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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1081

                         Monday, September 26, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                Two New Products for Blind WordPerfect users
                  Re: Getting Employment With My Handicaps
                          blind dulcimer players???
                     Recommended large print size & font
                                Re: blindness
                    testing of blind university students
                                  Greetings
                                   General
                          post pediatric cataracts
                          Re: Truetype braille font


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thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: Two New Products for Blind WordPerfect users
From: pduran@world.std.com (Peter Duran)

Most persons in the blindness community use Wordperfect 5.1 or
WordPerfect 6.0 as the word processor of choice.  Tutorials on
WordPerfect 5.1 and 6.0 are available that address the special
needs of blind users.  These tutorials are provided in large
print, in Grade 2 braille, and in audio cassette form.

Now, a "converter" for WordPerfect 5.1 and 6.0 documents is
available that lets sighted and blind users braille WP documents
with the content and format intact!  This converter, called
wpbrl, lets users create braille materials quickly and simply.

Send e-mail to request a detailed brochure and prices on these
products. E-mail address:

pduran@world.std.com

Peter Duran



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Subject: Re: Getting Employment With My Handicaps
From: lmaschm@cms.cc.wayne.edu (Lee Maschmeyer)

Howard Miller wrote:-----------------------------------------------------


Hi!

I am a deaf-blind man with a physical handicap.  I use a braille display
and a 486 computer.  I'm interested in finding employment that uses my
skills or something I can train for.

Any ideas?  I really don't know how to go about this.  I'm from New York.

Thanks.
--



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-

A story I heard on the radio that made a bigger impression on me than
almost anything else in my life was that of a blind woman with a PhD in
music.  Although there are a fair number of piano teachers among the blind,
there are almost no blind people working in advanced fields in music.  So,
when she graduated, she faced a serious employment problem.

She sent out resumes--two or three resumes a day, five or more days a week,
for three years.  She sent out somewhere between 1200 and 1500 resumes.
From these, she got seven job interviews.  From these, she got one job
offer.  She took it.

The place where this country has failed most disastrously is in giving
people the skills, the psychological resilience, to undergo such a grueling
experience.  I know I could not have done it before hearing this story, and
maybe not since.  Nevertheless, the way to get a job is to look, long
enough and hard enough.  If you doubt this, consider its corollary: The way
to not get a job is to not look.  You can question the percentages of the
first, but there is no questioning the percentage of the second.

So, choose a field that you can do.  Qualify yourself in every way for that
field.  Don't cut corners in training.  Then, look, and look, and look, and
don't quit, until you find somebody somewhere who will hire you.  Remember,
there is no such thing as unemployment; there is only employment in the job
of getting a job.  It's hard as heck, and unfortunately most people do not
consider it a reasonable expectation; but it's the way to get it done.

*------------------------+---------------------------*
| Lee Maschmeyer         | lmaschm@cms.cc.wayne.edu  |
| 103 Computing Center   | (313)577-0741             |
| Wayne State University |                           |
| Detroit, Mi 48202      | Home: (810)545-0170       |
*------------------------+---------------------------*



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Subject: blind dulcimer players???
From: dperez@eis.calstate.edu (David)
Organization: California Technology Project of The Calif State Univ

Recently, I have decided to branch out in my musical capacities. I want
to learn to play a new instrument such as a dulcimer or dobro. I would
also like to learn the hammered dulcimer but am a little curious as to
whether any blind people have been able to do this successfully. Does
anybody play or does any body know a blind hammered dulcimer player.
No, if there isn't, don't put it past me to try anyway, but I'mjust
curious whether it's been attempted.
Thanks
Rusty


--
I refuse to disclaim anything!
Anything and everything I say is a product of  everything and everyone I
have ever been  associated with
David (Rusty) Perez (dperez@ctp.org)
"If there's no bottom in your eyes, they hold more."
--Hazel Motes



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Subject: Recommended large print size & font
From: bweaver@worf.infonet.net (David Morris)
Organization: INS Info Services

I am the Pastor of a pair of small churches with aging membership eyes.
No one has mentioned it yet, but I am interested in offering a large
print version of our bulletin and words to our hymns for those who find
the sometimes small print difficult to read and decipher.

What do I need to be aware of concerning the size and shape of the type
face for such an edition?

Are there other factors I need to consider as well (white space between
letters and lines, etc.)

Hope someone could help, or at least point me to other sources that would
be helpful. Thank you.

--
+-+ David Morris  bweaver@worf.infonet.net  Green Mountain, Iowa +---------+
|     Do you have a body? Don't sit on the porch!                          |
|     Go out and walk in the rain!                - Kabir                  |
+-------Disclaimer: My computer is not responsible for my mistakes.--------+



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Subject: Re: blindness
From: malleck@netcom.com (George S Malleck)

My father, who is 72, was just told by his doctor that there is
nothing to be done about his failing vision, due, I'm told, to hardening
of the blood vessels in the eye.  He can now read only outside in the
bright sunlight.  Needless to say, he is quite upset, and we in the
family feel quite helpless about what to do.  I am looking for advise.
Thanks.  George

                                             malleck@netcom.com




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Subject: testing of blind university students
From: brill@ds5500.cc.boun.edu.tr (Arlene Brill)

CAN YOU HELP?

Since this university follows an American model (more or less) we are
very interested in learning the guidelines for testing proceedures for
our blind students.  Please, when making suggestions, remember that we do
not have much technology available here.  There are an Arkenstone scanner,
a Juliette brailler and two Perkins typewriters available in the
library, however, they are not functioning properly hence, no one can use
them (not even the students).  Some students have Braille n' Speaks...but
most don't even have Handi recorders. I don't know how they do it!  We
educators have to be as fair as possible when testing these kids...I don't
think they are getting an even break.  What are TOEFL guidelines for the
blind like-what alternative methods exist for "primitive" testing
proceedures-how can we be fair and at the same time correctly assess our
students progress?

Thanks in advance.
Arlene C. BRILL
School of Foreign Languages
Bogazici University




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Subject: Greetings
From: sjoehl@rci.ripco.com (Samuel Joehl)


Hello.  I just joined the blind news digest, and am looking
forward to reading it.  My name is Sam.  I am totally blind, and
I am currently a senior at New Trier High School in Illinois.
I am fully mainstreamed with vision services from an itenerant teacher.
I'm using my school-bought Keynote Gold Toshiba T1000LE and a
loaned Hayes 14.4 modem to get on the Internet.  Interests include
wrestling, jazz (I play alto sax in the school jazz and symphonic
bands), and
amateur radio.  I am starting to look at colleges and the
appropriate adaptive equipment I'll need there, so any good
suggestions would be much appreciated.  I'd also like to
hear from any other teens in this group, and I'm also interested
in creating art using braille.  Well, that's all for now.  I'll
be looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say.  Also, if
you  know the email addresses for Chris Redski with
the Illinois DORS or Beth Krueger with Harper College, I'd
appreciate those as well.  Take care.  Sam
sjoehl@rci.ripco.com



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Subject: General
From: C9303058@cc.newcastle.edu.au


Hello everybody,

Re Computerized Books For the Blind.

I have been given a 1991 application form.  As a student, I am very
interested in joining CBFB.  Could somebody please tell me if the 1991
application form is still valid.  Also, could someone please advise me
about current fees and how payment details are handled.


Re the Rose Reader.

Does it provide an 80 by 25 braille display window?  I would like to be
able to access CASE tools such as Ascent or Accelerator.  As well as the
inherent difficulties associated with products running under windows,
there are the structured diagramming facilities such as Data Flow diagrams
and/or ER diagrams to deal with. A full screen tactile display would greatly
assist in this area.

One more thing!  Could anyone please help me with a mailing address or
internet address to the National Braille Association in Rodchester New York,
and/or, the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London.


Thank you to everyone who takes the time to supply information to this group.
It is an excellent communications medium.

Stewart.




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Subject: post pediatric cataracts
From: spcampbe@wheel.ucdavis.edu (Sean Campbell)

hello,
my five month old son has been diagnosed as having bilateral cataracts.
He has had surgery to remove one of the cataracts and will be soon having
surgery to remove the remaining.  My wife and I would like to find
resources that would inform us about visual rehabilitation and/or those
that have had similar experiences.  Please e-mail any hints, thoughts,
etc. to me at the address below

Sincerly,

******************************
* Sean Campbell              *
* spcampbe@wheel.ucdavis.edu *
* Davis Community Network    *
******************************






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Subject: Re: Truetype braille font
From: kemp@resptk.bhp.com.au (Ian P Kemp)

> Does anybody know of a Truetype Braille font that contains all 63 Braille
> cell combinations? I have one font called BRF_____.TTF, but it only
> contains the 26 letters. There is also an ATM font called BRAILLE1, but
> it also has only the 26 cells.
>
> Any help will be much appreciated
>
> Mike Thompson
>
Mike, I am mailing to you a truetype font for the pc, which was produced
by John Barrett-Lennard of W.A., which contains all 64 characters.  the
character assignments are those used by the 'dotmaster' transcription
program.  John is currently producing a font using the character
assignments used by 'duxbury', and also has Mac versions of both fonts.
The font also has cells mapped for the extended ascii characters, so you
can view word documents containing accented characters.

If anyone would like a copy of either font please mail me, kemp@resptk.bhp.
com.au or john, jbl@uniwa.uwa.edu.au.

---Ian Kemp---




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                 End of Issue # 1081 of the Blind News Digest

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