Pen Pal Letter Writing with Brailler and Computer

Many of my blind students have never written a letter and sent it in the mail. Many had never received a letter from a friend that they could read for themselves.

How much do we all love getting personal letters? I certainly do. Yes, I love a good email note, which all my students do with ease, but a note in the mail makes me smile. I use this idea for my students to get them motivated to braille on a brailler and use a slate n stylus.

They first take the braille paper and put it in the printer, and learn the format on the computer to print out all their information. When they print it out, they then learn where to begin brailling their letter.

The next part is the actual mailing of the letters. Most have never touched a mailbox or gone to a post office nor know where to even mail a letter. That becomes an orientation and mobility lesson. We plot the course, and then head to the mailbox or post office. They feel the mailbox all around and see how a driver can pull up and mail a letter also, and then they find the slot for the person who walks up to the box and pop in the letter.

The true joy comes when they get the mail, walk into school and announce this. It makes them want to sit down and braille out another letter, just so they can get more mail. A great motivator and a great way to make friends!

For full instructions on now to do this from start to finish, go to Writing Braille Letters with computer and Brailler do a quick CTRL+F for find and type in Writing and pop right to the Office version you need.

Braille Note, Nemeth, Scientific Calculator, Abacus

Watch this video of a student uses her Braille Note to calculate math problems and insert answers into her processor, checks problems on abacus, then emails lesson to teacher.
There are quick methods to hop around your Braille Note to complete math problems and insert the whole problem into a Word Processor.

Abacus is used due to state testing and the state not allowing calculators on portions of tests. The abacus is like doing the problem out on paper with pencil.

Lessons and other articles to help you learn more

Braille Note

Cover Letter & Resume to Get that Job

Starting in high school, students are required to create their first professional letter to introduce themselves to potential employers and a resume to be attached to the professional letter. More and more, potential employers are asking for these documents to be sent to them through their websites or to be emailed to them. After graduation, people need to be able to update the resume and professional letter as they acquire skills.

Your Cover Letter or Letter of Inquiry needs to be concise containing your information, including correct spelling, grammar and format.

Depending on how your resume LOOKS will determine whether that potential employer will even LOOK at the documents. Your experience and education will determine whether the employer will even give you an interview. Both are important.

So if you need simple instructions to follow, along with examples to help your students in school or help yourself find that right job, you can acquire the lessons for both Office 2003 and Office 2010 --Click on Professional Letter of Inquiry and Writing a Resume and you can immediately download a copy for use. All lessons are keystroke based and accessible with talking software.

Making pictures come alive for Blind children

I think all math classes can contribute great knowledge to all children. When parents and teachers ask, "Is it important for this blind student to take Geometry?" which is a VERY visual class, I always reply --YES! Yes, it will be more challenging, but the information they learn applies greatly to life. Blind children should take ALL the same classes as sighted children if they are to acquire the same knowledge.

Here is where talented Para educators come into play. They ask how to design those 1-D or 2-D flat graphics in print or embossed on braille sheets that come from the braille companies (BTW, it is very difficult for blind children to read those flat "embossed pictures") and I describe the methods. We use stiff paper and braille paper works great here for area or a plane, with pipe cleaners sticking through the paper for the angles that will be made. Extra long Slate n stylus embosses the angle points on the paper for the student to read and wikki sticks line the plane or area. This method makes those flat images come to life for the student. The Para holds the design in the air and describes it, as the student feels every angle and area.

In biology and math class, students are asked to draw many figures. A draftsman tool kit is always on hand for these designs that students need to create. The Para assists the student with the design, or if the teacher thought ahead, a tactile design was already created and the blind student can feel it then recreate it on the draftsman. After the student draws the figure, they place the paper in a brailler or use a slate n stylus to braille the labels around the figure.

From kindergarten and beyond, when students can create these figures themselves, they grasp the concepts so much easier. The earlier you start using the above method, the easier pictures will be to understand as the student ages, but that is true for most instruction.

Braille Music and Playing an Instrument

Any blind student that wants to take classes dealing with music should learn braille music to access everything their sighted peers access, giving them the ability to learn anything they wish.

Watch on youtube

Creating BEAUTIFUL Cards using WORD

As the holidays approach and throughout the year with parties, classes make cards for their families and friends. My students need their own fancy way to make the most beautifully decorated cards too.

All this can be accomplished using WORD. Students can insert beautiful pictures, change them to a very light background then type the fanciest script to type words directly on top of the picture.

As soon as the sighted students see how beautiful my students' cards turn out, they too want to learn these tricks, which is great for expanding their social circle. Giving tools like this to any student is a huge self-esteem builder because they know they have the knowledge that others want, so people seek them out for help.

Lessons to help you learn more

Make beautiful cards

Twitter Accessibility with Qwitter

Twitter is very accessible with JAWS talking software. It will just take many keystrokes to get to where you want to go.

However, to make a Tweet, just hit E for your edit box, enter for forms mode on and type those 140 characters, then TAB to Tweet and ENTER to send. That fast and that easy. However, reading all the content is a bit different...that is where all the keystrokes come in.

There is also Easychirp which has all the accessible features.

For an incredibly accessible Twitter, download Qwitter or EasyChirp. It makes everything very accessible in Twitter, just like m.facebook.com does for Facebook.

Braille Reading - smooth and easy

Watch this young lady read braille: Youtube--Smooth fluid motion across the pages of braille. Able to read as fast as sighted peers. Uses Bookshare and other online braille sources to download books constantly to read on her Braille Note.

Never say Impossible

A wild fire is raging toward you and your family as you walk along some very steep cliffs. There is no way out....What do you do?

Never say something is impossible or there is just no way. You must think outside the box...something different. The answer is out there, it is just seeking it out.

Answer for fire: The father took out a match and started his own fire, making a completely burned out area for he and his family to stand in while the wild fire burned out before even getting to them.

There is always a WAY!

Health Insurance for all Children

CHIP-Children's Health Insurance Program is children's medicaid.

Every state has some form of CHIP, so check into your local service

If you have a child that needs medical attention BUT you do not have health insurance, every child is eligible if you earn under $45,000 a year. Check into this program to get their needs met and pass this information along to other parents who need to get eye exams, dental appointments or any other type of medical care.

Virtual Machines--Mac with PC and PC with both XP and Windows 7

Today, you no longer have to have just 1 operating system on 1 computer. Since I am writing lessons for people who use XP and Office 2003 and Windows 7 and Office 2010, I have both operating system on one machine. Windows 7 is my main machine and I have XP running virtually. With 2 monitors, I run XP on one monitor and Windows 7 on the other and can quickly write the lessons needed by having both operating systems on 1 computer.

Mac is the same way. You have Mac OS on one side and with a Command Tab you switch to Windows 7, which operates virtually. This way you can use as many features as you want. You download products according to which side you are using.

What I suggest to people who really want to switch to a Mac but have always been PC users, is...get both. Buy the Mac and put the virtual Windows 7 on it too, so when you just can't get something done while learning the Mac, you can switch to the PC side.

Same thing for switching from XP to Windows 7. Have both and when you just can't figure out how to do it on the Windows 7 side, switch back to the XP side.

Just more options for getting work done.

Mountbatten brailler is great for young children to learn Braille

Little fingers can easily press the keys on a Mountbatten brailler--watch YouTube Video. Learn quickly and easily so by kindergarten blind children can read and write just as much as their sighted peers.
More at www.yourtechvision.com

Blind student demonstrates PowerPoint

Completely blind yet notice the perfect touch typing skills click on Youtube. She knows all the keystrokes to insert videos and pictures into a PowerPoint presentation and complete the perfect slide show. Learn these skills at: www.yourtechvision.com

Accelerated Reader (AR) and access with JAWS and Braille Display

Anyone who has elementary students most likely knows about AR tests. Accelerated Reader (AR) is a program where children read books and then take tests on a computer system called AR. Each book is assigned a certain amount of points depending on their difficulty. Children in class compete to see how many points they can earn within a certain time period and by the end of the year.

Accelerated Reader (AR) tests can be accessed with JAWS and a Braille Display. I had to laugh yesterday as I was teaching one of my students how to move through the pages. She has incredible listening skills and her JAWS works at about 400 wpm. Her fingers cannot read that fast, so she would bypass the braille display and quickly listen to each page and take the test. She could finish 3 tests before a sighted student even finished their first due to the speed at which she operated the site.

Where once upon a time, a sighted reader had to read these tests to our blind students, it is no more, which is true for so many areas of their lives, due to technology.

Lessons that will help you learn

AR, braille display and talking software

Braille Instruction begins at 3 years old

Braille Instruction begins at 3 years old

This young man on the video from the above link, began braille and technology instruction at 3 years old. A year later he knows his braille alphabet and typing on a keyboard. When he reached kindergarten, he had as much reading/writing knowledge as peers.
www.yourtechvision.com

Video Calls on IPhone & IPad

Whether fully sighted, low vision or even blind, I have students and friends who love using the video call feature with the Iphone and Ipad.

The way to make free calls on either device but more importantly you can use this as a phone feature on the Ipad, is to download SKYPE and SKYPE wireless to go with it. Go to the app download section of your product. Once the programs are downloaded, you can use voice over with the programs to make and receive calls with a new twist.

This happens to be a great feature for virtual teaching also. Just another way to connect and do what you need to do to teach a lesson.

Download lessons on Learn how to use iTools

American Printing House for the Blind

If you are looking for a major resource for materials adapted for blind students from the earliest age, The American Printing House for the Blind is for you.

Founded in 1858, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the world's largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are blind and visually impaired.

If you need something adapted to blindness or low vision, go to APH.org and there is a good chance you will find it there in their catalog.

Order your free catalog from them to have all this valuable information at your fingertips when a situation comes up and you need a tool.

Schools can use Free quota funds which are designated for blind/low vision children. The government has allocated a certain amount of funds for each child per year, so this helps the districts with their budgets too.

You can also call them at: 1-800-223-1839

Blind Technology-adapted Braille laptop

Teenage student loses sight at 16 and learns the technology to do her work

Watch on YouTube: Young Woman

Click on Lessons on how to learn the Braille Note

Secrets in Office 2010 for talking software or blind users

There are many areas that are inaccessible in Office 2010 for a blind user, but you can make them accessible with a quick command.

As soon as you open a document, do a CTRL+S to save, name the file, then TAB to save as Type and down arrow to word 97-2003 document, then hit ENTER. (You can make this change permanent if it works well for you)
Now, when you want to insert pictures, graphs, Wordart and other graphics, you will have the ability to left, right or center them where you want. If using Office 2010 in the .docx format, you will have to use the arrow keys, which is just guess work if you are blind and you have no idea where you are truly placing your object.

Another trick: Most commands you memorized in Office 2003 can be used in Office 2010. So if you want to insert a picture, Alt+I, then hit P then hit C to clip art and your clip art options open.

Enlarge the screen: Just ALT+V, then hit Z, then hit 2 for 200% and you have magnified your screen.

Just keep moving through the keystrokes and they work with or without talking software

Restoring your Computer to Working Great again

With all the different types of software and downloads from the Internet, you may have experienced your computer crashing or slowing. If you use talking software you may notice compatibility issues after you downloaded a particular program.

Here is a quick easy fix. Every PC offers a restore of your system. If you are on Windows 7, you can just hit the start key and type restore and down arrow to restore your computer to an earlier time. When the dialog box comes up, look back at all the dates and make note of when your computer worked well and restore it to that date. When my talking software stops working well, I can see a particular type of update was made on my computer and now I know which update knocked my talking software out.... I then go and hide that update in my update folder so it will never occur again. You can do the exact same thing in XP but you will have to go into the control panel to do so.

You can also set restore points. Last week, one of my students went on vacation and her laptop had been having major issues, so I took it for the week to overhaul. After I fixed it, I set a restore point with an original name, so as problems occur down the road, I can talk them through how to easily restore her computer back to the date last week. It is like getting a brand new computer right out of the box, but just loaded with all the blind software and ready to use.

Restore is a wonderful feature However: If you set a restore point on your computer on Oct 1 and you loaded another program on Nov 1, found issues on Nov 5 and restored back to Oct 1, any program you loaded after that Oct 1 date will be gone. Your files are still there, it just takes away programs---but the new added program could be what was giving you problems, so this is decision time, if you do a restore. It is something major you are doing to your machine.

Always backup your files before doing something like this. Backup, just means, make another copy somewhere else, like on a thumb drive. You should be doing this anyway because technology crashes and you always want another copy of your files somewhere else.

There are a lot of great powerful features on computers, just learn how to take control of them and use the power to your advantage, instead of them taking control of you.