Phone:    267-437-3098

          Fax:          267-385-7300

          Email:      mypass.success@gmail.com

          Website: https://accessiblepass.net

Welcome to the Paschall Power Newsletter, your top source for news and information for the blind community. We are enthusiastic about keeping you up to date on the latest access technology, AI, cool new tech, and important news, all written with blind and low vision readers in mind. Thank you for lending us a moment of your time and blessings in your accessible & digital journey! 

Quick accessible fact💡

The first official screen reader for Windows was SlimWare Window Bridge, released by Syntha-Voice Computers in 1992 for Windows 3.1!

Accessibility Note
If you are reading this newsletter with a screen reader, consider using your “say all” feature to enjoy the full experience hands free, including accessible images and other described items. You can also move by headings to jump quickly between articles.

Inspiration Corner – Cesar Chavez  

Please grab a second and take in the following inspirational quote by Cesar Chavez:

“True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.”

Let us get into some accessible news💡

Monitor & clean your PC with (Microsoft PC Manager) over CCleaner? How and why?

Microsoft PC Manager: A Powerful, Accessible Tool for a Faster PC

As we welcome 2026, maintaining our digital hardware remains more critical than ever, and Microsoft PC Manager stands out as an essential, accessible utility for keeping Windows computers running smoothly. Unlike rivals such as CCleaner, which often require paid upgrades or come bundled with bloatware, Microsoft PC Manager is completely free, lightweight, and built directly by Microsoft to integrate seamlessly with Windows. It offers a powerful suite of maintenance features without the intrusive ads or “nagware” that plague other cleaners, making it an ideal choice for users who want a clean, efficient system without unnecessary complications. Importantly, the app is fully accessible to screen reader users, adhering to standard Windows navigation protocols that allow for easy interaction through simple keyboard commands. Continuous computer management is vital for performance, especially for users relying on older or refurbished systems that may have accumulated years of “storage killing” items. Over time, computers collect temporary files, browser caches, and background processes that consume valuable Random Access Memory (RAM), causing significant slowdowns. By removing these unnecessary RAM-killing items, users can breathe new life into aging hardware, ensuring that even refurbished devices run at top condition. This maintenance is particularly important for ensuring accessibility software, which can be resource-intensive, functions without lag or interruption.

For screen reader users, Microsoft PC Manager features three main cleaning tools that are easily navigable using standard form control commands and the Tab key. First is the Boost button, often the first element in focus; users can simply press Enter to instantly free up RAM and clear temporary files. Second is Health Check, accessed by tabbing to the “Health check” button and pressing Enter or Spacebar to scan for junk files and startup issues. Third is Deep Cleanup, found under the “Storage” section; users navigate using the Tab key to “Storage management,” press Enter, then Tab to “Deep cleanup” to remove extensive hidden cache files. Navigating these page elements is intuitive: use Tab to move forward through controls, Shift+Tab to move backward, and Arrow Keys to explore lists or radio buttons within these menus.

In 2026, paying attention to our hardware through consistent software cleaning is the key to longevity and reliability. By utilizing tools like Microsoft PC Manager, users can prevent the digital clutter that leads to hardware degradation. The Paschall Power Newsletter will continue to provide helpful information for our screen readers and Windows users, including tips for other screen readers on mobile devices, ensuring our community stays empowered and connected. We wish you a productive and optimized year—welcome to 2026.

• Activate the link below for more about the Microsoft PC Manager💡

In Case You Missed It – Microsoft PC Manager is your free replacement/alternative to CCleaner: r/software

Check out the Chat GPT (App Store Universe) where millions of ideas are possible!

OpenAI’s new “Chat GPT App Store” is the GPT Store, a built-in directory inside ChatGPT where people can browse and use custom GPTs (mini-app style assistants) made by partners and the community. The store is organized around leaderboards and categories, and it is designed so users can find a GPT for a specific task and start using it immediately. The GPT Store is turning ChatGPT into something closer to an operating system for “single-purpose intelligence,” where you do not just chat—you install a specialized helper and put it to work. OpenAI says users have already created over three million custom versions of ChatGPT, and the store is the front door for discovering the ones worth using. If it feels like the internet is being rebuilt into small, task-focused AI tools, that is because it is—one GPT at a time. Getting to the store is straightforward: open ChatGPT and go to the GPTs section (often shown as “Explore GPTs”) to access the store experience. From there, discovery is built around “popular” and “trending” leaderboards, plus categories that span DALL·E, writing, research, programming, education, and lifestyle. In practice, it is the same habit as finding a mobile app: start with a category, then let the rankings do the arguing for you.

Finding apps is mostly search-and-filter behavior, but the key is to search by outcome, not brand name: “OCR,” “summarize research,” “lesson tutor,” or “presentation design,” then open the GPT’s detail view and try it. Once a GPT is opened, using it is typically as simple as following its first prompt, uploading a file or image if needed, and then refining the output with short follow-up instructions.

3 GPTs helpful for users who are blind.

• OCR (formerly ChatOCR) can extract text from scanned PDFs, photos, and handwriting, which is useful when a document is image-based instead of selectable text.gptstore​
• Image ALT Text Generator AI generates detailed image descriptions (alt text style) from an uploaded image, which can help create accessible content and clarify visual context.gptstore​
• VisionText Extractor (listed among OCR-focused GPTs) is designed for OCR-style text extraction from images, offering another option for turning “pictures of text” into readable text for screen readers and braille displays.
• Activate the following link for more about how Chat GPT can improve education for the blind💡

How ChatGPT can benefit blind and low vision students – Perkins School for the Blind

Mobile telephone accessibility: From featured packages, to basic & detailed, what are your needs?

The mobile accessibility story heading into 2026 is refreshingly simple: iPhone and Android keep raising the floor for blind and low-vision access, while specialist devices like BlindShell raise the ceiling on simplicity. In documented day-to-day mobile use, iPhone’s VoiceOver remains the benchmark for consistent navigation—especially on the web—thanks to features like Rotor-based element jumping and Safari Reader View that can turn a chaotic webpage into something your ears can parse before retirement age. In other words, iPhone does not just read the screen; it helps negotiate with it. On the Android side, the “it depends on your phone” stereotype is slowly giving way to a more standardized accessibility toolkit, and Pixel is often where Google shows its best work first. TalkBack plus Chrome reading controls lets users move by headings, links, and words, and Chrome’s simplified view can reduce clutter on supported pages—because sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t blindness, it’s a website that thinks every sentence needs a popup, a survey, and a cookie banner from 2017. Pixel’s accessibility guidance also highlights core vision supports—magnification, color inversion/correction, and dark theme/high-contrast options, making it a strong pick for low-vision users who like to tune the display until it behaves.

Voice assistants and AI are now the noisy roommates living inside these phones, but the trend line is promising for accessibility. Google has explicitly tied Gemini to hands-free accessibility by letting users start Voice Access with a voice command and by improving voice typing command recognition (including punctuation) and a range of speech patterns. Apple’s approach emphasizes comfortable listening and control at speed, noting that Siri voices can stay natural and expressive even when spoken feedback is cranked up—because power users do not listen at “audiobook pace,” they listen at “catch me if you can.” Then there’s BlindShell Classic 3, which does not try to win the smartphone decathlon—so it wins a different event entirely: reliable independence with fewer ways to get lost. With a tactile keypad, a fully vocalized interface, voice control, and a curated set of third-party apps (like WhatsApp and YouTube) plus an app catalog, it’s built for people who want the phone to do phone things brilliantly, not audition for a role in a sci-fi movie. 

The trade-off is clear: compared with iPhone and mainstream Android/Pixels, BlindShell’s mainstream social-app universe is narrower—yet for many users, “narrow and dependable” beats “infinite and exhausting” every single day.

• Check out the following link for using the iPhones (Magnifier) to detect text and read it aloud💡

Detect text around you and have it read aloud using Magnifier on iPhone – Apple Support

 “Really Lit” Drops Feb. 6 by (Crown Kings): The audio single release, as part of High-Power Football! 

Crown Kings—one of the featured artist groups on the upcoming Mango Lemonade soundtrack—kicks off Paschall Networks’ bold new era of accessible entertainment with “Really Lit,” the first single from High Power Football (HPF), an upcoming accessible American Football game. Set for release on Friday, February 6, 2026, the track arrives as an immediate mood-setter: a hypnotizing club theme with deep bass, huge hooks, and head-nodding beats that hits hard and stays with you. It is not just a standalone banger—it is the opening chapter of a full soundtrack built to match the pace, impact, and energy of the HPF experience.

What makes this release a genuine milestone is the scope and the intention behind it. HPF and Mango Lemonade represent one of the first major projects in the blind community where an accessible sports game launches alongside a resolute, contributing soundtrack—built as part of the same creative vision rather than added as an afterthought. The entire HPF and Mango Lemonade project was developed and created by the blind, with special dedication to the team at Paschall Networks and Head Game Tech Director Saif Khan, together with Jay Paschall, continues to push accessibility forward with purpose and style. Paschall Networks also confirms that HPF is only the beginning, with more visionary games already in focus. “Really Lit” and the broader Mango Lemonade soundtrack were fully created, written, and produced at Messiah Music, reinforcing that this moment is powered by both mission and top-tier production. The single will release on all major streaming outlets, including Apple Music and Spotify. You can sign up for the Spotify release now and check out the official (Really Lit) pre-release page; Paschall Networks & Messiah Music appreciates your support!

• Activate the following link for the pre-order page for (Really Lit, by Crown Kings,” the official soundtrack single release for High Power Football💡

Really Lit by Crown Kings – DistroKid

Robo Guide Dogs: May be the future reality for the blind! 

Asylon, headquartered in Norristown, Pennsylvania, is one of the more visible U.S. players turning “robot dogs” into practical, managed security operations—pairing four-legged ground robots with drones, analytics, and a 24/7 monitoring center. At the same time, robot-dog capabilities are advancing fast enough that “AI robot dogs” are no longer a sci-fi concept, and early prototypes aimed at guiding blind and low-vision travelers are already being evaluated in controlled environments. Asylon’s robot dog offering is branded “Drone Dog,” described as a ground robot integrated into its broader robotic perimeter security stack (alongside Guardian drones and the RSOC). Reporting and company materials describe Drone Dog as being equipped with a “PupPack” payload that supports cloud connectivity, remote operation/live streaming, and sensors such as thermal imaging plus a 20x optical zoom camera. 

The company also highlights scale: hundreds of thousands of automated missions across its drone-and-robot fleet and more than 150,000 miles patrolled by Drone Dog, which is the kind of operational mileage that tends to reveal what breaks, what survives weather, and what actually sticks with customers, or possible blind owners. Now to the question this newsletter has explored before—robot guide dogs for blind and low-vision travelers—and why this topic suddenly feels less like prediction and more like a calendar invite. University researchers have already demonstrated an AI-powered quadruped “RoboGuide” concept aimed at helping people navigate complex indoor environments, combining sophisticated sensing with software that can interpret surroundings and even support natural language interaction. How long until robotic guide dogs are genuinely practical at scale? If security robot dogs are proving they can patrol reliably, the next leap is not just mobility, it is trustworthy human guidance, including safe routing, obstacle negotiation, and the hard part: making good decisions in messy, crowded public spaces. 

• Activate the following link for more about “Robo Guide Dogs,” and further advancements in AI guide dog technology💡

University Of Glasgow Develops Revolutionary AI-powered Robot Guide Dog | Glasgow City of Science & Innovation

New Gmail, Same You: Change Your Address Without Losing Your Digital Life

Gmail is beginning to roll out a long-requested capability: the option to change an existing “@gmail.com” address to a new “@gmail.com” address without creating a brand-new Google Account or losing years of accumulated data. In the versions of Google’s guidance and reporting seen so far, your old address does not disappear—it becomes an alias, so messages sent to it still land in the same inbox while you start using the new name going forward.

A new identity, same account:

For decades, the unofficial Gmail advice for an outdated address has been some variation of “make a new account and start over,” which is about as appealing as moving houses by carrying each brick one at a time. The new function flips that experience: you keep the same Google Account, but your visible Gmail address can be updated, and Google services can continue to recognize the account under both the old and new sign-in identities. Reporting on the feature indicates your existing emails, files, photos, subscriptions, calendars, and purchase history remain attached to the same account after the change—because the account itself does not change, only the address label people see.

How the rollout appears to work:

Public reporting suggests Google is enabling this gradually and that it has shown up first in limited regions/languages (notably, details were spotted on a Hindi-language support page while English help text still reflected the older “usually can’t change” rule). The same reporting also describes guardrails: you can change to a new @gmail.com address, your old address becomes an alias, you may be blocked from creating another new address for some period (reported as 12 months), and the total number of changes may be limited (reported as up to three changes). As for when it may arrive broadly in the United States, multiple outlets note Google has not provided a firm public timetable yet—so the most accurate expectation is “rolling out gradually, timing unclear,” rather than a specific US launch date.

Why it matters (especially for name changes):

This feature is tailor-made for real life: people change names due to marriage, divorce, personal safety, or simply outgrowing the email address they created when “coolguy_2006” felt like a long-term brand strategy. The practical advantage is continuity—keeping one account means fewer broken app logins, fewer lost subscriptions, fewer scattered Drive files, and no “which account bought that movie?” scavenger hunts. And because the old address becomes an alias, you get a soft landing: mail still arrives from people (and businesses) that take three to five business years to update their contact list.

Security and accessibility: the quiet upgrades behind the scenes:

While the address-change feature is about identity, Google has also been pushing broader account safety upgrades—especially passkeys as a stronger alternative to passwords for protecting accounts against phishing and credential theft. On accessibility, Google has published targeted guidance to help screen reader users navigate Gmail’s modern “Standard view” experience as Basic HTML view is phased out, which is important because email is only “universal” when it stays usable for everyone. Google has also announced accessibility improvements across its ecosystem (including screen-reader-friendly OCR for scanned PDFs in Chrome and expanded Gemini features with TalkBack), which matters because Gmail does not live alone—attachments, links, and documents are part of the everyday email workflow.

• Activate the following link for more about the new Gmail changes, and when you may be able to utilize the changes in America💡

You May Soon Be Able to Change Your Gmail Address Without Losing Data – Business Insider

*The following article was previously posted to our weekly blog (PASS Power Blog) however, since the post relates to the above article, we are including the article as part of your Gmail experience.

Conquer that cluttered (Gmail Interface) with keyboard short cuts & regain your sanity.

Gmail is still one of the world’s most widely used email services, with a huge share of the global email-client market and well over a billion active users. Many of those users are blind or low vision and rely on screen readers every day at home, at school, and on the job. The problem is that Gmail’s interface piles on labels, side panels, smart chips, promotions, ads, and new AI panels, so even sighted mouse users sometimes wonder, “Where did my inbox go?” Keyboard shortcuts cut straight to the point by jumping focus directly to what matters: reading, searching, and sending email instead of mass confusion. For mouse users, Gmail often feels like a busy shopping mall: side entrances, pop-up banners, and new sections appearing without warning when you move the pointer a little too far. A small mis-click can send focus into chat, Meet, or a settings pane that was not invited to the party. For screen reader users, that same clutter gets even louder because every button, banner, and default label becomes another announcement to navigate past before reaching the actual message list. Turning on Gmail keyboard shortcuts turns that noisy maze into a small set of clear lanes, so instead of hunting for the “Compose” button or tabbing twenty times to find “Reply,” a quick keystroke gets the job done. Turn on Gmail keyboard shortcuts. Before any of the fun shortcut’s work, shortcut mode must be enabled. Doing this once can transform everyday Gmail use, especially with a screen reader.

Steps to enable keyboard shortcuts in Gmail on the web:

• Open Gmail and sign in to your account.
• Go to Settings (the gear), then choose the option to view all settings.
• In the General tab, locate the “Keyboard shortcuts” section.
• Select the option to turn keyboard shortcuts on.
• Move to the bottom of the page and save changes.

Once this is turned on, Gmail starts listening for single-letter commands such as j, k, r, and c. That means you can move through conversations, open them, reply, archive, and search without leaving the keyboard. This reduces tabbing, arrowing, and accidental focus jumps, which is especially helpful for screen reader users who want predictable navigation rather than guessing which region Gmail decided to highlight today. In short, shortcuts turn Gmail from a wandering click-fest into a focused workspace where email management finally feels intentional.

Ten essential Gmail keyboard shortcuts

Once shortcuts are enabled, these ten keys will manage most daily email tasks and help slice through clutter, labels, and extra panels. Letters here are not case-sensitive unless “Shift” is mentioned.

• Shift plus question mark.
  • Opens Gmail’s built-in keyboard shortcut cheat sheet in a dialog on top of your inbox.
  • Perfect when you forget a command and want a quick reminder without leaving Gmail.
• G then I
  • Goes straight to the Inbox from anywhere in Gmail.
  • Extremely helpful when focus drifts into Chat, Meet, or Settings and you just want your messages back.
• Forward slash
  • Jumps directly to the search box at the top of Gmail.
  • Let us filter by sender, subject, or label immediately without searching for the search field itself.
• J and K
  • J moves to the next conversation in the list; K moves to the previous conversation.
  • Great for quickly reviewing new mail line by line without using the mouse or trackpad.
• O or Enter
  • Opens the currently selected conversation.
  • It saves you from navigating into the message body using multiple regions and extra keystrokes.
• C
  • Starts a new message by opening the Compose window.
  • Works from anywhere in Gmail, no need to find the “Compose” button on the left.

• R
  • Replies to the current message.
  • Cut out the extra steps of locating the reply button or navigating around toolbars.
• A
  • Reply to everything in the current conversation.
  • Useful when everyone really does need to stay in the loop, and you do not feel like hunting for the “Reply all” button.
• E
  • Archives the current conversation.
  • Clears clutter from the Inbox while keeping the thread safely stored in “All Mail” for later searching.
• G then D
  • Jumps directly to Drafts.
  • Makes it easy to find and finish half-written messages that would otherwise hide behind labels and filters.
  • Written by the PASS Power Blog Team

Paschall Power Star of the Month: Michaela “Michi” Benthaus  

We have reached the end of our 26th edition—and the first Paschall Power Newsletter of 2026—and you know what that means. It is time to honor the Paschall Power Star for January 2026. This month, the spotlight shines on Ms. Michaela Benthaus. The Paschall Power team recognizes her amazing groundbreaking (outer space mission) as an astronaut who is disabled, specifically in a wheelchair. ichaela “Michi” Benthaus, is not only amazingly intelligent, but exemplifies courage and bravery, giving inspiration to all disabled girls and boys across the globe, magnificent workMichi.”

On December 20, 2025, aerospace engineer Michaela “Michi” Benthaus made history by becoming the first wheelchair user to travel above the Kármán Line on Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission NS-37. Her flight lasted about 10 minutes and included several minutes of microgravity—long enough to prove a point the world needed to see: capability is not limited by mobility, and exploration is not reserved for a narrow definition of who an “astronaut” is. Benthaus is an aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, and she has used a wheelchair since a spinal cord injury from a 2018 mountain biking accident. Her selection for the mission was not framed as a symbolic gesture; it was grounded in preparation, professional credibility, and a clear purpose. Blue Origin included Benthaus as part of the NS-37 crew announced in December 2025, highlighting her technical background and prior experiences such as a Zero-G research flight in 2022 and an analog astronaut mission—steps that reflect training, persistence, and readiness. Just as important, Blue Origin emphasized that New Shepard was designed with accessibility in mind, including elevator access on the launch tower, and reported that the capsule and tower did not require special modifications because they were built to accommodate people with disabilities and reduced mobility.

This mission carries a message with real weight: the universe belongs to everyone. That includes wheelchair users, people with low vision, people who are legally blind, and the entire blind community—because access is not a favor, it is a design standard and a leadership decision. When spaceflight is approached with intention, accessibility becomes part of the mission architecture, not an afterthought—and Benthaus’s flight shows that “outer space travel” can be made accessible when inclusion is treated as engineering, planning, and expectation.

Thank you for reading the first edition of the “Paschall Power Newsletter of 2026”.

Activate the following link for more about Michaela “Michi” Benthaus and her historic flight💡

Blue Origin Passenger becomes the first wheelchair user to travel to space | CNN

Stay Connected, Share, and Support

On behalf of the Paschall Power Newsletter team, thank you for reading. Do you have questions, suggestions for future content, or interest in submitting an article for a future release? Drop us a line at the contact link below:
Contact us – accessiblepass.net
https://accessiblepass.net/contact-us/

Consider Donating
Paschall Power sincerely thanks and appreciates all donations that help keep this work moving forward. “Growth occurs through individual effort, community support, and the generosity of those with integrity and power.” Please activate the link below for our donation page:
Consider Donating – accessiblepass.net
https://accessiblepass.net/donation/