Posts
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The advantage of Firefox over Internet Explorer
There are a couple great advantages in using Firefox over Internet Explorer (IE).
The biggest one is the advantage of automatic spell check on any and every word you write. It will be underlined in red for you sighted people, and for JAWS users, it will say the word oddly. You can arrow back and hit your applications key (3rd key to the right of the space bar on a desktop keyboard), which is just like using the right click on your mouse. The keystroke is faster—try it out.
The next and most important for any JAWS user is the great accessibility and interaction with websites. Where they are problematic in IE, they are not in Firefox. Even if you do not know the h for headings, or ; for landmarks, you can easily TAB through content, slowly, but TAB through content to move through a page.
For more quick keystroke lessons go to http://www.yourtechvision.com/products/jawsinternet
TAB through your lessons or Insert+F7 for your links and just down arrow through all the possibilities of keystroke lessons of JAWS with the Internet.
How many Accommodations should a child have in school?
When a blind child first starts school, the child needs to learn everything about the print world AND the blind world. You will need to find that fine balance between cutting down lessons, but still getting the point of the lesson; allowing more time to finish an assignment because the child may be using technology that he is just learning to output work and reading Braille books where he is just learning the Braille code and if he has some sight, may be using a CCTV that enlarges pictures and graphs for math class.
The biggest point is every year you want to diminish how many accommodations the child needs. The child needs to get to the point where he can finish the same amount of work as everyone else is doing in the same amount of time given. That means the child needs to be gaining enough skills each year to reduce the accommodations down. By high school these accommodations are very minimal and by graduation, the child can do what he needs to do to go onto college, self-advocate and find the answers he needs to be independent. That independence may be in hiring a “reader” where the reader comes in and helps the student pay bills or shows him the campus so he can travel independently with his cane; the student needs to know all types of technology to scan the printed work the professor just handed out, or the ability to go to the Internet and find anything he needs to complete his work or use an adaptive Braille note taker.
This independence goes after graduation from college to the job when the young person is confident in his/her abilities to travel anywhere, asks assistance for the tasks that are completely visual, but for the most part knows how to take the visual world and put it into a tactile or verbal feedback so he/she can access what is needed.
If you are asking for accommodations by the time you want a job and you are competing with others that are NOT asking for accommodations…who do you think is going to get the job? Go back and get the training you need to gain the skills necessary so you can go in with skills and confidence to do the same job within the same general time period as your potential colleagues. That is the way to compete in a global market that is looking for people with talent and skills to ADD to their business.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Keystroke Lessons at yourtechvision.com
For lessons on using only keystrokes, go to yourtechvision.com
If you want to advance in your computer skills and do it the fastest way possible through keystrokes, then this site is for you:
At yourtechvision.com hundreds of lessons are ready to download, on Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word, other lessons on Braille Note and other blind technology under OTHER TAB and Mac-iPad-iPhone lessons under the Mac/iTool Tab--skills to learn yourself or teach a student. All lessons are compatible with Jaws talking software too.
If you are low vision, there are dozens of lessons to see your computer better too- yourtechvision.com under the Low Vision Tab
If the lesson is not there that you need, make a request and it will be written up for you and added to the site
If you want to advance in your computer skills and do it the fastest way possible through keystrokes, then this site is for you:
At yourtechvision.com hundreds of lessons are ready to download, on Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word, other lessons on Braille Note and other blind technology under OTHER TAB and Mac-iPad-iPhone lessons under the Mac/iTool Tab--skills to learn yourself or teach a student. All lessons are compatible with Jaws talking software too.
If you are low vision, there are dozens of lessons to see your computer better too- yourtechvision.com under the Low Vision Tab
If the lesson is not there that you need, make a request and it will be written up for you and added to the site
Monday, October 10, 2011
LookTel Money Reader on IPhone
Are you blind and you want a way to know what money you are holding without using sighted help. The IPhone 4 offers you an app to do that.
How about going to a restaurant and they have no braille menus. This app also offers you the ability to take a picture and have the iphone read it back to you.
Would you like to know the objects in any cupboard, this app will do that for you too.
An incredible new app that gives so much. Go to this site and watch the demo and read all about it LookTel Money Reader
It is more than a money reader...it does a little of everything.
How about going to a restaurant and they have no braille menus. This app also offers you the ability to take a picture and have the iphone read it back to you.
Would you like to know the objects in any cupboard, this app will do that for you too.
An incredible new app that gives so much. Go to this site and watch the demo and read all about it LookTel Money Reader
It is more than a money reader...it does a little of everything.
Phone that you can Speak to and it will Text for you
This is a WOW moment.
SIRI is a new app on the iPhone 4S that lets you listen and respond to voice messages automatically. Send and receive texts all with verbal commands.
Ask for weather in different parts of the world, ask any question and your app will find the answer and tell you verbally the answer.
Listen to how incredible this new piece of technology is:
Apple - Introducing Siri on iPhone 4S
SIRI is a new app on the iPhone 4S that lets you listen and respond to voice messages automatically. Send and receive texts all with verbal commands.
Ask for weather in different parts of the world, ask any question and your app will find the answer and tell you verbally the answer.
Listen to how incredible this new piece of technology is:
Apple - Introducing Siri on iPhone 4S
Internet, JAWS and hotkeys
I get many requests from people on how to navigate the Internet more quickly. Many hotkeys can be used without JAWS also.
Here are a few hotkeys to get you going
Hit your windows key+R for your run menu and type in: www.google.com and ENTER and your Google page will open (you can use your run menu to get wherever you need to go VERY quickly) Your windows key is at the bottom of the keyboard to the far left. It goes CTRL, the Windows Key, also called Start--it is on the right hand side of your keyboard also.
After you enter your Google page, if you are using JAWS and you do not hear him say edit: type a text, then hit the letter E until you hear this, then hit enter for forms mode on, and type in a search word: Type: yourtechvision and hit enter and all searches for that word will come up.
Now hit the letter H for headings until you get to the link that says: Blind/Visually Impaired Education: YourTechVision and hit enter to open (you will hit H several times to get through your headings)
You will come to my blog with that heading on it, so hit the letter H again until you jump to the heading of YourTechVision and down arrow to listen to the content
When you are done, in Internet Explorer you will hit CTRL+O and in Firefox you will hit CTRL+L to jump to your URL address edit bar. This time you will type in: ask.com. This is a site where you will type in a question you want to know the answer to. Type: How many blind people are there in the world and ENTER
When the page opens hit the letter H for headings until you jump to: How many blind people are there in the world and then down arrow to listen to the answer
Hit SHIFT+H to go back up to the link and hit ENTER to open the link. When the page loads, jit the letter H again to jump to the heading and down arrow to listen to the content
ALT+F4 to close the page--More quick key lessons -practice and have fun
Here are a few hotkeys to get you going
Hit your windows key+R for your run menu and type in: www.google.com and ENTER and your Google page will open (you can use your run menu to get wherever you need to go VERY quickly) Your windows key is at the bottom of the keyboard to the far left. It goes CTRL, the Windows Key, also called Start--it is on the right hand side of your keyboard also.
After you enter your Google page, if you are using JAWS and you do not hear him say edit: type a text, then hit the letter E until you hear this, then hit enter for forms mode on, and type in a search word: Type: yourtechvision and hit enter and all searches for that word will come up.
Now hit the letter H for headings until you get to the link that says: Blind/Visually Impaired Education: YourTechVision and hit enter to open (you will hit H several times to get through your headings)
You will come to my blog with that heading on it, so hit the letter H again until you jump to the heading of YourTechVision and down arrow to listen to the content
When you are done, in Internet Explorer you will hit CTRL+O and in Firefox you will hit CTRL+L to jump to your URL address edit bar. This time you will type in: ask.com. This is a site where you will type in a question you want to know the answer to. Type: How many blind people are there in the world and ENTER
When the page opens hit the letter H for headings until you jump to: How many blind people are there in the world and then down arrow to listen to the answer
Hit SHIFT+H to go back up to the link and hit ENTER to open the link. When the page loads, jit the letter H again to jump to the heading and down arrow to listen to the content
ALT+F4 to close the page--More quick key lessons -practice and have fun
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Leave room for MARGIN
I was talking to a very busy father the other day. He is the Chief of Staff of medicine at one of the major Hospitals in the area and was taking time out for his daughter's soccer game, though he admitted he regularly worked 16 hour days and did not see his children often enough. He is a brilliant man of medicine yet confessed he did not know how to use technology well. I immediately had him pull his iPhone out and showed him several features. A major one was texting.
Many parents are overloaded with schedules that are too busy, not enough time and especially not enough time for their children. I told him that texting his children several times a day, just to say "I love you," "You matter", "What are you doing?" will make all the difference in the world in keeping connected. It will let them know you care and are really just a call or text away.
We need to leave room for margin. That white space on a page. That free time in our day for something else to occur. We cannot get so busy that we forget about doing those special things for our spouse, our children or a stranger.
Do you know that Jesus did his greatest healing in what you would call "margin"? He was always on his way to somewhere, when someone in great need stopped him and asked for a healing. He took time out and healed them. He made time for something else along the way, which made the greatest impact in someone else's life.
Are you making room for MARGIN? Are you taking the time to help someone along the way, or help your family along the way? Are you looking around and noticing the unnoticeable? You can make some to the greatest impact with some of the littlest things in life.
Many parents are overloaded with schedules that are too busy, not enough time and especially not enough time for their children. I told him that texting his children several times a day, just to say "I love you," "You matter", "What are you doing?" will make all the difference in the world in keeping connected. It will let them know you care and are really just a call or text away.
We need to leave room for margin. That white space on a page. That free time in our day for something else to occur. We cannot get so busy that we forget about doing those special things for our spouse, our children or a stranger.
Do you know that Jesus did his greatest healing in what you would call "margin"? He was always on his way to somewhere, when someone in great need stopped him and asked for a healing. He took time out and healed them. He made time for something else along the way, which made the greatest impact in someone else's life.
Are you making room for MARGIN? Are you taking the time to help someone along the way, or help your family along the way? Are you looking around and noticing the unnoticeable? You can make some to the greatest impact with some of the littlest things in life.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Breaking BAD HABITS
Bad Habits have many names, but the one that prevails in the blind field is "blindisms". A Blindism may be rocking, poking eyes, pressing or hitting oneself, light gazing and a plethora of other things.
We all have bad habits and the only way to get rid of one is to do something else consistently for a minimum of 30 days. Yes, you can take the "Will Power" route and say you are just going to break the habit. In general, I have NOT seen this work. Where I see success is exchanging one habit for another less noticeable or offensive habit. Oh yes and the most critical is you have to get that person on board with changing the habit. You will have to show them there is something better and a better consequence will occur if they get rid of the bad habit.
If you take drugs or smoke, you have a chemical bond to break in your body , which makes it very difficult to break such a habit. With a body injuring technique or unusual movement, that no one else does and everyone stares at you while you do it, you have some sort of psychological need of doing a particular habit and is also a bond. It is giving them stimulation that they are being rewarded by and they don't particularly care what others think, when young....and by the time the habit is so well worn it, everyone is making fun of them by now, and the child feels they cannot break it when they really want to.
You have to exchange one stimulus for another. Example: One of my students rocked furiously and poked her eyes while doing it. She is very intelligent but did not look intelligent while in this frenzy of motion. Her peers jeered and made jokes and it was difficult for her to make friends. When young, her parents were told it was fine. No one knew the consequences of being told that. So instead of giving her other activities to keep her entertained, they let her entertain herself with rocking and eye poking. Then it became such a problem the girl had a terrible time breaking the habit. By her teens, she was very distressed at the lack of friends and worse the damage that she had done to her eye sockets. She had pressed her eyes back in the socket, had dark circles around her eyes and further damaged her optic nerves and lens'. Doctors refused to do eye surgery because she would cause even more damage after the surgery if she could not break the eye poking habit. (I have had kids actually pull their eyes out of their sockets, or pressed them so deeply that the deep black circles around their eyes looked as if someone hit them hard every day). Habits like this look bad but also damage...damage physically but also possibilities of making friends, getting jobs or advancing and competing with others around you.
Back to breaking the habits: For the fore mentioned girl, we tried bracelets and necklaces for her to rub instead of eye poking and rocking. That worked for a while, then it stopped. We moved to makeup and that was almost the breakthrough. Then we added a cool looking pair of glasses and that pretty much did it, but it took a couple years, until she could do it consistently for 30 days. She is pretty much steady as a rock now, though she admits, behind closed doors on those depressed days, she reverts back. But she knows she has to fight it every day until it stops being a urge to revert back.
Other techniques that have worked: That soft fleshy part of the skin between the thumb and pointer finger. Yep, that's the part, press it and just slightly massage it. Very stimulating and enough to break another habit you do not want others to see. Holding a paperclip or pen, yep, even blind people can hold a pen and twirling it in the fingers keeps yout mind off doing the other habits that are not as acceptable in society. Others shake their leg, well just about everyone shakes their leg, so that is really acceptable. Find something!
I even had a friend who told me that for Lent she gave up rocking and eye poking and it worked after the period was up. Yep, God is a good one in helping you break those habits.
We all have bad habits and the only way to get rid of one is to do something else consistently for a minimum of 30 days. Yes, you can take the "Will Power" route and say you are just going to break the habit. In general, I have NOT seen this work. Where I see success is exchanging one habit for another less noticeable or offensive habit. Oh yes and the most critical is you have to get that person on board with changing the habit. You will have to show them there is something better and a better consequence will occur if they get rid of the bad habit.
If you take drugs or smoke, you have a chemical bond to break in your body , which makes it very difficult to break such a habit. With a body injuring technique or unusual movement, that no one else does and everyone stares at you while you do it, you have some sort of psychological need of doing a particular habit and is also a bond. It is giving them stimulation that they are being rewarded by and they don't particularly care what others think, when young....and by the time the habit is so well worn it, everyone is making fun of them by now, and the child feels they cannot break it when they really want to.
You have to exchange one stimulus for another. Example: One of my students rocked furiously and poked her eyes while doing it. She is very intelligent but did not look intelligent while in this frenzy of motion. Her peers jeered and made jokes and it was difficult for her to make friends. When young, her parents were told it was fine. No one knew the consequences of being told that. So instead of giving her other activities to keep her entertained, they let her entertain herself with rocking and eye poking. Then it became such a problem the girl had a terrible time breaking the habit. By her teens, she was very distressed at the lack of friends and worse the damage that she had done to her eye sockets. She had pressed her eyes back in the socket, had dark circles around her eyes and further damaged her optic nerves and lens'. Doctors refused to do eye surgery because she would cause even more damage after the surgery if she could not break the eye poking habit. (I have had kids actually pull their eyes out of their sockets, or pressed them so deeply that the deep black circles around their eyes looked as if someone hit them hard every day). Habits like this look bad but also damage...damage physically but also possibilities of making friends, getting jobs or advancing and competing with others around you.
Back to breaking the habits: For the fore mentioned girl, we tried bracelets and necklaces for her to rub instead of eye poking and rocking. That worked for a while, then it stopped. We moved to makeup and that was almost the breakthrough. Then we added a cool looking pair of glasses and that pretty much did it, but it took a couple years, until she could do it consistently for 30 days. She is pretty much steady as a rock now, though she admits, behind closed doors on those depressed days, she reverts back. But she knows she has to fight it every day until it stops being a urge to revert back.
Other techniques that have worked: That soft fleshy part of the skin between the thumb and pointer finger. Yep, that's the part, press it and just slightly massage it. Very stimulating and enough to break another habit you do not want others to see. Holding a paperclip or pen, yep, even blind people can hold a pen and twirling it in the fingers keeps yout mind off doing the other habits that are not as acceptable in society. Others shake their leg, well just about everyone shakes their leg, so that is really acceptable. Find something!
I even had a friend who told me that for Lent she gave up rocking and eye poking and it worked after the period was up. Yep, God is a good one in helping you break those habits.
Grocery Shopping for the Blind
The grocery shopping skill is used for everyone; I will just be putting a blind twist on it here. There are many different ways to do this, so here are a couple.
Get Organized...hmmm, an absolute running theme in what we do
Keep a grocery list throughout the week, either on a brailler or slate-n-stylus (slate n stylus is truly easiest at a home. Easy to put in a drawer, take out to add an item then slip it back in the drawer because it is so small and compact), yes a Braille Note or other adapted laptop works too, but I am always leery with computerized equipment around food and liquids. A grocery store can mean anything and you will never cry over ruining a piece of paper you brought to the store versus a Braille Note. Bring a calculator.
In school, students can practice this also, except it will be for a cooking lesson at the end of the week. So a list is made with a budget.
Today, this step takes a leap and a bound. Prices can be looked up online, to get the idea of the budget you have and need to stay within and if you are in a big enough town, groceries can be ordered online. What an incredible time saver. Yes, you are going to have to be a bit tech-savvy, but once you learn the ropes in ordering your food online, it is an easy process. In a small town, with a small store, a telephone still does the job.
So let's say you do not want or can order food online. Pick a local grocery store where they will get to know you. You can bring a sighted friend with you, but if you would like to do this on your own, make arrangements for someone at the store to walk through with you and get food items (The ease of asking for help depends on the store, so find a willing one and give them your business). Call ahead and establish this connection so the person is waiting for you when you get there. Take the bus to the store. If at school, take the bus or walk. What a great way to work in an orientation and mobility lesson. When I lived by myself, I would always bring a rolling shopping tote and I would only buy as much as I could fit in the tote, so I could easily get it back home. When you are doing this with students, I bring the reusable shopping bags and they get to carry the contents. Working in the shopping tote should also be used so they have options.
I do also have students who are not handling the food and liquids, keep track of the items as they are being purchased on the braille note and keep track of the total--great math lesson; yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but I always go back to the options thing.
They need the whole experience of making a list, checking prices, calling for assistance at the store or bringing a friend, walking or taking the bus to the store, buying the food, paying for it, packing their tote or bags and getting back home, or school.
We have refrigerators at school and shelves to store the food until we use it. You need to divide these activities up, so we shop one day and cook or bake another. This way the students get to bake their reward and learn shopping techniques in the same lesson. When out on their own, they will have been through this process to know how to do it by themselves better, but as you know a bit of fear of doing this by yourself always enters. Just do it and the fear will go.
When in school it is a greater benefit when you can do this in groups. I have my high school students mentor the young students...or sometimes everyone is learning the same thing and mentoring each other, but being together always adds to the fun.
Get Organized...hmmm, an absolute running theme in what we do
Keep a grocery list throughout the week, either on a brailler or slate-n-stylus (slate n stylus is truly easiest at a home. Easy to put in a drawer, take out to add an item then slip it back in the drawer because it is so small and compact), yes a Braille Note or other adapted laptop works too, but I am always leery with computerized equipment around food and liquids. A grocery store can mean anything and you will never cry over ruining a piece of paper you brought to the store versus a Braille Note. Bring a calculator.
In school, students can practice this also, except it will be for a cooking lesson at the end of the week. So a list is made with a budget.
Today, this step takes a leap and a bound. Prices can be looked up online, to get the idea of the budget you have and need to stay within and if you are in a big enough town, groceries can be ordered online. What an incredible time saver. Yes, you are going to have to be a bit tech-savvy, but once you learn the ropes in ordering your food online, it is an easy process. In a small town, with a small store, a telephone still does the job.
So let's say you do not want or can order food online. Pick a local grocery store where they will get to know you. You can bring a sighted friend with you, but if you would like to do this on your own, make arrangements for someone at the store to walk through with you and get food items (The ease of asking for help depends on the store, so find a willing one and give them your business). Call ahead and establish this connection so the person is waiting for you when you get there. Take the bus to the store. If at school, take the bus or walk. What a great way to work in an orientation and mobility lesson. When I lived by myself, I would always bring a rolling shopping tote and I would only buy as much as I could fit in the tote, so I could easily get it back home. When you are doing this with students, I bring the reusable shopping bags and they get to carry the contents. Working in the shopping tote should also be used so they have options.
I do also have students who are not handling the food and liquids, keep track of the items as they are being purchased on the braille note and keep track of the total--great math lesson; yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but I always go back to the options thing.
They need the whole experience of making a list, checking prices, calling for assistance at the store or bringing a friend, walking or taking the bus to the store, buying the food, paying for it, packing their tote or bags and getting back home, or school.
We have refrigerators at school and shelves to store the food until we use it. You need to divide these activities up, so we shop one day and cook or bake another. This way the students get to bake their reward and learn shopping techniques in the same lesson. When out on their own, they will have been through this process to know how to do it by themselves better, but as you know a bit of fear of doing this by yourself always enters. Just do it and the fear will go.
When in school it is a greater benefit when you can do this in groups. I have my high school students mentor the young students...or sometimes everyone is learning the same thing and mentoring each other, but being together always adds to the fun.
Friday, October 7, 2011
JAWS spelling magic
Jaws offers up a great spell check option that WORD cannot.
Word offers you the applications key any time you misspell a word. Open word and misspell any word, arrow into it and then hit your applications key. Those of you who do not know what the applications key is, on a desktop keyboard, it is the 3rd key to the right of the space bar. It is the key you most likely have never used because you have no idea what it does. It is a very powerful key. Any time you do not know how to spell a word, spell it out the best you can, then hit that applications key and it will give you the correct spelling...that is as long as you have not misspelled it so badly WORD really has no idea what you want.
The next spell check in WORD is F7. I will provide a lesson on that later on, as it is very involved.
But the power spell check for JAWS is ALT+SHIFT+L. Try it out. Open word, misspell several words, then hit the command ALT+SHIFT+L and it will bring up your misspelled words and tell you how many you have in the document. Hit enter on the word and you will pop back exactly to the word, hit your applications key and enter on the correct spelling. Repeat the command ALT+SHIFT+L and continue until all words are correctly spelled.
Today, as I showed one of my students this power command, I could hear her smile across the miles of our virtual screen. She lit up the room and once again, she is shown how technology is making her life so much easier.
Lessons to help you learn more
Jaws magic
Word offers you the applications key any time you misspell a word. Open word and misspell any word, arrow into it and then hit your applications key. Those of you who do not know what the applications key is, on a desktop keyboard, it is the 3rd key to the right of the space bar. It is the key you most likely have never used because you have no idea what it does. It is a very powerful key. Any time you do not know how to spell a word, spell it out the best you can, then hit that applications key and it will give you the correct spelling...that is as long as you have not misspelled it so badly WORD really has no idea what you want.
The next spell check in WORD is F7. I will provide a lesson on that later on, as it is very involved.
But the power spell check for JAWS is ALT+SHIFT+L. Try it out. Open word, misspell several words, then hit the command ALT+SHIFT+L and it will bring up your misspelled words and tell you how many you have in the document. Hit enter on the word and you will pop back exactly to the word, hit your applications key and enter on the correct spelling. Repeat the command ALT+SHIFT+L and continue until all words are correctly spelled.
Today, as I showed one of my students this power command, I could hear her smile across the miles of our virtual screen. She lit up the room and once again, she is shown how technology is making her life so much easier.
Lessons to help you learn more
Jaws magic
The UnTEACHable
First of all, there is no such thing as unteachable. The only people who are unteachable are those who decide NOT to learn any more.
In regards to people, we all have this tremendous ability to learn, no matter where we start out. Children are given labels and everyone starts teaching DOWN to that label. We need to teach UP to the child.
"The Structure of the Brain changes with ACTIVITY!!!!" The Brain that changes itself by Norman Doidge
I have proven the brain changes itself through activity over and over: Taken children that had been written off or inundated with labels that said "unteachable." Ignoring the label I taught the child about a world they could access. Computers and different types of technology have enabled the deaf/blind to "talk" with their friends through texting. The Blind to be independent and keep up with their peers. The low cognitive to "speak" and interact with their surroundings.
Emailing opens up everyone's world and if you have a reluctant child to learn, tell them you will start with making friends on email. Add a braille display and they start reading. Everyone wants friends and it gets any child engaged.
One of my children who was put in the lowest class in the district, was thought unteachable. It appeared he had no skills. Slowly but surely through many activities of teaching color, moving and stacking objects and yes, teaching conversation skills, this child began to open up. After a year, I added a talking computer. As soon as I placed it in front of him, he placed his hands on it and said, "My computer." He got it. He knew this would help him even more. When we opened it I helped him to learn how to type words, so even when he did not want to speak, he could through his computer.
Everyone can be TEACHABLE!
In regards to people, we all have this tremendous ability to learn, no matter where we start out. Children are given labels and everyone starts teaching DOWN to that label. We need to teach UP to the child.
"The Structure of the Brain changes with ACTIVITY!!!!" The Brain that changes itself by Norman Doidge
I have proven the brain changes itself through activity over and over: Taken children that had been written off or inundated with labels that said "unteachable." Ignoring the label I taught the child about a world they could access. Computers and different types of technology have enabled the deaf/blind to "talk" with their friends through texting. The Blind to be independent and keep up with their peers. The low cognitive to "speak" and interact with their surroundings.
Emailing opens up everyone's world and if you have a reluctant child to learn, tell them you will start with making friends on email. Add a braille display and they start reading. Everyone wants friends and it gets any child engaged.
One of my children who was put in the lowest class in the district, was thought unteachable. It appeared he had no skills. Slowly but surely through many activities of teaching color, moving and stacking objects and yes, teaching conversation skills, this child began to open up. After a year, I added a talking computer. As soon as I placed it in front of him, he placed his hands on it and said, "My computer." He got it. He knew this would help him even more. When we opened it I helped him to learn how to type words, so even when he did not want to speak, he could through his computer.
Everyone can be TEACHABLE!
Babies, beads, cupboards and Math
Counting starts with the simple things.
Inexpensive counting starts with a long sting and a set of beads...or even lots of buttons lying around. Help the child string the beads or buttons on the string and count as they string it. Then tie knots at each end and have the child count moving the beads from left to right and back again. Make strings of ten, so counting to higher numbers is easy.
Make different lengths and tie around their neck for a necklace. Make a small strand on elastic and tie around wrist for bracelets. Keep their minds active and busy so they won't be thinking about poking their eyes or rocking for entertainment. They can wear their entertainment.
Cupboards are also a great way to learn math, spatial concepts and stacking. Have your child sit on the counter after you go grocery shopping and have them place the cans of food in the cupboard. I can already tell you, they will want to do this over and over again. That is fine. It is worth the mess at first and the inconvenience for you, as this teaches so many concepts.
I used to have several drawers and the bottom cupboards of my kitchen just for small children who would enter our house. I had a large can of beans with a bowl and stacking cups. The child will get these out, open and start scooping from the can of beans and measuring into the bowl and vice versa. I did this with rice also. They have that lower cupboard full of canned goods and the child will pull them all out (you will have to help them at first to know what to do) then 1 by 1, place them back on the shelf, counting each can they place back in the cupboard. Depending on the size of your cupboard, the child should be able to stack 2 or 3 cans on top of each other. For beginners, the sides of the shelf are great to help support an off centered can, but they get good at this. Then they count the cans as they stack. They also eventually learn how many cans will fit in a certain space.
While the tiny child would be playing in the cupboards, I would be making dinner. Of course, if the child were 3 or more, the child would get up and help me. As you know their attention wane's quickly, so then they would go back down to the cupboards and continue to "play".
By building in things to do at the child's level and around what you already do, they quickly gain concepts about the world around them.
Inexpensive counting starts with a long sting and a set of beads...or even lots of buttons lying around. Help the child string the beads or buttons on the string and count as they string it. Then tie knots at each end and have the child count moving the beads from left to right and back again. Make strings of ten, so counting to higher numbers is easy.
Make different lengths and tie around their neck for a necklace. Make a small strand on elastic and tie around wrist for bracelets. Keep their minds active and busy so they won't be thinking about poking their eyes or rocking for entertainment. They can wear their entertainment.
Cupboards are also a great way to learn math, spatial concepts and stacking. Have your child sit on the counter after you go grocery shopping and have them place the cans of food in the cupboard. I can already tell you, they will want to do this over and over again. That is fine. It is worth the mess at first and the inconvenience for you, as this teaches so many concepts.
I used to have several drawers and the bottom cupboards of my kitchen just for small children who would enter our house. I had a large can of beans with a bowl and stacking cups. The child will get these out, open and start scooping from the can of beans and measuring into the bowl and vice versa. I did this with rice also. They have that lower cupboard full of canned goods and the child will pull them all out (you will have to help them at first to know what to do) then 1 by 1, place them back on the shelf, counting each can they place back in the cupboard. Depending on the size of your cupboard, the child should be able to stack 2 or 3 cans on top of each other. For beginners, the sides of the shelf are great to help support an off centered can, but they get good at this. Then they count the cans as they stack. They also eventually learn how many cans will fit in a certain space.
While the tiny child would be playing in the cupboards, I would be making dinner. Of course, if the child were 3 or more, the child would get up and help me. As you know their attention wane's quickly, so then they would go back down to the cupboards and continue to "play".
By building in things to do at the child's level and around what you already do, they quickly gain concepts about the world around them.
Perception is Not Necessarily Reality
Working with many children, but especially teenagers who feel everyone is staring at them and judging them for every little thing is only in your mind: Ache on the face, their clothes; for beginner blind students, it is carrying a cane, or reading braille in front of their peers.
As adults, we judge ourselves from everything from what we wear, the job we have or the house we live in; to waking up at night thinking, we may have said something to hurt someone's feelings (OK, that last one might just be more of a woman thing).
Here is what we must realize.
Our children who are self-conscious about what is growing on their face, well everyone else has something there too.
Our children who "don't want to be different" by reading braille or carrying a cane, sighted kids think it is cool and you fight something that everyone else is REALLY impressed by seeing, but even after the initial seeing of it, it is out of their minds.
People in general who are beating themselves up about every little detail because they THINK someone perceives them in a certain way, is not necessarily reality.
In general, everyone is so involved with their own lives that after the 3 initial seconds of talking with you or seeing you, you are pretty much out of their mind.
In general, your perception of yourself is not reality for the way others are thinking about you. Everyone is too caught up in his or her own lives.
Even if you trip and fall (OK, the exception is a President, where the media decides to play the same video over and over for the world) so even if you trip and fall and we all do it, after 3 seconds, you are pretty much out of everyone's mind.
We need to get over ourselves, so we can go on uninhibited and do greater things. As long as you are self-absorbed, you cannot see the bigger picture of what can be accomplished. You are wrapped up in the fears in your world that are not true reality and then you cannot improve yourself, because all you see are your faults. Figure out your faults and correct them.
You will make your fears and faults your REALITY if you don't change.
As adults, we judge ourselves from everything from what we wear, the job we have or the house we live in; to waking up at night thinking, we may have said something to hurt someone's feelings (OK, that last one might just be more of a woman thing).
Here is what we must realize.
Our children who are self-conscious about what is growing on their face, well everyone else has something there too.
Our children who "don't want to be different" by reading braille or carrying a cane, sighted kids think it is cool and you fight something that everyone else is REALLY impressed by seeing, but even after the initial seeing of it, it is out of their minds.
People in general who are beating themselves up about every little detail because they THINK someone perceives them in a certain way, is not necessarily reality.
In general, everyone is so involved with their own lives that after the 3 initial seconds of talking with you or seeing you, you are pretty much out of their mind.
In general, your perception of yourself is not reality for the way others are thinking about you. Everyone is too caught up in his or her own lives.
Even if you trip and fall (OK, the exception is a President, where the media decides to play the same video over and over for the world) so even if you trip and fall and we all do it, after 3 seconds, you are pretty much out of everyone's mind.
We need to get over ourselves, so we can go on uninhibited and do greater things. As long as you are self-absorbed, you cannot see the bigger picture of what can be accomplished. You are wrapped up in the fears in your world that are not true reality and then you cannot improve yourself, because all you see are your faults. Figure out your faults and correct them.
You will make your fears and faults your REALITY if you don't change.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
m.facebook.com is FASTER
All you who are using talking software and are trying to use FACEBOOK.com, it is time to switch to m.facebook.com
m.facebook.com is an HTML version of Facebook. All the information is lined up vertically so you can easily move through the text. You will save tons of time reading the Wall and responding to people
So save time and frustration...go to m.facebook.com and TAB through the pages. You will start smiling about your Facebook experience.
m.facebook.com is an HTML version of Facebook. All the information is lined up vertically so you can easily move through the text. You will save tons of time reading the Wall and responding to people
So save time and frustration...go to m.facebook.com and TAB through the pages. You will start smiling about your Facebook experience.
Survey for Teachers-Win a Blind Tool
TVIs Needed for AT Study! It's not too late to help the field and have the chance to win fabulous prizes!
Researchers from Texas Tech University and Missouri State University are surveying TVIs to determine what assistive technology competencies they possess. If you are a certified TVI in the United States, please consider completing the online survey at survey monkey by October 31st!
All participants who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win one of many wonderful AT prizes such as: a Book Sense Audio Book Player, Audio Graphic Calculator, talking alarm clocks, Victor Reader Stratus, Book Port Plus, Keyboarding Key Guard, Big Eye Magnifying Lamp, or one free single-user copy of Window-Eyes!
Already we had four lucky winners who completed our online survey so far, and who have received a New Generation Perkins Brailler, a ReproTronics Thermo Pen, and two Talking Alarm Clocks. Congratulations to:
Ms. Pam Duda in Illinois,
Ms. Sallie Case in Alabama,
Ms. Jamie Baggett, in Washington, and
Ms. Lori Pulliam in Washington.
It is still not too late to participate in sharing your perspectives and win! See the survey for more information.
Researchers from Texas Tech University and Missouri State University are surveying TVIs to determine what assistive technology competencies they possess. If you are a certified TVI in the United States, please consider completing the online survey at survey monkey by October 31st!
All participants who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win one of many wonderful AT prizes such as: a Book Sense Audio Book Player, Audio Graphic Calculator, talking alarm clocks, Victor Reader Stratus, Book Port Plus, Keyboarding Key Guard, Big Eye Magnifying Lamp, or one free single-user copy of Window-Eyes!
Already we had four lucky winners who completed our online survey so far, and who have received a New Generation Perkins Brailler, a ReproTronics Thermo Pen, and two Talking Alarm Clocks. Congratulations to:
Ms. Pam Duda in Illinois,
Ms. Sallie Case in Alabama,
Ms. Jamie Baggett, in Washington, and
Ms. Lori Pulliam in Washington.
It is still not too late to participate in sharing your perspectives and win! See the survey for more information.
Best IPAD APPS for kids
If you are looking for a few IPAD apps for kids check out the link.
Baby Finger is an IPAD app that has been touted as a great tool for children with cortical visual impairment or low vision children learning their colors and shapes.
With large bright objects and verbal feedback giving directions on objects to touch, children are absorb in this interaction. It is also free, which makes it something great to try out to see if this would be right for your child.
Interesting article to read about how to use the IPAD with low vision children
Another free app iFarkle which is a dice game for iphone or the IPAD--and a completely blind person can utilize this game..fun for adults too.
Click on link for extensive list
An extensive list at: Apple Apps
Watch Video: Just out of the box learning with IPad and refreshabraille
Baby Finger is an IPAD app that has been touted as a great tool for children with cortical visual impairment or low vision children learning their colors and shapes.
With large bright objects and verbal feedback giving directions on objects to touch, children are absorb in this interaction. It is also free, which makes it something great to try out to see if this would be right for your child.
Interesting article to read about how to use the IPAD with low vision children
Another free app iFarkle which is a dice game for iphone or the IPAD--and a completely blind person can utilize this game..fun for adults too.
Click on link for extensive list
An extensive list at: Apple Apps
Watch Video: Just out of the box learning with IPad and refreshabraille
Hot Stoves- Blind or Sighted--Teaching Tricks
I always think about the tricks I use for teaching the blind and realize almost all the same techniques work great for sighted people too. How many sighted people have placed their hand on a burning stove? Yep, me too! LOL! We are a funny bunch of human beings.
As I take my students into the kitchen, the first thing we do is feel EVERYTHING with it off. They feel every burner, or flat cooking surface, all dials, open oven and pretty much do everything but climb inside. They need to feel every corner, all the racks and pull them out and in, feel what they will need to clean on the bottom when something spills over. This exercise relieves their fears immediately. Yes, food will spill over and YOU will have to clean it. They practice using oven-mitts while pulling the racks in and out of the oven. Then they practice with heavier dishes so they can get the idea of how much harder the rack is to pull out with weight on it. All with the stove off! Same thing for the burners, they lift different sizes of pans of water onto and off the burners.
They turn on the burners one at a time, so they can see which dial goes with which burner. They hover their hand above the burner. If I have a scared and reluctant child, I have them put that oven-mitt on their least dominant hand, touch the burner and hover with non-mittted hand to get the idea of distance between the heat and their hand. We do this with each burner and this takes some practice. Once again, I relieve their fear of being burned and tell them, "You most likely will get burned if you are cooking."
What does not kill us does make us stronger. How can we pass knowledge along, good and bad, without experience? If you are going to experience life, you will be injured along the way. Oh yes, I teach first aide too--smile
After they prepare an item to bake, and need to place it in the hot oven, I have them place their least dominant hand on the side of the opening into the oven, then slide it down onto the rack, so they know where the pot is going to be placed. Then their dominant hand places the pot on the rack and slides it in. When done, using the same method of placing their hand on the side of the opening of the oven, down by the rack so they can get their bearing and support themselves, then with the dominant hand joining the least dominant hand, they slide the rack out with the dish of food. The other hand reaches for the dish and they easily lift the dish of food out and place it on the stove. Bend over, push rack in, lift door up and they have just baked their first food item in an oven. The oven-mitt is essential at first because they will touch hot surfaces and if the mitt covers their whole hand, then they will not be burned and the fear level goes down tremendously. If the child is afraid, they will tentatively do something and are more likely to make errors, such as dropping the dish because they fear getting burned or other silly things we humans do when afraid.
By using the method of them touching everything when it is cold and getting the idea of place, position and heat, the fear starts to wane and cooking begins to be more of a part of their life.
I even had one student who became a great cookie baker. When her sisters would come over, they always would ask, "How did you get these cookies so perfectly round and baked?" She told me this story and of course, after mixing the batter, she used her hands to form the perfect round ball, flattened it with her hands and placed it on the baking sheet. She knew her oven (oh yes, side note, 350 degrees is not the same on every oven, so get to know yours) and knew the exact time to cook them, because of experience and lots of practice her cookies were delicious.
Good articles to read on this subject:
Cooking Without Looking"….for Kids
COOKING MADNESS
A huge list of other cooking ideas
As I take my students into the kitchen, the first thing we do is feel EVERYTHING with it off. They feel every burner, or flat cooking surface, all dials, open oven and pretty much do everything but climb inside. They need to feel every corner, all the racks and pull them out and in, feel what they will need to clean on the bottom when something spills over. This exercise relieves their fears immediately. Yes, food will spill over and YOU will have to clean it. They practice using oven-mitts while pulling the racks in and out of the oven. Then they practice with heavier dishes so they can get the idea of how much harder the rack is to pull out with weight on it. All with the stove off! Same thing for the burners, they lift different sizes of pans of water onto and off the burners.
They turn on the burners one at a time, so they can see which dial goes with which burner. They hover their hand above the burner. If I have a scared and reluctant child, I have them put that oven-mitt on their least dominant hand, touch the burner and hover with non-mittted hand to get the idea of distance between the heat and their hand. We do this with each burner and this takes some practice. Once again, I relieve their fear of being burned and tell them, "You most likely will get burned if you are cooking."
What does not kill us does make us stronger. How can we pass knowledge along, good and bad, without experience? If you are going to experience life, you will be injured along the way. Oh yes, I teach first aide too--smile
After they prepare an item to bake, and need to place it in the hot oven, I have them place their least dominant hand on the side of the opening into the oven, then slide it down onto the rack, so they know where the pot is going to be placed. Then their dominant hand places the pot on the rack and slides it in. When done, using the same method of placing their hand on the side of the opening of the oven, down by the rack so they can get their bearing and support themselves, then with the dominant hand joining the least dominant hand, they slide the rack out with the dish of food. The other hand reaches for the dish and they easily lift the dish of food out and place it on the stove. Bend over, push rack in, lift door up and they have just baked their first food item in an oven. The oven-mitt is essential at first because they will touch hot surfaces and if the mitt covers their whole hand, then they will not be burned and the fear level goes down tremendously. If the child is afraid, they will tentatively do something and are more likely to make errors, such as dropping the dish because they fear getting burned or other silly things we humans do when afraid.
By using the method of them touching everything when it is cold and getting the idea of place, position and heat, the fear starts to wane and cooking begins to be more of a part of their life.
I even had one student who became a great cookie baker. When her sisters would come over, they always would ask, "How did you get these cookies so perfectly round and baked?" She told me this story and of course, after mixing the batter, she used her hands to form the perfect round ball, flattened it with her hands and placed it on the baking sheet. She knew her oven (oh yes, side note, 350 degrees is not the same on every oven, so get to know yours) and knew the exact time to cook them, because of experience and lots of practice her cookies were delicious.
Good articles to read on this subject:
Cooking Without Looking"….for Kids
COOKING MADNESS
A huge list of other cooking ideas
Be that Rare Person and ADD
Be that person who stands up and takes responsibility for your actions. If you do not have knowledge you need, you go out and find it and learn. If you fail at something, you look inside yourself and ask the question, "What more do I need to know to achieve this goal?"
Don't point your fingers at others and say, "You are not doing enough for me?" or "You are the reason I am failing!"
Look at others and see how you can help them. What can you do to improve someone's life? In turn, you make yours better. If you are always looking for ways to add, you will not subtract.
The only way to grow is to continually add. Life is math!! If you are always taking, little by little, you become less. Don't subtract from life itself.
So, add: If everyone keeps adding to the good and to knowledge, then everything grows.
AND, if you feel offended by this, maybe you are taking too much away from life....Something to think about!
Don't point your fingers at others and say, "You are not doing enough for me?" or "You are the reason I am failing!"
Look at others and see how you can help them. What can you do to improve someone's life? In turn, you make yours better. If you are always looking for ways to add, you will not subtract.
The only way to grow is to continually add. Life is math!! If you are always taking, little by little, you become less. Don't subtract from life itself.
So, add: If everyone keeps adding to the good and to knowledge, then everything grows.
AND, if you feel offended by this, maybe you are taking too much away from life....Something to think about!
Digital Handwriting and Voice Recorder
One-step further than just digital handwriting into text: The Digital Ink Pad with Voice Recording. Compare this to the previous Digimemo on the Blog, which did not allow voice recording, or to be used as a functional PC Tablet when hooked to a computer.
This notebook sized pad allows you to hand write information (or a sighted person to do take notes in class, then hand back to someone who cannot see the board) But also add verbal notes, that when you upload it to your computer, the voice recording will be linked to the page. The product comes with Handwriting Recognition Software; Using MyScript Notes, OCR handwriting recognition software & you can transfer your handwriting to text.
In addition, In PC Tablet Mode; once connected to computer through USB port, Digital Ink Pad + could be used as fully functional PC tablet. If you already have a computer, this is a great addition to computing capabilities. The handwriting recognition software is also already included in the package when you buy it. After you upload your work, you can edit it on the computer.
The feedback on this product has been very positive: "What makes it better than the DigiMemo (my second option) tablet is that it has voice recording capabilities, a headphone slot for playing music (via a SD card), and if you connect it to your computer via USB, it becomes a fully functional tablet with the pen as a mouse"
Some tricks you will need to keep in mind if you buy this. Have several sheets of paper on the pad, use your best penmanship or tell the person who is taking notes for you to use good penmanship. Hold the tip of the pen up and don't rub your hand on the pad as you write. This is true for the digimemo also.
This notebook sized pad allows you to hand write information (or a sighted person to do take notes in class, then hand back to someone who cannot see the board) But also add verbal notes, that when you upload it to your computer, the voice recording will be linked to the page. The product comes with Handwriting Recognition Software; Using MyScript Notes, OCR handwriting recognition software & you can transfer your handwriting to text.
In addition, In PC Tablet Mode; once connected to computer through USB port, Digital Ink Pad + could be used as fully functional PC tablet. If you already have a computer, this is a great addition to computing capabilities. The handwriting recognition software is also already included in the package when you buy it. After you upload your work, you can edit it on the computer.
The feedback on this product has been very positive: "What makes it better than the DigiMemo (my second option) tablet is that it has voice recording capabilities, a headphone slot for playing music (via a SD card), and if you connect it to your computer via USB, it becomes a fully functional tablet with the pen as a mouse"
Some tricks you will need to keep in mind if you buy this. Have several sheets of paper on the pad, use your best penmanship or tell the person who is taking notes for you to use good penmanship. Hold the tip of the pen up and don't rub your hand on the pad as you write. This is true for the digimemo also.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
How Blind & Sighted can Fold Their Clothes Perfectly
Are you wasting a lot of time ironing...or worse walking around with wrinkled clothes? Here are some great tricks to keep you looking good.
You can buy a board that helps you fold those clothes perfectly, with the perfect creases and lines, so it looks like you just picked them up from the dry cleaners without the dry cleaning bill attached.
For about $10-$20 you can buy many types of folding boards. Here are a couple links for you to choose from and you can explorer wider for more of a selection.
Bed, Bath and Beyond
Flip Fold I prefer this, due to the holes in the board that allow air to pass through for an easier fold.
You lay your article of clothing down on the folding board -- just flip, flip, flip and fold. It's that simple. A bit of practice and you will be a pro. The flipfold board even has a video you can watch or listen to to understand the perfect folding method. Some come with magnets, so you can just stick it to the dryer to keep it out of the way. It is light and easy to use. You will get to the point where you may not need the board any more, but just may keep using it because it gives you such perfect looking clothes
Today, with permanent press clothes or just cotton and other blends, the first trick is to get your clothes out of the dryer IMMEDIATELY, so you have less wrinkles. I use this trick and rarely have to iron anything. However, collars on shirts are usually wrinkled so I re-wet them in the sink, press the collar the way it needs to look and hang up...When dry, it looks like someone ironed it. I have my stack of hangers and hang all our good shirts and pants up in the closet for the perfect crease in the slacks and shirts. Match the sewed seams first and feel for the crease that was ironed in on those slacks when you bought them, Then use hangers with 2 clips, one clip goes at each corner of your pants. If I try to fold dress pants, many times I cannot match the crease of the pants all the way down the leg, then you have 2 tiny ugly creases that run the length of the pant. By hanging them up on pant hangers click on link to see the type, you will have the perfect pant.
To match the colors of your clothes, you can use braille clothing labels and if you are a seamstress, you can easily braille in dots for the colors, but that takes a lot of time.
When you are done wearing socks, pin them together to drop in the dirty clothes, so when you are done washing and drying, you have the matched set of socks right there. No hunting for them. You can do this with anything that has a pair. Before placing anything in the dryer, shake your clothes out so you are not throwing a tight ball of waded up clothes in. You will just press wrinkles in that way. Then when the dryer cycle is done, you take them out immediately, hang up the good stuff, fold the daily wear stuff and you will always look pressed and put together.
Here are a few great articles on clothes preparation and grooming.
This is the Way We Wash Our Clothes
Ironing Things Out
Clothing, Grooming, and Social Acceptability: Part 1
Clothing, Grooming, and Social Acceptability: Part 2
You can buy a board that helps you fold those clothes perfectly, with the perfect creases and lines, so it looks like you just picked them up from the dry cleaners without the dry cleaning bill attached.
For about $10-$20 you can buy many types of folding boards. Here are a couple links for you to choose from and you can explorer wider for more of a selection.
Bed, Bath and Beyond
Flip Fold I prefer this, due to the holes in the board that allow air to pass through for an easier fold.
You lay your article of clothing down on the folding board -- just flip, flip, flip and fold. It's that simple. A bit of practice and you will be a pro. The flipfold board even has a video you can watch or listen to to understand the perfect folding method. Some come with magnets, so you can just stick it to the dryer to keep it out of the way. It is light and easy to use. You will get to the point where you may not need the board any more, but just may keep using it because it gives you such perfect looking clothes
Today, with permanent press clothes or just cotton and other blends, the first trick is to get your clothes out of the dryer IMMEDIATELY, so you have less wrinkles. I use this trick and rarely have to iron anything. However, collars on shirts are usually wrinkled so I re-wet them in the sink, press the collar the way it needs to look and hang up...When dry, it looks like someone ironed it. I have my stack of hangers and hang all our good shirts and pants up in the closet for the perfect crease in the slacks and shirts. Match the sewed seams first and feel for the crease that was ironed in on those slacks when you bought them, Then use hangers with 2 clips, one clip goes at each corner of your pants. If I try to fold dress pants, many times I cannot match the crease of the pants all the way down the leg, then you have 2 tiny ugly creases that run the length of the pant. By hanging them up on pant hangers click on link to see the type, you will have the perfect pant.
To match the colors of your clothes, you can use braille clothing labels and if you are a seamstress, you can easily braille in dots for the colors, but that takes a lot of time.
When you are done wearing socks, pin them together to drop in the dirty clothes, so when you are done washing and drying, you have the matched set of socks right there. No hunting for them. You can do this with anything that has a pair. Before placing anything in the dryer, shake your clothes out so you are not throwing a tight ball of waded up clothes in. You will just press wrinkles in that way. Then when the dryer cycle is done, you take them out immediately, hang up the good stuff, fold the daily wear stuff and you will always look pressed and put together.
Here are a few great articles on clothes preparation and grooming.
This is the Way We Wash Our Clothes
Ironing Things Out
Clothing, Grooming, and Social Acceptability: Part 1
Clothing, Grooming, and Social Acceptability: Part 2
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Low Vision-XP-Using HIGH CONTRAST to see better
Low vision-XP using HIGH CONTRAST options to see better
1. Turn on Computer
2. Hit your start key then C until you get to CONTROL PANEL and ENTER to open
3. Accessibility options is your first option, so enter to open
4. CTRL+TAB to display
5. ALT+U to select the option of high contrast
6. ALT+S to go to settings options
7. TAB to select—use shortcut-hit space bar to select
8. TAB to High Contrast appearance scheme
9. Keep hitting H until you jump to High contrast black #2 (extra large)
10. And enter to select and you will go back to the display option
11. Hit ALT+A to apply these choices and your screen will change
12. TAB to OK and close box
13. ALT+F4 to close control panel
14. The hot key to switch back and forth between regular screen and this option is: left ALT+LEFT-SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN –the print screen is all the way to the top right hand corner of your keyboard—on a laptop you will usually need to use the function or FN key and F11 to make this change—this varies depending on laptop layouts
15. Try another option-go back to accessibility
16. CTRL+TAB to display
17. ALT+S for setting and TAB to high contrast schemes and hit H until you jump to, High contrast #1 (extra large)
18. TAB to Ok, then hit ALT+A to apply
19. Open Word
20. ALT+V then hit z for zoom
21. Hit ALT+E for percent and type in 300% and enter
22. Begin typing—change the zoom size according to what you see best
23. Try other options
1. Turn on Computer
2. Hit your start key then C until you get to CONTROL PANEL and ENTER to open
3. Accessibility options is your first option, so enter to open
4. CTRL+TAB to display
5. ALT+U to select the option of high contrast
6. ALT+S to go to settings options
7. TAB to select—use shortcut-hit space bar to select
8. TAB to High Contrast appearance scheme
9. Keep hitting H until you jump to High contrast black #2 (extra large)
10. And enter to select and you will go back to the display option
11. Hit ALT+A to apply these choices and your screen will change
12. TAB to OK and close box
13. ALT+F4 to close control panel
14. The hot key to switch back and forth between regular screen and this option is: left ALT+LEFT-SHIFT + PRINT SCREEN –the print screen is all the way to the top right hand corner of your keyboard—on a laptop you will usually need to use the function or FN key and F11 to make this change—this varies depending on laptop layouts
15. Try another option-go back to accessibility
16. CTRL+TAB to display
17. ALT+S for setting and TAB to high contrast schemes and hit H until you jump to, High contrast #1 (extra large)
18. TAB to Ok, then hit ALT+A to apply
19. Open Word
20. ALT+V then hit z for zoom
21. Hit ALT+E for percent and type in 300% and enter
22. Begin typing—change the zoom size according to what you see best
23. Try other options
Get The Fastest Braille Reading Speed
My fastest Braille readers are 2-handed readers, with butterfly motion.
So picture this: Both hands begin the braille line, and as they pass about the 3rd or 4th word on the line, the left hand goes back and down to the next line ready to begin reading as the right hand finishes the line. Smooth and seamless, floating down the page.
All fingers are down on the line, so the pinky fingers can tell when they are getting close to the end of a line, whether it ends in the middle of the page or at the end. If the child reads with the book on her lap, all those fingers support the book so it does not fall to the floor, giving the student the ability to easily read. This technique is especially helpful when they go into the elementary grades and read to younger students, impressing them with the beautiful flow and movement across those delightful dots. The sighted students come up on their knees to watch closer when they sit on the floor surrounding the braille reader, OH’s and AWES as they watch this wonderful braille butterfly movement. They truly believe it is magic to read those dots.
The students who read 300-400 words per minute, do their homework and pleasure read everyday and are always looking for their next novel.
The students who read 200-300 wpm, do their homework and pleasure read several times a week
The students who read 100-200 wpm, do their homework and maybe will pleasure read a couple times a week
The students who read 40-100 wpm, do their homework and rarely pleasure read during the week
To gain in speed, you need to use hard copy braille and the butterfly motion: Getting the flow and movement down on the page. On adapted laptops, you can use the book-reader and speed up the braille display to increase reading speed also. But the most important part of gaining speed...is to just READ!! And read a LOT.
Lessons to help you learn more
Fastest Braille Reading Speed
So picture this: Both hands begin the braille line, and as they pass about the 3rd or 4th word on the line, the left hand goes back and down to the next line ready to begin reading as the right hand finishes the line. Smooth and seamless, floating down the page.
All fingers are down on the line, so the pinky fingers can tell when they are getting close to the end of a line, whether it ends in the middle of the page or at the end. If the child reads with the book on her lap, all those fingers support the book so it does not fall to the floor, giving the student the ability to easily read. This technique is especially helpful when they go into the elementary grades and read to younger students, impressing them with the beautiful flow and movement across those delightful dots. The sighted students come up on their knees to watch closer when they sit on the floor surrounding the braille reader, OH’s and AWES as they watch this wonderful braille butterfly movement. They truly believe it is magic to read those dots.
The students who read 300-400 words per minute, do their homework and pleasure read everyday and are always looking for their next novel.
The students who read 200-300 wpm, do their homework and pleasure read several times a week
The students who read 100-200 wpm, do their homework and maybe will pleasure read a couple times a week
The students who read 40-100 wpm, do their homework and rarely pleasure read during the week
To gain in speed, you need to use hard copy braille and the butterfly motion: Getting the flow and movement down on the page. On adapted laptops, you can use the book-reader and speed up the braille display to increase reading speed also. But the most important part of gaining speed...is to just READ!! And read a LOT.
Lessons to help you learn more
Fastest Braille Reading Speed
Math, Cooking and Pumpkins
It is that time of the year, where pumpkins abound and are ready to be picked, cleaned, cut, and eaten.
This is a great opportunity for blind children or any child for that matter, to help eat and decorate but also learn about math through counting pumpkin seeds and baking pumpkin pie, bread or cookies. But first, you need to go to a pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Really, all the way to a field. Blind children will not understand how things are grown, if they only get food from a store, so head to a pumpkin farm.
After you pick the perfect pumpkin, it is actually best for you to have your child help you bake the "good" pumpkin pie, cookies or bread first, so they taste the end result, before diving their hands into all the goo of string, mush and seeds. They eat and enjoy, then onto the pumpkin. They will be more likely to dive in if they know they get more "good" at the end.
As you help them cut open the top and scrape out the insides, have them separate the seeds from the goo. Then they will count out the seeds into parts of 10, 20, etc., depending on age. Then have them place the seeds in a baking dish and bake the seeds, having them count as they place the seeds on the baking dish. They will find out how many seeds will fit flat on the dish. Have them spray the seeds with some cooking spray, salt the seeds and put in the oven to bake.
While the seeds bake, cut the pumpkin up, put in another baking dish, and bake that until soft and ready for pie, bread or cookies...whatever is the favorite of the child.
The other pumpkins, you get to help your child decorate for Halloween. They will start gaining incredibly fond memories of this time of season if you do this every year.
This is a great opportunity for blind children or any child for that matter, to help eat and decorate but also learn about math through counting pumpkin seeds and baking pumpkin pie, bread or cookies. But first, you need to go to a pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. Really, all the way to a field. Blind children will not understand how things are grown, if they only get food from a store, so head to a pumpkin farm.
After you pick the perfect pumpkin, it is actually best for you to have your child help you bake the "good" pumpkin pie, cookies or bread first, so they taste the end result, before diving their hands into all the goo of string, mush and seeds. They eat and enjoy, then onto the pumpkin. They will be more likely to dive in if they know they get more "good" at the end.
As you help them cut open the top and scrape out the insides, have them separate the seeds from the goo. Then they will count out the seeds into parts of 10, 20, etc., depending on age. Then have them place the seeds in a baking dish and bake the seeds, having them count as they place the seeds on the baking dish. They will find out how many seeds will fit flat on the dish. Have them spray the seeds with some cooking spray, salt the seeds and put in the oven to bake.
While the seeds bake, cut the pumpkin up, put in another baking dish, and bake that until soft and ready for pie, bread or cookies...whatever is the favorite of the child.
The other pumpkins, you get to help your child decorate for Halloween. They will start gaining incredibly fond memories of this time of season if you do this every year.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Skiing for the Blind
I have taught blind children downhill skiing for many years.
The thing that served me the best, though I get great ribbing for it, is my tangerine snowsuit. Some call it bright pink. I suppose it does change colors depending on the light.
The reason it has served me so well is my low vision students, even almost totally blind students could pick me out on the hill. Picture that bright pink or tangerine color glistening against the white of the snow. It was like a ball of sun pointing the direction to the students.
For beginners, I would ski behind giving directions. Right turn, left turn and so on down the hill. When they became more advanced, I could ski in front of them if they had some vision and they would follow my bright suit down the hill.
I have had this ski suit for over 20 years...hmm; wonder what it is made out of? Anyway, I hope I have it until I die. I have incredible fond memories wrapped up in this suit.
So for all you parents, as winter approaches, get your kids out on the hills. If they can walk, then they are ready. Just Google skiing for the blind in your area and you will be able to pull up a group that puts on these activities now and all year around. Some groups cater to just the blind, others to all different abilities. This is a great way for your children to make friends and work on their strength, along with orientation and mobility. The cost is also very negligible.
Fun for the whole family but more than anything you will see your child blossom like never before.
The thing that served me the best, though I get great ribbing for it, is my tangerine snowsuit. Some call it bright pink. I suppose it does change colors depending on the light.
The reason it has served me so well is my low vision students, even almost totally blind students could pick me out on the hill. Picture that bright pink or tangerine color glistening against the white of the snow. It was like a ball of sun pointing the direction to the students.
For beginners, I would ski behind giving directions. Right turn, left turn and so on down the hill. When they became more advanced, I could ski in front of them if they had some vision and they would follow my bright suit down the hill.
I have had this ski suit for over 20 years...hmm; wonder what it is made out of? Anyway, I hope I have it until I die. I have incredible fond memories wrapped up in this suit.
So for all you parents, as winter approaches, get your kids out on the hills. If they can walk, then they are ready. Just Google skiing for the blind in your area and you will be able to pull up a group that puts on these activities now and all year around. Some groups cater to just the blind, others to all different abilities. This is a great way for your children to make friends and work on their strength, along with orientation and mobility. The cost is also very negligible.
Fun for the whole family but more than anything you will see your child blossom like never before.
Braille Cheat Sheets
For a Great Braille Cheat Sheet click on link
Just remember, as you look at the cheat sheet, to do Nemeth code, you will drop the numbers into the lower cells of the six dots
Duxbury puts out this cheat sheet. They are a leader in the braille to print, print to braille translation software
Here is a more extensive list of Braille Cheat Sheets
Click on link for Lessons on how to get the fastest braille reading speed
Just remember, as you look at the cheat sheet, to do Nemeth code, you will drop the numbers into the lower cells of the six dots
Duxbury puts out this cheat sheet. They are a leader in the braille to print, print to braille translation software
Here is a more extensive list of Braille Cheat Sheets
Click on link for Lessons on how to get the fastest braille reading speed
What does legally blind look like
I use these images as examples in my presentations.
Open this link: getting close to legally blind
20/20
20/40
20/70
20/100 definition
There is only 1 letter of difference on the vision chart between 20/100 and 20/200...they are that close in visual acuity
Open this link: legally blind
and you will see
20/20
20/200, which is legally blind
20/400
Now, you can get an idea of what a visual impairment actually looks like
Open this link: getting close to legally blind
20/20
20/40
20/70
20/100 definition
There is only 1 letter of difference on the vision chart between 20/100 and 20/200...they are that close in visual acuity
Open this link: legally blind
and you will see
20/20
20/200, which is legally blind
20/400
Now, you can get an idea of what a visual impairment actually looks like
Contest for a Free Computerized Brailler
Winning a Mountbatten brailler could be one of the greatest gifts for your child.
HumanWare 2011 Braille Literacy Scholarship Program
HumanWare
2011 Braille Literacy Scholarship Program
5128 Oak Point Way, Fair Oaks, CA 95628
Contact: Sharon Spiker
sharon.spiker@humanware.com
Deadline for Entries: Dec 31, 2011
Contact Sharon for details: Any child between the ages of 3-8 years old can apply for this scholarship to win a complete Mountbatten Learning System and all associated software and accessories.
Where any of my students who had difficulties with little or weak fingers, the Mountbatten was the machine the enabled them to learn braille with ease. This could be the solution for your child also.
HumanWare 2011 Braille Literacy Scholarship Program
HumanWare
2011 Braille Literacy Scholarship Program
5128 Oak Point Way, Fair Oaks, CA 95628
Contact: Sharon Spiker
sharon.spiker@humanware.com
Deadline for Entries: Dec 31, 2011
Contact Sharon for details: Any child between the ages of 3-8 years old can apply for this scholarship to win a complete Mountbatten Learning System and all associated software and accessories.
Where any of my students who had difficulties with little or weak fingers, the Mountbatten was the machine the enabled them to learn braille with ease. This could be the solution for your child also.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Mac and Voice Over
I have had several students graduate and have someone talked them into going Mac instead of PC with JAWS-- RIGHT before a major life change. Then they start emailing me with their issues of not being able to access what they need on their new Mac. This really is more a matter of a lack of knowledge than an inability of the Mac. The most difficult part about the major switch of technology is they did it going into college or before a major event in their lives. They go from knowing how to operate a PC with JAWS with confidence to a brand new piece of hardware and software. If you are daring and can learn fast, that is fine. But if you have a learning curve, changing to a brand new product right before going to college, or in the middle of college or just getting a job, might not be the best move. There is always going to be a lull in your life, when this approach may fit better. However, nothing wrong with a bit of a challenge.
For all of those who took the step into a Mac with voice over, but would like a bit more help, here are a few basics to get you going or moving faster.
Voice over is built into the Mac OS X Lion
Command+F5 will turn on voice over quickly
Turn on voice over before attaching a supported Braille display. When you plug in a braille display, Voice over will detect it
This information is taken from the Mac manual: You enter VoiceOver commands by holding down the Control and Option keys together, along with one or more other keys. The Control and Option keys are called the “VoiceOver keys,” or “VO keys” for short. They are shown in commands as VO—for example, to use the command VO-F1, you press Control, Option, and F1. You can assign VoiceOver commands to numeric keypad keys, keyboard keys, braille display input keys, and trackpad gestures, so you can use the commands with fewer keystrokes.
The first time you start VoiceOver, I highly suggest you take the Quick Start tutorial, an interactive tour of VoiceOver navigation and interaction basics. When VoiceOver is on, you can start the tutorial at any time by pressing VO-Command-F8.--Remember, the VO key command is: control+option+F8 for the tutorial
Let's practice reading a document.
Open a document
To read an entire document from the top (called “Read All”) without interacting with the document, press VO-A.
When you’re interacting with a document, to read from the VoiceOver cursor to the bottom of the text area, press VO-A.
To read a line, press VO-L. To move to the next or previous line, press VO-Down Arrow or VO-Up Arrow.
To read a paragraph, press VO-P. To move to the next or previous paragraph, press VO-Shift-Page Down or VO-Shift-Page Up.
To read a sentence, press VO-S. To move to the next or previous sentence, press VO-Command-Page Down or VO-Command-Page Up.
To read a word, press VO-W. To hear the word spelled, press VO-W again. To hear it spelled phonetically, press VO-W again. To move to the next or previous word, press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow.
To read a character, press VO-C. To hear the character spoken phonetically, press VO-C again. To move to the next or previous character, press VO-Shift-Right Arrow or VO-Shift-Left Arrow.
If you selected the “Use phonetics” checkbox in the Announcements pane of VoiceOver Utility, characters are automatically read phonetically. For example, VoiceOver reads “a alpha n november t tango.” (If you do not want this feature, go back to your Utilities and turn it off)
Practice these techniques and more lessons will be added
For all of those who took the step into a Mac with voice over, but would like a bit more help, here are a few basics to get you going or moving faster.
Voice over is built into the Mac OS X Lion
Command+F5 will turn on voice over quickly
Turn on voice over before attaching a supported Braille display. When you plug in a braille display, Voice over will detect it
This information is taken from the Mac manual: You enter VoiceOver commands by holding down the Control and Option keys together, along with one or more other keys. The Control and Option keys are called the “VoiceOver keys,” or “VO keys” for short. They are shown in commands as VO—for example, to use the command VO-F1, you press Control, Option, and F1. You can assign VoiceOver commands to numeric keypad keys, keyboard keys, braille display input keys, and trackpad gestures, so you can use the commands with fewer keystrokes.
The first time you start VoiceOver, I highly suggest you take the Quick Start tutorial, an interactive tour of VoiceOver navigation and interaction basics. When VoiceOver is on, you can start the tutorial at any time by pressing VO-Command-F8.--Remember, the VO key command is: control+option+F8 for the tutorial
Let's practice reading a document.
Open a document
To read an entire document from the top (called “Read All”) without interacting with the document, press VO-A.
When you’re interacting with a document, to read from the VoiceOver cursor to the bottom of the text area, press VO-A.
To read a line, press VO-L. To move to the next or previous line, press VO-Down Arrow or VO-Up Arrow.
To read a paragraph, press VO-P. To move to the next or previous paragraph, press VO-Shift-Page Down or VO-Shift-Page Up.
To read a sentence, press VO-S. To move to the next or previous sentence, press VO-Command-Page Down or VO-Command-Page Up.
To read a word, press VO-W. To hear the word spelled, press VO-W again. To hear it spelled phonetically, press VO-W again. To move to the next or previous word, press VO-Right Arrow or VO-Left Arrow.
To read a character, press VO-C. To hear the character spoken phonetically, press VO-C again. To move to the next or previous character, press VO-Shift-Right Arrow or VO-Shift-Left Arrow.
If you selected the “Use phonetics” checkbox in the Announcements pane of VoiceOver Utility, characters are automatically read phonetically. For example, VoiceOver reads “a alpha n november t tango.” (If you do not want this feature, go back to your Utilities and turn it off)
Practice these techniques and more lessons will be added
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
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
Saturday, October 1, 2011
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
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
Friday, September 30, 2011
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.
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!
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!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
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.
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.
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- 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
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
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
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
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?
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 ☺☻♥♦♣♠•◘○
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!
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!
Monday, September 26, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
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.
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.
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"
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)