🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 946

                            Friday, June 18, 1993

Today's Topics:


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                                   New Dog
                      Re: Can Anyone Tell Me Something?
                               Advantage Here!
                          Re: braille code changes.
                                   New BBS
                        Re: Questions from a new dog
                                Helen Keller
                            braille code changes.
                          Recommendations on a scan
                        Re: Buying New Tape Recorder


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Subject: New Dog
From: Gary.Petraccaro@f90.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Gary Petraccaro)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/90 - Post Road Inn, Greensburg PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

As you may or may not know by now, I'm just back with a new dog.
The stats are as follows:

Shepherd, name of Vernon, 71 pounds, 25 inches at the shoulder.
Oh, yeah, loves to chase cats.

Great in restaurants--and I do mean this absolutely.  Ditto in traffic.

BK showed up the last week I was there, btw, with Maxine.

The class included 5 new people, the youngest person was 27 with
most in their 30's or 40's.  The oldest 2 were 70 and 75, and the
75 year-old walked most of us (yours truly included) into the
ground.  Mostly shepherds this trip,also.

I'd have commented sooner, but, the laptop died the night before I left.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!90!Gary.Petraccaro
Internet: Gary.Petraccaro@f90.n129.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Can Anyone Tell Me Something?
From: Phil.Scovell@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Phil Scovell)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/810.0 - Electronic Library, Denver CO


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Lisa,

I am using the same speech card and version of flipper and I also have
similar problems once and awhile.  I have two computers and the only one I
have that boot up problem on is my 286; the 386 works fine.  I believe your
problem is hardware related.  Someone replied to your message and suggested
you re load your speech software and that would be good to try.  I have,
however, tried nearly everything and I believe it is still hardware related.
 I have pulled my synphonix card out and re installed it but that did not
solve the problem.  I had someone check my mother board once when we had the
computer apart for other work and it appeared I had a poor grounding from
the mother board to the computer case itself.  My 286 is pretty old and the
way it was designed keeps it from making a good connection to the computer
case itself.  Some times when I boot, no speech comes up at all but
generally it works fine if I just boot over again.  As I said, I have re
loaded my software before and that did not seem to make any difference.  I
ran the synphonix for a couple of years on my 386 until I got the dectalk
and never once had this boot problem.  If your problem is getting worse,
however, I would have the speech card pulled and cleaned as well as the
contacts in the computer where the card is installed.  You would not believe
how much dirt and dust gets inside those slots.  My wife has to have her
card pulled at work about once every six months and clean in this fashion
because of the little speech problems which begin to pop up.  It always
helps.  With the synphonix card, however, I'm beginning to think it is
something internally with the card on certain mother boards and with
certain hardware configurations.  If you have other available slots in your
computer, it might be wise to install the card on a different slot to see if
that would help.  Any more, I'm beginning to think that external
synthesizers are the way to go.

Phil.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!810.0!Phil.Scovell
Internet: Phil.Scovell@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Advantage Here!
From: Rick.Alfaro@f8.n369.z1.fidonet.org (Rick Alfaro)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:369/8 - The Catwalk BBS, Davie FL


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hello Walter!

Friday May 14 1993 07:25, Walter Siren wrote to Les Kriegler:

 LK>> How often have you seen
 LK>> prices drop when it comes to adaptive equipment?

 WS> Not very often, but at least arkenstone caused the prices of the addaptive
 WS> scanners to drop considderably.

I'll have to agree 100% here.  As to which system does the best job
well, that willprobably be something that will be very close among
the top 3 contenders for years to come, but one thing we can all
give arkenstone all the credit for is bringing down all of the
prices.  If it hadn't been for them, we would still be paying some
very inflated prices for scanning systems...Now, for the first time
it actually looks like I will be able to afford a system within a
couple of months.  $1295 for the scanner and software is real hard
to say no to, and the reports I have gotten from our training labs
in Daytona is that the Reading Advantage is a very good performer,
and one heck of a deal for the price...

Regards,
Rick

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!369!8!Rick.Alfaro
Internet: Rick.Alfaro@f8.n369.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: braille code changes.
From: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Bauer)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:291/6 - Wichita BBS, Wichita Ks


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 WC>      You asked who thought braille was dificult?  Until
 WC>  recently in the 70's and 80s many ****_not all****_
 WC>  professionals in the field of work for the blind felt that
 WC>  braille was old fashioned and difficult to learn.
I was a medium partial and learned braille in the second grade.  Sure it was
hard, but
well worth the effort.  I used braille as my main reading medium all
through school and into college.  When I started my work career,
braille  still was essential.  When I lost all of my remaining vision
in 1975, without braille, I would have been totally sunk.

I've seen people trying to operate without knowing braille.  They use
tape recorders and/or try to remember everything.  Unfortunately,
they're not good at either.

I hosted a tour three days ago of my work place for three fifth grade
visually  impaired students.  They were amazed at all of my
equipment,but I stressed to them that without good *communication*
skills, including braille and typing, their career opportunities were
limited.  Their VI teacher is an advocate of teaching braille and
really  encourages them along.

We need more teachers like that.

Even if ya got some vision, you never know how long it will last...
last...thus braille is a must for VI students as far as I am
concerned.

Steve

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!291!6!Steve.Bauer
Internet: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: New BBS
From: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Bauer)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:291/6 - Wichita BBS, Wichita Ks


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

The Wichita Association for the Visually Handicapped has established
a BBS aimed at offering information services for visually impaired
persons.

The BBS will offer:

USA Today
The Braille Forum from the American Council of the Blind
The Grounded Grid (local ham radio newsletter)
Text files and more!

We are even talking with publishers of two magazines to provide us
the ASCII files so we can add more to our collection.

The BBS operates at speeds up to 2400 baud at (316) 383-5700.

The system is operating on a trial basis and will be evaluated in two
or three months as to whether it will become permanent.  We are most
excited to be able to have the electronic USA Today offering.  This
excellent information service gives visually impaired persons quick
access to todays news and information.

We invite your calls and comments.

Steve Bauer
President
Wichita Association for the Visually Handicapped.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!291!6!Steve.Bauer
Internet: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Questions from a new dog
From: Carla.Campbell@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Carla Campbell)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi there.

                  Very well put.  I think you have given Bob some
excellent advice and food for thought, there.  It all sounded quite
familiar to me, at any rate.

 PS>     think it is a myth that using a dog deprives the user of a
 PS>     sense of his surroundings.  While it's true that there is
 PS>     much less direct contact than with a cane, I believe you
 PS>     will get a greater sense of the space between two points in
 PS>     a manner parallel to what a sighted person does
 PS>     automatically.  You will still have full use of your sense
 PS>     of sound, including facial vision.  And don't totally
 PS>     discount the sense of touch.

I've also found that, through the dog, I can observe additional things
about my surroundings.  By feeling his reactions to things around us
through the harness handle, I can tell a lot about the things we're
passing by.  As I get to know each dog and learn his reactions to
different things, I can make educated guesses about things we're passing
and approaching by recognizing the dog's reactions.  Each of my dogs has
had a particular walk which indicates that he sees someone we know
ahead, for example.  Each of them has liked or disliked different
things, and I've been able to tell what we're passing by based on the
eagerness or reluctance I can feel in his movements and by the turns of
his head.  So there're those added input data as well as the retention
of all audio and olfactory cues and, as you said, much tactile
information coming in, too, still through your feet and the use of echos
and object location.

Cheers, and good luck getting your second dog.  I've just had my second
for a little under six months, now, so I know how it feels!
                                                 --Carla

... Read what I mean, not what I write!

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!Carla.Campbell
Internet: Carla.Campbell@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Helen Keller
From: Susan.Harold@f27.n3615.z1.fidonet.org (Susan Harold)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3615/27 - TN Deafness I N BBS, Knoxville TN


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

In reading about Helen Keller, I found this work by her.  I was deeply
moved by it and wanted to share it with you.

                      IN HELEN KELLER'S OWN WORDS

   The world I see with my fingers is alive, ruddy, and satisfying.  Touch
brings the blind many sweet certainties which our more fortunate fellows
miss, because their sense of touch is uncultivated.  When they look at
things, they put their hands in their pockets.

   It is interesting to observe the difference in the hands of people.
They show all kinds of vitality, energy, stillness, and cordiality...
Mark Twain's hand is full of whimsies and the drollest humors, and while
you hold it the drollery changes to sympathy and championship.

   Through the sense of touch I know the faces of friends, the illimitable
variety of straight and curved lines, the exuberance of the soil, the
delicate shapes of flowers, the noble forms of trees, and the range of
mighty winds.

   I have just touched my dog.  He was rolling on the grass, with pleasure
in every muscle and limb.  I wanted to catch a picture of him in my
fingers, and I touched him as lightly as I would cobwebs.... He pressed
close to me, as if he were fain to crowd himself into my hand... If he
could speak, I believe he would say that paradise is attained by touch;
for in touch is all love and intelligence.

   The senses assist and reinforce each other to such an extent that I am
not sure whether touch or smell tells me the most about the world.
Everywhere the river of touch is joined by the brooks of odor-
perception.  Each season has its distinctive odors.  The spring is
earthy and full of sap.  July is rich with the odor of ripening grain
and hay.  As the season advances, a crisp, dry, mature odor predomi-
nates, and goldenrod, tansy, and everlastings mark the onward march of
the year.  In autumn, soft alluring scents fill the air, floating from
thicket, grass, flower, and tree, and they tell me of time and change,
of death and life's renewal, desire and its fulfillment.

   After my education began the world which came within my reach was all
alive.  I spelled to my blocks and my dogs.  I sympathized with plants
when the flowers were picked because I thought it hurt them, and that
they grieved for their lost blossoms.  It was years before I could be
made to believe that my dogs did not understand what I said, and I
always apologized to them when I ran into or stepped on them.

   Without imagination what a poor thing my world would be!  My garden
would be a silent patch of earth strewn with sticks of a variety of
shapes and smells.  But when the eye of my mind is opened to its beauty,
the bare ground brightens beneath my feet, and the hedgerow bursts into
leaf, and the rose-tree shakes its fragrance everywhere.

   The calamity of the blind is immense, irreparable.  But it does not take
away our share of the things that count -- service, friendship, humor,
imagination, wisdom.  It is the secret inner will that controls one's
fate.  We are capable of willing to be good, of loving and being loved,
of thinking to the end that we may be wiser.  We possess these spirit-
born forces equally with all God's children.

   Necessity gives to the eye a precious power of seeing, and in the same
way it gives a precious power of feeling to the whole body.  Sometimes
it seems as if the very substance of my flesh were so many eyes looking
out at will upon a new world created every day.  The silence and
darkness, which are said to shut me in, open my door most hospitably to
countless sensations that distract, inform, admonish, and amuse.  With
my three trusty guides, touch, smell, and taste, I make many excursions
into the borderland of experience which is in sight of the city of
Light.

   I am sure that if a fairy bade me choose between the sense of sight and
that of touch, I would not part with the warm, endearing contact of
human hands or the wealth of form, the mobility and fullness that press
into my palms.

   Our blindness changes not a whit the course of inner realities.  Of us
[the blind] it is as true as it is of the seeing that the most beautiful
world is always entered through the imagination.  If you wish to be
something you are not -- something fine, noble, good -- you shut your
eyes, and for one dreamy moment you are that which you long to be.

_____

>From the book Helen Keller, Humanitarian.  By Martina S. Horner,
President, Radcliffe College.  1987.  Chelsea House Publishers.

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Love is looking together in the same direction.

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!3615!27!Susan.Harold
Internet: Susan.Harold@f27.n3615.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: braille code changes.
From: Walt.Cone@f145.n138.z1.fidonet.org (Walt Cone)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:138/145 - The Cats' Paws, Tacoma WA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi Cheryl:

You made my point.  I learned braille in the late 1950's and used
braille all through my school years.  I went back a few years back
to pick up a new programming language.  The special needs teacher
poked a great deal of fun at me because I used that old fashioned
braille.  None of the other people who were blind knew braille.  I
was not at all surprised when they had trouble in an algebra
class.  IT WOULD TAKE THEM FROM WHAT THEY WOULD TELL ME ABOUT 2 TO
4 HOURS TO DO 1 PROBLEM, BECAUSE THEY HAD TO HAVE A READER READ THE
PROBLEM AND WHAT THE PERSON WAS DOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

I'M TERRIBLE AT MATH, BUT I'M GLAD I WAS TAUGHT BRAILLE, AT LEAST I
COULD WRITE THE PROBLEMS OUT SO I COULD WORK THEM OUT.

WELL TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK:

WALT

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!138!145!Walt.Cone
Internet: Walt.Cone@f145.n138.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Recommendations on a scan
From: Peter.Scialli@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Peter Scialli)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/432 - The Idea Link, Wheaton MD


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Eric,
  If you can look back through the last couple of months of messages
  here, which would be a tall order, you will see lots of discussion of
  the various scanning packages.  Arkenstone does have a package called
  Open Book which does excellent support for the DECtalk synthesizer.
  Open Book uses its own speech driver for the DECtalk so that JAWS
  would not be an issue.  However, Open Book can co-exist with JAWS in
  your computer when Open Book is running so that when you exit from
  Open Book, JAWS is still running as before. Open Book does require
  that you have Windows on your system, but you don't have to have the
  complete Windows files, Open Book comes with a bare-bones version of
  Windows if you care to use that. If you like, call or send me your
  address and I can send you some literature on Open Book.

     Peter

 * JABBER v1.1 * ShrinkWrap Computer Products: 800-377-0774
===
 * KMail 2.94g - The Idea Link -

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!432!Peter.Scialli
Internet: Peter.Scialli@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Buying New Tape Recorder
From: Walter.Siren@p42.f17.n396.z1.fidonet.org (Walter Siren)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:396/17.42 - N. O. P. C. Club, New Orleans LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

In a message Al Gayzagian typed to Craig Werner

 AG> I'm sure there will be those with other views, but I have never had
 AG> an APH GE recorder with which I was pleased.  The modified Sony from
 AG> IRTI is quite good, although it's more a hand-held than a desktop

I had two of those from irti which were modified for nls,  and I
had problems with both of them.  The first one changed speeds
drastically, and the second was very noisy on recording.  At least
with the built in mike, and it even had a problem with the two
sides not being balanced.

I don't think that I would like the aph new one from the demo I
heard on playback.

Walter

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!396!17.42!Walter.Siren
Internet: Walter.Siren@p42.f17.n396.z1.fidonet.org




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                 End of Issue # 946 of the Blind News Digest

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