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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1100

                          Friday, December 16, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                       BLIND PERSON NEEDS JOB, BOSTON
                      PC screen enlargers and readers.
                     Queensland Blind Industrial Centre
                      Reading system information needed
                          online talking newspapers
                                   nlender
                        Articles on Artificial Sight


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Subject: BLIND PERSON NEEDS JOB, BOSTON
From: cammot@aol.com (CAMMOT)
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)

I am posting this message for a blind friend of mine currently a student
at Boston college, also soon to transfer to Boston University.  This
person is looking for a job, will consider any kind of work, cleaning etc.
 The location should idealy be near a subway station.

Any ideas or suggestions, please respond to me directly.

Thanks

regards,

Ben



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Subject:  PC screen enlargers and readers.
From: JOHNSONE@axe.humboldt.edu




I have a visually impaired friend who does not have access to
Internet who is negotiating for a job as an area coordinator
for a glaucoma society in the San Francisco area.

She expects to be accessing on line a fund raising data base
using a program called
                         RAISERS EDGE
using the communications software
                          PCANYWHERE
a screen enlarger or a screen reader.  She is currently
favoring either LPDOS or ZOOMTEXT.

The only program of the group that I have used is ZOOMTEXT.
I find it usually works well but is incompatible with some
programs.  If anyone has experience with these programs or
other screen enlargers please let me or Willow Dean know.

Willow Dean
913 A Street
Arcata, CA  95521

(707)826-7039

Edwin H Johnson

e-mail           johnsone@axe.humboldt.edu

Snail mail       4055 Hensley Road
                 McKinleyville, CA  95521-9413

Voice mail      (707)  839-0761  3 Minutes  24 Hours

Voice            (707) 839-0761 7 p. m. to 9 p. m. Pacific
                       (usually)




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Subject: Queensland Blind Industrial Centre
From: A.Vilkins@mailbox.uq.oz.au (Angela Vilkins)

Hi!

My name is Dene and I work at the Queensland Blind Industrial Centre
(QBIC Industries) in Queensland, Australia.  The centre has focussed on
getting blind and vision-impaired people into open employment over the
past five years without much success.  It is now concentrating on becoming a
supported business service as well as vocational training centre.

QBIC has existed for over 100 years.  Traditionally it has had workshops
producing caneware and brushware.  These are currently in a run down
state and we have to look at rejuvenating these areas as well as
producing new goods.  The plastics business is one area we are looking
at.  We have tried enveloping and collating but are not fast enough to
make money.  We want to look at assembling and packaging on outwork
contracts.

We have twenty five vision impaired people at the centre of varying ages
and some with multiple disabilities who are integrated within the
workshops.  We intend taking on new people in 1995 but we need more work!

Any advice, ideas, thoughts?  This is my wife's email address (Angela)

Thanks



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Subject: Reading system information needed
From: jorge@suneast.East.Sun.COM (Jorge (Hor-heh) Lach)



I'm trying to set up a reading system for my uncle, who is blind.
The main objective is to scan documents, and read them out loud to
him.

Some other requirements and ideas:

My uncle is 100% blind, adult professional - he does not read Braille

The language is Spanish

My uncle has secretarial staff that can do the scanning for him, so
that complete intellegence of the scanning portion to detect text
flows is not absolutely necessary. However, if it can be operated
independently by my uncle, it would be much better.

An optimal solution would be around a notebook PC which would be
used at his office to scan documents in and process them. Then he
can carry the notebook without the scanner with the processed
documents stored in his hard disk, and play them back at will at
home. A solution that does not give him mobility would also be
acceptable if it can't be done any other way

A useful feature would be to read out loud documents or data out of a word
processor or spreadsheet.



I've spoken to a company called Arkenstone which seems to offer
software that does this. One confusing aspect is that their
software requires a speech synthesizer that goes for $800 (internal
version) to $1000 (external version).  Is this synthesizer really
needed? Or can one of the standard sound boards available be used
instead? Maybe the quality of speech is not as great, but then the
synthesizer can be bought at a later date if the system as a whole
meets expectations.

Are there any other companies offering this type of software?
Personal experience on the ease of use of the product would be much
appreciated.

What about products that recognize speech and allow simple commands
to be given to the computer?


Please e-mail responses

thanks

jorge



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Jorge Lach                      Sun Microsystems Computer Company
Jorge.Lach@Sun.Com              East Coast Division, Chelmsford, MA
                                Phone: (508) 442-0214


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Subject: online talking newspapers
From: CFBJ33@mgvax.ulst.ac.uk (Eric Cameron)

request for information

can anyone supply me with telephone nos. for on-line talking newspapers in
minnesota, new mexico and los angeles.

i am interested in evaluating the sound quality and degree of interactivity
that is currently provided by such services, with the view to piloting one in
the uk.

regards

eric cameron


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| Eric Cameron, Visiting Professor   | Telephone: +44 504 37 53 84 ERIC        |
| Dept. of Applied Computing         | Telephone: +44 504 37 56 19 BRID        |
| ROOM NO.: MF105                    | Fax      : +44 504 370040               |
| Magee College, Univ. of Ulster     | Internet : cameron.e@mgvax.ulster.ac.uk |
| Derry, N. Ireland, UK, BT48 7JL    | Janet    : cameron.e@uk.ac.ulster.mgvax |


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Subject: nlender
From: nlender@mail.valverde.edu (Nicholas Lender)



I was wondering if you had anything on the new car for the
blind?????



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Subject: Articles on Artificial Sight
From: Handel1@aol.com

Hope this gets to you...have tried unsuccessfully before.  Am
looking for any articles published recently on artificial sight via
computer: how far along, is it viable for near or long term, etc.
I am the grandmother of a bilateral retinoblastoma grandson, who
was diagnosed with disease at 5 mos. of age and had both eyes
enucleated.  He is now 20 months old and doing fabulously.

When we first asked about the possiblity of eye transplants, we
were told artificiasl sight via a miniaturized computer system
would be more likely to happen than anything else, hopefully in his
lifetime.  Wonder what status is.  Thanks for your help.




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                 End of Issue # 1100 of the Blind News Digest

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