Abstract: A screen reader for a computing device with a touch sensitive user interface. The screen reader operates in an investigatory mode in which touch inputs detected through the user interface are interpreted as inputs designating content on the display to verbally render. Each selection may be interpreted as designating a unit of content at the designated location. The size of the unit may be determined based on a direction of motion of pointing device arriving at the location on the display where the unit of content is designated. In this way, a user may, through simple and intuitively learned commands, designate content in units of different sizes such as characters, words, lines or paragraphs, when the content is text, and/or individual user interface elements when the displayed content being selected includes graphical elements.

Abstract: Broadcasts from beacon devices each of which is disposed in a known different physical location within a venue are controlled. Scheduling information for events scheduled to take place at the venue may be collected from calendar management sources and analyzed. Notification of an emergent event associated with the venue or its geographic location may also be received from emergent event notification sources and analyzed. The result of these analyses and the knowledge of the physical location of each of the beacon devices are used to generate a set of broadcast rules for each of the beacon devices, where these rules specify one or more beacon signals to be periodically broadcast by the beacon device and the timing by which these signals are to be broadcast. For each of the beacon devices, the set of broadcast rules for the beacon device is downloaded to the beacon device.

Abstract: A screen reader for a computing device with a touch sensitive user interface. The screen reader operates in an investigatory mode in which touch inputs detected through the user interface are interpreted as inputs designating content on the display to verbally render. Each selection may be interpreted as designating a unit of content at the designated location. The size of the unit may be determined based on a direction of motion of pointing device arriving at the location on the display where the unit of content is designated. In this way, a user may, through simple and intuitively learned commands, designate content in units of different sizes such as characters, words, lines or paragraphs, when the content is text, and/or individual user interface elements when the displayed content being selected includes graphical elements.

Abstract: Broadcasts from beacon devices each of which is disposed in a known different physical location within a venue are controlled. Scheduling information for events scheduled to take place at the venue may be collected from calendar management sources and analyzed. Notification of an emergent event associated with the venue or its geographic location may also be received from emergent event notification sources and analyzed. The result of these analyses and the knowledge of the physical location of each of the beacon devices are used to generate a set of broadcast rules for each of the beacon devices, where these rules specify one or more beacon signals to be periodically broadcast by the beacon device and the timing by which these signals are to be broadcast. For each of the beacon devices, the set of broadcast rules for the beacon device is downloaded to the beacon device.

Abstract: Assistive buffer usage techniques are described. In one or more implementations, audio generated through text-to-speech conversion is output, the audio corresponding to text portioned in one of a plurality of buffers from an item of content. An input is received to rewind or fast forward the output of the audio. Responsive to the input, additional audio is output that was generated through text-to-speech conversion from text portioned in another one of the plurality of buffers.

Abstract: A screen reader for a computing device with a touch sensitive user interface. The screen reader operates in an investigatory mode in which touch inputs detected through the user interface are interpreted as inputs designating content on the display to verbally render. Each selection may be interpreted as designating a unit of content at the designated location. The size of the unit may be determined based on a direction of motion of pointing device arriving at the location on the display where the unit of content is designated. In this way, a user may, through simple and intuitively learned commands, designate content in units of different sizes such as characters, words, lines or paragraphs, when the content is text, and/or individual user interface elements when the displayed content being selected includes graphical elements.

Abstract: Assistive buffer usage techniques are described. In one or more implementations, audio generated through text-to-speech conversion is output, the audio corresponding to text portioned in one of a plurality of buffers from an item of content. An input is received to rewind or fast forward the output of the audio. Responsive to the input, additional audio is output that was generated through text-to-speech conversion from text portioned in another one of the plurality of buffers.