FIND command- Access Information in Books FAST

The way blind people can find information in books has changed dramatically.

Years ago, a blind child would sit in class with the multiple volumes of braille books in front of them, which is great if they actually got them. But if a teacher asks the class to open up to page 243 in the novel, "Of Mice and Men" it takes the blind students many minutes to thumb through the correct volume, then to find the correct page.

Today, that is no longer true. Students download electronic textbooks from the Internet and load them onto their note takers or laptop. When the teacher asks everyone to turn to page 243, or any page in any book, our students can do a Find command and jump to the passage faster than the sighted students jump in their print books. There is a trick to doing this flawlessly. Page numbers can vary in books depending on versions, so this is how you get around that. The blind student asks the teacher for the first 3 words of the paragraph she wants everyone to turn to. Then the blind student types those 3 words in the find command and enters, and immediately jumps to the text and is ready to read from their braille display along with the rest of the class.

Another advantage of this method is the teacher hands out questions to the story that is being read. The student can read the question, do a Find command within the book and jump to the major headings dealing with the question. They can copy and paste that information out of the book, jump back to the document where they will be typing the answers and paste in the content and answer the question quickly.

The FIND command is powerful. In WORD, it is CTRL+F, on many note takers, it is SPACE+F. Always search using more than one word, and you can find your information faster.

Lessons to help you more, click on link below


Technology skills

College made for children with Learning Disabilities

This is brand new and I do not know anything about it, but intrigues me on the possibilities it may bring. You may also want to check it out.

The Sage Colleges is launching a new program for college students with special needs, called the Achieve Degree. This online bachelor's degree was developed by Sage in collaboration with Excelsior College specifically for people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders or other learning disabilities.

The first cohort of students will begin the program in January 2012; application deadline is October 15. To raise awareness of this program, Sage and Excelsior are presenting a series of free webinars. Our first webinar was held on September 20th and webinar # 2 is scheduled for this evening, September 27th at 7:00 p.m. We encourage you to log on and learn more about the program, and spread the word to those you think may be interested in the program.

Click here to register for the first webinar, or visit the program page www.sage.edu/achieve or the Achieve Degree community blog, Achieve Ideas.

WEBINAR #1
Achieve Degree Program Overview
Tuesday, Sept. 20
7:00 - 7:35 p.m.

WEBINAR #2
Meet the Achieve Degree Dean & Faculty
Tuesday, Sept. 27
7:00 - 7:35 p.m.

WEBINAR #3
A Detailed Look at the Achieve Degree
Tuesday, Oct. 4
7:00 - 7:35 p.m.

WEBINAR #4
How to Access the Achieve Degree
Tuesday, Oct. 11
7:00 - 7:35 p.m.

To register, go to www.sage.edu/sca/academics/achieve/webinars/
(We suggest registering in advance to check your system and ensure your computer is set up to access the webinar.


--
Mike Jones
Assistant Director
Graduate and Adult Admission
The Sage Colleges
(518) 292-8636

NVDA-totally Free - Forever Talking Software

NVDA is an Australian company that was started by a young college blind man, and friend of mine. The young blind man could not afford $1000 for talking software but needed a way to use the computer. So he and his friend wrote the talking software program that has become known as NVDA.

NVDA has a very computerized voice, but is also now compatible with some SAPI download voices, which you may enjoy more. It has many of the exact same keystrokes commands as JAWS. It can also be downloaded directly to a thumb drive and taken anywhere to about 80% of computers. It works better in Firefox than Internet Explorer and you may just want to stick with Firefox for its use. It cannot be utilized in all programs yet, but other industries are working with this little company, so believe more compatibility is just down the road.

The most important programs, like Microsoft Office and the Internet can be accessed and used with NVDA. If you would like to try this product out, click on: NVDA

To go through the user guide for comparison to other talking software, click on NVDA user guide

HINT: The NVDA key is the insert key

If you just do not have a $1000 laying around right now for other talking software, this just may be the thing for you. If you do download and use this product please think about making a donation to the company so it can survive for all those others out there, that cannot afford the more expensive versions of talking software.

Braille Note Made Easy

I was talking with a father last night at a conference in another state who was explaining they had just purchased a Fabulous new APEX for their daughter. Their teacher was reading the manual to learn how to teach it. In the meantime, they would like her to use it. Father is a techy, so I knew I could explain a few things and he could actually contribute to some of the instruction and really get her daughter kick-started on the Braille Note.

I sat him in front of my computer and explained it like this. On the Braille Note, if you hit 1 2 3 4 5 6 +space, that is main menu which is like hitting the start key (also called windows key) on a computer-I hit the key for a visual. All the menus are now available. As you press the space bar on the Braille Note, it is like hitting the down arrow on the computer, taking you through your menus (the light bulb went on so bright over dad's head, it lit up the room). If you have renamed your programs on the computer, such as W for word, then after you hit the start key, and hit W, you open word. On the Braille Note, you hit W and go to the word processor.

When you are on the Main Menu display, as you hit the space bar on the Braille Note to move through the menus and listen or read the display, you will know that quick key to get to where you want to go: B is for Bookreader, S is for Scientific Calculator, F is for File Manager and so on. Then you can be on main menu and hit B and your bookreader will open. Go back to main menu and hit F and your file manager will open. If you ever get lost in the Braille Note, you hit 1 2 3 4 5 +space bar and you will go back to main menu and you can start over.

The basic commands that follow getting into the Word Processor are, create or open a Folder, then create or open a File....c is for create, o is for open. On the computer, you do these commands at the end when you save. So just know, you do these up front on a Braille Note. You can do a save command to change it to a Word document as anything you save on a Braille Note is a Key Word soft document with the extension .kwb. Only a Braille Note can open this type of document so if you want to also use it on the computer, you must translate the document. into a .doc. S+space goes into save, X+backspace takes you through all the options of saving, just go to save as word document, type in the same name you used for the document you just brailled and enter, go back to main menu and now you can pull out your thumb drive, take it to a computer, open and use it.

If you are not sure what to do as you are working anywhere in the Braille Note, H+ space is your help menu. When you want to exit somewhere, e+space will exit you out. If you ever get totally lost, go back to main menu with 1 2 3 4 5 6+space.

That simple, now go have some fun!

Start Young & Take a Multi-Sensory Approach to Teaching

When your child is a baby, hold and cuddle them often. While you are walking around describe what you are seeing and when they are old enough or can reach out, have them feel what you are describing. Every time you have them touch something while you are describing, they are creating images in their mind about the world.

Vary your child's experiences. They need to help you clean the house, cook dinner, go shopping, go on trips, smell a cow yard, play in a garden, smell and eat at different restaurants, and so much more. By them grasping an item and you gently placing your hand over top, you can teach them how to stir, string beads, dig a hole and learn everything else there is to learn about their surroundings.

If you hold your child often, tickle, and massage his different body parts while playing with him, he will have a greater chance of not being tactile defensive, which is where a child does not like to be touched but also does not like to touch things. If you start young and continue, the child learns that touch can be wonderful and that is how he is going to learn about the world. He must touch, smell, and hear...that is how he sees. In the book, The Brain that Changes itself" by Norman Doidge, he explains that when you integrate all the senses, they take over the visual cortex and images are created in the brain. For any child that has even a small issue in learning they will learn faster if you integrate all the senses. For a regular child with just blindness, they will just learn faster in general.

If a child can become aware of his own body, then he can place himself within the environment he is sitting or walking. He will learn how far away to stand from someone, he will be able to tell when a wall is approaching as he walks with his cane, because you can feel matter. Matter is any solid surface. If you are sighted, close your eyes and just start talking and walking toward a wall. You can feel the wall approach, through the sound of your voice bouncing off the wall and the "feel" of the wall on your skin as you approach. We need to teach our blind children that matter has substance and as they walk with a cane, they will be able to steer around any object because they will feel themselves approach it. They can also use echolocation, which is sound bouncing off matter. Hard-soled shoes are a great way to get sound to bounce of walls without anyone being aware of what you are doing as you walk. You may notice some children clicking their tongues. They have figured echolocation out, but everyone around them think they are doing something odd. They are just using the sound to bounce off walls to figure out where to go.

If your child has any vision at all, use a light box and let them choose the light level. Then place objects and colors on top of the light box so they can get a better idea of what it looks like. Next, have them pull off the object, close their eyes and just feel it. When you take sight away, touch and hearing kick in and their focus in on what they are feeling, not what their poor vision is trying to incorrectly see. In this manner, of no sight when they touch, they put it together with what they saw and have a truer idea of fact versus something off of poor vision. In this way, their world becomes alive, but more importantly, if the child loses any more sight, he will have learned how to put a 1 dimensional brailled object on paper into a 3 dimensional world because of all the "vision games and practice" with the closing of the eyes and touching after. Learning his colors, numbers and letters, will also be accessible in his knowledge bank, because of these "games" early on.

There are many wonderful web sites out there that give even more activities to do with your child. The biggest thing, incorporate everything, describe the world as you walk and let them touch, smell and listen and you will have a well-developed child, understanding the world. Now, incorporate the academics and you will have a child that can achieve anything he desires.

Windows 7-Speed Up Your Computer

Has your computer slowed down over time. Here are some quick tricks to improve its speed and performance.

Windows 7- Speed up Your Computer

Every week you need to do maintenance on your computer. It is just like you cleaning your clothes. You also need to clean your computer if you want it to keep performing like the day you got it.

Be aware, the websites have viruses, spam and a slew of other things that will dump onto your hard drive and slow it down. Be careful where you surf. In addition, the more programs you put on your machine, the slower it will become also. However, we will talk about maintenance and speeding it up right now.

From now on, every week, you need to do the following. Disk Clean Up, Disk Defrag, Error Check


Disk Clean Up
1. Hit your Start key and type in disk
2. Down arrow to Disk clean up and ENTER-your computer will start scanning your computer
3. When the box comes up, you will check every square with a space bar
4. TAB to Ok and begin clean up. If you have not done this in a while or ever, it will take up quite a while.

Disk Defragmenter
1. Hit your Start key and type in disk
2. Down arrow to Disk Defragmenter and ENTER
3. Hit the space bar on C: and TAB to defrag—this will take some time also depending on whether you have done this before or not
4. Defrag any other drives you have
5. Do NOT interrupt this process

Error Check
1. Hit START KEY, arrow to Computer, and ENTER
2. Hit your applications key or right click on C:
3. Up arrow to properties and ENTER
4. CTRL+TAB to tools and ALT+C to check now and ENTER
5. When the dialog box comes up, hit space bar on both choices, it will find and fix your hard disk problems
6. TAB to Ok a box comes up saying to schedule it Just restart your computer now. When your computer comes back on, it will start going through the process. Normally, you will have a blue or black window with white letters taking your computer through the fix stage. Do not do anything until your computer goes to your desktop and everything looks normal.
7. Do NOT interrupt this process


Try it out now. You will notice an incredible difference in speed and performance.

XP-Speed up Your Computer

So has your computer slowed down over time? Here are a few things you can do to make marked improvements on the speed and performance of your computer

XP- Speed up Your Computer

Every week you need to do maintenance on your computer. It is just like you cleaning your clothes. You also need to clean your computer if you want it to keep performing like the day you got it.

Be aware, the websites have viruses, spam and a slew of other things that will dump onto your hard drive and slow it down. Be careful where you surf. In addition, the more programs you put on your machine, the slower it will become also. However, we will talk about maintenance and speeding it up right now.

From now on, every week, you need to do the following. Disk Clean Up, Disk Defrag, Error Check


Disk Clean Up
1. Go to Programs
2. Accessories
3. System Tools to disk clean up
4. When the box comes up, you will check every square with a space bar
5. TAB to Ok and begin clean up. If you have not done this in a while or ever, it will take up to an hour.

Disk Defragmenter
1. Go to Programs
2. Accessories
3. System Tools to disk defragmenter and ENTER to open
4. Hit the space bar on C: and TAB to defrag—this will take some time also depending on whether you have done this before or not
5. Do NOT interrupt this process

Error Check
1. Hit START KEY, go to My Computer, and enter
2. Hit your applications key or right click on C:
3. Up arrow to properties and ENTER
4. CTRL+TAB to tools and ALT+C to check now and ENTER
5. When the dialog box comes up, hit space bar on both choices, it will find and fix your hard disk problems
6. TAB to Ok and restart your computer. When your computer comes back on, it will start going through the process. Normally, you will have a blue window with white letters taking your computer through the fix stage. Do not do anything until your computer goes to your desktop and everything looks normal.
7. Do NOT interrupt this process


Try it out now. You will notice an incredible difference in speed and performance.

Low Vision- Enlarge Text and Wrap it to Window for Easy Reading

If you would like more options on how to see better while working in WORD, this may do the trick for you

Low Vision- Enlarge Text and Wrap it to Window for Easy Reading

To enlarge and wrap text so it fits within your window, to make reading easier.

Windows 7 & Office 2010

Open Word
CTRL+N for a new document
Type: =rand() and ENTER to insert text
CTRL+ALT+N for normal view
ALT+F, then hit T for options
Down Arrow to Advanced
ALT+W, 3 times until you jump to show text wrapped within document window
Hit space bar to select this option and ENTER to close window
ALT+V, then hit Z for zoom
ALT+E to percent and type 500 and ENTER to close
The text is large and wrapped for easy reading
CTRL+ALT+P back to Print view to see size difference
CTRL+ALT+N back to Normal view with wrapped text


XP and Office 2003

Open Word
CTRL+N for a new document
Type: =rand() and ENTER to insert text
CTRL+ALT+N for normal view
ALT+T, then hit O for Options
Make sure you are on the VIEW TAB
Hit W to Wrap to Window
CTRL+ALT+P back to Print view to see size difference
CTRL+ALT+N back to Normal view with wrapped text

Low Vision - SEE the Internet Better

Low Vision - SEE the Internet Better

Open Internet
1. Hit the command CTRL+ continuously until you get the screen to the size you want—hold down the CTRL key while hitting +
2. CTRL- will decrease the screen—hold down the CTRL key while hitting -
Get the Internet page to the size you like


If there is a picture on the Internet that is too small to view for your vision, do the following
1. Hit the PRINT SCREEN button --usually at the top right hand corner of the keyboard, in a set of 3 other keys...you probably have never used it before
(Many people on Facebook say they cannot see small pictures of their family even with the above commands)
2. Open Word and paste with CTRL+V (the image now pastes into your word document).

Increase the size
ALT+V, then hit Z
ALT+E to percent and type in 500 and enter
The picture will be enormous now, so take your mouse and move around the page to see what you wish to see. Use your slider bars at the bottom and the right hand side also. If you have a wheel on your mouse, just move the wheel to move around your page.

Be aware that when the picture enlarges, it may become blurry, but it will give you a better view than looking at it at 1 inch square

Microsoft Outlook, with or without JAWS

Most of these steps will work in Outlook 2003, but will definitely work in 2010, so if you were thinking of upgrading but were unsure how you would learn it, here are some quick easy tricks.

Microsoft Outlook – opening, reading and replying to messages with JAWS

1. Open Outlook
2. Hit the command CTRL+Y, which is the –go to folder—
3. Down arrow to inbox and hit ENTER to open
4. Your inbox opens with all the people who have written you
5. Down arrow and move through the people’s messages
6. Now up arrow to the first message
7. Down arrow again at least 5 times
8. Now, hit the command CTRL+HOME to quickly jump to the first message
9. The first message is highlighted
10. Hit ENTER and the message will open
11. INSERT+DOWN ARROW and Jaws will begin reading the whole message
12. Hit the CTRL key to stop JAWS from reading
13. CRL+HOME to get to the top of the message
14. Now, just down arrow, one row at a time so JAWS reads slower and very controlled
15. After you listen to the email hit ALT+R to reply to the message
16. The cursor is at the top of the message. Begin typing your reply
17. When you are done typing your message hit ALT+S to send
18. You land back in you inbox
19. Down arrow to the next message
20. This time hit F6 to jump to the pane at the right where the message is contained
21. Down arrow and listen to the text or INSERT+DOWN ARROW and quickly listen
22. ALT+R to reply to the message
23. The cursor is at the top of the message. Begin typing your reply
24. When you are done typing your message hit ALT+S to send
25. You land back in you inbox
26. Continue to practice

Education Nation -WHO & WHAT

There are more than 350 people meeting in New York this week to talk about the education of American children. Our nation's children are falling behind in many areas. Why is that occurring?

I have had the great pleasure of working with many incredibly dedicated teachers, but I also have parents who have actually said, "my child will not have or do homework at night." Sadly, the parents prefer not to have homework because they do not have an education and they do not want their child asking for help. When the child asks for help, it makes the parent feel inadequate. Alternatively, the child does not want to do the work because partying is far more important in their lives than studying.

I have known, unfortunately, teachers who put books in front of the kids and basically told them to just learn themselves. They have told me point blank, they are not going to learn anymore and are waiting for retirement.

I have had and have great parents that despite what is going on at school, make sure their child does their work, helps them when needed and gets them into activities to help them be well rounded.

I have also seen parents who have their children into everything and the child is overwhelmed and burned out, but will not tell the parents because they do not want to disappoint them.

I see kids putting far more importance into how they look, what they wear, and who is famous instead of thinking about the ideals of what education can do for them.

I see kids that prefer to stay up late, watch TV, and not want to come to school the next day because they are tired and the parents say okay.

I have seen children achieve despite all the other horrific things going on in their lives.

I have seen parents and schools working together to the greatest achievement of their children. A fine-tuned, well-oiled system, which involves the parents active participation with the school and their child and the parent and teacher have communication often about goals reached and new goals created.

I have seen such a wide range of reasons why or why not. I am a big believer in stopping the finger pointing and blaming everyone else and instead looking inside ourselves. As long as you point fingers and blame, that is where your energy will be going and it won't be in helping your child make the right decisions in their lives, enabling them to go on and do even better than you did.

Yes, if there are egregious errors, they must be corrected, but are you doing your part within the errors being made?

I tell my students, parents, teachers and Para educators that they do not have to know everything, just keep growing and when you do not know, ASK. Our goal is to make the next generation better than ours. That takes all of us to keep learning. Only together, helping each other and everyone doing their part, will we be able to rise above the ashes.

Are you doing your part?

JAWS, Inserting Symbols & Office 2010

Office 2003 and 2010 both offer thousands of symbols to insert into documents. However, if you were to go into the symbols option (Alt+I, then S in Office 2003) and (ALT+N, then U in Office 2010), you will see that Jaws cannot talk the majority of the symbols. However, Office 2010 offers an additional feature that has become invaluable.

Every week or so, we go through the list of symbols the students need for math class. Last week one of my students needed the angle for her geometry class. We first located it by following this path: Alt+N, then U, then M for more options, ALT+F to font, sy and down arrow to symbols and enter to open the symbols, TAB into the symbols options, down arrow to the angle and hit enter and close. Yes, an angle inserted into the document, but more importantly, it also inserted into the "20 most used symbols box." Check it out. ALT+N, then U to symbols, there in the first spot is the angle. Now JAWS will call it symbol 208. Fine for now as everyone works on accessibility issues. The student knows as they arrow around their document that symbol 208 ABC is angle ABC. JAWS will talk everything within those 20 symbols, so no sighted person is needed after the initial insertion of the 20 most needed symbols.

So the sighted person helps the blind person insert the 20 most needed symbols and the blind person now becomes independent in the class in typing our their work. Go back and insert the Greek pi π, then try inserting other symbols and notice how JAWS will talk everything within the 20 most used symbols.

Another additional feature with the symbols is when you open the symbol box, look down or TAB to the bottom and it will give you the shortcut key for the symbol, for example, if you hit these numbers and letter, using WORD, then do an Alt+X, it will turn into a pi: 03C0, Alt+X =try it, then go back and discover other shortcut keys for other symbols.

Another fast way to insert these symbols: smiley face, black smiley face, heart, diamond, club, spade, bullet, white bullet and hollow dot, is using the alt key with the numpad: alt1, alt2 and so on...try them out ☺☻♥♦♣♠•◘○

Install a Free Version of Talking Software

There are many types of talking software from PC to voice over and Snow Leopard on Mac, but the one I prefer is JAWS talking software, though Snow Leopard on Mac is coming in close.

I have used JAWS (by Freedom Scientific) since the late 1990's. Several things I appreciate greatly about the company is that they are constantly working to update their product so it is always compatible with other new products. This causes great chagrin to many as a new license runs about $1000. I highly recommend getting the SMA (software maintenance agreement), which is a fraction of the cost and can keep your software up to date far less expensively. You really need upgrades to keep up with the constantly changing software products you want on your machine and Internet.

Another huge feature of this company is the support. If you need help loading this product or it has developed a hiccup--unexpected problems while using--they will help you resolve the problem.

However, the biggest feature is the ability to go anywhere and do anything. Truly, I can go anywhere on this machine and access anything I need. They are also constantly finding more ways to access those nasty Internet sites, where web designers have no idea how to use accessibility features...well JAWS is still inaccessible there too, but the additional commands they come up with make navigating the Internet a great experience.

For the person who wants to try before they buy, you can go to this link JAWS and download a free 40-minute version for yourself right now. When you run out of time, turn off your computer and every time you turn it back on, you get 40 more minutes. Make sure you learn some of the basic commands to truly give this a go. There are several lessons in this blog to help you on your way. Even if you have an older version than JAWS12, update an additional copy anyway to try the differences. You never know, you might have an upgrade you did not even know about, When you install, if you do, JAWS will just take over the old JAWS and do the upgrade for you.

Have fun!

Learning How to Sew Blind

A blind person learning how to sew puts a new spin on the term blind stitch. I want all my students to learn to sew but it really is up to the individual. If they want to do anything, I want to find a way for them to do it. Astonishingly, I have had many students who want to learn to sew. Therefore, to set up a class, I went through lots of legwork and work and work and there will be more work in getting permission for this, but it is worth it. A class is set up where I teach the students adaptive methods.

We start with needle and thread. You can get a self-threading needle at any fabric store or online (go to self-threading needle). They made these special needles for people who had difficulty putting thread through the eye of a needle. Well, they are perfect for anyone who cannot see. Use a thimble at first also, so the child can poke the needle through the material and be able to feel the needle coming through without drawing blood on the other side. They will get to the point where the thimble is no longer needed, but to begin with, is a great tool. The basics are learning how to hem pants and sew on buttons. For practice, we take a piece of fabric and just start sewing buttons on, then when they are ready they usually have buttons they need re-sewn on their own clothes. The lesson allows them to now be able to fix their clothes.

Then we move onto the sewing machine. You can go to any sewing store and also buy a needle threader, which enables the blind person to easily thread their own needle--you can get one the size of a dime and very inexpensive to very fancy, costing much more, all work well. Next, I braille a large 11 x11 paper with lines from top to bottom: The student practices putting the sheet of paper in the sewing machine and lining up the braille line with the needle. They practice sewing the braille line repeatedly until they can sew a straight line. It does not take long. Once they have mastered that, we move onto material and a pattern. Depending on capability, it may be pillows or a skirt or vest pattern. They gain enough skills so they know if something rips, they can at least repair it.

I have had girls go onto jewelry making and design, making beautiful beaded necklaces' and bracelets. It is all a matter of attitude. If you want to do it, there is a way.

Enhance your SIGHT--see more at any distance

Think of space age technology or "Star Trek" and you describe the JORDY (Joint Optical Reflective Display)

The JORDY™ headset, "when worn like a pair of glasses, enables people with low vision to see objects at any range."

Whatever your eye condition is and you are having difficulties with seeing print, watching TV or watching people play sports, this could be the headset for you. It is not glamorous and you will need a bit of self-esteem to put it on, but it could be well worth it. Yes, people will turn and look but more out of believing you may have just beamed down from outer space.

This piece of equipment is especially advantageous for older adults who do not want to pursue learning Braille or computers or any other type of technology. It is simple and easy to use and has a small control panel that is quick to learn.

The older adults I work with find this very easy to learn and describe the above situation. They want to continue life visually and the JORDY allows them a quicker transition into options for low vision.

Low Vision- get a LARGE cursor & find it FAST

Low Vision – Increase the cursor size and add effects so you can find it FAST

1. Turn on Computer
2. Go to the Internet by clicking Find large cursor
4. Click on the link Large Color Cursors
5. When the dialog box opens, hit S for SAVE and save to your desktop so you can find it easily
6. Go to desktop and right click on it to exact the file—a wizard will automatically open and take you through the process—if you need more help, it is on the web page under this link: ScreenShots.asp
7. Now, Hit the START KEY
8. On XP, Hit C until you jump to control panel and enter to open
9. Hit M until you jump to mouse and enter to open
10. On Windows 7, after you hit the START KEY, type in MOUSE and down-arrow and enter on it
11. CTRL+TAB to pointers for both XP and 7
12. ALT+B to jump to Browse and enter to open
13. Your cursor options will open—SHIFT+TAB up into your list view of files and go to BIG CURSORS—they will start with BIG BLUE
14. Double click or arrow to and enter on the cursor you want to use
15. You will automatically go back to your pointers dialog box when you do this
16. ALT+A to apply your choice
17. Windows will ask you if you want to replace your original scheme
18. Hit y for yes and your cursor will now be the selection you choose
19. CTRL+TAB to POINTER OPTIONS
20. ALT+S to – Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key
21. Now, if you cannot find your cursor, all you have to do is hit the CTRL key and you can immediately see it—try it now after you select this option
22. TAB to ok to close dialog box

Now you have a large cursor that you can see well. RED has been the most popular with my students. They can easily find that cursor by hitting the CTRL key. You try it now. Find your cursor quickly by hitting the CTRL key. Even if you want to use a smaller cursor, keep the CTRL key option and be able to find it FAST anytime.

Low Vision - simple ZOOM effects in WORD

Here are some Low Vision tips to see Words in Word better

1. Open Word
2. CTRL+N to open another new document, and ALT+TAB between these two documents
3. In Document1, Type: We can become bitter or better through tests and trials.
4. Hit ALT+V for view and Z for zoom
5. Up arrow to 200% and press enter
6. Your document is now at 200%
7. ALT+TAB to Document2
8. Type: There is a test in all testimonies.
9. Hit ALT+V then Z again for zoom
10. ALT+E to jump to percent that you want to increase and type in 500 and hit enter—hint: you can type any size in this box
11. Your page is now at 500%
12. ALT+TAB between both documents to compare document size
13. ALT+V, then z again and hit 1 for 100%
14. ALT+V, then z again and hit 2 for 200%

It is better to increase the zoom versus the font as the font will become distorted on the page as you type and if you forget to decrease the font size when you print it out, you will waste a great deal of paper. By increasing the zoom, you can see what you are doing and then print it out at the 12 or 14 sized font which is the typical font size of reading material.

Brailler that Talks and has Easy Keys to Press

I have taught many Little People with little fingers and many children who just did not have strong fingers because of a health condition or something similar.

Enter the Mountbatten Brailler (MB).

Even at 2 or 3 years old, young children can press these keys. It is ideal for young learners because as they press the keys, the MB will give you verbal feedback on what letter you just hit. If the braille is correct, you move on. If it is not correct, with a quick keystroke, you can erase and rebraille the letter all with one movement or you can do it in two if the child needs to work on more finger dexterity. You use paper in this brailler, so as the child brailles, he gets the verbal feedback he needs, and he can place his fingers on the braille that he just embossed on the paper, giving him that perfect cause and effect of his actions.

I have also had children who were using two fingers on each key of a regular brailler and really struggled with pressing the keys. As soon as they were put on an MB all the problems disappeared and they were able to successfully braille with ease.

So any child that needs easy keys to press and/or who needs that cause and effect of pressing a key and getting the verbal and tactile feedback they need to understand what they are doing, this could be the machine for them.

Basic Orientation & Mobility for Elementary School

As the school year begins, there are many things to do, but one of the most important at the beginning is getting our children familiar with their surroundings so they can walk anywhere they need, safely.

Ideally, they can come in before school begins the school year. That way it is quiet uninterrupted time for them to focus. I meet them in the office and we start walking to their room. As we walk, I have them touch easily identifiable parts of the wall, as my elementary kids, I know, will be running into them periodically and I want things familiar. I point out the water fountain and they take a drink feeling everything around it. The bathrooms are usually right next to it, but I want to keep them focused on walking directly to their room.

When we get to the room, I have them start at the perimeter, walking all around it, feeling all major obstacles and how to get around them when they come to them: Like the dictionary cart that perturbs about 2 yards from one wall, or where the teacher's desk area is and how to walk on the outside of it and around to the next wall. Then I have them go to the middle of the length of the wall (every wall) and walk from side to side so they get the idea of the length straight across and how big the room is. Then they start at the front of the room and walk through touching each desk so they know all placements. The names of the students will be on the desk, so they can learn where "Bobbi" or "Suzy" is sitting. At last, they will practice going from the front door to their locker, to their seat. From the teacher's desk to their seat. From Bobbi's seat to their seat and so on.

Then we walk back to the office and redo those steps until I can say, "OK, I will meet you at your room,” and they meet me there by themselves. When they do this successfully, we work on the bathrooms if they are not in the room, the cafeteria, library and so on in the building. Practicing one path at a time until success, then adding more. Then we go outside and practice these redundant skills until they are comfortable walking anywhere in and outside of school. This usually occurs over several days and that is best for their knowledge base to grow accordingly.

I am not O&M certified but I have been in so many areas where there were none. Fortunately, I have many classes in O&M and only lack a few credits from certification. I believe all Teachers of the blind need this type of background so if there is no one, we can at least be teaching the basics so our children can get to where they need to go, with confidence and safety.

Making PDF Files Accessible

Can I see a raise of hands of how many of us wanted to scream at inaccessible PDF files? I see 100% of our hands on the site.
For those of you who are not sure what PDF files are, they are files you open and JAWS says "no text found" or "blank". They are image files of text. In general, sighted people do not know this. All they see is the text. When I open one, I see a picture of words and then it is my quest to put it into text for talking software to read.

Yesterday, some of my most gifted Protechs-who used to be paras but have gained that training that has made them highly skilled, came to my place. I love it when people can come to my home as I have many tools of the trade that people can immediately see and use to their benefit. One of the main topics was how to access those PDF files. Most books come electronically or downloaded from the Internet, but they are in PDF format. They had been putting these through a scanner to process them into text, which was taking vast hours and one Protech was assigned to the task because of the quantity of students they have.

With a big smile, I said. let me show you something faster that will save you hours. I had one of those inaccessible PDF files sitting on my desktop from a teacher's email the day before. It was in Spanish however, which makes the scenario even worse. With a quick START KEY+M to access my desktop then an A (first letter of the icon I was going to) to access the PDF file, I hit that applications key (see lesson on this key in blog) and down arrow to open with, right arrow and down arrow to choose default program (now once you have your options in this menu, you can automatically go to it and if you arrow around you will see other programs there, most likely Adobe or other PDF programs) Once I open the dialog box, I go to browse and pick the program Openbook--Kurzweil will do this also. I hit enter a couple of times to confirm everything and the PDF file is immediately opened into Openbook.

I turn around from my desk and all mouths are open then a huge burst of smiles. I LOVE that! Making life easier for someone! They all immediately got the vast hours of time that would be saved using this method and couldn't wait to get back to school to tell the others.

In another method that will open many otherwise inaccessible PDF files is a Gmail email account. I send these PDF files to my Gmail as an attachment. When I open it, bring up links, I hit v for view and open a view of it in the internet. Once this is open, you can go to view option and view it as an HTML document. VIOLA, within seconds you have text that Jaws will read. VERY VERY fast...and free.

Of course, you always have the options of buying a PDF file converter. That lesson is for another time.

JAWS Power Keys

Have you ever gone to a page and sat there wondering what you should do to get to where you want to go. Have you ever been ready to shoot your computer because you hit a key and it got you lost on the URL express highway? Well, here is a way for you to take control of JAWS and get him to do what you want to do.

On any page, you go to, and for now as a learner, any page...you need to hit INSERT+F1. The command will give you all the keystrokes of that page. It will tell you information that you need to know to get around and do what you want to do.

Next, when you open an Internet page and JAWS starts gabbing along, just know that his cursor is moving very quickly down that page. That typical command that you use and sometimes does or does not work is because the cursor has moved beyond that command. So hit the CTRL key to shut him up. Get him to the top with a CTRL+HOME. Now your cursor is at the top of the page and you can move according. In the Internet, hit the letter H to jump to your headings, then SHIFT+H to move back. Bring up your links and notice that you are exactly in your links as where you are on a header. If you stop some place in a page, your links will follow your cursor, or vice versa. CTRL+HOME again. Now it B for button and move through finding all the different buttons; CTRL+HOME; Now hit; and move to your landmarks.

Now INSERT+6. Major commands are here to tell JAWS what you want done. For now, just TAB and arrow around to see all the features. A lesson could easily be written everywhere you stop in this dialog box.

Practice taking control with the above commands to start on your journey of "Being the Boss of JAWS"

Applications Key is Faster than the Mouse

Many people do not know that this key even exists. It is very powerful and enables you to move around your computer quickly, giving it commands and taking control in every window. I am talking about the APPLICATIONS key, if you do not have one, SHIFT+F10 works also. The applications key is like hitting your right click on a mouse to get sub-menus. On a desktop, it is the third key from the right of the space bar...on laptops; well it can be any place, so hunt it down, either on the bottom or top of the right side of the keyboard.

Let's practice some commands to see this power. START KEY+M to minimize everything on your computer: all your windows drop to the task pane and you now have access to the desktop icons. Hit the letter J for JAWS. If you are not a JAWS user, hit the letter of any icon on the desktop. You jump to the icon and it is highlighted, hit your applications key and up arrow to properties. TAB to shortcut key and hit the letter J. CTRL+ALT will automatically be inserted with the letter J. If you are doing an icon other than Jaws, hit the letter of the program you want to make a hotkey for, but be aware you can not use the same letter as another keystroke that has been used. ENTER to close the box. You have now made a hotkey or shortcut key for JAWS. Turn off Jaws with insert+F4; now turn him back on with CTRL+ALT+J. So when JAWS gets a nasty hiccup on you in the middle of going somewhere, turn him off and turn him back on and the hiccup disappears.

Next magic: Open Word. Misspell a word. Arrow into the misspelled word and hit your applications key. You will have the correctly spelled word in the list (if you did not butcher the word too badly---WORD needs to have the spelling somewhat close to figure out what you wanted). Misspell several more words to see the power in this key.

Now let's make a list. Type the word cat, hit ENTER, type dog, hit ENTER, type fox. NOW, shift+up arrow and select all those words. Hit your applications key. If using Office 2010 , hit N for numbering and right arrow to the number and enter and everything will be automatically numbered. For Office 2003, after you hit the applications key, hit n for bullets and numbering, CTRL+TAB to Numbered and right arrow to numbers and enter to select. Your list is now automatically numbered.

Hit your applications key again and down arrow through all your options to see what is available to you every time you hit that key. It will change as you go through different windows.

Lessons to help you learn more, click on link below


technology help

Control Your Computer Using Your Voice

Are you one handed and wish you could type faster? Are you missing your hands or arms? Are your hands shaky and it is difficult to type? If you have any difficulty typing at all, this may be a solution for you.

Office 2003 does have a speech recognition built into it to use. You speak and the computer types out what you are saying.

However, Windows 7 has taken a leap in speech recognition abilities. By speaking to your computer, you can get it to open any menu and go anywhere. You can dictate letters, do your homework and print it off or go into the Internet and email it. You can surf on the Internet and scroll through pages of information. With a quick "Start Listening”, the computer listens to your voice and commands. With a "Stop Listening”, the computer stops listening.

If you are using talking software, you will need assistance in setting up the program as nothing else can be talking while you are training the program. Once the computer gets to know your voice, you can control it anyway you need. If you want to dictate in Word, you will need to limit JAWS ability to talk until you want him to, a quick hit of the CTRL key is enough to control him, but you may want to restrict him even more. You begin talking and a dialog box opens where you say all your sentences. Once you finish dictating, you say "insert" and the text is inserted into the document, you can make corrections as needed with F7 to spell check with Jaws.

Click on this link to go to: Common commands in Speech Recognition

If you need a really serious program that packs all the power of combining speech to text then giving feedback with JAWS (as they actually work together), go to JSAY

The Emotional Toll of Passing as "Sighted"

Many of my low vision students could tell the next story, but Jody W. Ianuzzi has shared her personal experience with me that fits so many. She has gone through the experience "passing as sighted, of not using a cane and not learning blind skills" and how it almost killed her and her 4 year old son from not seeing a car. She has come out the other end to confidently travel and do anything she needs with blind skills. She now has a son 36 years old and a 26 year old daughter, who can attest to her "trying to pass as sighed."

Trying to pass as sighted takes a "tremendous emotional toll" on a person, as Jody explains, "They feel they have a horrible secret to hide and if it is found out they feel like they are a failure. They feel they must pick between being an incompetent blind person or a competent sighted person. They don't realize they can be a competent blind person with skills to succeed. So much effort goes in to 'passing skills' they miss out on learning the blindness skills they really need to succeed. Then when they can't succeed as sighted, they hate themselves and they feel like a failure.

I got past all this myself but it took years. I look back and I am angry at my parents and teachers for not teaching me what I needed to learn and for expecting me to be something I was not. On one hand, peope did not label me as blind, and was allowed to do more because I was passing and did not have that blind label follow me! Children labeled blind are often restricted on what they can do because the ignorance of those over them stops them. My self-esteem is intact now, but at what price. I know other blind people who had the same experience growing up in the 60s and they didn't do as well emotionally."
-- Thank you Jody for this except

Changing an Administrators Mind about Services

It is easier to change the mind of an administrator if they have no past experience working with teachers of the blind or blind students. However, even if they had and did not have a good experience, this is a way to change their minds to get more services and tools for the blind students in the district.

I have hundreds of videos and pictures from the last 20 years of children working on all sorts of equipment, reading braille, flying on a slate n stylus and using dozens and dozens of different types of technology that has enabled them to find their independence and succeed in school. I have walked into meetings with as many as 50 special education directors of all types of experiences and turned on a light bulb of understanding that burned through the room by showing these videos of blind and deaf/blind students on the technology that helped them.

After the general meetings, I go independently to the directors and talk to them about their students and what they need. They have me make a list of the equipment, where to get it and the cost. Because the videos have come from me and they know I can teach the tool, they are not concerned it will sit in a closet and collect dust--this is one reason why administrators can be hesitant about ordering expensive technology-it gets ordered and no one knows how to use it. Orders are placed, equipment comes in, and it gets setup and the students start learning...exponentially.

Because there is only one of me, I have both the Para educator and student there learning the lesson, so they can help each other when I am not there. As typical, the blind students learn the commands very quickly and it is them that are helping the Para educators learn their skills.

The directors will come around and observe us working, but I have changed the observation into lessons. The director sits at the computer and I have one of my students give them a lesson on the computer using talking software. I love it when the student begins the lesson by placing their hand on the mouse and saying: "We will just be getting rid of the mouse"...and they move it behind the computer. I have had students take the director through scanning, embossing, brailling, and all types of computer lessons. With this knowledge, the directors will help you as the teacher of the blind get the necessary equipment that is needed.

Start collecting those videos and pictures. BUT FIRST make sure you have a signed statement from the parents saying this is ok.

Coming to Grips with your Child Losing Sight

I believe the parents take it harder than the child about losing sight or being born blind. I have been in so many meetings where the mom is sobbing and the father sits stoically as they listen to the vision loss report. I have had moms stand up in the meeting and shout "My son is NOT blind!" and the dad turns away. I have simulation glasses of vision loss and have moms refuse to look through them because then they would have to admit their child really does NOT see well. I have had parents tell their child "you see well enough so try harder to see better." I have seen depression climb on top of a child and bring them to the lowest points in their lives over the fact they cannot see as well as their parents want them too. I have both sides of the story because the kids talk to me about what they cannot talk to their parents about. I see and hear what the parents are telling the kids every day. I have also noticed that the child gets their attitude from the parents about sight loss. Children want to please their parents, even if it hurts themselves in the process.

I also have parents who accept the low vision diagnosis and both parents and child go full into learning both low vision skills and blind skills to get the best of both worlds and become confident in all abilities. These children go onto become confident in who there are, as they know they can't see well, but can see an enlarged map with magnification, while reading from a braille book and typing their answers out on a computer with talking software.

I have had parents and children who are very low vision or even have moderate vision loss try to pass as sighted. Let me tell you that EVERYONE else knows you can't see well, so evoke pity from others as you try to fool yourself. They see the large print books on your desk with your nose 2 inches from the paper. They see you cannot do all your work or your work in general. They see you trip in the halls. They see you hunched over while you walk to find your way. Everyone is seeing that. Alternatively, they see that you are a confident traveler with a cane standing straight and tall. They see you easily reading braille books sitting up straight. They see your fingers on the computer, typing faster than the wind and outputting work faster than they. They see you as proud of who you are and what you are achieving. For a great story on one's own personal experience with low vision attitude, click on this link Customize Your Cane

With the parents who see blindness as a characteristic and not as a travesty and that their child will just need different tools to succeed in life, the child is well adjusted and learns along with her peers. People STOP seeing you as "this poor blind person," and begin being very impressed with your abilities and who you are becoming.

THINK about what attitude you are projecting

How to Acquire a Free Computer and other Blind Tools

Every district I have gone in to, the children do not have computers, or I had a couple students who had computers but no idea how to use them.

My first quest is to get computers to every child and into every child's home: Nothing fancy, the basic machine will do. I start with the quest for desktop computers because they are the most prevalent. I want children to go from starting work at school, saving it to a memory card, taking it home and finishing the work.

I also know that these children will test the stamina of this machine, so, in general, I never seek out new machines. I don't want anyone to feel badly when it goes down and it will for any number of reasons.

I place an ad in the local newspaper or send out requests in my email looking for machines. I will take any type of PC. If I take in many machines, then I can take from one machine and add to another where something is broken. Then I end up with one good machine. The communities have always been very generous and most had this machine sitting in a corner and they had replaced it with a new one so they were grateful to get rid of it. I always tell them that I wipe the machines clean and I do for everyone's safety. As much as I would like to say all my students are angels...they are not, or they have a sibling that is not. This is usually the case. It is the sibling that ruins the computer...so just a head's up on that one.

Give your youngest to oldest student one of these coputers to practice those touch-typing skills. Once the student has gone through a couple years with this machine and they have proven they are responsible with it, and have successfully kept their siblings away from it, we head to groups that can help them purchase their own tools, especially if they are ready to graduate. Lions Clubs have always been a great resource; where the parents work, their companies have yearly budgets of giving, Microsoft donates thousands of machines all over and so many other avenues, but also people in the community who want to help in some way. They are retired and looking for worthy people who could use their financial support.

I want the student to be working for this equipment somehow also. It is hard to perfect this because you are depending on others to get the child where they need to be in order to help around the company who gave the money or help the couple who bought the equipment. More than anything so many of our students have not gained even the most basic skills of how to sweep a floor or do basic cleaning.....this issue is for another time---parents doing too much for their child

The child acquires the new technology, which is now something portable like a laptop, braille note, etc. that they can take anywhere. The school districts see this is the equipment they need and provide it at school for them. I can tell you that administrators are concerned about buying expensive equipment because so often something is bought then not used because no one knows how to use it. If you can show the school district you have the knowledge to teach it and know where to get it fixed, you will have a lot of support behind you.

So go put an ad in a paper, send an email, bring some basic computers in and start teaching those touch-typing skills with a free download of JAWS talking software to get them going. Alternatively, if you are blessed with a rich relative, tools make a great Christmas, Hanukkah or birthday gift.

Quick Scan, Spell Check and Translate into Braille

Quick Lesson on scanning, spell checking and using a braille translation program: You need a scanner that is configured correctly to open in Word in addition to its other features, Duxbury braille translation program. Click on highlight words above which are links to find these programs.

1. Place the sheet of printed text on the scanner. If the scanner was configured correctly then open WORD, you should have a feature under your File menu (if you are using office 2003) Office 2010 deleted this feature so scan using your scanner options.
2. In Office 2003, hit ALT+F to go to your file menu and down arrow and you will see scan (with whatever OCR program you have) and enter and it will scan into WORD (if this is not configured correctly just call in the school tech and they can config this for you)
3. If you have Office 2010, scan then copy and paste the document from your scanning OCR program into WORD to spell check--CTRL+A to select all, CTRL+C to copy, go to WORD and CTRL+V to paste
4. Hit F7 to do a spell check, which will quickly take you through the corrections (ALT+C in spell checker to say change or backspace over the mistakes and type the correct word in then alt+c to change your correction)--far faster than doing it by hand--when finished with spell check--you can save it but this next way is faster right now. Do a CTRL+A to select all of the text, then do a CTRL+C to copy it
5. Open Duxbury, do a CTRL+N for new and enter on print layout,
6. To enlarge windows quickly do a START KEY+UP ARROW--it works faster than even ALT+SPACE then hitting x--this will give you a full visual field
7. Hit the command ALT+2 for contracted braille
8. Then hit CTRL+V to paste the text
9. CTRL+T to translate and it translates into contracted braille
10. CTRL+E to emboss--if embosser is not configured correctly, call your school tech people also to configure it correctly

Practice those hotkey commands again to remember them

Quick Easy Internet Commands to Know

For all those who are a bit unsure about accessing the Internet, I want you to try these few commands

Computer and JAWS 11 or 12 on--do not try this with an older JAWS--it will not work well, you need to upgrade (you can download a free 40 minute demo in the meantime)
Open Internet Explorer (IE). In general, you can do a START KEY+M to access your desktop and hit the letter I until you come to Internet Explorer and ENTER to open--try that feature first.
Once IE is open
ALT+D to jump to your address bar. It is highlighted, so type in google.com and enter to open Google (you can do all these commands up to this point even without JAWS)
JAWS will hopefully say, "edit, type a text" if it did not say that, hit the letter e until you hear something close to that and enter for forms mode on--a form is an area where you can type information
Type: blue angels and enter to open selection
Hit the letter H for headings to jump to each heading--you will hear your search choice, landmarks then your headings
Keep hitting H several more times
Now hit SHIFT+H to go backward until you reach: Blue Angels: Official site and enter to open--listen for awhile and then we will go somewhere else
That is only one way to do this
Now CTRL+O to open a dialog box
type: gmail.com and ENTER to open
You are now in gmail to set up an account if you want or sign in if you have an account
ALT+F4 to close all windows
START KEY+M to access your desktop and hit the letter I until you come to Internet Explorer and ENTER to open
ALT+D to go to your address bar and type in: hj.com and ENTER to open
Freedom scientific now opens
Bring up your links with insert+f7 and hit the letter d for downloads and enter to open
Next page, bring up your links again with insert+f7 and hit j to listen to where jaws link is, then down arrow to Real Speak voices and enter to open
TAB through this page and try out all the real speak voices by hitting enter on the voice and a media player will open and play the voice
After you listen to the voice close it with, CTRL+F4 and TAB to next voice
When you find a voice you like, just TAB to the download button after the voice you like and ENTER to begin download. Just follow the wizard and the real speak voice will automatically install in your JAWS
ALT+F4 to close out of everything when done

The Multi-Level Teaching Approach

When a child has lost sight or is losing sight, no matter what age, they need multiple areas of instruction. If they are older, they need this more than ever.

If you can get a child when they are young, you can put them on a brailler, or Mountbatten for small fingers, a computer with talking software and some type of player for audio books: teach them the Nemeth and other blind skills needed and they can grow with the class.

If however, you have an older child come to you, especially if they are in middle or high school, they need a way to get that heavy bulk of work done within the day. If they are going to learn all those blind skills, you will need to show them the relevance of what you are teaching them. If you choose to teach them from an outside curriculum such as one of the braille curricula, which are great, BUT, they will fight you on this, whether passive aggressive or a direct "No". You will be adding to their burden of trying to do their regular classes already...they will think, "HOW am I going to do one more?"

The multi-level approach: Out of the students' day, they will have some type of English class. This is the ideal class to adapt into braille and use technology. You go to Bookshare.org and download the book, or rather you show them how to do it. You show them the thousands of their favorite stories are right there to read. You get him excited. You also download Victor Reader soft and install on the computer or you have a handheld reader. You go to JAWS and download Real speak voices of their choice so when they listen to books they are listening to a voice they enjoy. You get them signed up with the state book and braille library, you get them signed up with everything blind--for a list, go to http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/ then click on Files to Download and use and you will see a link for website resources available to you. He will need a minimum of an hour a day with you and you can pull him periodically from English because you will be working on the same lesson. If he is older and about ready to graduate, he will most likely need more time.

Now the student has the book on the computer. You also have him emboss the chapter he is presently reading right now in class. He will braille the pages, read the pages and listen to them on his computer, so he always has a way to keep up in his class. When reading braille, you will paragraph jump with him, as in you read and he follows then he reads. Go to Braille--Get them Hooked in a http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/. You show him how to type out all his answers to everything in WORD and then he emails the lessons off to his teacher. He will learn the technology incredibly fast. Even if he has never touched a computer before, which will happen if the child comes from another country, he will learn the keyboarding in about 4-5 hours, an hour a day over 4-5 days...don't try and do this in one sitting. The brain does not work that way. He will know enough JAWS commands to be fairly independent in 2 weeks. It happens fast. If he has something like a Braille Note, his braille skills will accelerate also because he is getting the audio, tactile feedback when he presses the keys. For orientation and mobility, you blindfold him so his listening skills are enhanced and honed and you quiz him on how to get from point A to point B in the building...then an O&M instructor takes him outside and they begin learning about city blocks.

As long as you the teacher know the braille strategies, the JAWS and computer commands, you will see him sail.Teach him the help menu so even if you don't know something he will learn it himself.

The Synchronicity of Braille & Technology

I use many methods for getting students going on their blinds skills. One way is using the Synchronicity of Braille & Technology. When I set up elementary rooms or my classroom for all the equipment to fit, I use the L shape of 2 desks, that way you can place braille books on one side so the child can read, then turn to the other side of the L and type out information on the computer. This is perfect for the elementary school setup. By the time they reach middle school and have all their blind skill foundation, they can move into almost all their books being electronic, minus the Nemeth books which, for now, need to be hard copy braille.

The students will have a brailler, or Braille Note in front of them along with the keyboard to the computer with talking software and the braille work on the other side of the L. I will have them read a line of braille, then braille it, read from display if using an adapted laptop or brailler, then type it on the computer. This way they are taking the braille and seeing how it relates to the print. They quickly learn that braille is braille with all its contractions and print is print and the contraction for" the" is t-h-e and so on. There is no confusion between braille and print and the children go onto become good spellers because of this knowledge and way of learning. If I am ever with them on their computer and they type a word, I will ask "What is the braille contraction for that word?" and they tell me. When the focus is on a braille lesson and they come upon contractions, I ask them, "How would you spell that on the computer?" Once again solidifying the Synchronicity of Braille & Technology.

When the children get to class, they have the familiar L shape arrangement, which helps them keep organized also. They know where to place their books as the computer is taking up one side. Each side of the desks shaped in an L has slots or drawers for storing tools underneath. Organization is key to any blind child so they can find their tools when they need them. When the child is organized and ready they can follow along with class and do just what everyone else is doing. Since the students have and know about many tools, they can choose what they will need at any given time. They learn the joy of reading through braille and the joy of being able to output information quicker than their sighted peers due to the use of the computer. If you know key commands, it is far faster than trying to locate a mouse with your eyes, and I am talking about sighted kids here. My students are far faster on the computer than sighted kids. When the sighted students get stuck, it is my students they turn to and who can get them out of trouble by telling them a keystroke. They know that and are very impressed with their speed and agility on technology as well as watching them read those beautiful dots with their fingers.

Here is kudos to our kids.

Reading Braille with Special Hands

I am always blessed when teaching. I love teaching and seeking out the best methods that will help my students the most keeps me going, so I have to phrase this next sentence carefully because all my students bless me in different ways.

In the last few years, I have been so incredibly blessed by one particular child. The second grade teacher had gotten a hold of me at the end of the school year, saying this particular student was having a great deal of difficulty seeing and accessing her school work and wondered if I had any ideas for her. This young lady was not on grade level and struggled with everything. She has a condition where she was very small and has partial limbs; she had a useable finger, and half-useable thumb on one hand and a tiny finger extension on the other fixed limb. She had had many facial surgeries and just many surgeries in general. I could easily pick her out when I walked into the room. I just watched her for some time, in her adorable pink outfit, on her tiny frame. She had figured out how to grasp a pencil and was leaning over about 2 inches from her paper, slowly but surely printing out letters. When recess came, I asked if she would stay in with me and she agreed. The first thing I always ask children is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" She immediately replied, "A Princess." I smiled. Of course. Most girls want to be a princess. She was just like everyone else. We all are inside and it does not matter what the outside looks like.

Because it was the end of the school year and she had several more surgeries scheduled, I could not begin instruction with her until the middle of third grade. During the fall, I worked with the special education teacher, the Para educator and mom; teaching them braille and the technology that she would be using. She had an incredible team, all dedicated to her success. As we began instruction, I noticed that the "finger" the doctors had created and attached to one limb did not really have receptors to read braille, so I was depending on that one little finger on her other hand to read. I did have her use that specially created finger on the other limb to track the braille as she read with her right finger so she could create some type of speed. Over a couple of years and a lot of braille reading and computer instruction, that wonderful brain created enough nerves in that "finger" to start reading braille or at least the first word or two of each sentence. She increased her reading speed to 115 words per minute with practice. Those tiny little fingers started to fly across the page. Her computer skills accelerated her also and with her blind skills, she is now on grade level. I might add that she has the most supportive mom who followed through on every lesson I handed out. Truly, her team of people at school and home has contributed greatly to her success.

She has become one of my brightest shining stars...literally. She is the first student I try out my new technology adventures with and she loves it. She can email, text or SKYPE me, which has become her favorite mode because of its accessibility features and ask how to solve a problem. With a simple reply, she can fix whatever her issue is. She gets it, remembers and is now excelling and succeeding in life. Where humans place such value on beauty, her brains and abilities now can take her further than any pageant queen.

Lessons to help you learn fast skills, click on link: Braille Reading

"Seeing" in the Distance

There is a quick easy and fairly inexpensive way to adapt a child's inability to see in the distance in the classroom.

For the Low vision child: Most classrooms today have a document camera or computer hooked to a projector that projects the teacher's work to the front of the room. Where it is completely inaccessible to children with visual impairments. With a simple VGA splitter, you can hook any size of monitor to that document camera and the world in front of the classroom is immediately brought to the child. In a pinch where something was not enlarged, the document camera can be turned into a CCTV (closed circuit TV) where the paper can be placed under the camera and immediately projected onto the child's monitor.

For the completely blind, I take a different approach. As teachers use their computer and projector to project to the front of the room, I have installed JAWS talking software on the teacher's computer. Then I hook the Braille Note to the computer or any other adapted laptop. With today's Bluetooth option, the cable can be eliminated now. However, if you have an older Braille Note that needs a cable, the information that is projected to the front of the room, immediately goes to the Braille Note and the child can read from the display while listening to the teacher. Now the blind child can "see" in the distance too.

The Power of JAWS Insert+4

JAWS talking software uses a special command to do so much: Insert+4 is "Symbol to Print"
Open Word, turn JAWS on and have some fun

When you are in WORD and need to type all those fancy characters for Spanish....Insert+4 will bring up your Spanish symbols
¡Buenos días!
Adiós.
Hasta mañana.
¿Cómo está usted?
¿Qué tal?
or you speak a bit of Portuguese and need a cedilla mark: Açai

When you are in Math class, Insert+4 will bring up your math symbols
7 • 5
7º
4¢
4÷2
5€
8×9
6²
7£
¾
9¥
and give you the ability to do those fancy symbols easily and quickly AND JAWS will say the names correctly

Insert+4 does so much more, so try it out!

Tricks to Learning Braille in your Teen Years or Later

I use this one particular method repeatedly because it serves me so well. Well, it actually serves my students well. Especially those who lose their sight later: Later is later than 3rd grade. You just need to employ different strategies to achieve the same goals.

One small example. A student came to me during the summer to gain Braille skills. He had learned most of the alphabet and a handful of contractions, but could not read Braille at all and had a difficult time remembering how to braille in general. I had him place his fingers over top of mine as I placed my hands on the Braille sheet of words. I slowly moved my hands in the "butterfly" motion, which I call it, because your hands glide together across, split a few words in, and the right hand finishes the sentence and the left hand begins the next in a smooth floating motion...just like a butterfly. I increased the speed so he could feel the gentle and easy movement across the page. He had no idea it was that easy.

I told him he would be reading Braille by the end of summer if he would commit at least an hour, but I asked for 2 hours a day...Ok, I know in my head, what teenage boy is going to read for 2 hours a day in the summer, or really ever?..but I put it out there. I know with even a minimal amount of effort he can do it with the next method I use.

He first begins with brailling. He only brailles about himself. His life. What he likes or does not like. I have him braille 3-4 rows of the exact same words in a sentence, using all contractions. He first tells me the sentences he wants to use. I pick out all the contracted words and have him braille these first, over and over until his fingers start to flow. Then I have him braille the sentences. Example. I like to fish. (he will braille that for 3-4 rows--sometimes more depending on the ability of the child's learning patterns). Next row. I like to fish with my dad.
I have him use 11 x 11 paper, so really, only those 2 sentences fit on a page. He takes out what he has just brailled and positions his hands on the braille paper. At first, I need to help him read the page. However, by the second reading he can do it almost independently. Before he goes home for the day, he has his braille sheets to practice for the next couple of days along with flash cards of a brailled words that he had difficulty with in reading.

There are a couple things going on here. I need him to get the flow of his hands reading well so he cannot be struggling with reading the braille. That is where we get all those bad habits from; scrubbing the braille, flying fingers, 1 handed reading. The reading must be easy at first and if it is about the person, they remember. With the constant repetition of the words, he begins picking up the feel of the contraction and the word and flows through the page.

By the end of the summer, as in 2 months, he was reading Braille at 32 words per minute and he only practiced reading about 3 hours a week. On his final day of testing his skills, I asked him, "Are you surprised at how fast you can read Braille?" Very matter of fact, he said "No, you told me I could, so I expected it."

When he went back to his school, he emailed me and told me his teacher was very impressed with his braille reading ability, both ability to read it, but read it with a beautiful 2 handed flow.

Making JAWS work great with the Internet

I have had many past students and people who just found me along the way ask why their Jaws does not work well with the Internet any more. As soon as I ask them what version of JAWS they are using, I have my answer.

In general, when you update the Internet, you need to update your Jaws. Example, when JAWS 7 was out, it ran great with Internet explorer 7 (IE7), but then IE8 came out and if you did not update to JAWS 10 you would have problems. JAWS 11 worked even better with IE8 and JAWS 12 works great. So, if you would have purchased the upgrades when you purchased JAWS 10, you would be a happy camper because the upgrade fee would have been a lot cheaper than buying 3 whole new licenses.

Exceptions to the rule. However, when IE9 came out, JAWS 12 did not work well with it. IE9 needed a lot of work and JAWS worked on its updates also to make these 2 work together. Now it works well...but that took months.

In general, if your JAWS is working well with what you have, don't be anxious to update quickly. Let the companies work out the bugs in their hardware and software. Talk to people around you about their experiences and when you get the green light, update your JAWS and Internet together. And if you are having problems with your JAWS, it is most likely too old.

Internet and JAWS-Which browser to use

I have many browsers on my machine as each one does something different...some very annoying features and some fantastic.

When I want a great virtual connection with video plugins and there is not a blind child on the other end, but I will be joining a meeting, I go Chrome. It truly is a fast browser. However, if I try to turn JAWS on while Chrome is open.... JAWS will NOT open. As soon as I close Chrome, JAWS starts chatting away. Let's just say there are compatibility issues here.

Internet Explorer (IE) offers some good features and in general, you can move around quite easily and get to where you want to go. There are hotkeys for almost everything and in general, it is very friendly. However, if you want to do video plugins, for example, Google chat or video plugins, JAWS in general will tell you what you are typing, if you hit backspace he may just say blank, blank, blank. When someone replies to you, you will NOT hear what is typed. So there are inaccessible features with IE and JAWS.

For a great browser that makes a huge majority of things accessible where they would not be, Firefox is it. Example, if you want to chat using Gmail, you hear everything you type, JAWS repeats the letters you erase, AND you hear everything the other person is typing. JAWS will even tell you someone is texting you and JAWS will tell you who it is. Firefox keystrokes can take you far and wide easily with JAWS.

Safari is completely inaccessible...well, you can fool it in some places, but forget it, and it is too much work.

However, none of the browsers offers you keystrokes to access video. Shameful!

So what should a blind person do if they want to video chat to their Mom and Dad in France or Argentina? Or a student to teach?...enter SKYPE. You can download special JAWS scripts to allow JAWS to talk everything in SKYPE. You can make calls, video, chat, add contacts, you name it, all for free, even calling thousands of miles away. When someone is texting you, SKYPE tells you their name and you hear a typing sound as they type in their text. When they hit enter and send the text to you, you hear everything in the text. You can disconnect and connect with ease. You can do everything you want using JAWS.

So for now, or at least with the knowledge I have right now, I find SKYPE to be the best in video, chat, text, and all features accessible with JAWS though it is not a browser but a great addition to browsers: Internet Explorer is good for a huge majority of surfing and Firefox if you just want everything accessible...or at least most things.

Learning Nemeth First

A student came to me when she was 16 years old. She had spent years trying to keep a brain tumor at bay, until one day, she woke and the majority of her sight was gone. She could no longer do the world visually. She was very depressed at first because she really wanted to graduate with her class and it was only a couple years away. But her hopelessness quickly transitioned into hope as she learned her blind skills.

She flew on the technology but resisted braille. She loved math though and was clearly unsure how to do it blind. We started with Nemeth code, NOT braille. She learned Nemeth very quickly and sailed through her math classes. Little did she know, she was learning the Braille code along with her Nemeth. When I finally got her to try a Braille book, she was a bit surprised how well she read the book.

Yes, I taught her braille going through the back door of ease versus the front door of resistance. Once a child gets something in their head of whether they will or will not do something, it is not worth the fight. As teachers, we need to bring them along on the journey by showing them how they can do their favorite things. Then the child discovers that they inadvertently learned what you wanted them to learn in the first place.

JAWS Tandem-new feature

Today I figured out a new feature in JAWS Tandem. JAWS Tandem is where I connect to people far away and can teach them a lesson virtually on their computer--I had guessed I could do this special trick, but did not have a chance to try it until today.

As one student was working on her Nemeth, reading from her book and inputting answers on her computer, we ran long on our time and she needed to go. She did not have time to email it off to herself to complete from home. She was working on a computer at school as her laptop had gone down the day before. So here comes the magic, I copied her work and pasted it to my computer, saved it and emailed it to her, so when she got home, she could open her email, download her homework and continue working on it.

With another student, somehow she managed to have many font sizes on her math work that she was working on during the day. It looked very odd, so I tried this feature again, by copying it off her computer and pasting it to my WORD on my computer. I have 2 monitors, so literally I can work off one while still be connected on the other. I figured out the problems on the page, then copied it off my computer and placed it back on hers all within 30 seconds. When I pasted it back, I then showed her what she had done to make it look so odd. The "ah ha" moment came and now she knows what NOT to do next time.

I still have that incredibly happy glow....as I just finished the last lesson of the day and just had to share the wonderful magic with all of you.

Math and the Computer Scientific Calculator

One of my older students is taking geometry, which has a lot of algebra and our wonderful Pythagorean Theorem. I went over the basics of the calculator on her laptop during the summer so she would be familiar with it when the time came to use it in class.

During our sessions, I always try to begin homework with the students so they know how to tackle it when they get home. She has a great spatial understanding of how to layout math problems, taking it from Nemeth and putting it in print, so it is just doing all the long calculations to get the correct answer that is required. The one attached to the computer is fully accessible to the talking software and is free, versus buying a scientific calculator for almost $300 somewhere else.

She would read from her Geometry Nemeth book, calculate the answer in her head as she typed it out on the computer, and then she would recheck her answer on the calculator. She grew in her confidence of finishing answers more quickly because now she had a way to double check her work to make sure she truly had the correct answer.

I will add the list of all the hotkeys to the calculator on my site under the title: Files to download and use. I will name the file Calculator shortcut keys

Digital Handwritten Notes

Digital Handwritten Notes. it sounds like an oxymoron...kind of like a hairy bald guy, but it is here.

The writing surface is about the size of a small piece of paper. The whole board is light and easy to carry and about the size of an 8x11 piece of paper. It is a tiny computer and you can add more RAM- with a memory card.

The blind student can take the digital note-taking device to a class where the teacher is very driven by writing on the board. The blind student hands it to a sighted student and she takes notes on it. At the end of class, the sighted student rips off the pages for their self and hands the board back to the blind student. The blind student can then download all the notes onto the computer. In tangent with this is a handwriting recognition tool, which translates the handwriting into digital text that talking software can read. Note taking made easy.

This is the one I have been using and as long as the handwritten notes are legible, the pad can read it to the computer. SolidTek DigiMemo 692 Digital Notepad with Memory by SolidTek Make sure you purchase the hand writing software also with this pad, as it is this software that allows you to go from image to text.

If you read this information in my blog, http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/ you can just click on the links and it will take you directly to the product, or if you are using talking software, just bring up your links and you can go to the product. This is true for all the information in the blog.

Be SEEN

As I set up and teach my students about SKYPE or Google Video, I often hear the phrase, "I don't need video because I'm blind!"

I remind them of our lessons on "looking people in the face," when talking to them, standing and walking tall and confident, and making that personal connection. It is the same principal. Sighted people want to "see" you. To make a good impression, we need to hold ourselves in a certain way and with the majority of people being sighted, they want to see, so let's be SEEN.

Even when I virtually meet with people around the country: Given a choice of whether we do just voice over a phone or video conferencing, across the board, people want video. It does not matter that you cannot see someone; video is like standing next to them, making that connection, almost like a touch. It is getting outside ourselves and thinking about what works best for that other person. Then finding a way to make it happen and accomplishing so much more in the process.

Losing Sight in Middle School

J was in middle school a year before I had met him. He had an incredible Special Education Teacher who noticed that he was getting closer and closer to his pages of work as the months went on. She also noticed that he would not walk around in any dark places. She convinced the parents to take him to an eye doctor and sure enough, he came back with a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

There was no Teacher of the Blind in the area, so the Special Ed teacher did the research on the Internet to pull a program together for him to start teaching him Braille. A year later, I enter the scene greatly impressed with what she created. She knew someone blind so she knew how to position his fingers on the braille sheet and brailler and she picked out a wonderful Braille program called "The Braille Connection" for children who knew print but were transitioning to Braille. J had learned many letters and some contractions, but his progress was slow. J was several grade levels behind his peers and struggled with learning. He was one of the kindest gentlest people I have ever met and he had many friends. His special ed. teacher was incredibly fond of him as all people in the building and really wanted to see him succeed so was really hoping there were more tricks to teaching students braille.

He had been very active in sports but started missing the ball; or rather, the ball started hitting him because he could not see it coming. When I talked with him, he said that he noticed something funny about his seeing years ago but never said anything to his family. His family was very poor and their focus was on survival. He just did not want to burden them.

One of the biggest challenges was J did not want anyone to know he was losing his sight and he said he would not do any blind skills outside the room. This is why he was learning slowly, he only spent 1 hour a day learning blind skills at school. But, I combined his learning of hard copy braille and the brailler with the Braille Note. As soon as he put his fingers on the Braille Note, brailled a letter and it gave him verbal feedback as well as tactile, he was hooked. He was so hooked that he wanted to take it home and practice. He knew he could succeed because the Braille Note told him what he was brailling and if he made a mistake, it was easy to correct. Within 2 years, he had learned the Braille code. This child labeled "slow" learned the whole Braille code in 2 years.

To challenge him, I would give him Braille to read and he would either input it into Duxbury or the Braille Note...This is the way he did homework also. Then he got hard copy braille reading practice and brailling practice at the same time. While in school, he always wanted to use Duxbury. He could enlarge it enough to see the braille, so what he was seeing matched the braille display hooked to the computer and to what he was hearing with JAWS. With him "seeing" the braille, then hearing it, then touching it, he was able to excel in his learning.

I have discovered there are many children that need multiple ways to learn one thing. By giving a myriad of options, people excel in the process.

In the Effort to Become Braille Certified

Oh so many years ago, leading up to my braille certification, I killed a LOT of trees in the process. I would braille hours every night after school and after work in order to learn that code. Using 11 x 11 paper and a great deal of it.

Today, things have changed tremendously. People who want to learn how to braille can download Perky Duck, which is free and is a minor program compared to its parent Duxbury, which is a very powerful and superb braille to print, print to braille translation program, but cost money. I also use the Library of Congress Braille Handbook and many supplements for my adult students to work from. They six key in their work, then email it off to me for correction. In this process, we save hundreds of trees. When there are too many students, I have them sign up with the Library of Congress, which the National Federation of the Blind has taken over in the correction and helping mode. They too are set up to receive everything through email and they respond using email also, with a grade and or corrections that need to be made.

When taking the Braille certification test, you can use your reference manuals. When I take them through the lessons, I have them mark the sections and underline the areas they are struggling with, so when the test comes and they are unsure, they can quickly turn to the answer in their book. A great supplement to the classes is the Braille Enthusiast's Dictionary. It has every word and contraction you can think of that may be in text.

When my students are preparing for the test I have them braille it out in Perky Duck or Duxbury to get an electronic copy. Then they move to the brailler and braille another copy out. Next, they compare their hard copy to the electronic copy. Proofreading your own work is one of the hardest things for students. It was for me too, so it is great with these new techniques to use to double check your work. If they are really in doubt, they rebraille another copy on Perky Duck or Duxbury. When they are practicing their proofreading or slate n stylus, once again, they can use Perky Duck to braille out all the different options they believe it to be.

I have had more people pass their braille certification quicker using these methods versus not using them. Using everything at our disposal gives us a better idea of how to help our students too. Many methods, mean more success, for more people.

The Para who became an Incredible ProTech

There is a lot of debate about para educators and how to utilize them, so I thought I would tell a story of one of my greatest and best experiences.

I worked in a particular school district for 7 years. It was typical in this district for the para educators to do too much for the students. But that is all they knew what to do. It became clear that the paras needed to gain blind skills in order to stop doing the work for the blind children as if they were sighted. So, the paras started attending training classes that met a couple times a month to learn how to be a para and how to braille. Within a year and a half over a dozen paras passed the braille exam and had increased tremendously in their technology skills. Another year went by and another half dozen or so passed their braille certification and all continued in their advancement of skills. As they passed the braille certification test, they became known as ProTechs--highly skilled individuals working with students.

Most of their time is utilized adapting work. They have fine tuned their knowledge to know when to step in to help and when to step back. They easily can adapt the work for their student or students and assist them when needed. When one Protech is out, the others take over their student or students. Everyone works together with each others best skills.

Skill advancement has to come to all: Protechs (or past paras), students and Teachers all have to constantly advance in their skills in order to help the students learn what is best for them. They will meet their goals and dreams.

One of my favorite things to hear is when the Protech asks the student if they will need any help in a certain class that is difficult and the student replies, "No Thank you, I got it."

Sighted Students with Reading Challenges

Talking software works great for a child with a reading challenge. This one particular student started with me when he was in 2nd grade. He struggled terribly in school and could not do the work, though is very bright. The way the school was giving instruction did not suit his dyslexia and inability to read print.

I started him on JAWS talking software as I knew he needed to listen in order to comprehend. I taught him about audio books and where to get them. He listened, watched the words on the page, and began to learn to read. He typed, listened, and watched and I showed him tricks on how to spell check when he could not figure out how to spell the word. (arrow into the word and hit your applications key or right click with a mouse and the correct spelling of the word appears). When you finish the document, hit F7 for a complete spell check. Slowly but surely this child learned how to read and write.

He is now going into high school and has been doing online school for the past years with great success: A 3.9 grade average. He has learned that he needs to hear those words in order to comprehend them. He uses audio books from all genres, and I am now introducing him to SKYPE and other chat and texting methods to continue instruction with him. He is also working with an online academy that really caters to audio learning. He will also be learning more advanced JAWS talking software techniques, so as he progresses through school and life he will be able to do anything he wants to do.

Talking software is for anyone who happens to be challenged in accessing the printed word.