From: Kelly Pierce
Subject: computer user network news
The following is the thirteenth newsletter of the computer Users
Network in Chicago.
The initiative is built on the principles of self-development, mutual aid,
cooperative learning
and peer mentoring. The newsletter is shared in this space in an effort for
others to
consider developing similar initiatives of blind people and those with
disabilities as an
alternative to vertical, "professionalize" models as well as models national
in scale and
resource intensive that serve merely as demonstration centers with outcomes
never reaching
the end user. For back issues and to learn more about us, check out our home
page at
http://www.city-net.com/vipace/friends/chicago. to join us online, subscribe
to the visually
Impaired computer User group List at listserve@malestrom.stjohns.edu. In the
body of the
message, simply type "subscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
kelly
COMPUTER USERS NETWORK NEWS
ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY-IMPAIRED
Published bimonthly
by the Computer Network
Blind Service Association
22 West Monroe Street
Chicago, Illinois 60603
312-458-9006
Copyright: 1997
Vol. III, no. 3 May-June, 1997
Editor: Cindy Brown
Project Coordinator: David Porter
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide a vehicle for our consumers to share
information with each
other. This is accomplished by stimulating the pro-active involvement of our
readers. CONTENTS
MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION .................. 3
CHECK US OUT ......................................... 3
THE BIG WINNERS! ..................................... 3
THE BRAILLE LITE--A REVIEW
by Dan TeVelde .................................. 3
TEAMWORK ............................................. 6
THE RIGHT STUFF: HOW TO CHOOSE ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
by Kelly Pierce ................................. 7
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ............................... 10
FYI .................................................. 10
TREASURES ............................................ 10
DATES TO REMEMBER! ................................... 11
MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
A subscription to this newsletter is a membership benefit in the Computer
Network. The
newsletter is available in standard print or audio cassette, recorded at 1
7/8 IPS.
Many events in the Network are open to members and non-members alike, but
there will
be events planned for members only. Members also receive a diskette copy of
the
membership directory. In past months, membership has been defined loosely,
but the
membership role is being tightened up so that only paid members will be
receiving member
benefits in the future.
To join the Computer Network for a year, make a minimum donation of
fifteen dollars
to BLind Service Association, giving your address and phone number, and
designating which
medium of the newsletter you prefer, print or cassette. We look forward to
having you join
us.
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CHECK US OUT
You can check us out on the web page made available to us through Vipace.
You'll find
current and back issues of this newsletter. That's at http://www.city-
net.com/vipace/friends/chicago.
For a recorded calendar of upcoming events, or to leave us a message,
call 312-458-
9006.
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THE BIG WINNERS!
If you haven't heard--the results of the big raffle, held at BSA's
annual meeting on
June 14th, are in.
Two hundred one tickets were sold, and the winners are:
FIRST PRIZE $10,000.00--split between Seymour Litchenfeld and Irving
Solotoff,
both of Miami, Florida;
SECOND PRIZE $1,500.00--split six ways among Lillian Cronin, Young-Jai
Shin,
Gwen Allen, Zorka Nedell, Maria Teresa Krneta, and Duska Kuhlmann, all of
Chicago;
THIRD PRIZE $500.00--Gertrude Kasakoff of Chicago.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
The net proceeds to our Computer Network are seven thousand three
hundred fifty-
nine dollars! Thanks BSA board of directors. This makes us all winners!
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THE BRAILLE LITE--A REVIEW
by Dan TeVelde
This article describes the Braille Lite, a product produced by Blazie
Engineering.
I will explain what it is, and list some of its most useful features.
The Braille Lite is a hand-held computer which has been designed as a
notetaker.
It weighs about two pounds, and runs on either current or batteries. It is
slightly larger than
the Braille n' Speak 640. (For the purposes of this article when I state
Braille n' Speak I
am referring only to the Braille n' Speak 640.) The main difference between
the Braille
n' Speak and Braille Lite is the additional 18-cell eight-dot Braille
display, and an advance
bar in front of the six-dot Braille keyboard. The external case looks
similar to the Braille
n' Speak, but is slightly larger. The Braille Lite contains the same serial
and disk drive
ports as the Braille n' Speak. IN addition, there is a standard computer
parallel port on the
left side of the case.
The Braille Lite can display information by speech, refreshable Braille,
or both. It
is also possible to set the speech window to match the Braille display so
that speech will
confirm what a person is reading in Braille. The advance bar is used to
scroll forward and
backward in a file. Pushing down on the right end of the advance bar moves
the text
forward 18 characters; and pushing down on the left end of the advance bar
moves the text
backward 18 characters.
The command structure for the Braille Lite is similar to the Braille n'
Speak.
Anyone familiar with the latter may immediately use the Braille Lite. In
addition to the
familiar chord commands and menus, there are additional chord commands for
the advance
bar. There are also additional status menu options to control Braille
display parameters like
displaying of control characters, word wrap, and cursor and keyboard
tracking. The status
menu even has an option to reverse the direction of the advance bar. there
are also
predefined start-up macros to turn the machine on with speech, Braille, or
both. The user
has the option to turn either speech or Braille off at any time with
predefined macros. It
is possible to continuously read through a file using speech or Braille.
When a person reads
a file using speech, the Braille display stays at the point in the file where
the user started
to read. If the user reads a file with the Braille display alone, the
Braille display moves 18
characters at a time. It is possible to control the scrolling speed of the
Braille display the
same way as when reading with speech. Reading a file with the Braille
display alone comes
in handy when reading an existing file produced in Grade II Braille.
The Braille Lite has the same features as the Braille n Speak such as
calculator,
clock, spell checker, smart calendar, et cetera. Although I don't use all of
these features,
it is nice to know that they are available. It will also run the same
external programs as the
Braille n' Speak does. Some of these programs include a Grade II Braille
translator, a
checkbook management program, and others. I have only tried the translator
and find it
useful, but a bit slow. The Braille Lite also works well with an external
disk drive
(available from Blazie Engineering) to transfer files to and from disk. One
can also use the
Braille Lite as an external speech synthesizer and Braille display for a
computer. This
requires an interface kit (available for $25 from Blazie Engineering). The
Braille Lite is
compatible with the same screenreaders as the Braille n' Speak. Blazie
Engineering
produces its own DOS screenreader, PCMaster, which I have not tried. It also
produces a
Windows screenreader, WindowsMaster, which I have tried with little success.
Blazie is in
the process of developing a driver for JAWS for Windows which I hope to
evaluate.
I purchased my Braille Lite in May 1994 soon after it came on the
market. At that
time there was a small booklet explaining the features unique to the Braille
Lite. I was
able to get started just with the Braille n' Speak manual. There have been
many software
updates since 1994. The user may update his/her own Braille Lite from the
disk drive just
like the other Blazie Engineering products. This is handy and keeps the
product current.
Most of the updates are also available for the Braille n' Speak and Type n'
Speak.
However, some features have been added just to the Braille Lite. In
addition, there is now
a manual specifically for the Braille Lite which is included in the purchase
price.
There have been several important recent changes included in the latest
Blazie
Engineering software update. Two features I would like to briefly mention
here are the
addition of a 2-megabyte super-flash memory card, and the addition of a
folder mode for
organizing files.
The super-flash memory card may be used to store files to be read later.
This
memory card costs $199, and must be installed by Blazie Engineering. It is
not possible to
edit files in flash memory. This feature is handy for managing large files
like e-text books,
or e-mail. This memory card is still not completely stable. I find that
sometimes a file in
super-flash memory becomes corrupted and has to be re-loaded from its source.
Although
it is easy to copy files from conventional memory to super-flash and back,
characters are
sometimes added at the end when copying from super-flash to conventional
memory. I
have reported these problems to Blazie, and it is working on resolving them.
Folder mode allows a user to create folders or sub-directories like a
PC. This
feature was intended for units with the super-flash memory card. I am not
sure if this
feature would work without this card. When the Braille Lite is updated with
this memory
card there are two default folders: one for conventional memory, and one for
flash memory.
Folder mode may be activated through an option in the status menu. In
addition, there is
a command to toggle folder mode on or off from the files menu. It is
possible to have a
file in more than one folder with the same name. Each Blazie product comes
with two
folders: RAM startup, and flash startup. I have created more folders to suit
my purposes.
This feature is nice, but I don't find it really that necessary. It can be a
little confusing
especially when folder mode is turned off and the unit displays just a file
list.
Blazie Engineering has a new disk drive for all of its products. I
bought it and it is
a vast improvement over the previous model. It works faster, and crashes
less often. It also
has a reliable low battery indicator. Hopefully, Blazie will write a manual
for it.
In conclusion I find the Braille Lite a very useful product. It is the
piece of adaptive
technology I turn to most often. It is handy to carry around and use for
referencing
anything. It is particularly nice to take notes just with the Braille
display on, and not worry
about getting out headphones. It's also great for reading electronic books,
especially if they
are in Grade II Braille. My only criticisms are the poor quality speech
synthesizer, and the
addition of so many commands. There have been so many software updates that
it is not
possible to keep up with them. Furthermore, I am not sure that the present
manual is
accurate for the latest update.
Although the Braille Lite costs $3,395, it is well worth it. My unit
has held up well,
and I have not experienced any dot failures with the Braille display. For
anyone who
needs refreshable Braille access and cannot afford a 40-cell display, the
Braille Lite may
be a cheaper alternative. As far as I know, it is the only notetaker
available here in the
U.S. that provides refreshable Braille output. Blazie Engineering provides
good technical
support via e-mail or phone.
If anyone in the Network wants a demonstration please contact me.
(Dan TeVelde is a programmer, writing business applications software for
McDonald's Corp. He is chairperson of the Network's Preview Crew. You can
contact him
through the Computer Network's voice-mail: 312-458-9006. In your message,
please
remember to indicate for whom you are calling, and leave your name and phone
number.)
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TEAMWORK
The Computer Network is made up of teams. The word network, for most of
us,
connotes a system of interactive parts. Interaction among peers is meant to
be the fuel
that keeps this network alive. The teams are the parts of the Network which
address
specific tasks. Become involved by joining one of the teams described below.
To express
interest, leave your name, phone number, and the name of the person you wish
to contact
on our voice-mail line: 312-458-9006.
Outreach. "You-all come!" is the motto of this team. Its job is to
spread the word
to youth and adults in the community-at-large about our activities--Jim
Ferneborg,
chairperson.
Membership. Welcoming, orienting, and hooking in new members is this
team's
raison d'etre. We're looking to reorganize and revitalize this very
important team.--Sandra
Saunders, chairperson.
Preview Crew. "What's new?" That's what these computer veterans are
asking, as they
are eager to beta-test new technology products.--Dan TeVelde, chairperson.
Posse. "Let's not forget about the old stuff." Hands-on refurbishing of
hand-me-down
computers is the focus here. They meet to tinker. Phone for date of next
meeting.--Dave
McClain, chairperson.
Lynx Squad. It seems the whole world is talking about the Internet, the
World Wide
Web, and e-mail. To join in, sign up with this team. Reasonable word
processing and
typing skills are helpful. Meetings are held the second Thursday evening of
each month.--
Kelly Pierce, chairperson.
Peer Training. "Each one teach one." Planning and executing monthly
seminars for
novices and the advanced is the focus of this team. Ideas for events as well
as volunteers
to help are welcome. Beginning Thursday, July 24th, a seminar for beginners
will be
scheduled the fourth Thursday evening of each month at 6:00.--Dave Porter,
chairperson.
All-Write! "All I know is what I read in the newsletter." We think this
is a cop-out!
We hope you will add what you know to the pages of future newsletters by
contributing
technology-related articles. Submit articles (on 3.5-in. diskette in ASCII
or WordPerfect 5.1,
---
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