Blog 21 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
Before the pandemic it was a known fact that visually impaired people regularly experienced social isolation. Therefore I find it somewhat surprising that it has taken the entire nation to be socially isolated to prompt accessible homebased activities. Perhaps it existed to a degree and it wasn’t well advertised or utilised. I hope post pandemic charities and businesses will continue the online work they have started.
Staying fit and healthy is something that I feel strongly about. I think everyone should have the opportunity to feel the adrenaline rush that exercise gives you. Since the lockdown I have come across two fantastic resources that I encourage visually impaired people to take advantage of.
First is the British Blind Sport stay in work out face book group. To date the group has 360 members. This immediately tells me that not enough people know about the group. It is a place to talk about sport and share experiences. There are also a host of accessible work out videos from boxercise to strength and tone. Currently each Wednesday they do a live work out that people can access via Zoom. Just search British Blind Sport stay in work out on Face Book and you should find the group.
The second resource is the Look UK You Tube channel. Check out their keep fit videos from yoga to circuits. They also have some other interesting content to browse once you have worked up a sweat. If you are keen on poetry then you might want to get involved with their poetry challenge. Exercising the mind is important too.
I am taking part in the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. If you enjoyed my blog post or are feeling generous please consider donating as little as £1 to support my chosen charities: The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 May 2020
Saturday, 9 May 2020
What's in a Photo
Blog 14 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
As mentioned in my previous post we live in a very photographic world. People constantly snap selfies, share funny memes and screen shot text. Unfortunately for people with no useful vision like myself photos can make us feel excluded from society. However, there is a way of making photos accessible on both Face Book and Twitter. Here’s how-
Face Book
After you have posted a photo, click on more. A list of options will appear. Click on edit alt text. Face Book is good in that it automatically generates alt text for images which sometimes gives an indication of what the photo might contain. It is possible to override the automatically generated text and write in your own description. Then when screen readers scroll over the image it will read the description out.
Twitter
Go to settings and privacy then click on accessibility. Scroll down to compose image descriptions and toggle the feature on. Now when you compose a new tweet and add in an image there will be an option to add a description for this photo. Again when a screen reader scrolls over the photo the description will be read out.
It is quick and easy to insert descriptions to make your photos more inclusive. Descriptions don’t have to be essays. For example, you could write ‘image of me smiling on the beach’ or ‘image shows yellow Labrador basking in the sunshine’. Any description is better than none and is much appreciated by screen reader users.
I am taking part in the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. If you enjoyed my blog post or are feeling generous please consider donating as little as £1 to support my chosen charities: The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
As mentioned in my previous post we live in a very photographic world. People constantly snap selfies, share funny memes and screen shot text. Unfortunately for people with no useful vision like myself photos can make us feel excluded from society. However, there is a way of making photos accessible on both Face Book and Twitter. Here’s how-
Face Book
After you have posted a photo, click on more. A list of options will appear. Click on edit alt text. Face Book is good in that it automatically generates alt text for images which sometimes gives an indication of what the photo might contain. It is possible to override the automatically generated text and write in your own description. Then when screen readers scroll over the image it will read the description out.
Go to settings and privacy then click on accessibility. Scroll down to compose image descriptions and toggle the feature on. Now when you compose a new tweet and add in an image there will be an option to add a description for this photo. Again when a screen reader scrolls over the photo the description will be read out.
It is quick and easy to insert descriptions to make your photos more inclusive. Descriptions don’t have to be essays. For example, you could write ‘image of me smiling on the beach’ or ‘image shows yellow Labrador basking in the sunshine’. Any description is better than none and is much appreciated by screen reader users.
I am taking part in the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. If you enjoyed my blog post or are feeling generous please consider donating as little as £1 to support my chosen charities: The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Monday, 31 December 2018
A Decade of Words
This year my blog has been dominated by milestone posts. Calvin turning ten, me turning thirty and the NHS turning seventy. Before the year is out I thought I would squeeze in one more milestone. 2018 marks the tenth anniversary of my blog, this blog! When I started writing in 2008, who knew that I would still be writing today and that some people would make a career out of blogging!
I remember well the catalyst that led to the creation of Insight Out, although originally I named the blog Selina’s World. Oh how I wince at my younger self! Back in 2008 I used to be a very active member on a forum for the visually impaired, I have a feeling it was called Eyes Wide Shut. Anyway, another member shared that they had started a blog and I obviously thought, I want to do that too. Said blogger stopped writing last year after ten years of blogging, which was the right time for them. Remarkably that person still reads my blog and takes the time to leave me comments. I hope you know who you are. Thank you for supporting my blog from its inception and being my inspiration to start blogging. Keeping a blog has to be one of the best decisions I have made in life.
When I first started out I was vaguely aware that people might read my posts, but I treated it very much like a personal diary. I find my candidness and direct references to people in the early days somewhat shocking now. As time has lapsed my writing voice has developed. I still write openly and honestly, just not so tactlessly!
Having a diary of the last decade of my life is great. People with vision can look back at photographs and reminisce about that moment in time. They say a picture can paint a thousand words. Thankfully I have written those thousand words, which allows me to look back and recreate memories in my mind’s eye.
I always have and always will primarily write for me. However, if someone finds my content mildly interesting or a little bit useful then it is a bonus. To my knowledge I don’t have a massive following and that is fine. I blog as and when I can and when I wish. I find it an enjoyable and therapeutic process. I read my blog back fairly regularly. This might sound arrogant to some, but I am my biggest inspiration. I look back at posts and admire my work. At times when I’m feeling down I turn to my blog and remember my achievements or marvel at how I have matured over the years. This blog makes me both laugh and cry. It fuels my determination to keep striding for my dreams. The words I write make me believe, believe I can be the best version of me.
I remember well the catalyst that led to the creation of Insight Out, although originally I named the blog Selina’s World. Oh how I wince at my younger self! Back in 2008 I used to be a very active member on a forum for the visually impaired, I have a feeling it was called Eyes Wide Shut. Anyway, another member shared that they had started a blog and I obviously thought, I want to do that too. Said blogger stopped writing last year after ten years of blogging, which was the right time for them. Remarkably that person still reads my blog and takes the time to leave me comments. I hope you know who you are. Thank you for supporting my blog from its inception and being my inspiration to start blogging. Keeping a blog has to be one of the best decisions I have made in life.
When I first started out I was vaguely aware that people might read my posts, but I treated it very much like a personal diary. I find my candidness and direct references to people in the early days somewhat shocking now. As time has lapsed my writing voice has developed. I still write openly and honestly, just not so tactlessly!
Having a diary of the last decade of my life is great. People with vision can look back at photographs and reminisce about that moment in time. They say a picture can paint a thousand words. Thankfully I have written those thousand words, which allows me to look back and recreate memories in my mind’s eye.
I always have and always will primarily write for me. However, if someone finds my content mildly interesting or a little bit useful then it is a bonus. To my knowledge I don’t have a massive following and that is fine. I blog as and when I can and when I wish. I find it an enjoyable and therapeutic process. I read my blog back fairly regularly. This might sound arrogant to some, but I am my biggest inspiration. I look back at posts and admire my work. At times when I’m feeling down I turn to my blog and remember my achievements or marvel at how I have matured over the years. This blog makes me both laugh and cry. It fuels my determination to keep striding for my dreams. The words I write make me believe, believe I can be the best version of me.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Let's Take It Further
I have been blogging since 2008, which is a crazy amount of time. It is nice to have a record of the last eight years of my life even if some of my posts are cringe central. Blogging is something I find quite therapeutic and I have always said that I write just for me, but it is a bonus if other people enjoy my writing too.
At present, I post new blog posts on my Twitter account (@selinalitt). However, I feel it is time to take things one step further and have created a page for my blog on Face Book. I’ve noticed it’s the in thing to do these days. So if you want to keep up to date with new posts, just click here and like my page.
At present, I post new blog posts on my Twitter account (@selinalitt). However, I feel it is time to take things one step further and have created a page for my blog on Face Book. I’ve noticed it’s the in thing to do these days. So if you want to keep up to date with new posts, just click here and like my page.
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