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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1025

                          Thursday, March 10, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                          Re: OS/2 and Disabilities
                              Available Etexts
                          RE: Retinoblastoma status
                Re: Radio Shack misses the blind so often...
                  Re: need for publication on computer aids
                          Books on tape in Spanish
                        internal cards vs. externals
                             Listen-to-me files
                          Large type for Apple 2gs?
                       BNS Newletter issue in the mail
           free training program for visually impaired individuals


                                ******


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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: Re: OS/2 and Disabilities
From: joeclark@scilink.org (Joe Clark)
Organization: Let's Plan-It-Earth! -- SciLink Network

>>Information on OS/2, Screen Reader/2, and IBM CSS should be available
>>in the United States by calling 800-3-IBM-OS2.  The IBM Special Needs
>>Office is at 800-IBM-4832.  Those are voice numbers.  If anyone needs
>>the TDD number, please mail me and I'll look it up.

>Thanks for the information Timothy.  But, ahhh, there's something we
>have to tell you.  Now, how to put it.  You see, the reason some
>people _need_ TDD telephone numbers is that they _cannot use_ voice
>numbers.  So how is such a person supposed to call you on your voice
>number in order to get you to look up the TDD number?

He said "please mail me and I'll look it up," not "call me." And besides,
throughout the United States and Canada and in England it *is* possible to
ring a voice number through a relay service. Please take more care in your
posting and criticism next time.
--


                                           Joe Clark
                                      joeclark@scilink.org




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Subject: Available Etexts
From: 73774.2733@CompuServe.COM (Spectrum Press)

PLEASE POST WHERE YOU THINK RELEVANT
------------------------------------------------------------

Electronic texts on floppy disks for PC and Mac
by the following authors can now be ordered online:

Modern Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Criticism:
Daniel Vian, Tim W. Brown, D.J. Barton, Ewing Campbell, Ray
Dittmeier, Elizabeth R. Downing, Laura Fairburn,
Gregory FitzGerald, Martha Larche Lusk, Clinton Machann,
Marlene Miller, William O'Keefe, Joanna C. Scott,
Barbara Sheen, Mark Spitzer, Julian Dacanay, David
Hauptschein, Cathy Khadmy, Gloria Klein, Howard Rawlinson.

Lesbian/Feminist Fiction and Nonfiction:
Bren Fleming, Rachel Perez, Susan Anders, Emily James Putnam.

Gay Fiction and Nonfiction:
Stuart Edelson, Robert Klein Engler, Marsh Cassady.

Classics:
James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, John
Buchan, Willa Cather, Stephen Crane, Charles Dickens, Sir A.C.
Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, Thomas Hardy, Pierre Louys, John Milton,
Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Sophocles, Bram Stoker,
Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Lew Wallace, H.G. Wells, Edith Wharton.

Nonfiction and Reference:
Frederick Douglass, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Henry David
Thoreau, Alexis de Tocqeville, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, David
Hume, John Stuart Mill, Howard Rawlinson, Plato, Voltaire, U.S.
Supreme Court.

For a complete list and ordering info, transmit "send list" to
the following Internet address:

     73774.2733@compuserve.com

Karen Olsen
Spectrum Press
73774.2733@compuserve.com






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Subject: RE: Retinoblastoma status
From: pcwood@cyclone.mitre.org (Philip C. Wood)

Dr Robert Ellsworth, a leading researcher in this at Columbia
Presbyterian and NYU Hospitals passed away of a brain tumor
recently I am told by a relable source.  There is no known cure
yet, but genetic engineering on the gene during invitero
fertilization is seen to be viable.

A new reliable, quick turn around time blood test is under test now
and will  be available to the public late in 1994.

Pc Wood




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Subject: Re: Radio Shack misses the blind so often...
From: martin@datacomm.ucc.okstate.edu (Martin McCormick)
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK


        It is an absolute shame that the electronics industries are doing
so little to make ordinary consumer electronics useable by blind people.
The industry mantra seems to be "Oh,! I didn't think of that.  Oh well. . ."

        A really cleaver quote I heard, once, went something like:
"Isn't it terrible that the public wants what it wants rather than what
we want to sell it?"

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ   Stillwater, OK
O.S.U. Computer Center Data Communications Group




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Subject: Re: need for publication on computer aids
From: IZZYV64@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU


In a not-too-recent issue of BND dperez@eis.calstate.edu
(David Perez) writes:
>I need one, all incompassing, publication to make my
>computer purchase choices. Like many of us, I don't have access to a
>place where I can see a truely representitive aray of the computer
>related products that can benefit me.

One source that I have found very helpful & that comes close to this
description is the magazine TACTIC. It contains lots of product reviews,
as well as editorials & reader comments & questions. It is available
through the Clovernook Printing House for the Blind for $25 per annum,
in braille, large print or disk form.

Clovernook Printing House for the Blind
7000 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH  45231
(513) 522-3860

(Thanks to Beverley Wieland & Robert Englebretson for help with this info.)
Patrick Burke




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Subject: Books on tape in Spanish
From: arango@thumper.bellcore.com (Mauricio Arango)


Hi,

Does anyone know where to obtain books on tape in Spanish ?
This is for my father who is legally blind and only understands Spanish.
Thanks in advance.

Mauricio Arango

Bellcore
MRE 2A-273
445 South St.
Morristown, NJ 07960

Tel (201) 829-4409

email: arango@thumper.bellcore.com




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Subject: internal cards vs. externals
From: dashiell@nadc.navy.mil (Jude DaShiell)


A third disadvantage of internal cards can become aparent
in a lightning storm when people forget to unplug their computers.
everything inside is fried with an external there's a slim
and i say again slim chance though the computer is fried the
external unit may be uncooked.

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




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Subject: Listen-to-me files
From: JBARM@acadvm1.uottawa.ca (John Armstrong)

 CREATING LISTEN-TO-ME FILES FOR PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

   I have owned a Sound Blaster (by Creative Labs) for a couple
of years, but its main use has been for games with digitized
sound, and for voice input. As my disability is not visual, I had
never really checked out its text-to-speech capabilities.
However, a recent discussion of the usefulness of a README file
to someone with a visual impairment started me thinking. Could a
comprehensible, user-friendly LISTEN-TO-ME (LTM) file be created?

   Sound Blaster's text-to-speech drivers are SBTALKER and DR.
SBAITSO. Both employ the synthetic speech program "SmoothTalker"
(by First Byte), as does Covox's "Speech Thing". The main
difference is that DR. SBAITSO allows control of pitch and tone.

   These programs advertise that they will read any standard
ASCII text file, so I tried them out on a letter written for e-
mail, and on a README file from a Shareware program. The result
was essentially the same - their performance was adequate and
intelligible - but SmoothTalker does have some peculiarities.

1. SmoothTalker pauses for a moment every time it hits a hard
return. If you don't want artificial pauses in the middle of
sentences, get rid of them. (My line editor doesn't care if I
have 80+ character/line, nor does SmoothTalker.)

However, if you do want a pause
for emphasis
put in a hard return.

And, don't forget to put in a return at the end of a sentence.

Better still
put in both a return and an extra line between sentences.

(See how it works?)

2. Avoid symbols; @ # " (), etc., unless you really want them
read. ? and ! are OK; SmoothTalker will actually give the
sentence some inflection. $ is OK, too. $1000 is read as "one
thousand dollars". However, a zip code (eg. 53706) will be read
as "fifty-three thousand seven hundred and six", so put in 5 3 7
0 6. The same applies to phone numbers.

He said
quote
Now is the hour.
sounds better than: He said, "Now is the hour." (The latter would
be read "He said quote now is the hour close quote.")

3. Words written all in capitals are read correctly ONLY if they
appear at the beginning of a line. Otherwise they are spelled
out. I haven't yet figured out how to emphasize a word.

4. SmoothTalker has trouble with certain words, so you have to be
creative. Writing phonetically sometimes helps, but other
inventive strategies can be used.

"I have a 486 DX with 16 MB RAM" comes out best when written:
I have a 4 86 DX with 16 megabites rham. (Note spelling.)

"Digest" comes out better if you use "dye jest"

SmoothTalker also has trouble with certain letter combinations,
such as nu and lu. I haven't really come up with a solution to
this problem, though I think "E valu 8" and "E valu ate" are both
a bit better than "evaluate"!

   In an attempt to make it as easy as possible for a blind
person, I created a trial disk containing BLASTER.DRV, READ.EXE,
SBTALKER.EXE (all are Sound Blaster files), and appropriate BAT
files, as well as the actual LTM file. All one has to have is a
Sound Blaster. You simply insert the disk in the appropriate
drive, type <GO>, and it automatically loads and reads the file.
If anyone is interested in seeing the BAT files, send me an e-
note.

[Note from Bill McGarry: I think that the safest way would be
 to include the batch files but none of the file copyrightted
 files from Creative Labs.]

   I think doing it this way is probably OK for a single
recipient, but for wider distribution, you would need permission
from Creative Labs and/or First Byte.

   LTM files can be sent by e-mail, but lines longer than 80
characters are truncated, so you have to write short sentences,
or put up with the pauses.

   Anyone wanting a sample LTM file can send me a formatted disk,
a self-addressed mailer, and a few stamps to cover postage.
Unless you are in Canada, DO NOT put the stamps on the mailer. I
can exchange them, but not use them directly. The disk will have
only the LTM file, and a conventional README version for
comparison, but not the drivers for the reason indicated above.
(Sorry, no Macs.)

   I would welcome hearing from anyone with ideas for
improvements.

John Armstrong (jbarm@acadvm1.uottawa.ca)
Department of Biology
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5




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Subject: Large type for Apple 2gs?
From: akaplan@world.std.com (Alan R Kaplan)

Hello,

   I'm writing on behalf of my neighbor, Mrs. Policelli,
who has an old Apple 2gs computer and deteriorating vision.

   I'm aware that Ms. Policelli could acquire a sound board,
but I'm hoping that someone might be able to suggest a less
expensive approach that would enlarge the characters on her
monitor -- ideally software or an adapter that I could
install for her.

   Any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Alan Kaplan




 ----------------------------------------------
 American Index Systems | From New England,
 41 Pleasant Street     | where "Many are cold,
 Medfield, MA 02052     | but few are frozen."
 ----------------------------------------------




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Subject: BNS Newletter issue in the mail
From: deamar@isumataq.eskimo.com (Dean Martineau)

BNS Newletter issue in the mail

The latest issue of Battery High, the newsletter of the Braille 'n Speak
Users' Group, is in the mail.  If you joined the group in 1992 or 1993,
or if you acquired a Braille 'n Speak during those years, you should
receive the two cassettes that comprise this issue, a newsletter and a
new updated modem tutorial.  If you or somebody you know received your
BNS through an agency, I may not have the address of the enduser, so
please give me the information so that the tapes can be of use to you.
You can reach me as follows:
Internet: deamar@eskimo.com
Phone: (206) 335-4894
Snailmail: 8930 11th Pl SE
Everett, WA 98205 USA
I look forward to hearing from you.
dean martineau
deamar@eskimo.com





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Subject: free training program for visually impaired individuals
From: SPKBB@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Judy Gerber)

 Computer Center for the Visually Impaired, Baruch College

                       THE VIP CAREER NETWORK
                             FACT SHEET

The VIP (Visually Impaired Professional) Career Network Program combines
training in standard office computer applications with intensive,
individualized career development, and the possibility of an internship or
full-time employment.  First sponsored in 1992 by the Dole Foundation for
the Employment of People with Disabilities, this program is currently
sponsored by an anonymous donor through 1996.  The program includes:

                 Adaptive Computer Training Classes
Classes will be held at Baruch College's Microcomputer Laboratory in
CCVI's specially-equipped classroom. Classes will combine lecture and
hands-on training. Tutors will be available to work individually with
students.

                     CLASS SCHEDULE:  YEAR TWO
Word Processing using WordPerfect - An introduction to the IBM
Microcomputer, Adaptive Equipment, and Disk Operating System (IBM
DOS).
Eight weeks: 48 class hours/24 lab hours.
October 11 - December 1, 1994

Advanced Classes:
Lotus 1-2-3 - Using Electronic Spreadsheets.
Eight weeks:  48 class hours/24 lab hours.
                                -or-
dBase III Plus - Database Management and dBase Programming.
Eight weeks:  48 class hours/24 lab hours.
December 5 - February 2, 1995

                         Career Development
Participants will meet with an experienced counselor to identify vocational
interests, develop career goals, and discuss work-related disability issues.
Participants will network with established professionals, write resumes,
practice interview techniques, work on organizational skills, visit job
sites, and learn techniques for effective job hunting.

Participants will work with a visually impaired professional who will serve
as a personal mentor. Mentors will act as informal advisors, meeting
regularly with participants to discuss jobs, career preparation, and how to
deal with disabilities at the workplace.

                        Job Search/Employment
Following the 16 weeks of training and career counseling, participants will
begin either a job search or, if more appropriate to the individual, an
internship, supported by program staff, mentors and the program Business
Advisory Committee.

                      Eligibility Requirements
Participants in the VIP Career Network will be chosen by competition. To
apply, candidates must have a significant visual impairment and have two
years of college or equivalent work experience. In addition, they should
type at least 30 words per minute, and have good communication skills in
English. The program is designed for a maximum of 10 individuals.

To Apply:  Interested candidates should request and submit a VIP Career
Network Application along with a high school or college transcript, and three
letters of reference.   To get a VIP Career Network application, please call
Judith Gerber at (212) 447-3070, send me an e-mail with your address (to
send you an application via snail mail, or write:

The Computer Center for the Visually Impaired
Baruch College, CUNY
17 Lexington Avenue, Box 515
New York, NY  10010

        APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR VIP YEAR 2 IS JUNE 15, 1994




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                 End of Issue # 1025 of the Blind News Digest

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