[blindkid] BrailleNote use

Thu Sep 6 14:51:37 UTC 2012

Denise-- thanks for this! Is there a braille display that you find is  particularly durable and useful for your students?

Lynda

On Sep 6, 2012, at 7:43 AM, "Dr. Denise M Robinson" <deniserob at gmail.com> wrote:

> Do keep in mind that 90% of businesses use a PC. You can get a job if you
> know how to operate a computer. You cannot get a really good job if you do
> not know a PC and only know a braille note. If you have to choose because
> of cost, then a PC with braille display will take you anywhere you want to
> go....but a braille note will not. I love the braille note...it is
> exceptional---and when given the choice, my students get both, but many
> schools have to decide either or.......choose wisely.
> 
> Denise
> 
> On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 7:37 AM, Bo Page <bo.page at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
>> Hi Bernadette,
>> In what way does one use Ultra Book?  HOw is it unique for the blind?  I
>> looked
>> it up, and it appears that is is a laptop.  Can you say more about it.
>> 
>> Much appreciated.
>> Bo Page in CT
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: Bernadette Jacobs <bernienfb75 at gmail.com>
>> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thu, September 6, 2012 7:33:34 AM
>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] BrailleNote use
>> 
>> Firstly, I'm one who's been burned by the world of notetakers.  I,
>> myself, will never, ever have another notetaker.  I've found the
>> drawbacks are as follows:
>> 
>> 1.  The turn-around time if your notetaker should have to be in for
>> repair can be a whole six months.  I've heard others' tales of woe
>> that sometimes even when people have gotten their notetakers back,
>> they weren't even in the same condition they had previously sent it.
>> 
>> 2.  In my instance, for example, I had upgraded the software on mine
>> two years in a row.  Then when I went online to upgrade for a third
>> time, I was told that there was a serious hardward upgrade problem.
>> When I called the outfit, they of course informed me that they had
>> failed to tell me about hardware upgrades that I needed and until I
>> paid out mukobucks for the hardware, I couldn't even touch the
>> software.  In essence, the hardware upgrades, in addition to the
>> software upgrades I needed would cost me three-fourths the price of a
>> whole brand new machine!!!  NEVER AGAIN!!!  NEVER AGAIN!!!
>> 
>> 3.  Good news, however, I talked with the folks here at the National
>> Center and they've informed me that something new called the
>> "Ultra-Book" has come out.  One can get them through Amazon and almost
>> anywhere one can purchase computers.  Yah--windows based and all!  You
>> can use it like your personal PC or laptop.  As for the price, even
>> that's not too bad!  You can get 'em for around $1300.00ish or so.
>> Far less also than a notetaker!!!  You don't have to worry about your
>> machine sitting in some shop on the other side of tim-buck-two for six
>> months to a year only to have it come back to you Lord knows how.
>> It's far easier to upgrade software on a PC, laptop, or "Ultra-Book"
>> and you can connect with any printer or PC VIA usb connection or
>> whatever.  One could do the same with a netbook.  Just like having a
>> laptop.  I do know many parents right here on the list whose counties
>> purchased this equipment, (notetakers and all), for their
>> blind/disabled students in order for them to continue to compete in
>> their class rooms.
>> 
>> That's my take for whatever it's worth!
>> 
>> Have a great day!
>> 
>> Bernie
>> 
>> On 9/5/12, Carly B <barnesraiser at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hello all!
>>> 
>>> I am hoping to get some thoughts/advice regarding my son's school
>>> situation. My son is 10 and he just entered 4th grade at the state
>> academy
>>> for the blind. He's been there since 1st grade. At his IEP meeting last
>>> spring, I asked that he be provided with a Braille Note for his home
>> use. I
>>> thought I had requested it starting at the beginning of the summer (2012)
>>> but that it would be something he would use at home during the school
>> year.
>>> Somehow this was misconstrued and it was entered in his IEP that he would
>>> be provided the Braille Note for the summer only. Sadly, the instructor
>> in
>>> charge of technology (even though I had communicated with him *months*
>>> prior to the IEP meeting and had gotten his "buy-in" then) did not have
>> the
>>> Braille Note ready for our son's use until the end of July. It was really
>>> frustrating to be put off for 4-5 months after our initial request, but
>>> since I thought that once we had it, we would have it indefinitely, that
>>> helped.
>>> 
>>> Well, we've had the use of it for 4 weeks and I just received a request
>> to
>>> return it. Reading the IEP a little more carefully (yes, I glossed over
>>> portions, including that one) I realize now there was a misunderstanding
>>> about it.
>>> 
>>> But my question is: how many of you have technology at home provided by
>> the
>>> school? I mean, how unusual a request is or isn't this? Early on in this
>>> process I encountered several TVI's who said they provide Braille Notes
>> to
>>> their students for use at home and school from an early age. So I got the
>>> idea that it is somewhat standard.
>>> 
>>> Should I request another IEP meeting and make the request again, being
>>> clear this time what I want? Should I expect to receive it? I mean, the
>>> Braille Note is available to my son at school for *maybe* 30 minutes a
>> day.
>>> The amount of Braille material we have at home is quite limited. The
>>> Braille Note is like a Kindle for Braille books... my son is part-way
>>> through two books he downloaded from BookShare that he would not be able
>> to
>>> finish. He needs the extra practice time to increase his proficiency and
>>> his reading speed. Of course I'm afraid they will say that he doesn't
>> need
>>> that...
>>> 
>>> Anyway, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I just need to figure
>>> out what to do from here...
>>> 
>>> Thanks in advance!
>>> 
>>> :) Carolynn aka Brian's mom
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>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> *Denise*
> 
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> CEO, TechVision, LLC
> Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision
> 509-674-1853
> 
> Website with hundreds of informational articles & lessons on PC, Office
> products, Mac, iPad/iTools and more, all done with
> keystrokes: www.yourtechvision.com
> 
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it." --Chinese Proverb
> 
> Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid: humans are incredibly
> slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond
> imagination.
> --Albert Einstein
> 
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> --Walt Disney
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