Accessibly Streaming a Live Event to YouTube

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It’s something that has not been commonly thought of as an accessible option for blind people but, believe it or not, a blind person can successfully stream a live event to a YouTube channel using a myriad of tools. This can be accomplished using either a Windows or Mac computer. However, for the sake of this article, I’ll be sticking to the Mac, since that’s what I used.

Background

A friend was looking for a way to broadcast her wedding live on YouTube without breaking the bank. Being the enterprising tech person that I am, I offered to give it a shot; because I would be there already and always love a good problem to solve. Then, I had some second thoughts. What if the angle was wrong? What if the audio didn’t work? I would be coming in to the hotel that day, with no idea of the ports on the sound board, and no clue whether the cables I had were the ones I would need. Nevertheless, I persevered.

The Set-up

I first began looking for an accessible streaming software for my Mac. As the most powerful laptop at my disposal, I needed to take full advantage of what it could offer. After doing a little digging, I stumbled across Open Broadcaster Studio (OBS). OBS, a free piece of software, offers the user the ability to turn their computer into a streamer for both audio and video. Many different inputs can be mixed together into a single feed that goes out to either a local recording or an online stream. The app isn’t amazingly accessible, but is useable with VoiceOver if you sit down and work with it. In many ways, it behaves similarly to the TeamTalk 5 client for the Mac. Sometimes, you must route the mouse to the buttons and then click it with the VoiceOver modifier, plus Shift and space.

For my input, I used a portable Behringer USB mixer, connected to my computer and to the venue’s sound board. I was lucky that the board had an RCA output, which was hooked up to my mixer through an adaptor and a 3.5 mm male to male cable into the mono input jack of my mixer.

Getting the video feed together was more of a challenge. Somehow, I needed to bring the feed from the camera of my iPhone 11 Pro into my computer and mix it with that fabulous audio coming from the mixer. This requires some work. There are, as those of us who have upgraded to Catalina will know, some permissions problems with the new OS that make some apps difficult, if not impossible to run. When using OBS’s built-in Window capture feature with QuickTime to try to capture the video, no video came across from the iPhone. So, back to the drawing board I went. I found a plug-in for OBS, accompanied by a $15.99 iOS app, which claimed to do what I needed. The app itself is mostly accessible, with some interesting button labels and focus problems, but it’s functional. The real issue became getting the plug-in to recognize that an iPhone was connected to the Mac. After closing and reopening the app on the iPhone, it finally recognized the device and I had a very nice looking video feed on my computer screen. This, combined with the audio I collected from earlier, the video went out to YouTube from OBS and created a seamless streaming experience. I would strongly recommend this setup for anyone looking for an inexpensive way to stream an event.

#iACast 136 – November New Tech Reviews

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Show Description

On this episode, Michael, Aleeha, Jason, and Chris focus on the tech news of the past few weeks.

News

Apple releases the Beats Solo Pro.
Apple released AirPods Pro.
Apple TV+ has launched.
Google launches Google Play Pass.
Microsoft is set to discontinue the Cortana app for iOS and Android.
Disney+ is now live, and you can check out our DemoCast, where we show off the apps for both iOS and Android.
Apple releases the 16-inch MacBook Pro. You can listen to the sound of the built-in microphones and learn more by clicking on this Vector video.

Picks

Aleeha: Disney+
Jason: Apple TV+
Michael: AirPods Pro

Providing Feedback

We love hearing from you, so feel free to send an email to feedback@iaccessibility.net. You can follow us on Facebook, and Twitter. You can also find us on Reddit, and all around the web. Also, don’t forget to check out our YouTube page, and for all things iACast, check out our iACast page. If you’d like to help support us, you can do so via our PayPal and Patreon pages. If you wish to interact with us during our podcasts live then please do join us on our Slack channel.

#iACast 135 – Preparing for a Power Outage

iPhone low power warning

Show Description

On this episode, Aleeha, Leslie, and Jason discuss ways to prepare both you and your tech for a power outage. They also talk about some low-tech ideas that can help you insure you’ve got all you need to stay informed, entertained, and safe, until power is restored.

News

Apple releases AirPods Pro.
Apple TV+ is here.
Apple has released iOS and iPadOS 13.2, and an article from AppleVis goes into great detail about bug fixes that can be found in the latest versions.
Google has purchased Fitbit.

Ad

Training services

Picks

Leslie: AMBEO Smart Headset
Jason: iPhone 11 Pro Max
Aleeha: NosillaCast

Providing Feedback

We love hearing from you, so feel free to send an email to feedback@iaccessibility.net. You can follow us on Facebook, and Twitter. You can also find us on Reddit, and all around the web. Also, don’t forget to check out our YouTube page, and for all things iACast, check out our iACast page. If you’d like to help support us, you can do so via our PayPal and Patreon pages. If you wish to interact with us during our podcasts live then please do join us on our Slack channel.

#iACast 110 – Amazon’s Latest Acquisition

Picture of an Eero router

Show Description

On this episode of the iACast, Aleeha, Michael, and Jason discuss Amazon’s acquisition of the WiFi company Eero. 

News

Several Apple rumors, including

Advertisement

This week, we talk about our shortcut site, Beyond the Gallery. which allows users to submit helpful iOS shortcuts.

Picks

Jason: Blue Coil Universal Microphone pop filter

Aleeha: 63rd and Wallace Echo skill 

Michael: Amazon Echo

Skill Blueprints

Coming Up

Be on the lookout for tons of UnboxCasts from us this week!

Providing Feedback

We love hearing from you! Please send us an email at feedback@iaccessibility.net with your comments and suggestions. You can follow us on Facebook, and Twitter. You can also find us on Reddit, and all around the web. Also, don’t forget to check out our YouTube page, and for all things iACast, check out our iACast page. If you’d like to help support us, you can do so via our Paypal and Patreon pages.

PawdCast 10 – International Travel

A Guide dog in Harness

On this episode of the PawdCast, Aleeha and Meaghan first discuss some of the month’s service animal news. First up, a woman was kicked off a flight due to the presence of her emotional support squirrel. Second, Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization bill, which has some interesting implications for future air travel with service animals.

Sponsoring our show this month is On the Go, a business run by Julie Johnson, which sells handmade nylon service dog gear and other useful items.

Next, we enter a new segment for the show, one all about advocacy. This month is all about hotels, so be sure to give that a listen.

Finally, we have the first of two interviews about international travel, this one from Texas resident Holly McKnight. She discusses her experiences with traveling overseas, as well as navigating on a cruise.

If you like what we’re up to or have any feedback for us, send an email to pawdcast@iaccessibility.net.

The Power of Advocacy: How one Email can Change an Entire Semester

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As a college student, inaccessible websites, applications, and materials that put barriers in the way of my equal education have been a staple in my college years. The inaccessibility that I have experienced has ranged from useable with great difficulty to not useable at all. If I am lucky, the website has a few unlabeled elements that I can get through; however, there have been many occasions where I have had to ask for assistance in order to complete my school work.

This semester, I’m using an online discussion forum called PackBack. As I worked my way through the requirements of my course, I noticed that I had a problem. Each post a user publishes on PackBack is assigned a number of curiosity points, which are meant to help assess the creativity and originality of students’ posts. This assists the professor with grading participation, and helps to reduce the number of posts that are unrelated to the topic at hand.

When I published my first post, I encountered a significant problem. Although I tried several different combinations of screen readers and web browsers, I could not see how many curiosity points I had received. My professor requires that each student reach a minimum of 150 curiosity points for the week in order for their posts to count toward their grade. How on Earth was I going to fix this? I was missing out on a key part of the assignment, and the only answer I had was to ask someone with useable vision to look at my posts.  I did not feel that this was an acceptable method for me to complete my work.

I began to dig around the site, looking for accessibility statements or documentation, and did not find anything.

As I searched for the website’s contact form, I grumbled and groaned at not only writing yet another email concerning the lack of accessibility of a website that was imperative to the success of my education, but also whether or not my need for accessibility would have any validity in the eyes of the website administrators.  I calmly told them what was going on, and waited.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox today. I had a very friendly and genuine email from the company’s CPO, who works directly with the accessibility team. She informed me that she appreciated my report, and she would be sending this information to engineering for a fix.  I was told that improvements should arrive within two weeks. Additionally, her response also included the curiosity points I had received on my first three contributions, and I was invited to ask if I needed them again. I was also asked how else Packback could be a better experience for those using screen readers.

I think there is a mark on my chin from hitting the apartment floor. Never before had I received such a swift response that seems to indicate that someone truly cares about accessibility. It just goes to show that, no matter how burned out we are from advocating, no matter how much we feel that our request will fall on deaf ears, we still must try.

#iACast PawdCast 8 – Service Animals and Certification Systems

A Guide dog in Harness

On this episode of the PawdCast, Aleeha, Meaghan, and Jenine Stanley discuss many different topics. First up, we wrap up everyone’s convention experience by talking about the guide dog harness in development from Ruffwear. Next up, speaking of convention, is an interview done by Aleeha with the University of North Georgia regarding an exciting new study revolving around posture and guide dogs. After the interview, we discuss a decision made by Publix to post signage relating to service animals in grocery carts. Finally, our guest Jenine Stanley discusses service animals other than guide dogs, as well as two proposed certification systems that could be detrimental to service animal users’ rights. Thanks for listening, and be sure to follow us on Twitter at pawdcast_show, and email any feedback to pawdcast@iaccessibility.net.

#iACast GameCast 3 – Eurofly

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On this episode of the iA GameCast, Aleeha and Jason review the audio flight simulator Eurofly . Please send all feedback to feedback@iaccessibility.net, and if you like what we are doing, please consider donating to our Patreon  to help keep our content coming.

#IACast 87 – #NFB18 Wrap-up

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On this episode of the #IACast, Michael, Aleeha, Chelsea, Scott, and Meaghan discuss a lot  of what the 2018 National Federation of the Blind convention had to offer. There was a lot that was discussed in this episode, so grab your favorite snack and settle in for a listen.

In the news since we last spoke, there has been a lot going on. First up for discussion are the new MacBook Pros from Apple. There are a couple of convention related news items, including a ton of news from Aira, as well as KNFB Reader and NFB Newsline partnering to bring reading features to the Newsline app. Last, but certainly not least, we discuss the arrival of the Surface Go from Microsoft. In the middle of the show, we took a break to remind everyone of our training services, which are available for $18 per month. We also announced the availability of our help desk, information for which is being finalized. After the main discussion of the show, we discussed our picks for the week. Michael’s pick is the SurfaceBook 2, a powerful laptop and tablet combo from Microsoft. For Anna, it’s a new, inexpensive Braille display, being carried by National Braille Press, called the BrailleMe. Aleeha is back with another game pick, this one available for most common platforms, called Echos From Levia: Soulbound. Scott picks the Horizon glasses from Aira, which are rolling out to customers as we speak. Finally, Chelsea picks one of iAccessibility’s newest apps, Current City. Don’t forget to email us with feedback or suggestions at feedback@iaccessibility.net, and please consider supporting us at patreon.com/iacast.

#iACast 80 – Braille Talk

Fingers reading on a page of Braille

On this episode of the #iACast, Michael, Aleeha, Chelsea and Scott discuss the applications of Braille in their lives. Before we got to the main topic, we discussed the recent news that Sprint and T-Mobile will be merging pending DOJ approval. During our discussion of Braille, we discussed several resources, including iAccessibility’s own PocketBraille app for iOS, which will soon be receiving a major update to include Braille contractions. We also discuss the Hadley Braille course, offered by the Hadley School for the Blind, the National Reading Media Assessment for students, and our training program, which offers courses in Braille. We also discussed the transition to UEB, and how it is important to keep one’s skills up. Some of the Braille displays mentioned in this episode were the Focus 40, Braile Edge, Brailliant BI 32, Orbit Reader 20, and NeoBraille.

here are our picks for the week.

Aleeha: Woven Words

Scott: Weather Informant

Chelsea: Math Robot

Michael: Glitch Dash

Don’t forget to send any comments to feedback@iaccessibility.net or to our Twitter @iaccessibility1.

#iACast UnboxCast 18: Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2 front and back

On this episode of the iA UnboxCast, Michael unboxes the Google Pixel 2 with guests Aleeha, Lauren, Chelsea and Jason. Michael takes us through initial setup and talks about the basic features of the phone. Don’t forget to contact us with any feedback at feedback@iaccessibility.net or by following us on Twitter @iaccessibility1. Also, please donate to our Patreon at patreon.com/iacast.

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