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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 937

                           Tuesday, June 15, 1993

Today's Topics:


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                            Custom Configurations
                              Majic and Speech.
                            Re: scanner question
              of audible signals, independence, and philosophy
                      Re: WordPerfect 5.1 with Windows!
                                   Dos 6.0
                                  Watches?
                      Re: questions from a new dog user
                                  Jaws 2.3
                                New Guide dog


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Subject: Custom Configurations
From: Jeff.Belina@f5297.n3603.z1.fidonet.org (Jeff Belina)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3603/5297 - Henter-Joyce Techni, St Petersburg FL


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

JB>   Just thought I'd ask again, do you have any configurations
JB> for use with JAWS and another program?  I have had a number

JB> Thank You!

here are three programs I have had recent requests for: Quicken,
dBase, and Turbo Tax.

Thanks again!

Bfn,
Jeff Belina
Technical Support
Henter-Joyce, Inc.

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Internet: Jeff.Belina@f5297.n3603.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Majic and Speech.
From: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org (Dennis Brown)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2320/120 - MicroTalk, Louisville KY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Has anyone had any experience using Majic screen enhancer/enlarger
with speech?  It seems to cause the screen to display all types of
graphic characters all over the screen, locking the system.  This has
happened with ASAP and Artic.  It'll work fine for a while, then while
in an application, it'll start the screen displays of weird
characters!
Are there any special settings that we're not setting?  Any help at
all is appreciated!
Thanks,
Dennis (MicroTalk Tech support)

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2320!120!Dennis.Brown
Internet: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: scanner question
From: Stephen.Baum@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Stephen Baum)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:101/460.0 - VI/BUG, Holbrook MA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi Michael. I do know a few partially sighted people who use commercial
OCR products, but I'm not aware of any blind people who do. Everytime I
have seen WindowBridge demo'd, however, I have noticed that one of the
things they demo is a commercial OCR program - WordScan, typically.

If and when a screen reader comes out for Windows that gives you
comfortable and thorough access to standard Window's applications, it
would make a great deal of sense to purchase, say, Caere OmniPage,
Calera WordScan, or Expervision's TypeReader, for example. The price
will generally be at least a few hundred dollars less than similar
adaptive products, and perhaps better than that. This is not because
Arkenstone, or TSI, or XIS are out to get you, but simply because the
cost of product development has to be recovered from a smaller user
base.

I have read or heard at various times from people who feel that the OCR
software for blind user's is inherently worse than that available for
sighted users. That just isn't so. What you get from XIS is the very
best we have. At the moment, what is in The Reading AdvantEdge is
actually somewhat better than anything we have in our commercial
products, because of timing - its the most recently released product we
have.

I agree, it would be nice to see some comparative reviews of The Reading
AdvantEdge and Oscar. Peter Scialli's mini-review was, I thought, quite
good - given both his biases (which he was very up-front about), and the
small amount of time he had spent with the system. I, of course, have
used both systems, but not systematically, and my biases are such that I
really don't think you should take what I would say seriously. But, in
case you want to, here is a VERY abbreviated version:

AdvantEdge is cheaper - $795 vs. Oscar's $1295.

Oscar is faster - sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot.

On a sample of 20 pages, AdvantEdge was more accurate on 16. (The sample
wasn't deliberately biased, but it was composed of pages which were in
our quality assurance group's database, so they may have been tuned
for somewhat.)

AdvantEdge is somewhat more feature rich, particularly with regard to
format conversions and easy access to other applications.

AdvantEdge has a command line interface as well as a menu interface,
allowing you to integrate its capabilities into larger applications.

Like I said, don't trust me. I hope this helps anyway.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460.0!Stephen.Baum
Internet: Stephen.Baum@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: of audible signals, independence, and philosophy
From: Tim.Cumings@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Tim Cumings)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:101/460.0 - VI/BUG, Holbrook MA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

One question discussed from time to time in this echo revolves around
independence for blind people and whether blind people need such things
as audible traffic signals, tactile strips along subway platforms, etc,
to help them achieve such independence? Many federationists and
federation supporters can't understand why those of us in the acb or
those non-affiliated blind people who may agree with acb philosophy
support such adaptations to the environment as audible traffic signals.

I saw a short article in the May Braille Forum which seems to me to make
the clearest case for this position, and so I decided to post it here
not to insight flames but rather as a thought-provoking piece of
journalism to perhaps shed some light on the issues.

"EXPLORING INDEPENDENCE

by Paul Edwards, ACB First Vice President

On the cover of every "Braille Forum" is a commitment to promote
independence.  Independence is not defined there and it's an idea that
has many different connotations.  Of course, no one, blind or not, is
truly independent.  Our society has become far too complex for that.
However, we as blind people strive to be as free from the need to ask
for help as each of us can be.  And that, it seems to me, is what
independence is all about.  In the past, society has not made
independence easy.  Public transportation systems are often not friendly
to people who are disabled.  Hotel rooms and public buildings seem to be
in love with painting room numbers on doors.  Trees have been spared, in
the past, because federal, state and local governments have not felt
much need to make information available in accessible formats.     The
Americans with Disabilities Act is the latest in a series of laws that
claim to make our environment more accessible.  Even now, though, we are
a long time from the day when a blind person can be truly
self-sufficient in an unfamiliar environment.   Too many of those of us
who are blind believe independence is our responsibility.  Put a sighted
person down in the middle of a large city with no street signs and see
how well he or she does.  We often accept the flawed argument that says
it is our job to adapt to our environment and that those who build that
environment need not regard our needs at all.  We are content with what
we have and are leery of asking for more.  We tacitly accept that we
must cope and relieve society of any responsibility for making our
coping easier.  While others have signs and maps and information and
visible warnings, we are comfortable with none.  Do we see ourselves as
somehow less deserving than others?  Are we exhibiting a perverse sort
of pride that says that macho blind people can take it?  Perhaps,
instead, we are unwilling to rock the boat and ask for what we have
every right to expect.       Whatever the causes, the results are clear.
 Blind people have chosen not to fight to make the environment more
accessible.  The few who have stood up and demanded change have been
betrayed by the mass of blind people who have spoken with their apathy.
This is bad enough.  There is worse.  The National Federation of the
Blind has attacked efforts to broaden access by claiming that, with
proper training, any blind person can function independently and
self-sufficiently in our environment exactly as it is.  If I had wings
that worked, I could fly, too.  This argument simply shifts
responsibility and holds a whole generation of blind people hostage to
the inane assumption that all blind people are, at least potentially,
equally competent.   All of us know that everyone, blind or not, is
differently enabled.  I, for one, am not prepared to wait till the NFB
millennium arrives.  Instead, I am committed to work to make the
environment in which I function easier for me to handle.     This does
not mean that I will expect every community to install talking signs on
every corner or immediately build roads with built-in power and guidance
so I can drive.  Both of those options would be nice but they are not
politically or economically possible.  So my task involves exploring the
barriers that society places in the way of my independence.  Once these
have been identified, I will work with my community and my country to
devise mutually acceptable ways of removing them.     In a nutshell,
what I am asking and what the ADA promises are the same.  Both the law
and I call for reasonable action to be taken by my community to ensure
that I am not denied the fullest participation in and access to my
country and my community. Disability isolates.  Blind people are likely
to wander their communities less than their non-blind peers.  If the
community can make changes that, over time, can lessen this iolation,
everyone wins.  The community gains citizens who can be more active and
can participate in their society more fully.  We, as blind people, gain
a sense of accomplishment and an ability to operate in more situations
without the assistance of others.  This is true independence.  Access
issues are at the very heart of what the ACB stands for.   Whether you
yourself need more access to your community or not, making the
environment more friendly creates opportunities for blind people not
only now but for as long as communities last.  What better justification
for ACB's motto could there be?  Promote independence by creating a
truly accessible country!"

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460.0!Tim.Cumings
Internet: Tim.Cumings@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: WordPerfect 5.1 with Windows!
From: Samuel.Bushman@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Samuel Bushman)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Running wp under windows.
Hay the way you can create a pif file is the following.
1.  after getting into windows enter the area where you want the
icon for example applications.
2.  Press alt+f to enter the files menu.
3.  Then you choose new and select the program item choice.
4.  You will be prompted for the name of the icon.
After typing in the name WordPerfect don't press enter.  Type alt+c and you
will then be hilighting the prompt for the path and name of the
program.  At this point you will enter "d:\dir\wp.exe".
After pressing enter the work is done.  Click on the icon and WP
will be launched.
By the way I hate windows. The only reason I know is because I am
forced to use this cursed program.
Hope this helps.
sam

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!Samuel.Bushman
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Subject: Dos 6.0
From: David.Tanner@f234.n109.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/234 - Braille Bank BBS, Oakton Va


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

In a msg on <Apr 29 17:53>, Debbie Gillespie of 1:3602/24 writes:

DT>>     How much free memory are you getting with DOS 6.0?
DT>> Someone told me This is a good question indeed, excuse me for
DT>> interrupting.  I do not have dos6 as of yet but with dos5 and
DT>> qemm and using windowbridge 1.15 I have 631k free.  That is
DT>> with the speech and the included calculator program loaded
DT>> high.  My husband Brad is the memory hound around here, he
DT>> loves to tinker with it endlessly maximizing every available
DT>> free byte.

 DG> I do realize dos6 has a memory manager included but I don't think
 DG> it is as effective as qemm.  I do have some press releases and
 DG> documentation on dos6 which I can upload if you like.  If one
 DG> intends to get it best do so before the end of May as that is
 DG> when the price takes a sharp jump--at least here in Canada.

Would be very interested to see your config.sys that gets that kind
of free memory with Window Bridge. I have never succeeded in
getting Window Bridge to load high. The best I have ever done was
to get up to 523K free with Window Bridge. I regularly get around
630 free using TinyTalk, ASAP or Vocal-eyes. Never have gotten Jaws
to load high either although I know you are suppose to be able to.
Thing is I never seem to be able to get a big enough block of free
upper memory to get memory hogs like these two "Window Bridge" and
"Jaws" to load high.

    D. T.

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Subject: Watches?
From: Anthony.Hodgetts@f49.n134.z1.fidonet.org (Anthony Hodgetts)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:134/49 - The Student Exchang, Calgary Alta


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hey Norm, well I have an idea for you. The RNIB out of England
sells some good watches, the 1 braille 1 that I have has a metal
cover, much like a pocket watch. Write them and ask them about it.
Sorry I couldn't be as much help.. Well what did you do the talking
watch, stick it in the water? hahaha..

CHAIN SAW WATCH MASIQUER...

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Subject: Re: questions from a new dog user
From: Paul.Guido@f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Paul Guido)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 BH> I will be a member of the May 23rd class at Guide Dogs.  I'm 54
 BH> years old, totally blind, and this is going to be my first dog

Good decision.  A dog gave me more independence, effigency, and self
confidence.  You'll see what I mean after you have the dog a few years
then you will say why did I never get a dog before.  The main thing for
me was developing that trust in a dog followed by teamwork.  Just be
patient and do what your trainer tells you.
 good luck.

Paul

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89!Paul.Guido
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Subject: Jaws 2.3
From: Kelly.Ford@f8.n121.z1.fidonet.org (Kelly Ford)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:121/8 - JW-PC DataFlex.HST, Sun Prairie WI


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Well,
I've just started playing with JAWS 2.3 and it seems like a pretty good
update.  However, I see that Henter-Joyce still doesn't have a good way
to handle macros between configurations.  For a program that uses them
for all functions, I wonder why they haven't gotten around to coming up
with a better solution to the problem that just saying they want to do
something about it.
As with previous updates to JAWS, I'm left with the choice of either not
having the new features in my old configurations (unless I manually add
them to every config file) or blowing away all the time I spent making
old configurations to start fresh.
Is anyone else sick of this process?  I love JAWS and think it is as
good as any other package out there but am growing tired of H_J saying
they wish they had a better solution but doing nothing about it.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!121!8!Kelly.Ford
Internet: Kelly.Ford@f8.n121.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: New Guide dog
From: Kelly.Ford@f8.n121.z1.fidonet.org (Kelly Ford)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:121/8 - JW-PC DataFlex.HST, Sun Prairie WI


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Some who read this echo may remember my talking about going off to get
a guide dog in March.  For what it is worth, I'm back (have been for a
bit) with a german shepherd named Erica.  I went to the Seeing Eye and
found the entire experience real positive.
Anyone thinking about a dog should really give it a try.
And hey, even the food in Morristown is great and I'm one of the
pickiest eaters you'll ever find.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!121!8!Kelly.Ford
Internet: Kelly.Ford@f8.n121.z1.fidonet.org




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                 End of Issue # 937 of the Blind News Digest

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