

Accessibility & Zoom – Best Practices
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY Problems with video? Try turning off HD Video Factors that can affect participation with HD video are bandwidth limitations, restricted data usage on mobile, or unreliable internet access. To change these settings while in a meeting: Choose “Enable/Stop … Continue reading Accessibility & Zoom – Best Practices

Resources For A Mostly-Remote Swarthmore
After President Smith announced Swarthmore’s remote stance for the rest of the semester, we have watched our community rally quickly to move to an almost-entirely remote stance. We are so appreciative of all of the folks who have worked to … Continue reading Resources For A Mostly-Remote Swarthmore

DIY Document Camera
If you are participating in a Zoom conference and need to share handwritten notes, you might be interested in this simple D.I.Y. document camera setup written up by Jason Alley at Lafayette College. Read more at Writing, Drawing, and Demonstration … Continue reading DIY Document Camera
NVDA – Simplified
NVDA from NV Access is a free text to speech tool Microsoft Windows machines. It stands for Non-Visual Desktop Access. It will not work on iOS machines. Many use this tool to listen to content. Here are some simple commands to get you started using NV Access: Note: documentation refers to the NVDA key. The default NVDA key is the insert key. It can be changed to Caps lock when installing NVDA the first time Control + Alt + n to run NVDA NVDA + q to close NVDA Numpad + +to start reading at the top of the page NVDA + down … Continue reading NVDA – Simplified
VoiceOver Simplified
VoiceOver is the screen-reader or text to speech tool that is built into Apple’s operating system. It will not work on the Windows operating system. Many use this tool to listen to email messages, content on websites, etc. Note: when these resources reference the “VO” key, they mean command + option Here are some simple commands to help you get started in using VoiceOver: command + F5 turns VoiceOver on/off tab navigates to an interactive element ctrl + option + right arrow (repeatedly) navigates to the next element ctrl + option + command + h (repeatedly) navigates by headings explore … Continue reading VoiceOver Simplified

The Makerspace Springs Forward
It has been quite a year for Swarthmore’s Makerspace. This past Fall, a new manager was hired, and over the winter break we moved from Beardsley Hall to Whittier Hall rooms 109-113, giving us an opportunity to expand our workspace and storage, with higher ceilings and great natural light. Our Open House was a big success, and concerns about drawing enough traffic have been put at ease with the new location buzzing with activity. The move also opened up space in Beardsley for a new Idea Lab, a temporary prototyping space complete with a flight simulator, green screen, VR equipment, … Continue reading The Makerspace Springs Forward