In the final episode featuring bonus content from "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk" I chat with someone who had very good reasons for being skeptical of Apple, but who eventually embraced iOS, once it proved itself.

Steve Sawczyn

When Apple brought accessibility to the Mac, and later, the iPhone, Jonathan Mosen was a skeptic. But unlike a lot of them, Jonathan could back up his point of view. He's spent his career working in assistive technology, both as an advocate and product reviewer, and as an employee of companies that make it. He has many fans, and is a lightning rod for plenty of others in the blindness community. When I interviewed Jonathan for "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk," I didn't expect that his journey from critic to iPhone owner and book author would form such a neat arc in the story.

Jonathan Mosen

Shane Jackson Blog and Podcast – www.BlindWorldBlog.BlogSpot.com

Research for my documentary, "36 Seconds that Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk" included interviews with two longtime iOS developers, each of whom took an early interest in accessibility. We talked about the process of developing accessible apps, why they do it and how users respond to what they build.

Matt Gemmell and Marco Arment

Yes, I know this is from 2010.

From the moment Steve Jobs announced it in 2007, anticipation for the first iPhone was off the charts. And when it shipped? Customers lined up around their local Apple stores; some arriving days before the phones could be bought.

But the hype and hysteria left one group of cell phone users out – if you had a disability, the new hotness was just a cold, unresponsive rectangle of plastic and glass.

This is the story of how that changed in June of 2009, and what it has meant to people who are blind, have a hearing disability, or experience motor delays.

This is the story of iPhone accessibility.

Here's the page for the documentary, where you'll find a transcript and bonus content.

Apple's Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger talks about new and updated accessibility features on the company's platforms, as well as a bit of iOS access history.

Sarah Herrlinger

Google I/O and Microsoft Build are in the rear view mirror, but what did each dev conferences have to tell us about accessibility? And which of their tent pole technologies are being used to power the next generation of fancy tach for people with a variety of disabilities? And also gaming!

Joe Steinkamp

I talked with two iOS developers who have a lot in common. They're independents who produce series of popular apps. And without really meaning to, they have each earned a reputation for thoughtful accessibility.

David Smith and Winston Chen

Each spring, all the accessibility tech nerds go to the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in Southern California. At the end, a bunch of us do a wrap-up podcast for Blind Bargains, which covers the show from soup to nuts, Braille to navigation. I'm bringing you that show in hopes that it gives you some insight into how what's happening in accessible tech matches up with the wider world.

Chancey Fleet, Ricky Enger, J.J. Meddaugh, and Joe Steinkamp

To find links to the topics and other podcasts we discuss in this episode of Parallel, follow the link to BBQ 177.

Last Monday, Apple announced Apple News +. And I'm breaking usual format to give you a first look and demo, complete with extra accessibility sprinkles.

Darcy Burnard, a friend and longtime podcast collaborator, talks with me about making podcasts accessibly. Which tools work, which ones don't, and which can be made to do our bidding?

Darcy Burnard