@PrintInkling

I'll offer the two bits of advice that I have offered to many before, and which apparently continues to need to be offered.

Alt Text images every time. 'Cuz there's no valid reason to be dismissive of people who use screen readers.

#CamelCaseHashTags every time. Same reason.

@ClimateChris

A tip for you...
Always #CamelCaseHashTags because they're more smoothly read by screen readers.

1-for-4 on this toot.

I know, sometimes you'll type it CamelCase & the system will try to change it to one it sees more commonly. The crowd is wrong. You can force it to CamelCase anyway.

Also, pics should all have alt txt. Same reason... the visually impaired are also all going to cook as the world burns. We'll need allies in every corner, so we should try to not exclude them.

@PavelASamsonov Ah, I hadn't considered the length. Doesn't autocomplete just offer the most popular hashtags first?

In terms of accessibility UX, I'm referring to the lack of #CamelCaseHashtags for screen readers.

Somebody posited that Mastodon converts hashtags to all lowercase, but a few #CamelCase survive, so I guess not.🤷‍♂️ But even hashtags specifically about using Camel Case for screen readers are all lower case.

@steffo @revolt3d@kolektiva.social @Are0h Clever UI design could even teach people Fedi culture (CWs, image descriptions, #CamelCaseHashTags, not dunking on people unless they actually deserve it) by contrasting what's on Facebook and what's not on Facebook – side by side, or with colours, maybe?

I'm no expert, obviously – and I don't have the fedi moderation experience to know how viable this would actually be. But if someone wants to work on something like this, I'd appreciate being involved in discussions!

@me
Oh! Thanks for the info! In that case, I am all for taking advantage of CamelCase to make tags more readable for humans. (Screen reader software struggling to read non-CamelCase should get off their butts and become more sophisticated.)

#CamelCaseHashtags

@draussensaiter
#CamelCaseHashtags helfen bei Barrierefreiheit.

@swansinflight
Yes, do alt text, please.
And #CamelCaseHashtags.

Hey Everybody, First I hope everyone is doing great! Apologies for being absent from class. Miss Fannie Brice and I have both been quite ill as of late. We are doing Good and much better.

I wanted to share what had intended to be my "How to Guide on making Fannies Crinkle Cat nip Toys" . We had intended it for here but since Pinafore went down and I didn't find Brutaldon in time. Well today the great Twitter ableist side pushed me into action. So, taking a negative a spinning it into a positive. 😸

If anyone needs clarification on any steps feel free to ask below this post. I am going to try to get the thread redone for Mastodon in time. But wanted to share with anyone here who may want a weekend project for the furry friends.

OK well as always Love and Light from Miss Fannie Brice and Aero / Aaron 💜 😺

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

https://twitter.com/aero_hasen/status/1618019797119414277

Happy Friday! My hooman doesn’t think I need food. Do you think this is a good hint? #HappyFriday #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #FatCatFriday #CamelCaseHashTags

"Singing in the bathtub, Happy once again, Watching all my troubles, Go swimming down the drain...

Oh! A ring around the bathtub, It isn’t so nice to see, But a ring around the bathtub, Is a rainbow to me...

Everybody’s happy, While singing in the tub."

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

My Blind Life with my Cat part Two...

I figured this was a good example of a few aspects of not just my life but also Miss Fannie's life with me as a blind individual.

In today's installment of the "Quest for the forbidden plastics"

We find Miss Fannie Brice inside the double door built in pantry in out kitchen.

I had gone to take a shower, and left the child safety lock open. Yes, I know this completely left us vulnerable to Wolves. and other intruders looking to steal our precious plastic wrapped goods. I have already been scolded on these facts by Miss Fannie.

I thought that this would give a good representation of what her life is like when my sighted husband is not home with us. Also, why we decided to build her the Cat e O (Catio) on the back of our house. A place truly just for her and filled with Sunshine.

So from Miss Fannie Brice and I we wish you all a wonderful Thursday and a blessed weekend to come.
Love and Light.
Miss Fannie Brice and Aero / Aaron 💜 😺

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

One of the joys of being blind and taking photos with Miss Fannie Brice, are the little unknown moments that just happen. Organically...

I tend to point and shoot rapid fire sometimes. Mostly in order to capture moments like this afternoon's blissful time we shared upon waking up from a nap. She woke me up needing her nasal passages cleaned and afterwards we were snuggling.

I was trying to elicit the loving head buts she was giving me earlier, for the camera. But, my subject was not having any of it. So, the following happened... Enjoy.

And from both Myself and Miss Fannie Brice we hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday. Oh, my apologies, I have been informed that it is actually #Caturday

Love and Light
Miss Fannie B. and Aero / Aaron 💜 😽

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

Good Evening Wonderful beings of Mastodon land,

Well all this Quality control and making sure our plastic wrapped goods are safe is a lot of work. Beauty rest is now required for the night shift.
Goodnight lovely beings of Mastodon land.

Oh yeah... beauty tip, always Sun your toe beans!

May everyone have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Love and Light.
Miss Fannie Brice. 😽 💜

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

Well I set out this morning to make a simple D I Y (Do It Yourself) mini sewing guide on how to make Crinkle Cat toys. And especially show how I as a blind individual use tricks to continue my love of all things Fiber arts.

Well, in the middle of my step by step construction / sewing, Quality control showed up. Unannounced!

And not just any old inspector either. Not even Inspector 12! NO! ...The big boss herself! ... She had some harsh criticisms. Always hard to work under this kind of pressure.

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

A Re-Post: as I one accidentally deleted the original trying to edit it. and as a Reintroduction to Miss Fannie Brice and I as a Blind Individual Cat duo. 😺

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a little bit about my life. Not only as a Blind man, but as a Cat dad.

This is my Cat “Daughter” Miss Fannie Brice. She is an adoptee and we couldn’t be happier to have her in our lives. She came to us by way of a Shelter / Foster / Adoption rescue agency here in St. Louis. She was rescued out of a severe hoarding situation of around 200 to 300 other cats.

She has some severe health issues. That is the reason we chose her. That and my request was simple. I needed a vocal Cat, and BOY HOWDY the lungs on this little girl would put Ethel Merman to shame! Ha ha! And secondly, I wanted an affectionate Cat. A true companion. And the universe delivered in spades!

So, she has some cognitive issues due to spending the first year of her life in so much ammonia. She has slight Brain damage. She will have what we like to call her “fits”. She just requires a tad bit more love then. She was born with a Cleft lip congenital defect so, she is missing her top lip. She also only has one internal nasal passage way. Which leads to her sneezing and chronic upper respiratory infections. Her lower intestines were not properly aligned so, she has some gastric issues and she never learned how to use the litter Box, and I have to assist her with that some days. With all that and more, she seems like a lot to handle, but in all honesty she is not that much.

When we first got her she weighed only 4 pounds and was missing half her body hair. She now is at almost 8 pounds and as fluffy as can be.

So, with my Blindness I have severe Photo phobia, and she has only ever had one window in our house to look out of. The window of my Art studio. So, my husband and I after a year and a half of her being essentially in the dark with me. We wanted to give her a place all her own. Filled with sunshine. So we had the back sun porch / mudroom torn off our 100 plus year old house and turned it into a Catio! (Cat-e-o)

So, I want to share with you the journey and the beginning of her new life.

In the next post I will share a video of miss Fannie being introduced to her new space.

Blessings -Aaron & Miss Fannie Brice
💜 😽

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

A visual story of my Blind Life with my Cat...

Miss Fannie Brice knows I am blind.
How, do I know this? Well as Gregory will regale you of his many feline companions over the years. Animals have a way of picking up on subtleties in human behavior. When I approached the rescue agency about a cat companion, I had only 2requests. A vocal cat, and one who was affectionate.

The universe granted me the first in spades. I have said before, Ethel Merman has nothing on this 8 pounds lung capacity. So,Fannie knows there are certain liberties that come from cohabitation with a blind individual.

Normally that stealth like cat burglar nature is prefect for getting away with things. For instance this afternoon, as I was getting out of the shower. I thought I heard something in and around our shelving unit that holds extra dry goods and the glorious quote forbidden plastic wrapped goods.

Miss Fannie has a thing for plastic and crinkly wrapped goods. Not the items inside, just the plasticity crinkly goodness that holds them.

Well being blind, I called out to see if she would respond... Not a sound. I could hear her congested breathing. We, both have been having a rough time with the weather here.So, I pulled out my phone, and started snapping photos... as seen in picture One.

She is in the dark, sitting absolutely statue like, trying not to make a sound. As I approached, not a peep. Not moving. (*There are more pictures but mastodon only allows 4 pictures per toot.)

Then the call of the plastic got too great and she had to take a nibble, which gave her spot away. I quickly turned on the overhead pull string light and started snapping. To mostly send to my sighted husband at work.

The closer I got the nibbling got more frantic. And yeah once I had all but made it known the gig was up, she turned and wanted to let me know the "Intruder" had been taken care of and everything was A-Okay.

Not sure how I survived without such intrepid watchful eyes. Haha.

@oedipusnj

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #Alt4You #MissFannieB

Greetings Everyone in Mastodon land!

Hope Everyone had a fabulous day no matter what you celebrated. Or how, and that you were warm, and with those that you love and cherish and that love and cherish you. And, if you don’t have anyone like that, well just know that I, Miss Fannie Brice and my Humans love and cherish you for being.

I got a BOX! It’s everything I wanted and more… It changes shapes and everything. I had such a blast destroying and trying to eat wrapping paper that now I am plum tuckered out. So, may everyone have a fantabulous Monday and rest of 2022!

Love and light,
Miss Fannie Brice ❤😽

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #MissFannieB

@Cat_LeFey First as a Blind user thanks for this list and the attention to #AltText #CaptionTips as you listed them.

I took a virtual stroll through the comments and as someone who actively uses a screen reader. N V D A as I am completely blind now. (My sight loss journey is too long to go into here. Haha.) ...Fellow Fiber artist by the way. Hey! I digress.

Can I add a few notes? For the inquiring minds that have asked below?

In regards to a few things...
All screen readers react differently to different textual commands. I know more robust screen readers such as JAWS are able to handle some commands better than an open source free reader such as N V D A. But, I choose N V D A because it does not cost out of pocket thousands of dollars and 90% of blind individuals are unemployed or more likely to be under / unemployed. Thereby living well bellow the poverty line.

Secondly screen readers can not as many assume, automatically read text or image information. I do know Apple and Google Lense on Android have both improved a lot recently in auto A I recognition. But, having a sighted spouse who will tell me that Apple says the photo I submitted was of a "Man on the Beach" when in fact it was my cat in my bed. Is not a substitute for human eyes.

I also wanted to add the addition of Camel Case Hash Tags such as this #CamelCaseHashTags as screen readers will read all lowercase words as one big word.

The life of a Blind / V I person through a screen reader on social media is very different than most imagine. I thank you for taking the tome to help make our loves that much easier with your inclusivity. It is greatly appreciated.

Thanks -Aaron 😺

Accessibility is a human and civil right. Inaccessibility is a choice.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve... to everyone in Mastodon land.

We hope everyone is warm wherever you may be. And that if you have the space in your warm spot to maybe think about taking in someone who doesn't have a warm spot or food.

I was lucky and found my forever home. So, help make a difference in some cool Cats life like mine and think about fostering. Or better yet, make space for a fancy new feline friend like me.

OK well I have beauty rest to get in... We got a Turkey to cook in the morning. I get the leg! Just kidding, I have a stirck diet, but a Girl can look.

Have a wonderful Christmas.
Love and Light!
Miss Fannie Brice. 😽 ⛄️ 🎄

#CatsOfMastodon #Cats #CamelCaseHashtags #Blind #AltText #MissFannieB

@BlurTheFur and remember to use #camelCaseHashtags because screenreaders read those as separate words instead of incomprehensible slur of characters. Easier to read for me too, so win-win 😅