cramaekers, Author at Outlook Enrichment

Did you know that Google allows you to store all your documents, photos, and more in a way that allows you to access them from anywhere? You can even share them with family members! Below, we’ll discuss Google Drive storage options and where to find adaptive technology training.

Google Drive vs Google One Comparison

Google Drive is a cloud storage service provided by Google. This storage solution allows you to save files online and access them anywhere from any device. You can use up to 15GB of free storage.

Google One is essentially the paid version of Google Drive. It gives you extra storage (beyond the free 15GB) across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. You can share this storage with up to five family members.

Plans begin at 100GB for $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. If you need to store many photos and videos, Google’s premium plan gives you 2TB for $9.99 a month / $99.99 a year.

If you’re still using a free Google account and don’t want to switch, you can visit the Google One page to take advantage of a tool that may help you free up some extra storage space.

Sharing Cloud Storage with Family Members

If you want to share your storage, you must create a shared family group. Here’s how:

Go to Google’s family plan page and click “Get started.”
Next, click on “Create family group.”

You can invite up to five family members if they have Google accounts. Some suggestions will be listed, but you can type in a name (if they’re in your contacts list) or an email.

The person you invited will be sent an email, and you’ll be emailed when they accept the invitation. The invitation will expire in two weeks.
Once you’ve set up your family account, you can then set up your shared storage:
In your Google One account, click the settings icon on the left.
Look for “Share Google One with family” under the “Manage Family Settings” drop-down and toggle it on.

To enable shared storage, go to settings and look for “Share Google One with family.”

Now, members of your family can also use the additional storage. Once they use up their free 15GB, they will gain access to the additional storage your account gives them—this does not mean you have access to their files unless they share them directly with you.

Checking Your Storage Capacity

If you want to see how much of your storage each family member uses, go to your Google One account, click “Storage” on the left, and select the down arrow next to “Family Storage.”

You can see how much storage you have left by going to your Google Drive page and looking at the Storage statistic at the bottom of the left-hand column.

Now that you know how much space you have left, you can decide what to do next. If you’re getting close to your limit, do you want to pay for more storage space or find a different service to store your photos? It’s up to you.

One word of advice: before you do anything else, try to delete any old, unwanted, or duplicate files hanging around in your Google storage. You’d be amazed at how much space you might save.

Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers can show you how to maximize your Google storage. Anyone with vision loss can come to Enrichment’s open lab every Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. You can also schedule an appointment for a one-on-one adaptive technology training session at a time that works for you.

As the Community Outreach Specialist for Outlook Enrichment, Megan has fun every day. She has always wanted to plan events that bring a smile to participants. But the path that led her here gave her many challenges to overcome.

By 30, Megan had finished college. She made her living as a server at Big Fred’s Pizza and was in the process of planning the rest of her life. Megan received a bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Adjusting to Life with Her Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis

But being diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy suddenly put her life on hold.

Megan quickly adapted to using one eye after her first retinal detachment. Even after the second retinal detachment, she held onto her car. She thought the doctors could fix her vision.

Megan soon realized it could not be fixed. For the first time since age 15, she faced unemployment and wondered how she would pay her bills.

But Megan’s planning nature, combined with her determination, pushed her forward. With her remaining vision, she figured out how to walk to the grocery store and find the items she needed. She discovered she could still make out some print with the help of magnification. She started her job search, where she learned about Enrichment.

Megan’s Introduction to Outlook Enrichment

Megan took a part-time front desk position. She knew she wanted more, but something felt right about being at Enrichment. A few months later, her current position opened up. The last four years have been a blast for Megan.

If you attend any of Enrichment’s recreation or cultural activities, you will see Megan. She will greet you with a smile and make sure you enjoy yourself. Her limited vision sometimes makes it hard to make out faces or read signs, but she will find a way to get the job done.

When Megan is not planning or working an Enrichment event, she can usually be found with one of her dogs. She has five short-nosed dogs, including a blind French Bulldog named Margaux. Megan loves watching her keep up with her other dogs and does everything using her other senses.

Megan is never afraid to try something new, including home improvement projects. You can ask her about her latest home improvement project adventure; she has more than one to share. And if she does not comment on the smell of your freshly baked cookies, don’t get offended. Megan has never been able to smell anything.

Mickie never thought he would be a teacher. But he has spent the last four years showing others with vision loss how to make the most of their technology. He has fun every day as an Outlook Enrichment adaptive technology trainer. It took some time to get here, but he feels he’s where he should be.

Mickie’s Background

In 2006, Mickie lived in Lincoln, NE. His associate’s degree from Southeast Community College in Lincoln started him down the computer programmer career path. But, not for the first time in his life, things weren’t quite going as planned.

Mickie was born blind and with hearing loss. The blindness never bothered him as much as the hearing loss did. Mickie’s high school dream job was in audio engineering. He wanted to be behind the scenes at a radio station. However, this dream sat just out of reach for him because of his hearing loss. He needed a new plan.

Mickie received his first computer in 1997. After wondering what to do with it, he decided to see what the computer could do. Mickie always enjoyed figuring out how things worked, so he applied the same mindset to mastering the computer.

Mickie found working with computers exciting, which led to him starting his programming classes. He thought this career path would work for him.

A random comment during one of Mickie’s math tutoring sessions in college stuck with him. While he attempted to fix his notetaker, the tutor mentioned teaching to Mickie. This made Mickie think. Maybe there’s something to this.

Mickie’s Introduction to Outlook

After some job searching, Mickie moved to Omaha to join Outlook Nebraska’s production team at the end of 2006. Making toilet paper was not his career goal, but earning a paycheck and making some friends satisfied him. Outlook was still growing, and the future seemed bright here.

In 2017, Mickie’s familiarity with using a MacBook computer was needed to help a program participant. At that moment, Mickie realized he could combine his love for technology and his ability to help others accomplish their goals. His tutor’s comment about teaching came back to him.

Mickie now shows Enrichment participants how to become self-sufficient on computers, smartphones, and other devices. Seeing a person learn something new makes Mickie smile every day.

Mickie always feels proud to get up and go to work every day. But he now says he has the perfect career.

Mickie purchased his first home in 2017. He loves spending time outside during nice weather with his dog, Skippy.

Mickie goes cross-country skiing in the winter whenever he can. Every January, he attends Ski For Light in South Dakota. This nonprofit hosts cross-country skiing events to show visually impaired people how to ski and to have fun in the snow.

If you meet Mickie, ask him about his 2018 skydiving trip. He loved it and plans to do it again.

iCloud is the Apple service that securely stores your photos, files, notes, passwords, and other data in the cloud and automatically keeps it up to date across all your devices. It also makes sharing photos, files, notes, and more with friends and family easy. Using iCloud, you can also back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

You can share iCloud storage with up to five different people. All Apple devices needing access to one iCloud storage must be logged into the same iCloud account.

You may want to check what devices are associated with your Apple account in the Apple ID settings as you upgrade devices.

How to remove a device in iCloud:

Navigate to settings
Tap the Apple ID and iCloud button
Select the device name
Select “Remove from Account” on the device information screen

When you set up iCloud, you automatically get five GB of free storage. You can use that storage space to back up your devices and securely store and update all your photos, videos, apps, documents, and text messages everywhere.

Depending on the size of your backups from all your devices and the amount of content you keep in iCloud, you might need more free space. You can upgrade to iCloud+ or manage your storage by deleting content.

How to view your iCloud storage:

Navigate to settings
Tap your name
Tap iCloud – the amount of your used iCloud storage is listed at the top

How to determine what is and is not stored in iCloud:

Navigate to settings
Tap your name
Tap on iCloud – here, you can swipe down through all the items to choose what is being saved to the iCloud

You control the items iCloud stores. You’ll need to be consistent with each device to access all items from iCloud. For example, if you want your photos stored in iCloud, you must ensure each device knows to do this with all photos.

If you have turned several apps on or off, you may want to back up your device completely. To do this:

Go to Settings > [your name], and tap iCloud
Tap iCloud Backup
Tap Back Up Now – under Back Up Now, you’ll see the date and time of your last backup. If you get an alert that you don’t have enough iCloud storage space to complete the backup, follow the onscreen steps to buy more storage or delete some items to try again.

Additional iCloud services to consider

iCloud+ gives you premium features and additional storage. Additional features include iCloud Private Relay, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video support. You can upgrade to iCloud+ on any Apple device. There are currently three iCloud+ plans to choose from.

You can also access your storage through iCloud for Windows on your PC. To access iCloud from any device, go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple username and password.

You can review all the items you have chosen to save on your devices. You can also review your photos to delete duplicates or ones you no longer need. You can also save documents, notes, and contacts through iCloud.com.

Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers can show you how to maximize your iCloud storage. Anyone with vision loss can visit Enrichment’s open lab from 2-4 p.m. every Friday. You can also schedule an appointment at a time that works for you.

Nina’s love for marketing and communications began in 2004 when she was asked to help create a newsletter. She realized she wanted to make a career in this field and started her education journey to get her marketing degree.

For Nina, promoting causes she cares about is extremely rewarding. She held previous marketing positions at Emspace + Lovgren, Physicians Mutual, and InfoGroup. She brings over 10 years of marketing experience to Outlook Enrichment.

Nina learned about Enrichment through a co-worker. She wanted to become a board member at a nonprofit, making a difference in the community. She liked what she learned about Enrichment and was one of the founding board members in 2019. Having firsthand knowledge of the impact of Enrichment’s mission, Nina is excited to continue helping people through their vision loss journey in her new role as director of fund development.

In this role, Nina will foster relationships with corporations, foundations, individuals, and key personnel. She will also cultivate support for Enrichment’s programs, which address the need for technology training and cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities for the people in our region who are blind or have vision loss.

Nina received a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Bellevue University, where she later earned her master’s degree in management. Her communication, project management, content development, and strategic thinking will garner support for the programs that help people with vision loss live independently in an inclusive community.

She’s motivated every day by her husband and son, who keep her busy watching their son play baseball, basketball, and golf.

She loves to read or attend sporting events when she’s not working. Her personal goal is to read one book each month in 2022. Nina also enjoys baking but gives away the goodies to keep them out of the house.

Nina has always loved country music. She met country singer Keith Urban while out with friends the same night she met her husband. She keeps the photo on her desk to remember meeting her husband and, of course, that she got to talk to Keith Urban in her hometown of Omaha.

Nina loves going to the dentist. And, if you are ever at a breakfast meeting with Nina, don’t offer her a doughnut. She is not a fan.

Over the past few years, Apple has made significant progress in its accessibility and adaptive technology updates. Outlook Enrichment would like to share a few of those.

VoiceOver

VoiceOver, the gesture-based screen reader for all iOS devices, has been advanced over the past few years.

VoiceOver Recognition

In version 14, Apple equipped VoiceOver with an additional feature called VoiceOver Recognition. This helps your device recognize images and text in apps and web experiences where VoiceOver support—like alt text or ARIA labels—is missing. This feature uses on-device intelligence by downloading data to the phone, where the device’s artificial intelligence deciphers and determines what an image may be. Keep in mind that it will require some storage space on your phone.

The more you use VoiceOver Recognition, the more accurate it will become. However, while this feature can be helpful for certain apps, it is not one hundred percent accurate. You should also know that you should not use this feature with apps that are already accessible.

Due to the required processor speed, this feature is available only in iPhones X or later.

Here’s how to enable VoiceOver Recognition:

Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver. Make sure VoiceOver is turned on.
Tap VoiceOver Recognition.
Then, select any of the available options to turn them on.

VoiceOver Quick Settings

If you’re using VoiceOver, you’re probably already using the rotor to assist with navigation. At times, the Rotor may seem crowded with options you may or may not frequently use. Even though you can add and remove items from your rotor, deciding which items you want to keep on the rotor can be challenging.

In iOS Version 15, Apple introduced Voiceover quick settings. Quick settings allow you to add items you may want to use while decreasing the number of items on your rotor. Here’s how to enable VoiceOver Quick Settings:

Go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Quick Settings.
Choose the settings you want, or drag the “reorder” button.

Per-App Settings

In the Accessibility settings, you can customize your phone’s and apps’ look. For example, you can set larger text, reduce transparency, increase contrast, and Smart Invert.

Apple included a feature within the Accessibility settings called Per-App. With built-in apps by Apple, accessibility feature settings will be inherited across most Apple apps. However, with downloaded apps, the system accessibility feature does not carry over.

This new feature allows you to pick a third-party app such as Facebook or an existing app like Safari that has limited accessibility features to now be customized. Customizations include display settings such as text size, bolded text, labels, and Smart Invert,

Here’s how to find and use Per-App:

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Per-App Settings.
Add the app of your choice to begin to customize its display settings.

Remember that when you update those particular apps or when there is an iOS update, the Per-App settings may revert to their original default settings.

Magnifier

Apple has an Accessibility feature that will allow you to use the camera on your iOS device to display and magnify what it is pointing at on the screen. In iOS version fifteen, the magnifier is now a separate app.

You can open the Magnifier app by going to your app Library, Launching it from the control center, or asking Siri to open the Magnifier. Some advantages of the magnifier are customization of available features, more use of filters, the ability to increase and decrease the brightness levels, and the ability to take a picture and apply a filter to a still image.

Safari Update

Safari, Apple’s default web browser, has undergone some changes.

Previously, the tabs, including the address bar, were at the top of the screen. Now, the default setting places the tab bar, the address bar, and the toolbar with the “back” and “forward” buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Here’s how to place the tab bar back on top of your screen:

Go to Settings > Safari.
Tap the “single tab” option under the tabs heading.

Outlook Enrichment’s adaptive technology trainers can show you how to use these iOS features and help you become a pro at using your smartphone. Contact us to learn more about our adaptive technology services.

How to Make the Most of Google Drive Storage