🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1139

                           Monday, April 17, 1995

Today's Topics:


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                     Windots software on Novell Network
                             Cursor enlargement
                    Question: uncorrected...legally blind
                              Megadots anyone?
                              more net graphics
                          AFB Job Announcement NYC
                      introduction & a request for info
                            old Vocal-Eyes files?
                      Re: Adobe/NetScape press release
                       AOL with Windows and OutSpoken


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thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: Windots software on Novell Network
From: williamsjnj@cix.compulink.co.uk (John Williams)



One of my colleagues is blind, and has been using the Windots package
with his Braillex display. Everything works ok when he's in
standalone mode, but whenever he tries to connect to our Novell
Netware 3.11 network, the Windots software hangs. Is anyone else
successfully using this combination ?

Thanks in advance

John




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Subject: Cursor enlargement
From: pwood6676@aol.com (PWood6676)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

In Windows, I enlarge the cursor partly by using mouse trails on.
Select control panel, mouse and then "x" it on. Produces a brief trail of
mouse arrows as you move mouse and then collapses to an arrow when you
stop.

Pc Wood



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Subject: Question: uncorrected...legally blind
From: heinrich@teleport.com (Anna Heinrich)
Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access (503) 220-1016

I just recently found out that uncorrected (without my glasses on) I'm
considered legally blind.  Can anyone help me out with the following
questions?  Thanks in advance, you can e-mail me at heinrich@teleport.com


 -  Regarding the surgury available for nearsightedness, is it worthwhile
for my condition and will it fix my astigmatisim?

 -  Are there any government program available to me and how do I get
involved with them?

 -  Are there many people in my same situation and how can I get ahold of them?



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Subject: Megadots anyone?
From: sam.amsler@aus.sig.net (sam amsler)
Organization: Capital Metro

Anyone using Megadots?
I notice that one of the items on wish list is spreadsheet
file importation.
Anyone working with file importing into any braille translation software?



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Subject: more net graphics
From: senkmj@ptbma.usbm.gov (Mark J. Senk WB3CAI)



"3-D" IMAGERY ON THE NET
Virtual chat environments are the next fad on the Net, with Knowledge
Adventure Worlds' debut of its Worlds Chat expected this week.  Rather than
exchanging tidy little e-mail messages, users will be able to converse in a
simulated 3-D setting of mountains, spaceships and convention centers.
Users select photo-realistic images to represent themselves, choosing among
pictures of chess pieces, real people or even a blowfish.  "We're doing this
to change the way people communicate with each other," says Knowledge
Worlds' general manager.  "I see this as stealing half an hour away from
watching TV reruns."  Meanwhile, CompuServe and Fujitsu are planning a
somewhat similar service called Worlds Away.  (Wall Street Journal 4/3/95 B2)
the above from EduPage,  Mark




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Subject: AFB Job Announcement NYC
From: afbinfo@afb.org (Information Center (AFB))
Organization: Interport Communications




                     AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND


A non-profit organization founded in 1921 and recognized as Helen
Keller's cause in the United States, the American Foundation for
the Blind (AFB) is a leading national resource for people who are
blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them,
and the general public.  The mission of the American Foundation
for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually
impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will
ensure freedom of choice in their lives.

AFB has an immediate opening for the following:


PERSONNEL ASSISTANT - FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP

Reports to Director, Personnel Department.  Provides secretarial
and administrative support for Personnel Department, including
typing, filing, mailing, and compilation of statistical reports.
Coordinates completion of employment forms and requests for
employment information.  Tracks and records employees' and
retirees' eligibility for benefits, distributes and collects
enrollment information, provides liaison with insurance company
representatives in resolving claims problems.  Processes
department's accounts payable, checking invoices for accuracy and
preparing check requests, including bills for insurance premiums,
garnishments, employment agency fees, and other personnel and
payroll related invoices.  Qualifications include:  high school
diploma or equivalent; proficiency in Wordperfect 5.1 required,
spreadsheet and database skills a plus; ability to communicate
well with a wide variety of people; professional judgement to act
in the absence of direct supervision when necessary.  Salary in
the mid 20's.

Contact:  Kelly Bleach
          11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
          New York, NY 10001
          Fax:  212-502-7777

PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND BY E-MAIL.

                        EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER







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Subject: introduction & a request for info
From: brass@zeune.br.schule.de

Hi all,

After reading the first couple of isssues of the blindnews digest
which I found extremely informative and enjoyable, I woould like
to briefly introduce myself Since I am new to this list.
I am totally blind because of glaucoma.  I work at a business
school for the blind teaching English, social studies and
information technology and as a resource teacher for mainstreamed
visually impaired kids in the Berlin school system.  I also do
consulting work in access technology.

One of my major interests is accessibility of computers and
printed materials for the visually impaired.  As a board member of
one of the major selfhelp movements of the blind in Germany and as
the co-founder of a user group of visually impaired computer users
in the german speaking countries with presently about 450 members,
I try to actively persue these topics.

I am going to make my debut on this list with a request.  I am
looking for information or sources thereof on aspects and
problems of the social integration of visually impaired children
and youths attending regular schools.  We are trying to gather
information not just for our colleagues here in Berlin but for
resource teachers all over Germany.  Since I am blind myself,
information about material in a digital format would be
particularly welcome.

Thanks in advance and best regards

Peter

--
Peter Brass, Johann-August-Zeune-Schule fuer Blinde, Rothenburgstr. 14
D-12165 Berlin, germany. CIS: 100270,3235




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Subject: old Vocal-Eyes files?
From: G6JPG@soft255.demon.co.uk ("J. P. Gilliver")
Organization: 255 software


We have a very old version of Vocal-Eyes, but it works well, and to upgrade is
rather expensive. Trouble is, various .SET (configuration) files we have been
given or have found are for later versions, and don't load. Is there any way
either to convert backwards, or to find old versions? (Our .SET files that DO
work are 710 bytes big.)
--
J. P. Gilliver (John); also G6JPG @ GB7NNA on the amateur radio packet network.
I am what I am, and what I am needs no excuses.
`Ergonomic' =/= `dext-handed'.                  (g6jpg@gec-mrc.co.uk at work.)
The summit of Everest is marine limestone.



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Subject: Re: Adobe/NetScape press release
From: G6JPG@soft255.demon.co.uk ("J. P. Gilliver")
Organization: 255 software

[Note from Bill McGarry:  If this press release was not relevent,
my apologies.]

I am a little puzzled (and irritated on behalf of the blind person I pass the
digest on to) why someone posted this LONG press release. I skimmed it, and
found very little that seemed relevant to us; I also found the repeated "aren't
we great" rather irritating!
--
J. P. Gilliver (John); also G6JPG @ GB7NNA on the amateur radio packet network.
I am what I am, and what I am needs no excuses.
`Ergonomic' =/= `dext-handed'.                  (g6jpg@gec-mrc.co.uk at work.)
The summit of Everest is marine limestone.



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Subject: AOL with Windows and OutSpoken
From: rmarriag@dialin.ind.net (Ron Marriage)

Hello K7,

I'd like to make a few comments on the AOL interface with OutSpoken.
for Windows.

>First of all, I had to unload OSW and run SETUP "blind" or it locked up.

I had installed AOL before getting Outspoken so can't say anything about this.

>Then once loaded I discovered I had to run AOL to its WELCOME window first
>and then go back to my APPLICATIONS GROUP and run OSW by hand in order to
>keep both running and speech going.

I'm not sure what caused this. If it was during the prime time hours AOL is
very busy and the response time can be pretty bad. They claim to be fixing this
but it is a great problem for the blind who operate through about three layers
of program to get to it. During late evening or late night hours this doesn't
 seem
to be a problem. I do have some trouble with some dialogue boxes but this
seems to be a problem with outspoken and appears in many applications.

>Once logged on there is the most amazing array of NEW ICONS ever imagined.

Naming the icons on the main menu is an option. Their are maybe eight or
ten. The best thing to do is go to the options menu and turn off "Go to Main
Menu."  This elimenates all that clutter and noise. Keep track of the keywords
to get to your favorite spots and add them to the custom list off the main menu.
This means that with just the press of a hot key you can go to any of your
favorite spots, forums, libraries, newsgroups. Etc.

>And it kept doing this thing where they say it's loading new
>graphics to my system. But between these loads my hard drive kept running

The software that you get from AOL or in many books, magazines, or with
a new modem does not contain all the programming that has changed since
that release. The first time you sign on it has to load those changes made plus
a group of changes made to program files.  Usually afer the first time you will
encounter the "Updating Files" message only now and then and it will last only
a minute or less.  Using a 14.4 modem does help in this. Most people on AOL
are still at 2400 and this can take two or three minuts.

>and running and running and there wasn't an Energizer Hare anywhere.  Does
>anyone recall the old gossip about Prodigy supposedly downloading what was
>on your system while you were online with them? (No varification of this
>rumor ever came my way.) Well, that's sure what this system looked like
>tonight.  It said it would take 2-3 minutes to download these new graphics
>to my system and 10+ minutes later it was still going at it with its
>intermittant Dialog Boxes telling me that's what it wa doing. Pretty scary!

Hope that was a joke, AOL has enough files without trying to gather them
from you and me. <G>
Because it was the first time there were probably more than normal upgrades.
Each one is set so that many people signing on everyday would only encounter
a small time involved in getting upgraded. The first time you get everything up
 to
that point at one time. Also if you go to a new area that you have never been
before and there were changes it will update those. Not all upgrades are
graphic. Many menus or content change when companies or moderators find
that their are demands for more or changes in layouts.

>The original load was said to take 2.5 MB on my system and these graphics it
>gave me subsequently were supposed to take very little space according to
>their dialog boxes.  Well it got well over 6 MB of my disk. ERASE *u c* comes
>next.

The original disk should take about 2.5 Meg of space. But this isn't the
 complete
program. After some time using and playing with AOL my directory listing of AOL
and it's subdirectories is a bit over 4.5 megs, but this includes some files
 that I
have downloaded and not removed.

>The sad part is they have a whole load of magazines online that I'd really
>like to be able to read. They have Time, Consumer Reports, Woman's Day, PC
>World, and many more.  But just getting a peek took nearly half an hour and
>once the peek was started there was no stopping it for another 10 minutes.

Give it another try. The second time you won't be going into the areas for the
first time and so won't get all the updating messages. I know they are a pain.
Especially with speech. When ever one of those  *@$#&(%  things come up
my cursor disapears and I have to look for it again.  But once at the magazine
of your choice the reading is fine. AOL has a fantastic selection of magazines
and other resources.  For people without internet capability and desire the
E-Mail and usergroups AOL and a Windows screen reader can be just the
ticket.


>My conclusion - unless AOL comes up with a TEXT interface, it's not for me
>even though I have access to WINDOWS.

It would be nice but will never happen. The number of blind using AOL is
minimal because of access and bad reviews by other blind.  There are other
blind users of AOL but like me before I got a Windows screen reader they do
everything with addon programs that allow them to read and write mail offline,
download forums and files from files they create in dos and then they read the
 mail
downloaded with a dos reader. Some of these are WaolX and Way2Go.
I have been a member of AOL for over 3 years and before getting an internet
PPP account, AOL was my only road into the internet information highway. <G>
I am totally blind and used the addons up until about 6 months ago when I
 started
using a Windows Screen Reader. (OutSpoken)

I would love to see more of the blind on AOL so that we might approach them
as some united group. AOL has a very flexible forum setting and almost any
group can create and begin a forum, chat rooms, and libraries.
AOL is not easy, it won't be the first time or two. It is all new land to cover,
 but
with use comes familiarity and it can be a pretty nice place to visit.

Ron
 -------------------------------------
Ron Marriage            04/07/95   20:20:05
               E-Mail -   rmarriag@dialin.ind.net
                               ronmarriag@aol.com
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                 End of Issue # 1139 of the Blind News Digest

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