Posts Tagged ‘Accessible Reading and Braille’

Video Magnification—For Some Bigger is Better

Adaptations, the LightHouse store, provides a full line of hand-held magnifiers to assist with spot reading. But many times, hand-held magnification isn’t enough. To provide you with assistance in finding possible alternate solutions, Adaptations and our low vision training services can help.

That’s because there really is no substitute for holding a device in your hand and checking it out directly rather than reading about it in some catalog. Each month, on the first and third Monday, an Adaptations store associate will host a free one-hour overview and demonstration of our 12 desktop and hand-held video magnification systems. During this hour you will learn how magnification and contrast may enhance your useable vision through the use of video magnification.

When: First and third Mondays, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (please RSVP)
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

To RSVP for a demonstration, please call Adaptations at 888-400-8933.

Personalized Sessions Also Available
Would you like a one-on-one assessment to determine which kind of magnification is right for you? Make an appointment for a 90-minute session in which you and a trainer will match your vision with the tasks you hope to accomplish, your need for magnification and the attributes of both desktop and hand-held video magnification systems. For an appointment and information regarding the fee for this service (some individuals 55 and better may be eligible for assistance), please contact Linda Porelle at 415-694-7315 or lporelle@lighthouse-sf.org.

Low Vision Evaluations
If you are new to low vision and have useable vision (you can easily read the headlines of a newspaper) but have never had a low vision evaluation, we encourage you to do so and can make sure you are connected with a low vision specialist in your area. A low vision specialist will provide the evaluation that may enhance your useable vision. To set up an appointment, contact Alex Galeczka at 415-694-7318. This service is covered by most Medicare and Medi-Cal plans.

Public Commentary Needed – Obtaining Accessible Instructional Materials While in College and Graduate School

On July 11 and 12, 2011, members of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities (AIM Commission) will convene for their fourth in-person meeting. AIM Commission members are interested in gathering public commentary on stakeholders’ personal experiences related to obtaining instructional materials in the postsecondary environment.

The meeting and public hearing are open to the public and press.

Attend the meetings in person or online, or submit your commentary by phone or email. Additional details regarding the meeting and public hearing are as follows:

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Seattle in Seattle, Washington in conjunction with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) annual conference.  AIM Commission members will review and discuss a draft of the AIM Commission’s report that will be submitted to Congress in the fall of 2011. On the evening of Tuesday, July 12, 2011, AIM Commission members will hold a public commentary session for all interested stakeholders, including students, Disability Service/ADA Coordinators, faculty, and other members of the university community.

WHERE: The Sheraton Seattle, 1400 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington  98101

MEETING DATES:
Commission Meeting: July 11-12, 2011
Public Hearing: July 12, 2011

MEETING TIMES:

July 11: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The open commission meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (PDT)

July 12: The public hearing will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (PDT)

Participants who wish to comment at the public hearing in person or via telephone are encouraged to register in advance by calling Janet Gronneberg at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) at 781-245-2212 (voice) or 781- 245-9320 (TTY) or by emailing her at jgronneberg@cast.org by June 30, 2011.

The submission of written public testimony is also highly encouraged and can be submitted to AIMCommission@ed.gov.

The AIM Commission meeting and public hearing can be accessed remotely through the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) webinar system. Please click on the link below that corresponds with the correct time and date of the meeting:

Monday, July 11 (8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmysr

Tuesday, July 12 (8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/bbmtzsh

Tuesday, July 12 (3:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. PDT): https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmyjr

Established by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the AIM Commission has brought together government leaders, representatives from the publishing industry, individuals with print disabilities, representatives from two- and four-year institutions of higher education and leaders in accessible technology. The AIM Commission is charged with studying the current state of accessible materials for students with disabilities in postsecondary education and making recommendations to the Secretary of Education and the relevant authorizing committees in Congress for improving access to and the distribution of instructional materials in accessible formats.

Free Braille Books for Kids

The Dollywood Foundation will begin a new partnership with American Printing House for the Blind to provide children’s books in Braille. The foundation’s Imagination Library each month sends free books to hundreds of thousands of youngsters. Learn more here.

Tomorrow! Freedom Scientific Lunchtime Seminar at Adaptations

Discover the benefits of using electronic vision aids and software to improve activities of daily living at home, school, the work place or just about anywhere. Enjoy a free lunch as Adaptations, the LightHouse Store hosts an informative presentation and hands-on demonstration by Freedom Scientific and Access Ingenuity.

Participants will have an opportunity to learn about and actually use Freedom Scientifics’ new TOPAZ and RUBY video magnifiers, MAGic screen magnification software and new MAGic keyboard, JAWS Screen Reader, as well as the brand new SARA CE and PEARL Camera with OpenBook, lightning fast tools to scan and read printed materials.

Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters
When: Tuesday, June 21, 10:00 a.m. to noon, lunch included

This educational seminar is tailored for people who are visually impaired and their families, instructors and trainers, seniors and senior center staff, and vision support groups. Attendees are invited to stay for a free lunch following the seminar. There will also be a drawing for a free RUBY Handheld Video Magnifier!

For more information and to RSVP, call us at 1-888-400-8933 or email us at adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org.

This Friday – Invitation to Comment on the Accessibility of Technology for People with Disabilities

Accessibility in this digital world is critical – just as are ramps in the physical world. It is impossible to ignore the changes and challenges in technology for persons with disabilities, whether with personal computers, Internet web sites, or smart phones.

The Department of Rehabilitation would like you to know about an upcoming federally sponsored “listening session” where we – as agencies, organizations, individuals and private companies – can share our needs and ideas on what the Federal government can do to improve accessibility of technology for people with disabilities. Participation is in person only. The listening session will be held on Friday afternoon, 1:30 to 5:00 pm on June 17, at Stanford.

Stanford University
Hewlett Training Center
Auditorium Hewlett 200
370 Serra Mall
Stanford, CA 94305

Please click here to RSVP and see more details: http://ssa.gov/open/listening-session.html

Free Information and Entertainment on Your Phone

By Brian McCallen, LightHouse guest blogger

Do you want to find out the latest news but can’t read the paper? Do you want to read a magazine but are frustrated because you can’t see the pictures? Access News is the solution to your problems.

Access News by Phone from the Society for the Blind in Sacramento is Northern California’s premier radio-reading service. All you need is a touch-tone telephone and a free subscription to listen to newspapers, newsletters, magazines and other entertainment and information seven days a week. The best part is that trained volunteers read the newspaper articles and describe the magazine pictures to keep you informed and entertained.

Access News’ most popular programs are actually the Safeway, Raley’s and other grocery store ads. In addition, some of the service’s exciting entertainment fare includes the “CBS Mystery Theater” and “Dragnet” radio dramas.

Using Access News was a fun and welcoming experience. Upon calling the Society for the Blind, I spoke with Joseph Hamilton, the program manager. Hamilton put me on the subscription list and registered my name, address and phone number in the Access News system. Then, he gave me a toll-free phone number, user code and a security number, and I was all set to use the service.

I dialed the toll-free number, listened to the prompt and pressed “1” to jump to the “California Access News Local Content Area.” After punching in my user code and security number, I heard all of the options in the main menu.

I like action-packed, thrilling radio dramas, so I decided to listen to an episode of “Dragnet.” It was fun to hear and visualize how Detective Sergeants Joe Friday and Ben Romero solved an L.A. homicide and caught the suspects.

One idea that might make Access News a little easier to navigate is the ability to use voice recognition. Without having to find which buttons to push, I’d be able to just say my choices into the phone.

I interviewed Tuan Nguyen, a college student and Access News user from Sacramento. I asked Nguyen about his experience with the service, and he said it’s an excellent resource for daily information. Nguyen uses Access News to look up store ads and listen to the day’s news with his cup of morning coffee or nightly drink of vodka.

He also had some suggestions for improvement. He wants “even more magazines that are not currently available, such as scientific journals for enthusiastic college students in the sciences, latest romance novels for active blind readers, and expansion of the library of Old Time Radio Shows for enthusiastic collectors.” Nguyen went on to say that Access News should expand even more to attract blind communities in the U.S., around the world and even on the web.

To subscribe to or provide feedback for Access News, call 916-732-4010. To listen to a demonstration, dial 916-732-4000 or toll-free (in California) 800-665-4667. For more information about the service, click here.

Free Accessible Prescription Label Program

En-Vision America has announced a new program to aid the blind and visually impaired in obtaining accessible prescriptions. Under their Pharmacy Freedom Program, eligible individuals may obtain a free ScripTalk Station patient reader that will allow them to access their prescription label information.

ScripTalk Station utilizes RFID (radio-frequency identification) and TTS (text-to-speech) technologies to allow those that cannot read their prescription labels a way to access the information. It has been adopted by the Veteran’s Administration for use in their facilities across the country.

Participating pharmacies attach a small label to each prescription that contains all printed information. This provides a safe, private and independent way for the blind and visually impaired to manage their medication regimen, as well as helps pharmacies comply with ADA regulations in serving their patients.

Interested individuals should contact En-Vision America to get their free reader and provide pharmacy details. Pharmacies concerned with meeting the needs of their special needs patients may also contact the company for more information about the program.

For more information, contact En-Vision at 800-890-1180 or visit www.envisionamerica.com.

Audio Files and CDs of Mail-In Ballot Available

By Brian McCallen, LightHouse guest blogger

Attention Pleasanton and Union City visually impaired voters! Multilingual audio files and CDs of ballots in English, Chinese and Spanish are available for the upcoming May 3rd Vote by Mail Special Election.

Both New Haven and Pleasanton Unified School Districts have measures on the ballot. Union City’s Measure B and Pleasanton’s Measure E ask citizens to vote on a parcel tax to protect the public schools from state budget cuts and preserve quality education.

To listen to the ballots online, go to http://www.acgov.org/rov/next.htm. Click on either English, Chinese or Spanish under the “AUDIO FILES” section to download clips of the summaries, analysis, arguments, rebuttals and full text of each measure. You’ll need the free Windows Media Player to play the files.

I listened to the ballot for Measure E. The sound effects helped me recognize the transition from one segment of the ballot to the next.

The CDs are available at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, in Oakland, or you can request them by calling 510-272-6973.

For more details on the special election and related information, visit http://www.acgov.org/rov/.

Free App Helps Identify U.S. Currency

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has developed a free, downloadable application (app) to assist the blind and visually impaired denominate U.S. currency. The app is called EyeNote.

EyeNote is a mobile device app designed for Apple iPhone (3G, 3Gs, 4) and the 4th Generation iPod Touch and iPad2 platforms, and is available through the Apple iTunes App Store. Research indicates that more than 100,000 blind and visually impaired individuals currently own an iPhone.

EyeNote uses image recognition technology to determine a note’s denomination. The mobile device’s camera requires 51 percent of a note’s scanned image, front or back, to process. In a matter of seconds, EyeNote can provide an audible or vibrating response, and can denominate all Federal Reserve notes issued since 1996. Free downloads will be available whenever new U.S. currency designs are introduced.

The EyeNote app is one of a variety of measures the government is working to deploy to assist the visually impaired community to denominate currency, as proposed in a recent Federal Register notice.

These measures include implementing a Currency Reader Program, whereby a United States resident who is blind or visually impaired may obtain a coupon that can be applied toward the purchase of a device to denominate United States currency; continuing to add large, high-contrast numerals and different background colors to redesigned currency; and possibly adding raised, tactile features to redesigned currency, which would provide users with a means of identifying each denomination via touch. More information is available at www.eyenote.gov.

Attention: BART Passengers Who Use the Civic Center BART Station

As of April 21, 2011

The LightHouse would like to inform you of important stair and escalator closures happening at the Civic Center BART station. The stairwell at 8th and Market (near the Hotel Whitcomb and Starbucks) will be closed for repair with an expected finish date of May 13, 2011.

Additionally, the escalators at the Burger King at Hyde, Market and Grove have limited functionality due to a needed repair.

The LightHouse is advising its community members to use the stairwell that exits in front of the Orpheum Theater. That stairwell is the FIRST stairwell on your right after exiting the BART fare gates that are located between the transit store and station agent. At the top of the stairs, continue straight to cross Hyde to the corner with Burger King. Veer right to walk along Grove towards LightHouse.

Note that changes in this situation occur frequently. If you want to be sure that you know all options for coming to the LightHouse from Civic Center BART, please contact Donna Kazanjian, who coordinates the LightHouse Orientation and Mobility services at the LightHouse. One of our instructors will make sure you are familiar with your options. Donna can be reached at 415-694-7308 or dkazanjian@lighthouse-sf.org.