Matthew Whitaker

Just received my Grammy medal and certificate, and I’m still taking it all in. Truly grateful to God, my collaborators, and everyone who’s supported me along the way.

#Grammy #GrammyWinner #Music #Musicians #Arranger #Composer #Jazz #Grateful #Blessed #Accessibility

Well, my first year as Artist In Residence at Augustana University is officially finished. What an incredible year. I’m super grateful for the students, faculty, staff, friends, opportunities, lessons, growth, and memories that came with it all. Today was my last day for the year, and I already can’t wait for next year. So much more music to make. ❤️
#Music #ArtistInResidence #AugustanaUniversity #Education #Jazz #Piano #Accessibility #BlindMusician #Grateful #MusicianLife

Still taking this in… last night I received an official proclamation from the Mayor of Hackensack recognizing my achievements.

I’m deeply grateful to my hometown, and also to everyone near and far who has supported me, believed in me, collaborated with me, taught me, prayed for me, and rocked with me along this journey. None of this happens alone.

So much love and appreciation to all of you. This one really means a lot. 💙

#Grateful #ThankYou #HometownPride #Hackensack #MusicLife #Accessibility #BlindMusician #Community #Milestone #Blessed

Hi everyone. Quick question for those using the built-in Apple Mail app with VoiceOver. Is anyone else having issues selecting text inside an email? I can’t seem to get any text to select at all. Not sure if this is a VoiceOver bug, a Mail issue, or if I’m missing something. Any tips would be appreciated.
#Accessibility #VoiceOver #Apple #AppleMail #Blind #ScreenReader #MacOS #A11y

Just made this now using my iPhone and an app called Tape It. I’m playing a Yamaha S6 Grand Piano while hanging out in my office on campus. This is “Here’s That Rainy Day.” I decided to take inspiration from one of my favorite pianists, Bill Evans, especially some of the beautiful modulations he uses in his version.
#Jazz #Piano #BillEvans #YamahaPiano #GrandPiano #BlindMusician #Music #JazzPiano #Improvisation #NowPlaying #Accessibility #iPhoneMusic #TapeItApp

Hello everyone—how’s it going?

Quick question for my Windows crew, especially folks using NVDA: what email client are you using these days? I’m looking for something that plays nicely with Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Also curious… how’s the new Outlook holding up in 2026? Has accessibility improved, or is it still hit or miss?

Would love to hear what’s working well for you.

#Windows #NVDA #ScreenReader #Accessibility #BlindTech #AssistiveTechnology #Outlook #EmailClients #MicrosoftTeams #Zoom

Good news for blind and low vision users. The latest Facebook update appears to have fixed the back button issue. Navigation is feeling much smoother and more reliable again with VoiceOver.

Really glad to see this improvement. Accessibility fixes like this make a big difference in everyday use.

If you were struggling with the back button before, it might be worth updating and trying again.

#Accessibility #Blind #LowVision #VoiceOver #Facebook #iOSAccessibility #AssistiveTechnology #AccessibilityMatters #TechAccessibility #BlindUsers #AppleAccessibility

Hi everyone. Hope all is well.
Just in case you haven’t seen it yet, the AppleVis 2025 Accessibility Report Card is out, and it’s an important read.
I had the chance to contribute feedback this year, and it really reflects what a lot of us in the blind and low vision community have been experiencing lately.
With Apple’s 50th anniversary coming up, this is a big moment. Accessibility has come a long way, but there’s clearly work that needs to be done. Stability, reliability, and listening to users has to be the focus moving forward.
Grateful to be part of this community and these conversations.
Please share and spread this everywhere.

https://www.applevis.com/blog/apple-vision-accessibility-2025-applevis-report-card

#Accessibility #AppleVis #VoiceOver #Blind #LowVision #TechAccessibility #Apple #AssistiveTech

Hey everyone. For those using the Facebook app on iOS with the latest version, is anyone else having issues opening or going directly into a post itself? Just trying to see if this is a wider problem or something on my end.

#Accessibility #VoiceOver #iOS #Facebook #Blind #A11y #ScreenReader

@MonaApp@mastodon.social Anyone else using the Mona app running into this?

On the latest version (and this was also happening for me back on version 6), I’ll be typing—either with the standard iOS keyboard or Braille Screen Input—and the keyboard just randomly disappears. Then I have to go back, find the text field again, double tap, reposition my cursor… and sometimes it just drops the keyboard again. Rinse and repeat.

This makes it really tough to consistently write posts or replies, especially using VoiceOver.

Would love to see this fixed—Mona is great otherwise.

#Accessibility #VoiceOver #iOS #Blind #BrailleScreenInput #MonaApp #BugReport

If you’re having trouble with the latest Facebook update, here’s a quick workaround that’s been helping me:

Do a double tap and hold, then slide your finger to the right. Make sure your focus is on the text of the post or the person’s profile picture at the top before doing the gesture.

It’s been working pretty consistently on my end. Feel free to share this anywhere it might help others.

#Accessibility #VoiceOver #BlindTech #Facebook #AssistiveTechnology

Hey y’all, how you doing? Happy Friday! Hope everyone’s doing well and having a great start to the day.

#HappyFriday #GoodMorning #FridayVibes #Community #StayPositive

For those using Open Shell on Windows, is there a way to revert back to the Windows 11-style Start menu layout? Switching to the XP layout is really cool — brings back a lot of memories — and I remember using it back in the day. Really nice experience. Just curious if there's a way to keep the Windows 11 look while still using Open Shell.

#Windows #Windows11 #OpenShell #Accessibility #ScreenReader #NVDA #Tech #Microsoft #AssistiveTechnology

Hi everyone. Question regarding Betterbird on the Mac. I’m trying to select text in an email using regular VoiceOver commands, but I can’t tell if it’s actually selecting anything because VoiceOver stays completely silent. Not sure if I’m missing something or if it’s just not giving feedback.
Finding attachments in an email is also tricky.
Also, is there a way to close an entire email thread at once? Right now Command-W only closes one email at a time.
One more thing: searching for emails with VoiceOver feels tricky too, especially navigating and finding the actual email in the search results.
Any tips from other VoiceOver users would be greatly appreciated.
#Accessibility #VoiceOver #Blind #Mac #Betterbird #Email #ScreenReader #A11y

Hey y'all. Any suggestions for a good accessible screen recording app for Windows?

Also running into something weird… I'm not getting any progress bar sounds unless I plug my headphones directly into my desktop. Right now my headphones are plugged into my mixer and NVDA is coming through that.

I've tried both the SoundAlign and Pleasant Progress Bar add-ons with no luck.

Anyone run into this before or have ideas on what might be causing it?

#Windows #NVDA #Accessibility #Blind #ScreenReader #AssistiveTech #WindowsAccessibility #Tech #AudioRouting #MusicProduction #OBS #ScreenRecording

Alright, browser check 😄
What’s your favorite browser right now?

Google Chrome
Firefox
Comet
Microsoft Edge

I keep bouncing between them depending on the day and what I’m working on. Curious what y’all are using and why. Performance, privacy, accessibility, vibes… all fair game. Let’s hear it!

#TechTalk #Browsers #Accessibility #Productivity #NerdyConversations