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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1112

                          Monday, January 16, 1995

Today's Topics:


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                               SCREEN READERS
                          Perkins Brailler wanted.
                            Magazines on Computer
                          Re: Please help! DECtalk
               Re: looking for a friendly VCR for blind people
                          Re: Tinytalk and DRVSPACE
               In reply to Tim Bretz: the blind people and CIS
                       Re: Adaptive tech for the blind
                          Re: Lynx command question
                                    Hello
                   Re: Monitor Help for Visually Impaired


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                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: SCREEN READERS
From: jay.mendham@ablelink.org (Jay Mendham)
Organization: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada

There are several readers that could be considered "most common".  You
would get a different answer if you were to ask different folks the same
question.
The most common here in Canada seem to be Jaws, or Artic Vision.  Artic
has the added advantage of having a very good Windows 3.1 voice access
package, and is available on a portable box, similar to aexternal modem.
Hope that helps some.
Jay



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Subject: Perkins Brailler wanted.
From: jay.mendham@ablelink.org (Jay Mendham)
Organization: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada

Can anyone help?
I need a Perkins Brailler, (cheap).  I can't afford the cost of a new
one here in Canada.  I'ts just about double the cost of the U.S.
machine.  Since I have just purchased my computer and access equipment,
I can't even afford the U.S. new price.
Does anyone have, or know of, a used Brailler for sale?
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Jay



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Subject: Magazines on Computer
From: avatar@utw.com (Jerry Costley)
Organization: Avatar, Inc.

     I don't know about magazines on CD Rom, but all of the commercial on-line
services carry magazines.  Among others, America Online carries Newsweek and
Compuserve carries US News and World Report.  Prices vary for these; US News
is part of Compuserve's basic package of $10 a month, which is worthwhile,
even if you read slowly.  Others cost by the hour.  It mighth be worth
checking it out.



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Subject: Re: Please help! DECtalk
From: mgflax@panix.com (Marshall G. Flax)
Organization: Currently, _extremely_ disorganized

In article <35017@handicap.news>,
Clem, Scott Fitzgerald <clem@utkvx.utcc.utk.edu> wrote:
>Index Number: 35017
>
>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 termi
nal programs to work. All
>his other software seems to work OK.

Try mskermit.exe, available by anonymous ftp:
        ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/....

marshall

p.s. It has several options especially for screen readers, including
SET TERMINAL NONE and SET TERMINAL VIDEO-WRITING BIOS


--
[Marshall G. Flax -- 718-256-3482 -- 8776 16th Ave #2, Brooklyn, NY 11214-5802]



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Subject: Re: looking for a friendly VCR for blind people
From: mgflax@panix.com (Marshall G. Flax)
Organization: Currently, _extremely_ disorganized

In article <35053@handicap.news>, JVILMAR <jvilmar%hlbbs@ax.apc.org> wrote:
>Index Number: 35053
>
>Hello
>     I and my wife are looking for a video cassette recorder that can be
>easily operated by  a blind person. All VCRs that we know here in
>Brazil, don't have an appropriate interface for us. They put menus on
>the TV's screen without any beep or sound. If someone knows a VCR or
>anything that can help us, please, send me an E-MAIL.

Very few VCRs are blind-friendly, and those which are are very expensive.
Another option is to use the VCR-Voice which can be programmed by voice.
But even that is not a very good solution.

marshall
--
[Marshall G. Flax -- 718-256-3482 -- 8776 16th Ave #2, Brooklyn, NY 11214-5802]



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Subject: Re: Tinytalk and DRVSPACE
From: kevinnathan@delphi.com (Kevin Nathan)
Organization: Delphi Internet Services Corporation

Hi Mike.  I am running Tinytalk and Drvspace on my laptop 386 20 and have
not experienced this problem at all.  You might try running memmaker as just
a shot in the dark.

BTW, good to see your postings again.  Take care and let me know when you
solve the problem.
Kevin




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Subject: In reply to Tim Bretz: the blind people and CIS
From: 74403.212@compuserve.com (Oleg Shevkun)

(Note: this message is being sent to Mr. Tim Bretz, as well as to the Blind News
Digest, because the issues raised are of interest to the blind computer
community as a whole.  It is en reply to the message about CompuServe use by the
blind, which appeared in Jan. 13 issue of "Blind News Digest".)

Dear Mr. Bretz:

I've read your message concerning the use of CompuServe by the blind people,
which was forwarded by another blind CompuServe subscriber to the mailing list
"Blind News Digest" on the Internet.  Thank you for your explanation of the
problem--actually, you've been the first person to explain clearly to me why
some things can be done with the CompuServe Information Manager, which the ASCII
interface just won't do.

Now, here is the interesting part: I am totally blind, but am using DOSCIM for
everything I do on CompuServe.  The problem is not that the blind people just
have to use ASCII--this is not true, and this misunderstanding, if it persists,
may turn against the visually handicapped users.  However, the blind would
prefer to have programs, capable of running in text mode vs. graphics mode.
When I use DOSCIM, and the display is text, and not graphical, my screen reading
package can let me access the screen.  However, when a graphical picture
appears, I am stuck.  DOSCIM does it all: I can get information from CompuServe,
and my wife can view GIFs and other pictures with it.

Now, during the last year a few screen readers for Windows came out; however,
these are only in their beginning stage, and they are still too costly for
private users.

As it is, I find DOSCIM pretty usable.  If a function is not available through
ASCII interface (like FTP, for example), I just fire up my DOSCIM.  And, as long
as there are no major services that only run with WINCIM, the blind people will
have equal access to the service.

At the same time, there are a couple of features that would make DOSCIM much
more speech-friendly and attractive to blind users.  As it is now, the program
requires a lot of work setting up the screen reader to work with it, and it is
still pretty clumsy.  Here are the features that will make DOSCIM a much better
program for us:

1.  The system cursor should follow the lightbar.

Comment: an active choice on the menu is usually shown with a particular color.
Most modern screen-access packages do a pretty good job deciding which color is
used for highlighting, and then reading the information to the user.  Thus, if I
move the lightbar through the menu, I only hear the selection I am on.  However,
DOSCIM has a very unpleasant tendency to use different color patterns, depending
on what you are doing with it.  Thus, on the main menus, the selected choices
are written in yellow letters on black background; however, when you are in a
forum and are browsing through files, the color pattern is different.  And, as
smart as they are, the screen reading programs will not know how to interpret
these different patterns.  The solution: instead of parking the system cursor
somewhere on the screen, make it follow the highlight bar in the menus!  Then
our screen readers will no longer have to figure out the various color patterns,
and the menus will be much more usable than they are now.

2.  Screen-writing method.  Screen readers work best if a program uses BIOS
instead of direct screen writing.  However, in a complicated program like DOSCIM
using BIOS at all times would produce too much chatter on the speech
synthesizers.  The rule of thumb is this: use BIOS for long junks of text (like
mail messages), which the user wants to read; use direct writes for everything
else.

3.  Give us the option of removing the clock.  The clock in the top right corner
of the screen is the most "talkative" part of the program--it talks all the
time.  Fortunately, the modern screen reading software lets users to define a
"silent zone" on the screen--the area which is never spoken, however often it
may change.  This is how we now "shut up" the clock.  However, it would be great
if something more fundamental could be done about it.

Of course, some of these changes would be unwelcome for the sighted users.
Therefore, they may be incorporated as another option in the program's setup
menu.  The whole package may be enabled or disabled, and we may speak of it as
"Blind Support", and it should be switchable on or off.

I must say there are a few reputable programs, which already have "blind
support" as an option, with all the features I've just described.  In my
opinion, the best implimentation has been found in Blue Wave off-line mail
reader, version 2.12.  And the "blind support" creates no problem for sighted
users - they can just never turn it on.

let me emphasize: unless CompuServe starts dropping DOS interface altogether, it
will still be usable for the blind.  At the same time, steps can be taken to
make it more user-friendly for us.

I would appreciate it if you could pass this message along to whoever may do
something about it.  Thank you for your time and interest!
      God bless you!   Sincerely,
                                          Oleg Shevkun





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Subject: Re: Adaptive tech for the blind
From: kelly@ripco.com (Kelly Pierce)
Organization: Ripco Internet BBS, Chicago


What you might find a bother with the IBM screen reader when using a laptop is
that it requires the use of an external keypad.  The most appropiate screen
reader all depends on how a person uses his or her computer.  This is a common
question here.  Dependng on how often and with what applications will bear on
the best screen reader choice.  Additonally, the Dectalk is a speech
synthesizer, hardware, not a screen reader, software.  It is considered to be
to be the best by many.  It is also the most expensive.  Other synthesizers
that are less expensive work out more than adaquately for the average user.
You can find more help to these question by subscribing to the blind-l mailing
list for computer use and the blind.
The address is listserve@uafsysb.uark.edu   Leave the subject line bland and
in the message body type only subscribe blind-l

Good luck
Kelly
ANWRtbeer (anwrtbeer@aol.com) wrote:
: Index Number: 35000

: 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: Re: Lynx command question
From: t94303mn@sfc.keio.ac.jp (Masafumi NAKANE)
Organization: Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Kanagawa Japan

Hi.

In article <35069@handicap.news> algayz@world.std.com (Al Gayzagian)
writes:

>>Index Number: 35069
>>
>>There's a command which will make Lynx work better with speech, but I
>>don't recall what it is, so I'd appreciate someone's filling me in.  Thanks.

    I think you are talking about
% lynx -show_cursor
Or, if there is any other useful command, please let me know.

--
          Masafumi NAKANE, Keio Univ., Dept. of Environmental Information
E-Mail : t94303mn@sfc.keio.ac.jp / HFC03131@niftyserve.or.jp
[url] :  http://www.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~t94303mn



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Subject: Hello
From: 73732.2222@compuserve.com (73732,2222)

Hi I am back once again under a new system.  I am on compuServe.  My
address is 73732,2222.  I am on serveral bulletin boards, Central Data
and Metropolis.  I live in Lawrence, Kansas.  My address is 2535 Belle
Haven Drive.  I am a VISTA volunteer at Independence Inc here in Lawrence
My job title is ADA Assistant.  I was known under the old system as [no-
name Turner] but my tru nickname, which I would like to be called when
sending me e-mail is "Slydog".  Looking forward to hearing from everyone.
I am also a graduate student at the University of Kansas.  My disability
is blindness.  I will be looking forward this upcoming new year to meeting
new friends.
Slydog





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Subject: Re: Monitor Help for Visually Impaired
From: jciccare@adobe.com
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated



In article <34957@handicap.news>, <cullum@teleport.com> [Mike Cullum] writes:

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

Several pins in a Mac monitor cable connector "tell" the Mac what kind of video
to output.  You can get inline adapters that fit between the Mac and the Mac
end of the cable; these have switches that let you connect monitors that not
originally made to work with the Mac.  But you may be able to use such an
adapter to convince the Mac that a small monitor is connected, while actually
connecting a large monitor, thus enlarging the entire screen.

Contact Enhance Cable Technology, 730 North Ninth Street, San Jose, CA 95112,
1-800-343-2425 or 1-408-293-2425 (fax 1-408-293-2468).  They make the "Liberty"
and "Mac Liberty" adapters.

John Ciccarelli



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                 End of Issue # 1112 of the Blind News Digest

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