🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1056

                           Tuesday, July 05, 1994

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                Re: Braille output devices for PC compatibles
                                access query
                              Position opening
                          Creative Labs blind proof
                       tinytalk and certain computers
                                   r.f.b.
                                  need info
                              Special Keyboards
                         Grade 2 braille crosswords


                                ******


To subscribe to the Blind News Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       uunet!bunker!wtm
INTERNET:   wtm@bunker.afd.olivetti.com
BITNET:     blindnws@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-926-6168
            (300 - 14,400 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



------



Subject: Re: Braille output devices for PC compatibles
From: jejanes@mtu.edu (Jeff E. Janes)
Organization: Michigan Technological University

I came up with these ideas for braille displays.  Have they been tried
before; and if not, do you think they would work?

Have a single cell (2x3 + probably a "border" to make it 4x5) that can
move in a 80-cell long line, which would know what location it was at
and represent whatever character was at that location.  Instead of
moving your finger across the braille, the cell would
move with your finger.  This could possibly be done with a 2-D system
that would be 80x25.

Another idea: have a mouse with a cell built into it (again probably
4X5), which would represent whatever is under the mouse pointer.

I also have some questions about braille reading.

How do you read with more than one finger at a time?  Do you read
a group of 3 letters, then skip over to read the next group? Or do you
scan smoothly across all the letters, reading each letter once with each
finger, so every letter is read 3 different times?

Would a braille-type cell be usefull at all in trying to read
graphical information?  I have heard of tactile paper that turns
lines in to raised ridges, but could a braille display also be used?

Jeff




------



Subject: access query
From: dmr@CHRISTA.UNH.EDU (David M Richman)

[This is from the EASI mailing list]

I have been dipping into and out of the easi and axs-lob lists from
a few months now.  If the answers to my query have been covered in
previous postings I have missed, pershaps someone would be good
enough to direct me to the appropriate information.  If not, I
would be grateful for any tips that an adaptive technologist or a
fellow visually impaired computer user could supply.

For ten years, I have been a happy taling Apple II user.  Now, at
the urging of my Department Chair, I am acquiring and learning a PC
with all the trimmings.  I have the stand-alone Arkenstone reading
machine, the Open Book, to which I have added a fullsize keyboard
and instaled Windowbridge, Ful Windows, and Microsoft Word.  I have
discovered that the Arkenstone folks built a HU2400 modem into the
system, and installed a terminal program called ProComm.  Has
anyone had any luck getting Procomm, with this particular modem
using Windowbridge as a screen access program, to communicate with
a university mainframe with access to the internet.  I get the
connection all right, but characters are dropped.  I can detect no
pattern in the dropped characters.  Reading the same file several
times, I will receive different dropped characters at each rading.
My setting are 2400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity,
active com port 3, Termian vt100 emulation.  If anyone can give me
advice about the correct settings, I would be most grateful.  Any
tips on getting Windowbridge to communicate with the Internet
would be thankfully received.

Happy independence day.

David Richman
University of New Hampshire




------



Subject: Position opening
From: 0011lc@informns.k12.mn.us (Cherie Peterson)

Anoka-Hennepin ISD #11 has a vacancy for a licensed vision teacher with
orientation/mobility certification.  Send letter of interest to the
Personnel Department at 11299 Hanson Blvd.  Coon Rapids, MN 55343

Cherie






------



Subject: Creative Labs blind proof
From: jims@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Jim Stevenson)

CL refuses to make their equipment accessible to the blind.  I am a
statistician and acoustics researcher employed by the NASA Ames
research center; I am also blind.  Over the last year, I have made
numerous attempts to get CL to sell me the manuals  DOS ASCII
format so my talking computer can read them to me.  They repeatedly
refused saying that this would help someone pirate their board.

On several national computer call-in shows I asked their marketing
representatives about this policy.  I explained that any company
selling equipment to the US  government is legally required to make
reasonable efforts to make their equipment accessible to the
handicapped.  After 3 such encounters, they sent me a disk labeled
"compel".  They would not let me distribute it to computerized
books for the blind.  They said that this was because it was an old
version of the sb16 manual.

After the CL marketing dept. indicated that the Singapore office
would supply the AWE 32 manuals in ASCII form NASA purchased the
board for my research.  After prolonged negotiation, the Singapore
office will not state when or wether they will supply the manuals
in ASCII.  They now refuse to supply the software developement kit
(SDK) manuals in ASCII.

This policy is obviously hurting my ability to do research for NASA
as well as other blind scientists and musicians.  With such a
policy I believe that it is illegal for the government to continue
buying their boards.  /* I am not speaking for the government */
Perhaps the Singapore office doesn't like white canes :)

I encourage everyone to do what they can to influence CL to correct
this policy.  Their # is 800 998 1000. Their compuserve forum is go
blaster.  The compuserve address of their representative is
72662,1602.


Media vision and gravis DO supply their manuals in ASCII.  Please
distribute this to all who may help.


                                Dr. Jim Stevenson
                                415 604 5720






------



Subject: tinytalk and certain computers
From: dashiell@nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)


the amibios computers and tinytalk are incompatible.
Reason is there are two i.r.q. fights going on every time
tinytalk is started up for the soundblaster.
The i.r.q.'s in question are 0 and 1.

What I want to know is if the doubletalk synthesizer software
also uses irq 0 and irq 1.
If so buying another synthesizer doesn't get anything done and
we'll have to have irq.s moveable in the future for tinytalk.

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




------



Subject: r.f.b.
From: dashiell@nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)


That's 2 weeks to 6 months as I remember it.
Even with that much time if computer books are
to be recorded best be prepared to have to get the book
remastered since readers often spend inordinate amounts of time describing
totally irrelevant features and leaving others out.
For instance the r.f.b. has readers reading
the books on C programming that when talking
about file interfacing as in using the FILE descriptor
neglect to mention that FILE must appear in all
uppercase letters or the program won't work.
Fortunately I bought a copy of the C programming language 1st
edition from national braille press so have cross references
to check against but not everybody is that fortunate.

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




------



Subject: need info
From: LyndaS@edc.org (Lynda)


hi everyone,

my name is lynda and i'm new to blind news. i joined on behalf of
my mother who is 80 and suffering macula degeneration. altho she
will most likely not go totally blind, she is legally blind in both
eyes. she's had only peripheral vision in her right eye for about
15 years. but suddenly around christmas she began to suffer
degeneration in her left eye. now she can no longer read normal
print and has had to cancel numerous subscriptions. she is very
frustrated as reading has always been a passion of hers.

i have noticed discussions about synthesizers on this list. i have
a mac lc2 at home. could i find something for her that will
"talk/read" to her? i know i can get talking books, but i thought
something more interactive would be better.  she's very active,
vital, youthful, etc. but she is mourning her eyesight. i'd love to
hear from anyone with info. and please excuse me if this has been
posted/discussed before. as i said, i'm new. . .  ; >

thanx,

st.j

p.s. is there an faq listing? thanx!




------



Subject: Special Keyboards
From: earlj@kdat.Eng.Sun.COM (Earl Johnson)

> I have a customer who has hired a visually impaired person, they are
> looking for a black keyboard with white letters.  Any ideas on somewhere
> I could send the customer?

   I received this request from one of our field sales engineers here
   at Sun. The only thing I can think of is to place black plastic with
   white lettering over the keycaps.
        Does anyone know of a keyboard out there that offers a black
        keyboard with white letters (it can be an IBM keyboard, we have
        an adaptor) or where to buy a black plastic with white lettering
        type solution?

Please contact me directly and thank you in advance.

Earl
earl.johnson@eng.sun.com




------



Subject: Grade 2 braille crosswords
From: kemp@scpdrtc.bhp.com.au (Ian P Kemp)



I have produced some braille crosswords for a friend, with the solutions to
be inserted in grade 2 braille.  If you would like to try a crossword, please
mail me...

--Ian--        kemp@scpdrtc.bhp.com.au





------






                                ******

                 End of Issue # 1056 of the Blind News Digest

                                ******