VoiceOver Tutorial: VOT 17 – Voices Beyond the Page: The BARD Mobile Experience Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Hope, Amelia, Junie, and a surprise guest from Chatbot Chronicles (hello, VGER) explore the BARD Mobile app and the powerful story behind it. From a historic letter by Helen Keller to the app that now puts thousands of audiobooks at your fingertips, this episode is a celebration of access, literacy, and legacy. Whether you’re new to BARD or just want to get more out of it, we’ll guide you through everything from searching and downloading to playback and settings—all with the wit, warmth, and weirdness you’ve come to expect from the VOT crew. June 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How the National Library Service and BARD Mobile came to be, thanks to Helen Keller’s advocacy • How to log in, browse, and download books with BARD Mobile • How to use the app’s four main tabs: Bookshelf, Get Books, Settings, and Now Reading • Tips for managing your Wishlist, checking recent downloads, and syncing across devices • How to control playback, create bookmarks, and adjust reading speed and tone Pro Tips Shared: • Use the Search field to find books by narrator as well as author or title • Try the Wishlist feature to queue up books for future reading or other NLS-supported devices • Adjust tone and speed together for a more natural listening experience • Use the sleep timer for cozy bedtime reading—and avoid waking up to chapter 47 Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without usable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

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VoiceOver Tutorial 16: 1-Finger Triple Tap – The Forgotten Soldier Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Junie, Deiter, and Hope return to uncover one of the most underappreciated yet powerful gestures in the VoiceOver arsenal: the 1-finger triple tap. Whether you’ve never used it or just assumed it was a glitch in your tapping rhythm, this “forgotten soldier” is here to serve. From Home Screen shortcuts to fast message replies, this episode breaks down how the triple tap opens up the VoiceOver Actions Menu—saving time, simplifying your workflow, and making navigation smoother than ever. June 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • What the 1-finger triple tap does and how it triggers the VoiceOver Actions Menu • How it works on the Home Screen to reveal app-specific shortcuts • How to use it in Mail, Messages, Safari, and more to quickly reply, delete, share, or react • Why it’s often faster than using the rotor • When and why the gesture doesn’t work—and why that’s still useful Pro Tips Shared: • Use the triple tap on app icons to access Compose buttons, searches, and shortcuts without opening the app • In Mail and Messages, triple tap on individual items to access context-sensitive actions instantly • Triple tap is a great fallback when rotor switching feels slow or inconsistent • Even when nothing happens, the gesture is a quick way to check for hidden options Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without usable vision. https://faftb.com

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Learn to master your iPhone using VoiceOver! Amelia, Deiter, and Hope guide you through the ins, outs, and in-betweens of the Mail app using VoiceOver. From inbox chaos to organized communication, this episode covers everything you need to read, reply, compose, and manage your email—without ever viewing the screen. May 2025, iOS 18 What You’ll Learn: • How to navigate the three levels of the Mail app: Mailbox view, Inbox list, and full Email view. • How to use Explore by Touch, rotor actions, and filters to keep your inbox organized and efficient. • How to read, reply to, delete, move, and manage messages using VoiceOver gestures and the rotor. • How to compose a new email with dictation, Handwriting Mode, and the on-screen keyboard. • Where to find attachments and how to interact with them using VoiceOver. • Tips for navigating between email threads and conversation messages. Pro Tips Shared: • Use the Messages rotor setting to easily switch between messages in an email thread. • Keep your contact cards updated to save time when composing new emails. • Dictation works best in the Subject and Body fields—avoid it in the “To” field unless you enjoy mysterious typos. • Say “new line” while dictating to create paragraph breaks. • Use the Actions Rotor to delete, flag, or move emails without opening them. Learn More & Connect I’m Brian Clark, Lead Trainer at First Aid for the Blind, where we help people confidently learn non-visual tech skills and regain independence. My life without sight began in 2014, and it is now with great joy that I help others adapt to successful lives without useable vision. https://faftb.com brian@faftb.com

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