do have to sign up for this service which you can do on the National Federation of the Blinds web page.

Once you are a subscriber for Newsline, some of the things you will have access to are: National news papers such as; USA Today and The Wall Street Journal, breaking news sources such as CNN and ESPN Online, International newspapers such as Financial Times, magazines such as Smithsonian and Consumer Reports, State Newspapers, and emergency weather alerts based off your zip code or location.

With the latest update of the Newsline app, you will now have access to the basics of KNFB Reader. This lets you read printed text that is right in front of you within the Newsline app. To use this new feature in the app all you have to do is point your camera at the text you want to read and then take a picture of it. At this point in time I do believe you will also be able to save the documents that you take pictures of as well just like in the KNFB Reader app. Prior to this update KNFB Reader was a completely separate app from Newsline and the KNFB Reader app costed around $100 when it was not on sale. You are still able to get the KNFB Reader app separately from Newsline for those who do not have or want a Newsline subscription. The Newsline app is free in the apple App Store. However, unless you are a subscriber to Newsline you will not have access to any of the features in the app.

By: DR. Skylar Covich

Indeed is one of the largest job search sites, useful for local and remote/virtual jobs around the US and in many other countries, for a variety of different industries and skill levels. Indeed is accessible for users of the JAWS screen reader, with modern browsers such as Chrome. You can search for jobs using the Edit box in Forms mode to type in a keyword, then pressing Tab to type in a location, with Remote as an option. Looking at all the results from there will give you the best chance of not missing a job; however, it may be useful to turn filters on for the date the job is posted and for the salary range. If you choose not to turn on filters, be aware of jobs which may have been posted months ago and thus are unlikely to be available now. On a Windows PC, You can press Control + F and type in “Days Ago” to easily find the number of days ago the job you clicked on has posted. Note that if it was posted less than a day ago, you won’t get any results, but that’s actually encouraging! Also read carefully to make sure you are not applying for an unpaid internship if you are not interested in that. This goes for everyone, but us screen reader users may be more likely to be placed in the middle of an entry on this site if we don’t make sure we’re at the top. You should fill out an Indeed Resume on the site, especially if you are in a specialized industry where a recruiter might see it. The process is accessible but does take a frustratingly long time as you fill out the information for each entry, which can be slow on some browsers with JAWS. If possible, however, I would recommend applying for jobs through a different platform than Indeed; there will be a link to the company’s web site or specific application platform they are using besides Indeed. It’s easier to customize your resume or upload a Word document or PDF through other sites.
In order to filter out weak job leads, a FlexJobs subscription (about $50 a year) is worth the money if you are interested in remote work, or some specific industries in certain locations. State vocational rehabs and commissions for the blind may fund subscriptions to FlexJobs. The site is easier to navigate for screen readers, and has good links for job categories and a variety of career coaching and virtual career fair opportunities. However, Indeed is still worth checking out even if you have a FlexJobs subscription or other specialized job boards, especially for opportunities which will likely require in-person work by this point in the pandemic reopening process.