AFB Study: Exploring the Use of AI by people with and without disabilities

 

AI Impacts Everyone: Tell Us How You Use It Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live, work, and connect. But is it working for everyone? The American Foundation for the Blind is conducting a study on how people interact with AI. We want to hear from adults with and without disabilities, whether you are an experienced user or not. Your input will help us better understand how AI is being used across different communities. To ensure the depth and accuracy of our findings, we are actively seeking responses from individuals without disabilities. We continue to welcome participation from people with disabilities as an essential part of this research. Who can participate: Adults age 18 and older People with or without disabilities What to expect: Complete a short screening form If you qualify, you’ll receive a survey link within 24 hours The online survey takes 10 to 45 minutes, depending on your AI use You’ll have a chance to win one of twenty $50 gift cards We invite you to share whether you’ve used AI, how you use it, your opinions about it, and any challenges you’ve encountered. To begin, go to: www.afb.org/AISurvey.  Questions? Email: asilverman@afb.org. The survey will close on September 30, 2025. If you have already completed this survey, please disregard this email. Thank you for your participation!

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What to expect when 3IAtlas comes by in late October and in March?

Something 1/2 THE SIZE of the SUN has Entered our Solar System 👁️‍🗨️ THI...

Imagine: LabLm will read a bunch of scientific papers aloud.

What can people on Earth expect when this interstellar object passes through the heliosphere?

Does a blind person actually need to interact with the images or is there plenty of information in the narration in spite of "this one here" and "that one there."

complex dusty plasma

Mua Mua

Strange Metal Signatures Detected from 3I/ATLAS as it Begins to GROW a Tail ☄️

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And for MORE measurements

Energy Analytics

Amazon Day Round THREE

Remember Adventures of RantWoman: AGAIN, Amazon? AGAIIN?

 It's way past RantWoman's email witching hour so RantWoman is ignoring her inbox.

RantWoman digressed from daily #Russia #Ukraine war video / Ukrainian independence day diet for The Insane Mystic Folklore Fuelling Putin’s War in Ukraine

Russian STATE TV HACKED- Show's War's REALITY!!

Soooo. RantWoman offers the world Amazon round 3, no thank you USPS.

1. RantWoman now has the three items, a lovely package of snacks and two items that RantWoman would not be thrilled to have to carry home. Hence the enthusiasm for DELIVERY.

2. Thank you to the very courteous human who helped RantWoman just request a refund after sharing a tale of woe involving the US Postal Service and zero likelihood that RantWoman's items would get delivered  by the next Amazon Day.

3. RantWoman also splurged on several mor pairs of fingerless gloves because they are brilliantly helping RantWoman keep nasty thumb arthritis at bay. RantWoman mentions the gloves because their packages would in fact neatly fit into RantWoman's mailbox.

fingerless gloves, round 1

More and better reserve gloves

So capitalism is making RantWoman happy and therefore all should be right with the world?


NOT SO FAST. The world needs one last round of RantWoman vs the Post office.

Inspired by her previous success with the bar code, RantWoman decided that, when in front of a bigger screen she would see about creating a USPS login and see whether she could induce the mail carrier to deliver RantWoman's package. RantWoman succeeded in creating an account on the USPS website. RantWoman even got to a page about something to do with delivery with notification.

But...no matter what RantWoman did, she got a message about something like "cannot set this at this time."

Really?  

RantWoman had good intentions about trying again during some traditional business hour.

Later that night, RantWoman decided "to heck with the post office" and grabbed her phone to text for help.

RantWoman got help. RantWoman appreciated help. MAYBE RantWoman will remember to call the postal service during reasonable daylight hours. Maybe.

WAYMO Press Release from Mayor Adams of NewYork City.

 Autonomous vehicles are coming. Autonomous Vehicles are coming.

RantWoman's experience about many technologies is that hype and reality do not always line up at first.

For example, although RantWoman so far has not ventured into TikTok, she has it on good authority that the platform is full lf real life experiences by both blind and sighted people with Waymo difficulties.

For balance, a press release from the office of Mayor Adams of New York City,.

Mayor Adams, DOT Announce Approval of First Application to Test Autonomous Vehicles in New York City With Trained Safety Specialist Behind Steering Wheel - NYC Mayor's Office

Read on!

    

AGAIN, Amazon? AGAIIN?

 Remember RantWoman's recent rant.

Adventures of RantWoman: Dear Amazon, Amazon Day means Amazon Day

RantWoman is again neglecting various local and global crises to tend to AMAZON DELIVERY ISSUES.

Amazon has DONE IT AGAIN.

Last week RantWoman ordered 3 items none of which would fit into her mailbox in the mailroom to be delivered on her Amazon Day.

Amazon Day came. No delivery. 

RantWoman thinks she was even home and could have received the packages if someone had made the slightest effort to, say, knock on RantWoman's door.

RantWoman checked her Amazon app for delivery status. Shipped by USPS with something that purports to be tracking number.

Fascinating. The only thing more fun than one dumb hassle is TWO dumb hassles.

Finally, today, Monday a charming pink package delivery slip from the post office showed up in RantWoman's mail. Pink slip had acres of tiny print and some tiny handwritten notations. RantWoman whipped out her phone and blew things up large enough to make out both the handwriting and what purports to be a tracking number. 

The PROBLEM: the tracking number on the annoying pink slip looks NOTHING like the tracking number in the Amazon app. 

There is the promise of another delivery attempt the next day. RantWoman will even be in her building. RantWoman just has no way to know when her delivery MIGHT occur. 

Just for grins this time, RantWoman here includes a screenshot of part of the delivery status .

Screen shot

And for FURTHER GRINS, relevant info from the USPS slip.

The USPS tracking number

 

And now...because RantWoman is procrastinating, some bonus free UX consulting, with absolutely no warrant that RantWoman's approach will work for a totally blind user, or an elderly person who has not spent their whole life steeped in tech.

Use the QR code! Miraculously the QR code takes one to a form about scheduling redelivery. The form is even auto-populated with the bar code number. The form asks for usual contact info: name, delivery address, phone, email.

There is no way on the form to be sure one has saved the data input so RantWoman went looking on the hamburger at the top left of the phone. Oh, here, some kind of login page. At this point RantWoman made one guess about whether she might have set up a sign-in on the USPS page. Nah. One guess is all RantWoman has in her tonight, but MAYBE RantWoman will try again tomorrow.

And, again, you're welcome for the free UX consulting.

1. Try the QR code.

2. Ooh. Magic