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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1108

                          Friday, January 13, 1995

Today's Topics:


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                   Computer Resources for a Blind Student?
                             Re: Braille Printer
                         Adaptive tech for the blind
                            synthesizer for sale
                     Re: LISTSERV for blind & computers?
                            Please help! DECtalk
                   Re: Monitor Help for Visually Impaired
                            Tinytalk and DRVSPACE
                           If believing is seeing
                   information about Spanish dictionaries


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            (300 - 28,800 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: Computer Resources for a Blind Student?
From: craig@cvumail.cvu.cssd.k12.vt.us
Organization: NovX InterServ News Service

All,

Please excuse me for butting into your newsgroup without getting to
know you all better.  I am the computer person at a public high
school in Vermont and I need your help.  I have been asked to set
up a computer station for a blind student that has started going to
school here.  I want to get her the best access to our computer
resources possible, but the school does not have unlimited
resources.

Our school is on the Internet, and the students have e-mail.  I
would love for this student to be able to use windows based WWW
browsers (netscape).  Our e-mail system is word perfect office
4.0a. We have the library card catalog (winnebago) and several CD
Roms available over the network.   We have scrounged up a 386 with
8 megs ram, a large hard drive and a VGA monitor for her.

What is the best screen reader software for this student?  It would
be wonderfull if she could take complete control of this
workstation without having to rely on a sighted aid.  What is the
best voice synthesizer?  Where can these be purchased?

I really appreciate any help you can give me.  This is a learning
experience for me!

Sincerely
Craig Lyndes
Champlain Valley Union High School
Hinesburg Vermont
craig@cvumail.cvu.cssd.k12.vt.us




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Subject: Re: Braille Printer
From: anwrtbeer@aol.com (ANWRtbeer)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

I have an idea for you.  Contact Enabling Technologies at 1 800 777 3687.
 They are known for their excellence in braille printers, from those that
just braille on one side of the page, to interpoint (both sides of the
page) braille to braille and print on the same page.  I would talk to
them. Ask about the Juliette Brailler.  If I come up with any more, I'll
inform you.   :-)
 Mandy Williams
ANWRtbeer@aol.com



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Subject: Adaptive tech for the blind
From: anwrtbeer@aol.com (ANWRtbeer)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

Hello!
   I'm looking for a screen enlargement system that will work on a Toshiba
1910 laptop computer with LCD screen.  I've found my Zoomtext not to work.
 Any ideas?  I'd apprecitate any that may help.
   I'm also looking for any advice on screen readers, namely the IBM
screen reader and the DecTalk screen reader.  If there are any that any
one can recommend, or have advice on, I'd really like to know about  them.

                                     Thank You
                                         Mandy Williams
                                         Anwrtbeer@aol.com



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Subject: synthesizer for sale
From: speedy@halcyon.com*** (Julie Clark)
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc.

I have an Epson Real Voice for sale for $2600.00 or best offer (new
cost $3295.00). The voice is female. You type in what you want to
say and the machine speaks it. The machine is six years old and in
excellent condition. You can program many phases or just a
sentence. The Epson Real Voice is for people who need a
communicative device. It can also be used as a computer input
device.  Please e-mail me at speedy@halcyon.com, if you have
interest and I can give you more information about the capabilities
of the Epson Real Voice. If you know where I can advertise my Epson
Real Voice please let me know.




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Subject: Re: LISTSERV for blind & computers?
From: patt@its.brooklyn.cuny.edu (Patt Bromberger)
Organization: Brooklyn College

Blindness and how it affects the family of the person who is blind
as well as that individual person;

BLINDFAM mailing/discussion list; on how blindness
affects family members, co-workers, friends, etc.

Send email to LISTSERV@suvm.stjohns.edu
with this one line message
SUBSCRIBE BLINDFAM YourFirstName YourLastName




--
Patricia Ann Bromberger                 patt@its.brooklyn.cuny.edu
Student Organization for Every Disbility    [ S.O. F.E.D. U.P. ]
United For Progress : Brooklyn College / CUNY



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Subject: Please help! DECtalk
From: clem@utkvx.utcc.utk.edu (Clem, Scott Fitzgerald)
Organization: University of Tennessee

Help!  I'm trying to help someone whose blind use e-mail, but I can't get his
equipment to work.  He's using DECtalk which is a speech sythesizer along with
a speech program called Vocal  Eyes.  The problem is that I can't get any termin
al programs to work. All
his other software seems to work OK.
Does anybody out there have any experience with this or know where I can find
support.  Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*  Scott Clem   |  clem@utkvx.utk.edu  <- Preferred E-mail                *
*               |  The University of Tennessee                            *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



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Subject: Re: Monitor Help for Visually Impaired
From: hilda@elf.com (Hilda Marshall)
Organization: Elf Communications

cullum@teleport.com (Mike Cullum) writes:

>Now we want to find a monitor that will enlarge the whole screen to this
>degree so that all programs and the menus are displayed in a large enough
>size and with great enough clarity that the receptionist can begin using
>her computer.

Doesn't the Macintosh utility "CloseView" do this?  I think it comes
with the system software.

Love, Hilda



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Subject: Tinytalk and DRVSPACE
From: mikef@pacifier.com (Mike Freeman)
Organization: Pacifier BBS, Vancouver, Wa.  ((206) 693-0325)

I recently acquired a 386SX IBM PC clone running at 25mHz.  It
had MS-DOS 6.21 installed.  I grabbed the upgrade kit for MS-DOS
6.22 from GEnie and ran it to install V6.22.  All went without a
hitch.  However, when I went to run DRVSPACE, all ekyboard
control was yanked away from my speech TSR so that I could not
read the screen.  I'm using Tinytalk version 1.67.  Example:
when I did
C:\TOS\DRVSPACE
and tried to do an Alt-left-bracket to read the entire screen, I
got "numlock off" or some such.

Anyone else experienced this problem?  If so, how did you solve
it?  BTW, it doesn't matter whether I load Tinytalk high or in
conventional memory.  If I run DRVSPACE, then TTALK in my
AUTOEXEC.BAT, I don't get speech.

Help appreciated.

Mike Freeman < K 7 U I J >
Internet: mikef@pacifier.com
---
 * PCRR QWK 1.60 *

--
Mike Freeman            |       Internet: mikef@pacifier.com
GEnie: M.FREEMAN11      |       Amateur Radio Callsign: K7UIJ
... Virtue is its own punishment.



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Subject: If believing is seeing
From: KSEVEN@delphi.com

If believing is seeing, I suppose there's a chance, but seriously, folks!
I just got an order form from Henter-Joyce for their new access software for
Windows.  How nice of them to give me the opportunity to save $100.00 by
purchasing this software, sight-unseen, before January 16. Are we so
desparate for access to Windows that we'll accept whatever Wind X that comes
along.

I should add that I am working on a state-wide project to give blind
employees access to a new State Computer System that will run under Windows.
Towards this end I had asked H-J for a copy of the Beta version of their
product just to see if it had a chance to meet our needs since we were on a
rather tight time-line.  I got No response to my request except for this
order form.

Well, since the product is now "on the market" surely I could at least see a
Demo version.  Guess again! There are no Demo  versions of this product.  If
you want to see it, you buy it and it's yours to look at to your heart's
content.  Giving the benefit of the doubt since I have so much doubt from
which to benefit, they will return your money in 30 days if you are not
completely satisfied.  Ever try playing that game with a state P.O.?

The thing that really opened my eyes to our sad state is that the H-J man
told me he's already got pages of paid orders, some dating back to last
March. $695.00 (or $795.00 soon) for something unseen, untried, and unproven
to be sure.  What is wrong that we should shop with such desparation and
demand so little from the vendors we keep in business?

How many of us have had the experience of purchasing special access
equipment not ready yet for Beta Test let alone retail sales.
thereby paying for the doubious prifeledge of retro-designing a product and
trouble shooting its flaws for the manufacturer. Of course nothing is
perfect, and rule number 1 is that a program is never finished.  But if we
expect quality products and reliable service we must do our part to support
those companies who do it right.  Companies like MicroTalk, where customer
suggestions are regularly reflected in almost monthly upgrades free via bbs.

I am afraid I can't believe the approach H-J is taking towards their
customers.  And I just learned that Telesensory if following this lead and
offering their Screen Power for Windows ($995) also without benefit of Demo.
Nothing is good enough to pay for sight unseen.  If it was we wouldn't all
be trying so hard to do whatever we can to compensate for the lack of
seeing.   K7



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Subject: information about Spanish dictionaries
From: cltrar@login.dknet.dk (Claus Thoegersen)
Organization: DKnet / EUnet Denmark - Login Tjenesten


One of my friends is studying Spanish at a Danish university. He is visually
impaired and therefore interested in finding dictionaries on disk or CD-rom.
He is using an IBM compatible computer with both DOS and Windows and he uses
Magic deluxe. He is interested in dictionaries that explanes the words in
Spanish or Spanish to English. He would like to know where you can get the
dictionaries and prices. If you have any suggestions you can mail me at:
cltrar@login.dknet.dk.



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                 End of Issue # 1108 of the Blind News Digest

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