A Few Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What program/site do you use for your blog?

A: I use the Blogger.com site to maintain my blog. I have found it extremely easy to use and very accessible using the JAWS screenreader. There are some who use Wordpress, but I personally prefer Blogger. You can create your own blog through Blogger by visiting Blogger.com and creating a profile. It’s simple and intuitive, and if you have any problems feel free to write to me and I’ll try to help.

Q: Can I take quotations from your blog with citation?

A: Certainly. I don’t mind people sharing the information I present on my blog; just give me credit where credit is due, please.

Q: Are you interested in guest blogging or having a guest blogger?

A: I am always interested in writing as a guest writer or having someone submit a post as a guest writer on my blog. To guest write on my blog, one needs to follow some simple guidelines: 1) Use proper spelling and grammar. I hate when an article is full of errors; 2) Be neutral. If you discuss something related to one organization or company, include information about the other organizations or companies or mention alternatives. For example, if you write a guest post about an IOS app, please also include whether it is available on Android and, if so, where; 3) Write on anything related to low or high technology for the blind. It has to be on-topic. If you’d like to guest write for my blog, feel free to write to me at herekittykat2 AT gmail.com and write a brief explanation of what you want to write about.

Q: How long have you been blogging and how do you know how to design a blog?

A: This is my first and only blog. I started it as a way to tell my friends about technology that I had learned about, and it has quickly grown to writing for the blind population in general. I have had several stops and start-ups, but I hope to write often and consistently now. As for layout, I often google HTML basics and learn how to write in HTML to make my blog easier to navigate via screenreader. I have learned so far how to make headings, paragraphs, links, lists, and pictures. I hope to learn in the future how to insert Youtube videos, insert audio clips, and how to include a Facebook widget on my blog. I am constanly in the process of learning new HTML tricks and I use them in making my blog easier and more friendly to blind and visually impaired visitors, while making sure it looks nice visually as well. The major advice I can offer on this subject is to never stop learning…keep looking up new ways to add to your blog and make it more fun and creative.

Birding by Ear

Becoming intensively popular among the blind, birding by ear entails listening to and identifying the songs and cries of the birds all around a person. Many sighted people go birdwatching, but they recognize birds by plumage and flight patterns and often don’t even try to identify the sounds the birds make. Birding by ear is a hobby that anyone can do, sighted or blind, and is, in my opinion, lots of fun!

While visiting my Cajun family in Louisiana, I decided to check out what birds were in the area and learn their songs. Turning on my iPhone, I went to the iBird app and searched for birds in Louisiana, whose habitat was urban, lakes or ponds, or swamps and marshes, all close to the environment where my aunt lives. Adding the “frequent backyard feeder” option, I narrowed the choices down to twenty-nine birds. Some were simple, such as the blue jay and the Northern mockingbird, both of which we have in North Carolina. Others were new, such as the evening grosbeak and the American kestrel. For each bird, there was a description of what they look like, where they live, and their flight patterns and nesting habits. However, what I was really interested in was the “Speakers” tab, which brings up a recording of the bird’s song or cry. I listened to about half of the birds listed as search results, then went for an evening walk with my aunt and my boyfriend. Along the walk, I was able to point out the songs of many birds. My aunt was quite impressed, saying I recognized many more birds then she knew there were in her area. It was a very enjoyable walk as they quickly picked up on the sounds I pointed out to them, and we heard a few that we looked up later.

The iBird app is a great tool for sighted and blind birders alike. It is available for both IOS and Android phones, and has different costs depending on the app you purchase. For example, there is an iBird Lite that you can try for free, but the iBird Yard Plus, which has almost a thousand bird species, costs $9.99 (for Android) and the iBird Pro version is $19.99 in iTunes. This app was recommended by Scientific American magazine in 2012 and voted by IOS users as the best birding app.

Don’t have a smart phone? No problem! Go to the iBird website, where you can do much of the same things as in the app. Search for birds in your area, birds of a particular size or color, or just browse the many birds. Each bird page has an overview of the bird, description of its plumage, flight patterns, and nesting habits, pictures of the bird, and my favourite part, a recording of the bird’s songs. It also has convservation notes that I haven’t found on the app, describing its status and why it has that status. For example, the Acadian flycatcher is of “least concern” because it has a wide range and a large population.

Birding by ear has become a favourite activity of mine, and I hope I have inspired you to give it a try and try out iBird as well! Happy birding!

Treasure Chest for the Blind is now on Facebook!

Hi to my regulars and new readers alike! I have just created a page for the blog on Facebook. You'll notice that the url is in the same format as my blog's. That is, instead of treasurechestfortheblind, it's blindtreasurechest. I felt this would make it easier for followers of my blog to find the facebook page, as I'm sure you are used to the formatting of my blog's URL by now, right? Anyway, I plan on using the page for a few different things. The main focus will be sending out updated information about the blog (new posts, updated information, etc.), however, discussion topics will be brought up, especially on topics that I'm researching for upcoming posts. You can still send questions, comments, or suggestions to me through my e-mail, but now you can also comment on the Facebook page or send me a message through it.

I hope to have a Facebook widget up soon. I'm having a little trouble figuring that out. If anyone knows how to do it, please contact me. I could use the help

What am I up to lately? I am preparing for a trip to Louisiana and starting a travel diary for a research project being done at Louisiana State University. The trip is going to be from May 30 to June 16. My internet access will be limited between the 30th and the 10th because I'll be in rural Louisiana and my family doesn't have internat access at home. After that, I'll have access again, because I'll be in Ruston. That's in northern Louisiana, and is home to two places I plan on visiting. First is Louisiana Tech University, the school I want to transfer to to finish my Undergraduate studies and do my Graduate studies. SEcond is the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I'm seriously considering taking a break from college to brush up on my blindness techniques, such as Braille, orientation and mobility, cooking, housecleaning, and a general sense of self-confidence. I think I really need to work on these and the LCB would be a good place to do that. I'm also playing a lot of Second Life lately, using the Radegast viewer. I'll post more information about that later, but if you're curious, here's a link to the Radegast main page. From there, you can download the viewer. You'll need a Second Life account, though, so if you don't have one....well, I'm sorry, you'll just have to wait until I write the post!

Until later,

Jewel

Correction and Update for blindy TV

After talking to someone from blindy TV, I would like to make a correction and an update about this service.

First, I would like to correct my error in suggesting that people contact blindy TV if they want to see more variability or a particular show added to the channels. Blindy TV works with what is available and the only way they can add more content is if more content is made available. To that point, I want to stress that if you want more variability of shows or a particular show added to blindy TV, contact the producers of the show(s) and work with them to have audio description added to their show(s).

Second, I want to update everyone on how best to listen to the blindy TV channels. In my original post, I recommended iBlink Radio, but pointed out the dropped connections and buffer trouble. If you use a dedicated radio app to listen to blindy TV, the dropped connections and buffer troubles are a think of the past. One such dedicated radio app is TuneIn Radio. Use the search function to find blindy TV and add it to your favourites for easy navigation. I tested this app and listened to blindy TV with it over the course of the last few days, and I did not experience a single dropped connection and there was no buffer problems.

My thanks goes out to the people at blindy TV for pointing out the error about contacting them (though you can certainly contact them to suggest new features or discuss any problems), and for telling me about the dedicated radio apps that make listening to blindy TV a much better experience!

Meteor Vibrating Pocket Watch

Have you ever been in a meeting and wanted to know the time, but you didn’t want your talking watch to interrupt the speaker? Are you hearing impaired or deafblind and “Braille” tactile watches aren’t up your alley? Now there’s a new solution!

Browsing the ads on the Blind Bargains app (available for IOS devices in the appstore), I came across a new product that I think is truly amazing. It’s called the Meteor, and is a vibrating pocket watch. Oval in shape with a cut out where three buttons are located, the Meteor, only available in black, is a stylish pocket watch with a great set of features. To check the time with the Meteor, you can press three buttons in any order. The first is hours, the second the tens unit of minutes, and the third the ones unit of minutes. For example, if you press all three buttons, you might get: hour- two long and one short, tens- two short, ones- one long. This would mean that the time is 11:25. If you already knew that it was somewhere after eleven, however (say your meeting runs from eleven to eleven thirty), you might press only the second and third buttons. Getting the same vibrations, you would learn that there were only five minutes left in the meeting (always a pleasure to know!). More examples and further explanations of the working of this watch can be found at the AT Guys Meteor page. There, you can also click to hear an audio demonstration of the watch and order it from AT Guys, currently the only carrier of the product in the U.S. The watch costs $117 plus shipping, and comes with a two-year warranty against hardware defects. The watch is also waterproof, but it isn’t suggested you put the watch in water (I imagine it can stand up against rain, but don’t take a bath with it!).

This watch is truly revolutionary, in my opinion, because it gives a good alternative to talking and tactile watches, and provides easy access to a time piece for the deafblind, a subgroup of the blind that is often left out with the creation of so many talking products.

There are two features I would like to see added to this watch in the future. First, I would love to see it as a wristwatch, so users don’t have to worry about keeping it in their pocket. Second, an alarm and hourly report function would be a boon. I can imagine someone wearing a Meteor vibrating wristwatch, and on the hour, it vibrates to let you know what time it is. This is a function of talking watches that is very useful, and I would compare it to a grandfather clock’s hourly chimes. An alarm function would also make this product better, allowing a deafblind person to set an alarm and slip the watch under their pillow to wake up to the vibration.

Overall, the Meteor is a great product with many uses, but there are a few things that would make it more useful. But the availability of an accessible timepiece for the deafblind is really exciting, and I hope you are as excited about it as I am.

It's TV, except it's not...

“You’re watching blindy TV…except you’re not, because you’re blind and it’s not TV.” During one of the faux-mercial breaks, you might hear this said. This seems to sum up what blindy.tv is in a nutshell. It’s not television, and you’re not watching it in the literal sense. It’s television programs over an internet stream with an audio-description track, sometimes also called DVS or descriptive video services. So what is blindy TV really about?

The Basics

As an organization, blindy.tv is completely charitable and completely volunteer-based. According to their website, they “contribute freely of [their] time and resources to provide a free described television programming service to those that are served by neither commercial products nor government programs.” To explain it further, it’s audio-described television for blind people who can’t see the television but miss out on what’s going on because our own country doesn’t provide the service or it’s not readily available. For me personally, I have television but I don’t have the cable box necessary to turn on audio descriptions for the few shows that have it. Unlike closed captioning, audio description isn’t something you can turn on or off on your television in the United States, but have to turn on/off through your cable box, through a maze of menus that blind people can’t navigate without sighted assistance.

Channels and Shows

The project, called “blindy TV” to signify that it’s offended by the lack of audio description in the mainstream and thinks you should be too, is a compilation of TV shows from the few countries where such programming is available, such as the United Kingdom. Some of the shows are quite old (I Love Lucy comes to mind), while others are previous episodes of ongoing shows like CSI and How It’s Made. There are currently five channels. Comedy brings shows like Two and a Half Men, I Love Lucy, and brief stand-up comedy skits. Drama delves more into CSI, House, and a newer addition, Revenge. Sci Fi beams you into Star Trek, Life on Mars, and the Vampire Diaries. Brain brings a mix of described and undescribed educational shows of various topics, though the recent update now has it favouring described content. Finally, Etcetera is just that, a bit of this and a bit of that. I’ve heard game shows like the Match Game and reality shows like Hell’s Kitchen. There are over 120 shows played regularly on the streamed channels, and going to the individual channel’s page gives you a schedule of the channel, though the channel playing in the background can make it hard to hear the schedule with a screenreader.

Connecting

What’s most exciting about blindy TV is that it can reach such a wide audience. Anyone who has a good internet connection can listen to the channels without any added hardware or software. It will run through their web player, Windows Media Player, iTunes, or any number of media players. If you have an iPhone, you can stream it through iTunes by clicking the “Listen to…” links. Another method of listening is through the iBlink Radio app (it’s under the “Community Radio” category). This app, available for both IOS and Android smartphones, provides a direct stream connection.

The Unfortunates

Blindy TV has its own set of problems, however. The biggest one I’ve encountered is the connection. Listening to my favourite shows, I am often disappointed when the connection hiccups and I have to reconnect, missing out on part of the episode I was watching. The people at blindy TV have been steadily working on and improving this issue, but it remains a major issue. Another unfortunate about the program is its episode age and variability. While a large number of newer episodes and shows have been added recently, there still remains a large portion of the streamed content that is older episodes and some shows are played at a much higher frequency than others. This is due to a lack of audio-described content being available, an issue that you as a listener can help to improve.

How can you make a difference?

Want to improve the variability of shows on blindy TV? Have a favourite show you’d like to see added to the schedule? The first thing you can do is contact blindy TV with your suggestions or comments using their contact form. Another method of helping is getting more and/or newer shows audio-described. If you have a favourite show or TV channel and want to see their content audio-described, contact them and ask. It can’t hurt, and it has already led to new audio-described shows being available. My current project is the Disney channel and TLC, the former because I feel children should have more access to audio descriptions and the Disney channel is one of the most popular kids’ channels and the latter because I have always loved their content and think it would give blind people a whole new playing field to work with in the categories of home design, fashion, and much much more. I decided to do this after watching a YouTube video encouraging people to contact broadcasters and ask for their content to be made accessible. Together, we can increase the number and variety of shows available in audio description and thereby help blindy TV expand their collection.

Final Thoughts

Blindy TV is a great resource, but it is truly the ghetto of television, as blindy.tv describes itself. It’s not accessible mainstream television; it’s not access to the same episodes and shows at the same time as our sighted friends and family…sometimes, it’s not even access at all. But for the time being, I feel it is the best option if you want television shows with audio described and aren’t lucky enough to live in a country where audio descriptions are readily available. For now, it’s what we have and we should be grateful for that, but we should also be offended that we don’t have access to real-time mainstream television. We should be offended, and we should take action. Are you with me? Add your comments about whether you use blindy.tv and/or want to make a difference. What shows or channels are you willing to approach and request audio descriptions from?

Android or IOS?

Smart phones are all the rage right now. If you haven’t heard that a million times, maybe you’re living under a rock. But which phone to choose? The top choices are the Samsung Galaxy series and the Apple iPhone series. Now, there is sooo much debate among people in the general population about which is best, and just like the general public, people with visual impairments are arguing back and forth about which is better: Android or IOS. Well, if you thought I was going to argue one way or the other, you’ve got another thing coming. One of the goals I set for this blog from the beginning was to be as unbiased as possible, to see things from all sides. If I write about one organization, I look for something to write about the other organizations (the NFB versus AFB versus ACB debate, for example), and if I talk about Apple and their iPhone, I’ll talk about Samsung Galaxy phones and Android as well.

Over the next months, I’m going to do a series of articles highlighting some great apps, some on Android and some on IOS. But to get you started looking for yourself, I’d like to point to two very nice websites/databases.

Android Access

For people with Android phones or thinking of getting an Android phone, there is Android Access, which is toted as “your portal to information on accessible Android apps and programs for the blind and visually impaired.” If you’re new to what phones are available, what screenreaders are used, and want an overview of what the Android Access website is all about, be sure to click on the “Getting Started” link (it’s the first link on the page). From there, you can go back to the main page and browse the accessible apps and reviews. There is so much to see, I’ll leave you to browse it all on your own.

Apple VIS

Now, what about iPhone users? We (because I am one of them!) have a nice website/database to turn to as well. It’s called Apple VIS. Its slogan is “Empowering blind and low-vision users of Apple products and related applications.” It doesn’t have the “Getting Started” page like Android Access; I guess it assumes you should dive right in and learn to swim as you go. However, you can register an account and start reviewing apps you’ve used almost instantaneously, and read the hundreds of app reviews that are already there. If I had been smart and looked at the Apple VIS site before buying subscriptions to several magazines through the Newstand built-in app, I would have learned that only a handful of Newstand magazines are actually accessible, and wouldn’t have wasted the time or money that I did, not to mention the excitement at the interesting magazines available. Now I check the website before I make any unwise purchases.

Conclusion

So, whether you prefer Android or IOS, or you’re comparing the accessibility of both to decide which to get, check out these websites to learn about accessible apps for those nifty little smart phones!

Reviving the Treasure Chest

Hello there,
As you can see, this blog went inactive last summer. I want to try and revive it, but I need your help! Yes, you. All you gotta do is e-mail me at herekittykat2 AT gmail.com and tell me what you'd like to see on this blog. Are you more interested in the new games out there, or would you like to know about Qwitter and McTweet (accessible software for Twitter) and navigation hints for Facebook? Would you like to know about the NFB, the ACB, the AFB, or none of the above?

If you don't tell me, I can't know. I will be basing my upcoming blogs on what I hear from people like YOU, so shoot me an e-mail and let me know.

~Jewel

A Tip for Your NLS Talking Book Player

So, I've found lots of tutorials for the NLS Digital Talking Book Player, and there is a built-in guide and manual. However, the one thing I have not seen mentioned is how to get the serial number and version of your player. This is needed for getting downloads specifically for your player, such as an RFBD user authorization key to play your RFBD books on your NLS Digital Talking Book Player (yes you can do this!). So I thought I'd make a quick note of how to find your serial number for this.

1. Turn your player on without a cartridge or flash drive in the player.
2. Press the Sleep button (the half-moon) ten times until it says "Serial Number."
3. Write down your serial number for future reference. It will repeat the information (serial number and version) until you press the play/stop button (the large, bright green button between the bottom arrow buttons).
4. Now you have the serial number of your NLS player, you can enter it to authorize it to play RFBD books!

Straight Talk about Vision Loss

While visiting the National Federation of the Blind website's audio/video center, I came across a great program called Straight Talk. This is a web-based video series hosted by the NFB Jernigan Institute's executive director. It discusses "issues surrounding blindness and vision loss," according to the NFB page about the series, found at NFB Straight Talk. The latest in the series was recorded at the 2010 NFB National convention in Dallas, Texas, and is about Blackboard 9.1, the version that many schools use today.

Just a Little Game to Busy Your Mind

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I'm just sitting there bored, waiting for a book or movie to download, waiting for a webpage to load, or just waiting for a phone call. I hate just sitting there, but really don't want to do anything sometimes...so I play a little game called Finger Panic.

This game is free and so very simple. It doesn't have any instructions, so you have to either do trial and error or...well, read my post about it, because I'm going to give you a few hints about the game.

First of all, you are placed at random in a five by five square grid. You are trying to find the orbs (I call them orbs, they are just a sound, really. The creators call them crackerjacks). Every time you get an orb, the timer speeds up. It doesn't tell you how long you have left, which means you can't panic at the last second, so just play every second as if it is your last!

Now, a hint. When you run into a wall, it gives you a boom sound. Find a corner, where the boom sound is on two sides when you try to go in those directions. From there, scan the rows back and forth by hitting an arrow key four times one way, over the next way, and on. For example, I might start in the bottom left corner. I go up four times, right once, down four times, right once, up four times, etc. until I get to the far side. Then I like to switch it up, left four times, down once, right four times, etc. You have to be very fast to get many. My high score of yet is 700 (you get 50 points for each orb you collect, so that's 14 orbs).

The game can be found at BSC Games.

enjoy!

New Outside Descriptions at Walt Disney World!

My boyfriend and I are planning for a week-and-a-half trip to Orlando next year. There are three reasons. First, my bf hasn't been since 1989 and I haven't been since 1999 (I was there for the Millenium celebration, and his first visit in 1979 was a month after Walt Disney World first opened). Second, we both need a nice vacation, especially with the coming school year (both of us have been out of school for a while). Third, the National Federation of the Blind will have their annual convention in Orlando next year. Oh yea...there's a fourth reason, then: It will be WDW's 40th anniversary celebration year.

In light of all these reasons, we have been doing a lot of research on the accessibility of WDW based on our multiple needs. He has severe allergies to evergreens, so Fort Wilderness was out, and I have chronic pain and mobility impairment that will mean using a wheelchair part-time at the theme parks. These needs were easily met with the wonderful accessibility of Walt Disney World. However, we were not fully satisfied with the accessibility for blind people. Being both legaly blind, navigation and orientation would be important; I also need description to keep up with the visual cues on rides that I would otherwise miss out on. Now we will be completely happy, as not nly does WDW have audio description of rides, they also have audio descriptions of outside areas! No more getting lost, I thought, as I read the article (see below). I'll let the article speak for itself, and I hope you will find as much pleasure in this new access at Disney World as my boyfriend and I will when we go next year.

If you have some vision- click on the link as there are graphics and
pictures showing what the device looks like and such.

Here's the text of this article:

Outdoor Audio Description Technology for Guests with Disabilities
Beginning on June 27, guests with visual disabilities will be able to
explore Walt Disney World theme parks in a whole new way. Using a
Disney-designed Assistive Technology Device guests will now be able to
explore the parks accompanied with an audio description of all the sights.
This easy-to-use device is obtained at any theme park guest relations
window. It is offered at no cost with a refundable deposit. It comes with a
headset and strap so you can hang it around your neck. Disney conducted a
number of focus groups with organizations for the blind to help them create
an easy to understand machine that can be mastered in a few minutes.

I spent an hour today with an Assistive Technology Device (ATD) at Disney's
Hollywood Studios. As I walked from area to area, the ATD would come alive
and vibrate as I passed hidden sensors. Then it would provide me with a
fairly accurate description of my location. For example, it would announce,
"You are on Pixar Place near the restrooms" or "You are in Animation
Courtyard between Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Playhouse Disney." If at
any time I needed a reminder of where I was at, I could push a button and
the ATD would repeat the last announced location.

Another button provided me with a general description of my surroundings.
When the recording finished, I was given the option to hear more information
in six categories. These were (1) a more detailed description of the area,
(2) nearby attractions (3) nearby restrooms, (4) nearby restaurants, (5)
entertainment, and (6) shopping. From these, I could drill down for even
more detailed information.

Another automatic feature of the ATD is Attraction Descriptions. When I
boarded Toy Story Mania, the ATD started automatically and provided me with
a detailed commentary of all the sights along the way. I never had to push
any button.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I've included a short audio
clip from the Haunted Mansion. The first voice you hear is that of the Ghost
Host. Following our disembodied spirit is the ATD voice describing a few of
the sights.

The ATD can also be used by the hearing impaired. Although I did not get to
try this feature, I was told it works in all attractions and the ride or
show's dialog is automatically displayed on the screen.

I spoke with Bob Minnick, Manager - Facility Safety and Accessibility. I
asked him if the ATD could be easily updated as things are constantly
changing at WDW. He told me that Disney partnered with WGBH Boston in the
development of this device. I was assured that all Disney needed to do was
provide a new script to WGBH and an updated recording could be made an
uploaded in very little time. When I asked if these devices would be
available at the resorts, Bob told me that Disney's objective at the moment
is to bring Disneyland online with the ATD. After that, they will assess the
demand and need for further expansion.

Disney has patented and licensed this new technology and is eager to make it
available beyond the theme parks. To that end, it's already being used at
the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta, The Hall at Patriot Place, and the Dallas
Cowboys Stadium.

Walt wanted Disneyland to be enjoyed by everyone. Through the years, his
company has strived to bring magic to all. Here are a few examples of how
the Imagineers are constantly looking for ways to improve the guest
experience.

In making a drinking fountain wheelchair accessible, it also makes them "kid
friendly." And Braille maps can be found in all four theme parks.

All Walt Disney World transportation is wheelchair accessible - all buses
have hydraulic lifts and the docks all "float" so they are always level with
the watercraft. The buses also have closed captioning, announcing
destinations and other pertinent information.

A number of guest rooms are available with height appropriate vanities and
easy access tubs and showers. Text telephones are obtainable for the deaf.

Swimming pools have sloped entrances so that aquatic wheelchairs can easily
roll into the water. This shallow area also provides toddlers with an area
to splash with safety.

At the golf courses, specially designed carts are available to allow just
about anyone the ability to play a round.

At Blizzard Beach, a special gondola can accommodate a wheelchair for a ride
to the top of Mount Gushmore.

Special viewing areas have been set aside on a first come, first served
basis along the parade routes. Even the Grand Marshal vehicles can
accommodate a wheelchair so just about anyone can be included in the
festivities.

Disney is always looking for new ways to retrofit older attractions. A
special Jungle Cruise boat was updated with a lift for wheelchairs. And
newer attractions are also getting into the act. Since loading and unloading
can take longer in these cases, Toy Story Mania was designed with an
auxiliary loading area so folks can take all the time they need to get
situated.

Many of the live shows offer sign language interpreters. These are presented
on certain days and at certain hours. You need to check with Guest Relations
for exact days and times.

I have to admit, when I attended today's press event, my eyes became a
little misty when I saw all that Disney is doing to bring the magic to
everyone. I take so many things for granted and I was moved that Disney does
not. They strive to include everyone they can.

For more information about touring the parks with special needs, check out
the AllEars.Net section for guests with special needs
as well as Disney's webpage: WALT DISNEY WORLD GUESTS WITH DISABILITIES

Posted by Jack Spence on June 23, 2010 5:00 AM

A Unique Resource For the Blind of the World

The National Federation of the Blind says it best when they call the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind a “unique resource for the blind of the world.” This center, located at the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland reviews technology, both products created specifically for the blind and products created for the mainstream market but which is accessible in one form or another, sometimes completely accessible, either through intentional universal design or by chance (such as the iPod Shuffle, a media mp3 player that is accessible because it has no screen, though the design was intended for people who are doing active exercise and cannot pause to look at a screen. The latest version of the iPod Shuffle, the iPod Shuffle 8.0 is even more accessible, as it has a Voiceover that tells the user the title and author of the song and has a folder feature.)

The staff at the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind evaluates, demonstrate, and train people in the use of the products they have. If you are able to visit the center, as I did on May 17, they can demonstrate the products in person. While there, I learned about various note takers, testing weights and ease of use. Because of my quickness to fatigue and pain, a note taker that is easy on my body and not too heavy is very important for me. However, I had very little access to the variety of note takers that are available on the market today. Before visiting the technology center, I had only seen three: the BraillePlus, the PacMate, and the BrailleNote, and had not had the chance to test any of them, as they are essential parts of the owners’ lives. So, when I was given the opportunity to visit the National Center for the Blind with a group from my state, I was overjoyed, knowing I would get to see many different note takers and test them. I was in for a surprise!

The technology center tries to have one of every product available that is accessible to the blind in some fashion….that includes two long tables full of note takers and similar electronic interfaces, dozens of ways to print, type, and read Braille, and hundreds of products for reading, writing, and daily living. I had limited time, so I concentrated my time on the note takers there, and had no chance to see the rest.

However, I still have the chance to learn about the other products, as do the millions of blind people who cannot go to the center in person because of distance, finances, or any other reason. The staff can also consult with blind people, professionals, or family members via phone. Some of the questions they get asked often, according to the NFB’s website include:

What do I need to get a blind person on-line and connected to the Internet?
How can I make my website accessible to the blind?
What electronic note taker is “best” for a person who is blind?

The website says they welcome questions, and the staff I spoke to in person was very welcoming and friendly, as well as knowledgeable and helpful. The Center is located at 200 East Wells Street at the Jernigan Place in Baltimore, Maryland. Their phone number is (410) 659-9314, x5. Further, they can be reached via fax at (410) 685-565, or via e-mail at access@nfb.org. For more information about the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind, visit the NFB's site for the Center.

NABS Online Center

The National Association of Blind Students, a division of the National Federation of the Blind, has many conference calls to talk about various topics. The latest call (which ended about an hour ago) was called Philosophy 101 and was about the NFB philosophy. Before now, the only way to listen to the conference call was to call in from your phone. If you’re like me and don’t have long-distance for free, then you have to get patched through on someone’s three-way or not get to listen. Now, however, there is a quick and easy way to listen to the conference calls through online streaming or downloadable podcasts afterwards.

The organization’s new online center can be found at this link , and has links to podcasts and live streaming during a conference call. It even tells you when there is a conference call going on!

Remember the last post talked about the NFB discussion groups at nfbnet.org? Well, NABS is one of those groups that has a listserv there, and joining that listserv will gain you access to announcements of when the conference calls will be, as well as a multitude of topics of interest to students, whether in high school years, undergraduate years, or graduate years. Give it a try, and you might find yourself learning something useful!

NFB Discussion Groups

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has a huge variety of discussion groups for blind people and their families. Nearly every U.S. state has a group, and some states have several. For example, North Carolina has a group, plus there is a North Carolina Association of Blind Students group. The range of topics runs the gammit from albinism to guide dog ownership to careers (and specific careers, like journalism and teaching) and parents of blind children, as well as having a few general discussion groups (like blindtalk). To find the full list of NFB discussion groups, go to NFB.org , click on "Topic Index" and then on "Discussion Groups". This will bring you to a page that will tell you how to join or change your settings for a group. You do not need to be a member of the NFB to join these groups; they are open to everyone. However, many of the topics are related to NFB philosophies and advocacy projects. I am currently a member of blindtalk, NFB Science, NFB Krafters Korner, NABS, NCABS, NAGDU, and several others. I have to constantly choose whether the topic is something I really want to get involved in, because most of the groups are *very* active, especially the NABS (National Association of Blind Students), NFB Krafters Korner, and NAGDU (National Association of Guide Dog Users) lists.

I know that's a small topic for this week, but I'm still trying to find more really interesting programs and software for you all!

~Jewel

YeoSoft Text to Speech Recorder

Ever wanted a quick and easy way to record what you typed up, whether it’s a grocery or shopping list, notes you took while doing a phone interview, or notes you typed while listening to a book, movie, or speech? It takes forever if you hold your recorder up to the speaker, and the sound is not great. Using a text to speech recorder is a much better way of converting your text files to MP3 files. I found quite a few on the Internet Archives, and tested most of them, but only one was easy to use with a screenreader, and allowed me access to all of the program’s features. Some of them were hard to figure out, and a few of them did not have full access via screenreader.

Yeosoft Text-to-MP3 , which can be downloaded as a free trial,> appears to be fully accessible with the JAWS screenreader. A friend noted that it is very difficult with NVDA, however. Please comment and let me know how it works with other screenreaders (WindowEyes, ScreenAccess, etc.)

What the Future Holds

I know it has been over a week since my last post here on the Treasure Chest for the Blind blog. Let me tell you what’s going on with me, and what I’m researching for future blog posts.

Of late, I’ve been having a lot of physical problems. I have gone to two neurosurgeons, had three MRIs (and have another scheduled of my spine soon), and tried various medications and diet changes. I continue to deteriorate, now unable to walk more than a few steps or stand for more than a few minutes without getting exhausted and hurting. Washing the dishes leaves my back screaming with pain, and walking to the bus stop requires a nice long rest at the end. I’m hoping for a diagnosis soon, as well as a referral to a pain clinic soon. In the meantime, I am trying to get used to the idea of becoming a part-time wheelchair user. I don’t like the idea, because I can’t use my cane from my wheelchair, so I’m dependent on others to push my chair for me…I don’t like that dependence. I’m hoping to go to a service dog school soon. I think a guide/service dog would help me keep my independence. The guide dog would not only guide, but would assist with balance when I am standing or walking, and assist with pulling the wheelchair when I have to use the wheelchair. I will be talking to people from Guide Dog Foundations and Guiding Eyes for the Blind in New York, and Leader Dogs (I believe in Michigan). I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the Seeing Eye, due to my physical limitations.

I’m also preparing for college to start in the fall. I will finish the entrance exam this coming Wednesday, and then I need to get with an advisor to go over class choices. I’ve already made a list of the classes I want, but they may not be the best for me to take. In May, I’ll have a technology assessment, to hopefully get a PDA (either a BraillePlus or a PacMate, preferably), as well as an embosser, a scanner and printer, VictorReader Stream, a full version of JAWS, and various other sundry items I’ll need for college. I’m really looking forward to starting at school. I’m hoping to start a work-study in the spring also, either in the Disability office or in the library.

I am also planning several vacations with my boyfriend and friends from the National Federation of the Blind. Next month, I will be going with a group to the NFB Center in Baltimore, Maryland, where we will participate in workshops, tour the Independence Market, and meet Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the NFB. This trip is paid for already, and all I have to do is pack my stuff and show up at the pick-up location. Then, sometime in June, my boyfriend and I want to go out to the beach, possibly to see the wild ponies on the islands off the coast of North Carolina. We both love nature and animals, so that should be great fun. We haven’t even started planning for this, but it shouldn’t be too hard, being just a quick weekend trip.

The big trip we are planning is going to be next June/July. My boyfriend and I, along with several members of the local NFB chapter, will be going to Orlando. We will be staying at Disney World for five days of relaxation and fun, then attend the NFB National convention. As next year will be the 40th anniversary of Disney World, it will be very exciting. It will also be my first national convention, and I can’t wait! But it will be a lot of work planning for this trip. Thank goodness, we have the help of Cheryl Echevarria, an independent travel consultant who absolutely loves Disney World, has been there many times, and is a member of the NFB herself, so she knows a lot about what we want and how to do it. If you are planning a trip any time in the near future, you should talk to her, too. I’ll write a separate post about her after an interview (with her permission). But in the meantime, her website is http://Echevarriatravel.com, and her toll-free number is 1-866-580-5574. She is very nice, and has already been of great assistance, and we haven’t even got very far into the planning!

As far as research, I’ve been evaluating various freeware programs, many available from the Internet Archives. I’m particularly evaluating an exam/text maker, several business card makers, and contact managers. There are also text-to-audio and text-to-PDF programs. The text-to-audio program, Text Sound, available from the Internet Archives, does not seem to work, but it may just be me. It is accessible, allowing you to use hotkeys to add and edit files and convert them to audio. If anyone wants to give it a try and let me know what they think, it’s available on the Internet Archives at < http://www.archive.org/details/tucows_221944_TextSound>. For some reason, all my files failed to convert.

I have also become the pleased owner of Day by Day Professional. It is definitely awesome, and I am slowly but surely converting my address book over to the program’s build-in contact manager. I highly recommend this program for its ease of use, full accessible features, and inexpensiveness. Day by Day Professional is available from www.blindsoftware.com for $39.95 (including all fees). It will come via e-mail for download, and you will also get a hardcopy CD of the program as a backup.

So, it may be awhile until my next blog post about a product, but I assure you, I’m working on it. I’m trying to find the most accessible, easy-to-use programs at the lowest cost, so look forward to thorough evaluations of programs I find.

Until later,
Jewel

Today's Post: Why It's Late

Ok, first off, I just want to let you guys who read the blog know that the blog post is so late this wweek because I have been a bit sick. I was in the Emergency Room on Thursday night severely dehydrated after having been rather sick Wednesday, and very sick Thursday. After some fluids, anti-nausea medicine, and a pain killer for the empty-stomach cramps, all through an IV, I was sent home with directions to take some anti-spasmodic and anti-nausea medicines as needed, and stay on a liquid diet for 24 hours and the enxt day (today) keep to a simple diet, and return to a regular diet Sunday. Well, I started eating solids again last night, some crackers with my soup, and so I'm back on some solids today. I'm still a big fatigued, and drinking lots of Pedialyte and sports drinks for the electrolytes, and hope to be completely better by Monday.

So, while I had the previous blog written Tuesday night, I was not feeling well enough to get on my computer for long starting Wednesday. I apologize for the belatedness of my posting, and promise to try to be more prompt in the future, to get my posts out every Wednesday, as is my goal.

~Jewel

NFB ShareBraille

Do you have shelves full of Braille books that you don’t want to trash, but never read any more? Maybe you are just starting out your Braille library and want a less expensive way of getting your own books. Either way, NFB ShareBraille is the place for you!

This website, NFB Share Braille , is a free service of the National Federation of the Blind. The concept is simple. Say you outgrow that Babysitter’s Club collection you had in elementary school, or you no longer want that Spanish textbook that you couldn’t find a new home for. You go to NFB ShareBraille, register for free, and add your book to the Available Book list. When someone clicks a link showing interest in the book, you send the book to them via Free Matter for the Blind, and voila! They have a new book, and you have more room for new books.

The other way around works just as easily. If you are looking for books to add to your small (or large) collection, go to the Available Book list, and if you find one you want, click its title, then on the information page, there is a table at the bottom with links to get the book. Then the person with the book will send it to you.

I got some great books this way, including Braille.com and Beyond (which I plan on passing on soon) and Florence and Michelangelo (which has become a permanent part of my collection, as it is a great little treasure).

It is easy to navigate around the NFB ShareBraille website, and enjoyable to see what books are available that I might be able to get. I like to check it all the time, to see what’s new. So should you! Check it out, and share your books or get shared books from other Braille users!

Save on Prescriptions for Your Guide Dog with Wal-Greens!

Does your guide dog take high blood pressure medication or eye drops that are human medicines altered for canine use? Wal-Greens has a prescription savings club that covers pet prescriptions. For an annual fee of $20 for an individual or $35 for a family membership (which includes yourself, a spouse, children under 23 years old, and pets), you can save a significant amount of money on over 5,000 brand name and generic prescriptions, including pet prescriptions. Members also get ten percent rewards on Wal-Green brand items and photo-finishing services.

One member of the National Association of Guide Dog Users says she used to pay $25 for one mont’s supply of her retired guide dog’s high blood pressure medication (a human prescription altered for canine use). Now, she pays $11 for 2 month’s supply. After the $20 annula fee, that’s a savings of $214 on just that one prescription! Now that’s true savings.
For many prescriptions, you can get 90 days’ supply for $12, less than a dollar a week.

The only drawback is that people who get Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare (military insurance) or excluded from the program for their prescriptions, because federal law forbids it. However, these individuals can still get an individual membership for their guide dog, as the guide dog doesn’t receive Medicaid, Medicare, or Tricare…just the person! So you can still save on your guide dog’s prescriptions, as the NAGDU member does. Signing up your guide dog as an individual is a $20 annual fee, and will cover only that dog’s prescriptions.

To learn more, go to Wal-Green’s Prescription Savings Club Overview or visit your nearest Wal-Greens’ pharmacy and ask about the Prescription Savings Club.