From: Kelly Pierce 
Subject: computer users network news #15
challenges before us? Instead of trying to make each new gadget
talk, we could carry a simple hand-held device that would enable us
to read any screen we encounter, whether on an ATM machine or the
new clothes dryer. The Optacon was at the cutting edge of
technology when it appeared in the early 1970's. Instead of tossing
that technology onto the rubbish-heap, let us carry it forward and
see what the future may bring.
     For my part, I just want to go on reading my mail and cleaning
out my own purse. Those may seem like small things, but they have
a lot to do with large issues - such as privacy, dignity, and
self-respect.
     (Deborah Kent is a nationally-known freelance writer.  Among
her more than fifteen books available through the Library for the
BLind and Physically-Handicapped are: Belonging, Jody, Ohio,  One
Step at a Time, and Te Amo Means I Love You.)   
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                            TEAMWORK
                         by Nate Branson
     The activities of the teams listed below are the muscles of
the Computer Network.  To express interest in participating as part
of any of the teams, contact the team leader by leaving a message
on our voice-mail line, and be sure to indicate to whom you want to
speak.  The number is 312-458-9006.
  
     Lynx Squad--Kelly Pierce.  This team has been meeting
regularly for over a year and a half.  On the second Thursday of
the month, a group averaging five to ten people gathers to discuss
and roam the Net.  Pros and others new to the Net cycle in and out
of this conclave.  Group members suggest the topics.  Pierce
reports that their most notable achievement this year was the
establishment of a visually-impaired computer users group listing
(VICUG-L).  Pierce explained that it is a mailing list; "When
someone sends an e-mail message to VICUG, the server takes it and
shoots that message off to a number of people on the list." 
Pierce, along with the visually-impaired computer users groups of
New York and Pittsburgh, put this together in a month and a half. 
People subscribe to the list and receive information on topics they
are interested in.  Pierce, for example, has sent out a book review
and an Internet tutorial.  "My intent with the list is to foster a
sense of participation in community as well as a sense of advocacy,
information access and technology on a local level."
     Membership--Sandra Saunders recently accepted the post of
leader of membership.  She is in the process of enlisting other
participants for the committee.  She lists several projects on her
agenda: (1) streamlining the membership intake process; (2)
developing better records on members so they can be tracked more
easily; and (3) getting more input from members on subjects such as
what things they would like to see in this newsletter.  New
members' meetings are held on the Thursday before the monthly
Saturday seminar.  Towards the end of assessing members' needs,
Saunders hopes a survey might be instituted.  She adds, "and also
doing a followup on members when they join to make sure their
questions about membership are answered."
 
     Outreach--Jim Ferneborg. Assistant BSA director, Jim Ferneborg
heads this team and notes that the Computer Network was suggested
and shaped by the consumers.  In addition to speaking at other arms
of the rehab system, such as ICRE-Woods, he also speaks at private
companies.  He notes that mention of the Computer Network at BSA
elicits interest from the audiences.  On these at-least-twice-a-
month trips,   Jim also finds that audiences are surprised that
visually-impaired people can work with computers.  Ferneborg adds,
"We think that the Computer Network is one of the best things that
we have going here."
     Peer Training--David Porter.  The peer training group conducts
the Computers for Dummies seminar on the fourth Thursday of each
month, and coordinates seminars for the general membership on the
first Saturday of each month. 
     Posse--David McClain.  The Posse tinkers with and repairs used
computers which are donated to this network.  It meets
periodically.  To join this team, contact Dave McClain.  
     Preview Crew--Dan TeVelde.  This team beta-tests new
technology on an as-needed basis.  To become part of this team,
contact Dan TeVelde.
     (Nate Branson is a graduate of Roosevelt University and a
freelance writer.  He has worked for the Chicago Tribune and the
Chicago Sun Times.  
                            --------
                        DO IT--WRITE NOW!
     There are those of you who have been thinking of writing an
article for this newsletter, and there are others of you who have
been intending to write an article.  
     Well, whatever they say about "good intentions," they don't
make a good newsletter.  So we hope you will sit down to commit
your technological thoughts/information to a 3.5-inch floppy disk
(ASCII or WP5.1), Braille, or cassette tape right now.  It's
relatively painless.            
     Submit all articles to Cindy Brown, c/o Blind Service
Association, eleventh floor, 22 West Monroe Street, Chicago,
Illinois 60603.  The deadline is Wednesday, December 3, 1997 at
noon. Believe it or not, that's just around the corner.
                           --------   
                       THE RIGHT STUFF:
                HOW TO CHOOSE ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
                           Part Five:
                    Your Evaluator and Dealer
                         by Kelly Pierce
     In previous installments, I have discussed what attributes to
look for while choosing adaptive technology (AT) which will best
serve your needs.  In this last article in the series I explore
issues involved in the personnel you do business with in this
regard. 
     How good is the person evaluating or selling the product?  One
way to minimize the problems associated with training, repair,
product reliability, and hidden costs is to choose an evaluator,
trainer and dealer who is experienced and knowledgeable about blind
computing.  These can be different people or the same person.  If
someone other than the user is buying the AT (such as a state
vocational rehabilitation agency, school district, or employer), an
evaluation will likely be necessary.  This is to find out if the
user can benefit from the AT and what specific skills, devices and
training will be needed for the person to reach his goal in getting
technology.  Evaluations are often conducted when someone exercises
legal rights found in the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with
Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, resulting in the conclusion that adaptive technology will
allow the individual to do a job on par with the sighted or to
fully participate in a public accommodation, such as a college
course or academic program.  Choosing the right product is just
half the journey.  Choosing the right person to turn dreams into
reality is the other half.
     Who conducts evaluations?  Generally, evaluators (or people
who conduct AT assessments) fall into four categories:
rehabilitation engineers/technologists, vendors, therapists,  and
consultants.  People conducting evaluations vary widely in their
skill levels.  Some are licensed, others are not.  
     Rehabilitation engineers/technologists use the principles of
engineering design and application of adaptive technology for
people with disabilities.  They may or may not have Master's
degrees in rehabilitation engineering.  A vendor sells equipment
for a company or companies.  Therapists are professionally trained
and licensed in a specific medical discipline, such as speech,
physical, occupational or rehabilitation therapy.  In Illinois,
these therapists must be licensed.  On the other hand, a consultant
may be a licensed therapist, a rehabilitation engineer, a really
creative person, or just about anyone.  There are no licensure or
educational requirements to hang out a shingle and declare oneself
a consultant.  Unless you ask about experience, training and
credentials, you will not know.  
     But just having a license or degree does not guarantee that a
person is an adaptive technology expert.  Nor does the fact someone
is a vendor or consultant preclude them from being an adaptive
technology expert.  It is important to ask about a person's
credentials and experience before an assessment.  Nevertheless, do
not stop there.  Here are some questions you can ask to learn more
about a potential adaptive technology specialist's skills and
talent.
     How long has the person been recommending this type of AT? 
How many devices of this type has the specialist recommended? 
Experience builds credibility, skill, knowledge, and
familiarization with user needs.  Evaluators and specialists work
out better when they have been in the field for at least a few
years and have recommended, installed, trained, and serviced many
devices and assisted many users in a general AT area, such as
blindness.  Be wary of those who have serviced a limited number of
individuals in the past year unless they come with high
recommendations from credible consumers.    
     With what age range and/or disability type does the person
primarily work?  Some work with people in a particular age range or
disability type, such as blindness.  If you are a 35-year-old adult
and the person has only worked with children up to this point, be
wary.  Likewise, if you have reduced vision and are quadriplegic
and the person has only worked with blind individuals, additional
expertise might be needed.  
     What is the track record?  Do the recommendations represent a
variety of manufacturers and devices?  Learn about a person's track
record from other blind computer users.  Ask others that you know
their opinions of the evaluator.  Connect with a computer user
network.  Ask for at least three references of blind computer users
that you can contact.  Be sure that they have received similar
services to yours or are using similar devices to what you will be
using.  If the specialist doesn't have any or says it is
"confidential," look elsewhere.  People with disabilities should be
able to expect that adaptive technology specialists accept the same
degree of performance checking as someone hiring a handyman or
house painter.  High-quality evaluators and adaptive technology
specialist are well known and proud of their work.  They will be
happy to have you learn about it.  Before buying anything, check
out the recommendations with other end users.  One resource that
can be quite helpful is the Internet.  This is of particular
importance if the person doesn't live in a really big town like
Chicago with many sophisticated end users.  There are more than 75
blindness-related electronic mailing lists, many on adaptive
technology.  End users, professionals, vendors and dealers answer
questions and exchange information, ideas and solutions with each
other daily.  For a list of these with descriptions, go to
http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/blist.html.  To obtain this list by
electronic mail, send an e-mail message to
listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu and leave the subject line blank. 
In the body of the message type:  get blist info.  This file is
more than 200 kilobytes in size.  For just an index or listing of
all the mailing lists, send an e-mail message to the address above
with the command "get blist short".  
     If the specialist may be called upon to participate in an ADA
complaint, lawsuit, employer grievance, or IDEA appeal, you should
anticipate that the other side would question the credibility of
the expert.  A long, proven track record of recommending devices
that have been used successfully over time is the best defense.  
     Are people satisfied with the particular products recommended? 
What kind of technology and products do others in a similar
situation use?  How independent are they with them?  Finding
similar end users and talking to them will take time.  Patience and
personal education will translate into long-term success and avoid
costly and irritating headaches when things don't work together.
     Vendors sell the products they recommend.  That is ok, many in
the field do.  Be careful with those who sell or are familiar with
products from only one company.  It is in their interest to sell
their particular product whether it works for the consumer in
question or not.  Use dealers that represent a variety of companies
and recommend a range of products.  How is the specialist meeting
individual needs if he is recommending the same device for
everyone?  Were all of the people really that much alike?  For
example, the most popular scanning software for the blind, Open
Book Unbound, did not until recently support the Keynote Gold
speech synthesizer from Humanware, Inc.  This recommendation posed
limited flexibility to blind end users who may desire to add
scanning capability to their computer systems.  We will never find
out things like this unless we ask, learn about the relationships
the dealer has, and we check out user satisfaction with the
specialist, company, and product. 
     If a school district or a state rehabilitation agency is
paying for the evaluation, the evaluator should not be the one
selling the equipment.  Also, if the evaluation might be used later
in contesting an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or in an ADA
complaint, this can be cited as a conflict of interest and might
damage the credibility of your case.
     How can I get help after the sale?  Realize that for success
and independence, the end user is initiating and developing a long-
term relationship with the adaptive technology specialist. 
Technology changes rapidly.  New products are released daily. 
Existing products are upgraded regularly.  Technology opens more
and more opportunities for people with disabilities.  What worked
for someone in the past may not meet their needs now.  Treating
adaptive technology specialists like order takers or disposable
agency bureaucrats will deny the end user the tremendous benefits
of a long term partnership.  
     Be mindful of the industry practice known as "stop and drop,"
and as the words imply, little followup happens after the initial
sale.  This can often happen when a consumer aggressively selects
a local dealer solely on the basis of the lowest price for the
product.  However, for a product to work for most consumers, it
needs to be set up, installed, and configured to meet the specific
consumer's needs.  Additionally, quality technical support and
assistance is essential at the outset for a product to really work
for the consumer in the long run.  The lowest price is not always
the best.  The consumer is not simply buying a product but a
relationship with a company and dealer.  At some level, we get what
we pay for.
     Good evaluators and adaptive technology specialists keep
customers and don't need to solely rely on product sales to earn a
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