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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 916

                            Monday, May 10, 1993

Today's Topics:


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                            Fax conversion utilty
                          Re: new notobook availabl
                Windows, Braille and Speech at BayTalk in May
                   Re: advice on buying a reading system?
                             norton utilities 7
                                  database
                          Re: Brail from Computer??
                            Conferences Planned ?
                            Labels for Diskettes
                          Re: Brail from Computer??
                              Re: scanner info
                      Re: Why Not "Visually Oriented?"


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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 337-1518



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Subject: Fax conversion utilty
From: David.Bond@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org (David Bond)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/810.0 - Electronic Library, Denver CO


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Does anyone know of a speech friendly conversion utility to convert
a non-pcx or non-tif Fax image file into PCX or TIF or some other
common image file that I can then scan to be able to read?  I have
the Dosfax package that is quite simple to send Fax's with, but
receiving, actually translating, the received fax is not so simple
with the program.  It has the capibility to convert into PCX or TIF
or whatever, but this part of the program is not very speech
friendly.  Even my sighted wife and I had difficulty (actually we
had a minor fight and didn't even get the job done!) trying to use
it!  There is a program called "FAX Grabber" from Calera that I
have heard about, but supposedly it's around 100 to 150 dollars.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Dave

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!810.0!David.Bond
Internet: David.Bond@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: new notobook availabl
From: Les.Kriegler@f207.n2613.z1.fidonet.org (Les Kriegler)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2613/207 - The Recovery Room, Rochester NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi Eric.  First of all, my assertion that you will pay $1000 extra for
 internal speech system may be high.  I was referring to a 486-based system.  I
 think $500 minimum, however is certainly accurate.  From what I know, the
 Toshibas are your best bet if you wish internal speech.  I just saw a listing
for one for $1500 plus tax which is a 386 SX system, 20 Megahurtz, 2 megs of
 RAM and an 80 Megabyte harddisk.  You then must add speech card and software
 which will run close to another thousand.  I sincerely doubt you will find a
 new system with speech for $1000; at least not now.  Most of the companies
 selling adaptive equipment will gladly package notebooks, speech software and
speech boards.  I do believe you will get more for your money if you are
 willing to work with an external synthesizer, as it gives you more choice of
 notebooks, but that's really a personal decision.  Many would not wish to
 carry an extra piece of hardware, no matter how small it is.  Hope this helps.
 Les

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2613!207!Les.Kriegler
Internet: Les.Kriegler@f207.n2613.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Windows, Braille and Speech at BayTalk in May
From: janina@netcom.com (Janina Sajka)
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)

The leading edge in access technology for blind computer users is
coming to BayTalk on Tuesday, 18 May.  Jerry Kuns and
Peter Cantisani of Humanware will answer questions and demonstrate
Humanware's latest product which incorporates:

*    BRAILLE output from the Alva Refreshable Braille Display;

*    SPEECH output from Software Windows Bridge by Syntha
     Voice and Humanware's own Master Touch Gold speech
     synthesis system, and, of course;

*    WINDOWS 3.1 from Microsoft.

BayTalk Computer Users Group is a peer support and educational
organization focusing on the I/O needs of blind, low-vision, and
otherwise physically disabled people.  Our "Braille and Speech
Windows" meeting will begin at 6 PM on Tuesday, 18 May, at the
Sun Peking Restaurant, 2068 Center St., one-half block west of the
BART station, in downtown Berkeley.  The restaurant is wheelchair
accessible, though its bathrooms are not.

Blind people have made tremendous gains using adapted computer
technology.  Many of us now fear these gains will be eroded as the
world adopts graphical user interfaces.  Get a feel of your future
computer interface at BayTalk in May.  Interface with the present
reality with two leading experts in adaptive interfaces for blind
and low-vision computer users.  Come experience the accessible edge
with this leading edge adaptive package from Humanware.

Join us for dinner and the Concorde Class of refreshable
iconography on Tuesday, 18 May at 6 PM.  We meet at the Sun Peking
Restaurant, 2068 Center Street, one-half block west of the Bart
station, in recursive downtown Berkeley.

                    Janina Sajka, President
                    BayTalk Computer Users Group




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Subject: Re: advice on buying a reading system?
From: lazzaro@world.std.com (Joe Lazzaro)
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA




You might want to look seriously at the Oscar scanner from Telesensory
of Mountain View California. Oscar is MS DOS based, and uses the HP
line of scanners.

I'd avoid the Arkenstone scanners until  they are compatible with
programs like Window Bridge.

Also, Xerox Imaging Systems of Peabody Massachusetts has a new
software-based OCR package that runs under MS DOS on 386 platforms
with 8MB memory. I've heard good things about it.

Joe Lazzaro





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Subject: norton utilities 7
From: dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)


What speech synthesizer package and software are you using?
If it's tinytalk 1.45 I may have some experiments for you to try.

<dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>
j. DaShiell
Naval Air Warfare Center
Aircraft Division Warminster
Street and Jacksonville Roads
Warminster, PA   18974-5000
(215)-441-2229




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Subject: database
From: dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)

There sure is, and what's more the same company makes
a speech friendly spreadsheet program.
The database program is called file express by expressware of
Redwood, WA.  You just have to start it up with the /sl
command line switch then it does all slow screen writes and will talk on
any speech synthesizer.
Their spreadsheet is called expresscalc.  Price for each is $75 for the
registered versions.

<dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>
j. DaShiell
Naval Air Warfare Center
Aircraft Division Warminster
Street and Jacksonville Roads
Warminster, PA   18974-5000
(215)-441-2229




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Subject: Re: Brail from Computer??
From: A.Stone@bradford.ac.uk (Alex Stone)
Organization: University of Bradford, UK

It involves placing half a bicycle inner tube instead of the
printer's platten.  print quality is a bit crap and it does the
paper no favours either!

Alex Stone





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Subject: Conferences Planned ?
From: Z_STAFF_CL@SOUTHAMPTON-INSTITUTE.AC.UK (Carol L)


Bill,
I am hoping you can help.

Do you know of any conferences dealing with software or hardware for
blind/visually impaired computer users that are planned in the next 18
months or so ?
Or where / who I can get the info from in the next few days ?

Thanks

Carol L





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Subject: Labels for Diskettes
From: VCOOK%VTVM2.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU (Virgil Cook)


The choices for labeling disks that I'm seeing on this echo are,
for the most part, expensive.  I have a six-line, 19-cell- slate
that I bought from Howe Press several years ago for $18.  The
slate has a slot at both ends of the second row of cells.  You
can thread Dymo Tape (available from the American Foundation for
the Blind) through the slots, write your label, use a pair of
scissors to cut the label to the required length.  Some can peel
off the backing with their fingernails, but I can't--old nails
get thick; I use the blade of my trusty Swiss Army Knife.  I've
used the labels on both 5.25 and 3.5-inch diskettes.  I label
some 40 or 50 students' disks per semester.  I would be unwilling
to pay more than a few cents per disk.  The labels work fine, and
I've never caught a piece of tape in a drive.  Keep the label as
close as possible to the part of the disk that is nearest to you
when you insert the disk into the drive.  For 5.25's, I put the
label on the back side; the tape is just the right width to work
well on the border of the disk.

The tape also works well for CD boxes and the touch pads on
microwaves.  Besides, you have a handy six-line slate to keep in
a pocket or briefcase for taking notes on four-by-six-inch note
cards.  Of course, there was the secretary who, when I asked her
for a package of such cards--said, "They don't have any lines on
them."


                                ******
***
| Virgil A. Cook                   VOICE  703-231-6568                  |
| DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH            FAX    703-231-5692                  |
| Virginia Tech                     E-MAIL-                             |
| Williams Hall                        Internet: VCOOK@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU  |
| BLACKSBURG, VA  24061-0112           BITNET: VCOOK@VTVM2.BITNET       |

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***




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Subject: Re: Brail from Computer??
From: lazzaro@world.std.com (Joe Lazzaro)
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA




Arts Computer Products of Cambridge Massachusetts used to sell a
program to print braille on a letter-quality printer (daisy wheel
type) by using the period "." key over and over.
The printer had to be modified with a spongy platen to accomplish
this.




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Subject: Re: scanner info
From: greglo@MICROSOFT.COM (Greg Lowney)

[Note from Bill McGarry: This is from the BLIND-L mailing list.]

The following are descriptions of the screen readers that are
released or announced for Microsoft Windows 3.1.  This is public info.
(There are others which are still more or less confidential.)

Product:    SLIMWARE Window Bridge
From:       Syntha-voice Computers Inc.
            125 Gailmont Drive
            Hamilton, Ontario, L8K 4B8
            Canada
Phone:      800-263-4540 (Orders and Product Support)
            416-578-0565 (General Inquiries & main number)
Fax:        416-578-0625
BBS:        416-578-5183
Price:      $695
Status:     Available since July 1992.  Current version is 1.2.
Notes:      Requires hardware speech synthesizer or Braille display.


Product:    WinVision
From:       Artic Technologies
            55 Park Street
            Troy, MI 48083
Phone:      313-588-7370
Fax:        313-588-2650
BBS:        313-588-1424
Price:      not yet determined
Status:     In beta test as of May 1993
Notes:      Current beta works as an interface to Artic Business Vision,
            so will work on any system supported by that product.


Product:    outSPOKEN for Windows
From:       Berkeley Systems, Inc.
            1700 Shattuck Avenue
            Berkeley, CA 94709
Phone:      510-540-5535
Fax:        510-540-5115
Price:      not yet determined
Status:     will enter beta in Spring 1993
Notes:      Unclear what h/w will be supported in first version.
            Based on Berkeley's GUI Access Toolkit, which is available
            for third party developers who wish to build screen readers
            or other utilities.


Product:    Pro-Talk for Windows
From:       Biolink Computer Research & Development, Ltd.
            4770 Glenwood Ave
            North Vancouver, CB C7R 4G8
            Canada
phone:      604-984-4099
fax:        604-985-8493
Price:      $85 for demo version; $895 for full product
Status:     will enter beta in Spring 1993
Notes:      It will work with any sound card supported by Windows.
            It may also work with hardware speech synthesizers.


Product:    Screen Reader/2
From:       IBM
phone:      800-426-4382 (to locate an IBM Special Needs Marketing Specialist)
phone:      800-IBM-3333 (to locate your nearest IBM Branch Office)
Price:      $723
Status:     upgrade with decent Windows 3.1 application support will be
            released in late March 1993
Notes:      It requires a hardware speech synthesizer.
            Screen Reader/2 runs on IBM OS/2 2.0, and can be used with both
            OS/2 and Windows 3.x applications.
            An external keypad for controlling SRD/2 is optional.






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Subject: Re: Why Not "Visually Oriented?"
From: janina@netcom.com (Janina Sajka)
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)

In article <29022@handicap.news> Ann.Stalnaker@f2120.n124.z1.fidonet.org writes:
>Index Number: 29022
>
>Then I began to think of the wondrous mountains I had visited this past
>summer in my old home of Montana, of being able to drive, of being able
>to read lips, speak and sign language, of being able to read phone messages
>on my TDD, of seeing a light go on when someone knocks at my door.
>
>I began to think, because of my sight, I can function pretty damn well
>in this auditory world -- I'm pretty visually oriented.  Hmmmm.  VISUALLY
>ORIENTED.  That's not a negative term.  It means I am focusing on my visual
>strength and not my auditory weakness.  Why not call myself "visually
>oriented" instead of "hearing impaired?"  It would seem, in this politically
>correct age, that the use of this term would be an acceptable alternative,
>and possibly help alleviate some of the quibbling between people with
>hearing loss as to how they want to be addressed.
>
Maybe we could even extrapolate this out to other disabilities:
>blind would be "auditory oriented" and deaf-blind would be "tactile
>oriented."  So, is this a viable alternative or is it just a coverup?
>Visually oriented.  WHY DON'T WE JUST SAY WE CAN'T HEAR?!

I think this suggestion has great merit.  As a blind woman, I am
quite comfortable with the notion of calling myself 'hearing
oriented' because that describes me very, very well.  I could even
compose an ode to my hearing as you have for your sight.

So, who are physically disabled people?  Cognitively disabled?
Wheel oriented?  Pictoraly cognitive?  Does that work?

I think it's important to be positive in our charcterizations of
ourselves when we can.  I think this is pretty easy with respect to
sensory abilities and disabilities.  But what if there aren't
acceptable images for people with other 'disabling' circumstances
in their lives?  Should we value some greater unity over an
individual group's ability to characterize itself in a superior
manner?  Or is this a non-issue?

Just some random thoughts on a Saturday morning.

                        Janina Sajka





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                 End of Issue # 916 of the Blind News Digest

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