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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1047

                            Monday, June 13, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                             Re: Talkative Menus
                  Info needed. Voice input for blind person
                            Reader for the Blind
                  Re: Speech synthesisers for blind users.
                         speech synthesizer software
                             Information request
                            getting books on disk


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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: Re: Talkative Menus
From: judys@mville.edu (Judy Schwartz)

To The readers of Blind News.  The following was in the magazine section of
the Gannett Paper, April 24, 1994.

Anew restaurant service helps the visually impaired and non-readers order
meals.  Just pop in a tape for a brief description of menu items, from
appetizers to desserts, with prices.  The Olive Garden chain of family
Italian restaurants started its Menu On Cassette program last fall, and it's
now available at all 446 Olive Garden restaurants.  Chain President Ron
Magruder got the idea after joining the board of the Center for
Independence, Technology and Education, an Orlando-based nonprofit
organization for the blind.  "he was talking to newly blind adults, and when
they found out who he was, they brought it up to him," says CITE director
Carol Adams.  "A lot of people go lind at 55 or older and never reach the
level of Braille literacy needed to read a Braille menu."  CITE has received
inquires from several other restaurant chains.

Thought readers of the list might find this interesting.  How do people feel
about this type of service?

Judy Strauss-Schwartz
judys@mville.edu






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Subject: Info needed. Voice input for blind person
From: Lawrence.M.Levine@dartmouth.edu (Lawrence M. Levine)
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

I was recently asked by a non-computer user who is blind what equipment
and resources exist that might help him use a computer to write.
Basically, he wants to do word-processing using his voice. I saw the
notes posted in this group from Kaul and Kurtz, but am wondering if
some of you might steer me to some basic introductory info that will
put this question into perspective before I start tracking down various
leads. I have no idea what's generally available, what's considered
"good," etc.

Many Thanks!

Lawrence M. (Larry) Levine
Computing Services
6028 Kiewit Computation Center, Rm. 118
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755-3523
603-646-2710
603-646-2810 (fax)
larry.levine@dartmouth.edu




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Subject: Reader for the Blind
From: triqua@telerama.lm.com (True Heart)
Organization: Telerama Public Access Internet, Pittsburgh, PA

For sale: Kurzweil Personal Reader w/ hand and automatic, book-edge scanners.

Machine scans print materials, such as books, magazines, correspondence,
recipes, etc., and speaks the information aloud at any speed in any of
nine clear voices.

KPR is exceedingly blind user-friendly, for older children and adults.
Hand scanner can be taken to libraries, classrooms, etc.  Volume control
and headphone jack make privacy easy.

Comes with:

Fully-upgraded software, (Includes several settings for light or
dot-matrix print)
Padded carrying case for main unit
Manuals in braille, print, and cassette

Asking price: $2800.00 or best offer.  Unit originally cost $11,995.00.

Contact me, Becky, by personal e-mail.  Triqua@Telerama.LM.Com  Thank you.

--
"What else could I write?
I don't have the right..."





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Subject: Re: Speech synthesisers for blind users.
From: david_basden@csufresno.edu (David Basden)
Organization: CSU Fresno


     I have a DECTALK-PC, two Sounding Boards, and three old
Echo-PC's.  The DECTALK-PC was around $1000, and produces the most
intelligible speech for a newcomer, but after listening to any speech
synthesizer for a few weeks it doesn't really matter which one you
have.  You adjust to the mispronunciations they all make.  I prefer
the Sounding Board for its quick response and other special features.
Pronouncing words rather than individual letters when you type is a
function of the screen-reader software.  I use Vocaleyes, which has
this feature, but other screen-readers may have it as well.  Hope this
helps.




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Subject: speech synthesizer software
From: dashiell@nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)

beware of anything that uses soundblaster
technology, it didn't get the name soundbastard for
nothing.  If you must use soundblaster technology with
wordperfect enable the auto backups feature because your
computer is going to be going down and up more than an elevator.
I understand it's not just the blind that have these problems, the sighted
computer users are having almost as bad a time depending on
specific software applications.  That's why microsoft came out with patches
for flight simulator and why they should probably come out with patches
for command.com too.

jude <dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>




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Subject: Information request
From: ljboyle@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Leah J. Boyle)


Hi, Bill!

Would you, by any chance, have a listing of blind architects, graphic
designers, urban planners or folks in similar positions?  Would you
know if such a list existed and where it could be found?  I seem to
remember a few years ago that someone was compiling a listing of blind
professinals, but I don't know what became of it.

Thanks if you can help me...sorry to bother you if you can't! :-)

Leah




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Subject: getting books on disk
From: betsym@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Betsy Meyer)


Books on Disk-
  We recently asked for input from other colleges/organizations represented
on the EASI maillist about how they handled obtaining books to be translated
into Braille or large print for blind/low vision students/clients.  We found
that most answers indicated that they are having as much trouble as we are.
So --- we now ask for your help, inspiration, names of people to contact,
etc.
  It has been suggested that RFB or LOC be our source for materials on disk.
 We already get what we can from them, BUT it takes them 6 months to a year
for them to get a book on disk, and if you are a student taking a class now,
 next year is a bit late to get the required reading.  We have also searched
the Internet for sources.  It helps some, but not for new texts, which
professors tend to use (many times their own writing).
   We would like publishers of texts expected to be used by colleges,
universities (even K-12 schools) to make those texts available to us on
disk in an ASCII or wordprocessing file which we could use in translations
for students with disabilities.  We would expect to pay for those disks -
but no more than the actual book costs - so the publishers wouldn't loose a
sale.  Those same books on disk could be purchased by the disabled to be
read by their own screen readers.  We think this is an area the publishing
field has not tapped and we wish to make them aware of it.
  Thanks for your help.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Betsy L. Meyer                     CAI Specialist                  +
+ Adaptive Technology Lab            Universtiy Illinois             +
+ Div. Rehab. Educ. Services,        e-mail: betsym@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu +
+ 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign         ph:217-333-7692                 +
+ ILLINOIS      61820                                                +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




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                 End of Issue # 1047 of the Blind News Digest

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