We’re now in the last month of 2020! The big news this week is NVDACon, which is this weekend. Depending on your time zone, it will either be this coming Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. We’ve got full coverage to get you up to speed in this dedicated pre-NVDACon edition of In-Process, so let’s get into it:
First of all, what is NVDACon?
From the NVDACon website,
“NVDACon is an annually held online conference of users, testers, developers, translators and other beneficiaries of the free, open source and community-driven NVDA screen reader.”
At NVDACon, there are:
“opportunities to network with fellow NVDA users, learn about related projects, discover how you can optimize the usage of your favorite software with NVDA and hear from and interact directly with the gentlemen behind this life-changing screen reader”
Key NVDACon links
The main NVDACon website is at: https://www.nvdacon.org/
You can find the 2020 Program and Schedule at: https://www.nvdacon.org/2019-program-and-schedule (don’t mind the 2019 in the URL, it’s the right page). Conveniently, the times on the program are automatically converted to your local timezone.
All the info on how to join NVDACon is on the “How to Join Us” page: https://www.nvdacon.org/how-to-join-us
You can also keep up with NVDACon on social media:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nvdacon
and
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nvdacon
Thunder Clap Tweets
Now you know what NVDACon is and how to find it, a quick announcement about how you can still contribute. Robert Hänggi, the chair this year, is still accepting “Thunder Clap Tweets”. What is a Thunder Clap Tweet? I’m glad you asked! From the original call for topics, Thunder Clap Tweets are:
“Short news that are about 30 seconds each and that are compiled into a 15 minutes news feed.”
Ideal for promoting your new add-ons or to keep the community updated on new features.
If you’d like to submit a Thunder Clap Tweet, you do need to get in ASAP. Email Robert at info@nvdacon.org with your idea!
How NVDACon started
At NV Access, we are all proud of NVDACon. One aspect we are particularly proud of our community for, is that NVDACon was not organised by NV Access. The community decided this was something THEY wanted, and so they organised it. NV Access are enthusiastic supporters of NVDACon, but it the community who run it. Being invited to deliver the NVDACon keynote is a highlight of our year. We look forward to engaging with many of you there.
Recently in In-Process, we’ve been sharing memories from previous NVDACons. The November 20 In-Process features a link to The First NVDACon keynote. Prompted by this, Joseph Lee this week shared his memory of the beginnings of NVDACon. From the idea of a conversation, to how it grew to the international event that so many now look forward to. As a founder of NVDACon, Joseph’s musings are a worthy read for anyone passionate about NVDA and history.
From Joseph’s email to the NVDA user email list:
“More than three years ago, I wrote a blog post that describes how NVDACon actually came to be, including the planning involved in getting the 2014 keynote going. Among all things that have happened in NVDA community, NVDACon is one of my top two personal favorites (the other one is add-ons). Although the post is an analysis of NVDACon 2017 from the NVDACon founder’s perspective, it is equally applicable to 2020 edition”
Read Joseph Lee’s original blog post remembering the history of NVDACon.
Thanks Joseph for that behind the scenes look at the beginnings of this amazing event!
The Art of Sound Design, with Justin MacLeod
One of the presenters at NVDACon 2020 is Justin MacLeod, a sound designer who relies on NVDA daily. NVDA provides access to employment, entertainment, and communication with others as well. NV Access had the opportunity to catch up with Justin and we are pleased to share this with you. Justin shares his thoughts on how he uses NVDA, his workflow, and what he will cover at NVDACon. There’s also an audio challenge in the Interview! Listen to the interview and read the full transcript.
The Art of Sound Design intro screen
Justin’s NVDAcon presentation, “Sound Designer at Work” is at 1pm UTC on Saturday December 6th.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to tune in to NVDACon on the weekend. Be sure to check out “How to Join Us” and the 2020 Program and Schedule to get the most out of the weekend!