I recently shared a post on LinkedIn and Facebook, listing some lesser-known features that are built in to my screen reader that I find very helpful when I’m working. I thought I’d take a deeper dive into the features I feel increase my productivity and help me get the most out of my technology. Whether…
Author: Connor Scott-Gardner
University, interesting books, and the death of blogging
I’ve been back at university for almost two weeks now, and it still feels strange to write these words. For those who don’t know, I decided to get a second undergraduate degree, studying Classical Studies at the Open University. This means studying online rather than going to a university in person, and I’m also doing…
Breaking down instructions nonvisually with ADHD
I’ve been very open about the fact that I am both blind and have ADHD, and as a result I seem to be the go to person for non-visual ADHD strategies. I’ve been thinking of putting a post together for a long time where I share these strategies but the irony of having ADHD is…
Assistance on the Railway Fails Again
Once again, a disabled person has been left on a train. When I was scrolling social media earlier today I saw a post by Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian and Member of the House of Lords, stating that she had to crawl off a train yesterday. Tanni is a wheelchair user, who is forced to request…
A complicated loss
In December 2022, three months into my PhD, I dropped out. It was objectively the right decision, but that doesn’t mean that thinking about it isn’t painful. I had applied for my PhD at a time when life seemed if not simple, then like it was heading in the direction I wanted it to. I…
Where are the Latin Books?
I’ve been exploring learning Latin. It’s going to be something I learn as part of my degree, but I wanted to get a head start as I know already that I’m likely to face some accessibility challenges once I reach that module. It is also several years away, and I am eager to learn and…
More fun with tactile graphics
Since I wrote the first post on trying to create tactile images a couple of days ago, I haven’t stopped. It’s as though now I’ve started to be able to connect with the world in a way which I haven’t had access to before, I can’t stop. Yes, I’ve been able to touch tactile images…
Pursuing the unseen: my quest to create tactile images
I fairly recently acquired a tactile image printer, sometimes known as a swell paper machine. Essentially, you print or draw onto a specific type of paper, then run it through a machine which heats it up. Darker lines will then be raised, creating a tactile image. Blind people experience so much image poverty. That is,…
Review: A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis
There are no words which can adequately describe how much I loved this middle-grade fantasy and first book in what looks to be a fun and charming series. The story starts as 12-year-old Kat, dressed as a boy, is trying to sneak out of her house to run off to London. She is scared that…
Inaccessible democracy? An unfit system for blind voters
Today I went to vote in the UK General Election. Some friends kindly gave me a lift to my polling station, and when I went inside I was greeted by one of the staff working there, who helped me find the right area of the station as there were several desks. My name and ID…