[blindkid] Tech Thoughts

Traci Wilkerson traci.renee27 at gmail.com
Tue Sep 11 18:50:00 UTC 2012


Wow, this was just the question I had in my head.  What should my kids
learn, braille technology, laptop only, etc...  This gives me some great
insight that in reality, they need to know it all.  Not my favorite answer,
but it is what it is.

I always worry if our district pushes laptops only, where does the braille
come in?  I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the importance
of braillenotes, notetakers, etc.

Traci
On Sep 11, 2012 2:06 AM, "DrV" <icdx at earthlink.net> wrote:

> What I've come to appreciate is that our kids really need to become
> comfortable & proficient with the Full Complement of tech tools.
> Electronic Braille Notetakers are phenomenal & a Huge asset in so many
> ways, but they have their limitations too. Some school/educational
> websites are fully accessible via the BrailleNote, but many are not. This
> is especially true for DropBox & Edmodo & some of the teacher websites.
> The iPad can access things that the BrailleNote can't, but also is not
> able to access some materials on school/educational websites. For a
> totally blind student, I don't think an iDevice & braille display are
> optimal or even sufficient.
> With a laptop, there is more accessibility, but it is not as efficient for
> a lot of things as a Braille Notetaker.
> My 10th grader, who for so many years successfully relied very heavily on
> the BrailleNote, has this year come to the very real realization that he
> needs to be able to use all 3 tools to have optimal access to his
> curriculum & he is learning which is best for which.
> Our school/district hasn't really provided much direct tech instruction,
> but they have supported inviting down the Tech specialists from the
> California School for the Blind every other year or so for Tech
> evaluations (& teaching as part of that process). I take time off & listen
> in on each of these sessions - to be honest, I don't follow it all, but it
> is really helpful to understand where my kids are at, & what they need to
> work on. I have also picked up lots of pointers by shadowing these
> lessons. We attend various conferences & learn new things there, & if
> there is something specific that they need help with, I try to work
> something ahead of time or at the conference to get a little one-on-one to
> address that issue. Lots of times the kids just need a starting point,
> then they intuitively can take it from there. I've developed a network of
> individuals I can bounce things off of from time to time & my older son
> has joined the NABS list-serv & can seek insight on specifics on his own
> now too.
> The reality is that I don't think most TVIs are skilled enough to teach
> the tech at a level that is really needed, so it is important to seek out
> other opportunities for our kids to learn those skills.
> Sincerely,
> Eric
>
> On 9/7/12 6:00 PM, "Trudy Pickrel" <tlpickrel at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >What is a average time with TVI look like for a 5 th grader. And what is
> >a required amount of time to learn Technology my son has use of his apex
> >for school and homework time only. Not year around or pleasure reading.
> >Still does not have textbooks on it or not able to know how to email or
> >have opportunity to use what taught outside of homework time on apex.
> >
> >He used to have two hours in kindergarten and first grade and second.
> >third and fourth grade he had one hour in one hour out now this year
> >unfortunately it's half hour out here half hour out there and it's
> >supposedly one hour in the classroom. Is it possible to accomplish
> >learning Nemeth and technology etc. and half-hour segments
> >
> >Trudy L Pickrel
> >President MD Parents Blind Children
> >Owner TLC by the Lake poodles
> >
> >On Sep 7, 2012, at 1:09 PM, blindkid-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
> >
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> >>
> >>
> >> Today's Topics:
> >>
> >>   1. Re: BrailleNote use (David Andrews)
> >>   2. Re: BrailleNote use (SUSAN POLANSKY)
> >>   3. tech general in IEP (Rosina Solano)
> >>   4. Re: tech general in IEP (Dr. Denise M Robinson)
> >>
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 1
> >> Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:45:48 -0500
> >> From: David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>
> >> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,    \(for parents of blind children\)"
> >>    <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [blindkid] BrailleNote use
> >> Message-ID: <auto-000075906794 at mailfront4.g2host.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
> >>
> >> An ultrabook is a class of computer, not a specific machine.  It is
> >> basically a small, powerful laptop.
> >>
> >> Windows machine makers have come out with them to compete with some
> >> of the very small, slim Apple laptops.
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> >> At 09:37 AM 9/6/2012, you 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
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 2
> >> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 19:54:01 -0700 (PDT)
> >> From: SUSAN POLANSKY <sepolansky at verizon.net>
> >> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,    \(for parents of blind children\)"
> >>    <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [blindkid] BrailleNote use
> >> Message-ID:
> >>    <1346986441.61255.YahooMailNeo at web84507.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >>
> >> My son has had a Braille note taker for year round use since 2nd grade
> >>[now in 11th]. He has also taken it to many summer camps, vacations,
> >>etc. He has a lap top at school and has had a Braille writer at home and
> >>where ever else needed [class rooms, day care, etc.]since preK. He has
> >>JAWS on his personal home computer. We have never requested any
> >>additional tech equipment at home. He has all he needs at school, he and
> >>his TVI have their own office area in the school and he has plenty of
> >>time with her for instruction and practice in use.
> >>
> >> Susan
> >>
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: Carly B <barnesraiser at gmail.com>
> >> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
> >><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >> Sent: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 10:58 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [blindkid] BrailleNote use
> >>
> >> I really appreciate that... my question is (since I expect resistance to
> >> the idea... based on how difficult it was just to get it in the first
> >> place) how typical is this, for schools to provide this? Or, how do I
> >>make
> >> a case for it... one that will really hold water (beyond, we just really
> >> want it).
> >>
> >> Does that make sense?
> >>
> >> On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 9:56 PM, Denise Robinson <deniserob at gmail.com>
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>> Make an addendum to the IEP...if any issues then re convene the IEP and
> >>> get this straightened out ASAP
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Denise M Robinson
> >>> Sent from my iPad
> >>>
> >>>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>n.net
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 3
> >> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2012 06:50:14 -0700 (PDT)
> >> From: Rosina Solano <colemangirly at yahoo.com>
> >> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
> >> Subject: [blindkid] tech general in IEP
> >> Message-ID:
> >>    <1347025814.18670.YahooMailClassic at web111717.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >>
> >> Okay, all this laptop and braille note is getting me ready to ask a
> >>couple questions.? Okay, my school district has been great with braille,
> >>but horrible with technology.? My son is in 9th grade and still
> >>brailling all his homework.? Getting ready to take them on with tech.?
> >>Cost is only part issue since we already have both a braille sense and a
> >>laptop with jaws that we have at home.? I just need to get training for
> >>him on it.? He goes over some stuff with his TVI every other day, when
> >>he sees her, but she is not tech and this is becoming silly.? How do you
> >>get the tech into the IEP and what are some general goals concerning
> >>tech that we should be aiming for?? I know that if he could be
> >>downloading some of his own books, that would help with cost for the
> >>school down the road, as well as the TVI's time brailling all his work,
> >>if he could do it all on the computer.? Being not so tech myself, I am a
> >>little lost down this road.
> >> ?
> >> Rosina
> >>
> >>
> >> ********************************************
> >> Rosina Foster
> >> www.tadpoleacres.webs.com
> >> MOPBC Missouri Parents of Blind Children
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ?
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 4
> >> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2012 07:24:14 -0700
> >> From: "Dr. Denise M Robinson" <deniserob at gmail.com>
> >> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,    (for parents of blind children)"
> >>    <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> >> Subject: Re: [blindkid] tech general in IEP
> >> Message-ID:
> >>    <CAAxsd_5-vZkCwCiHXPJKWtjC1qZAcb5PHncbd95QcjphPDOKrg at mail.gmail.com>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >>
> >> Rosina
> >>
> >> He can do ALL this on a laptop with jaws and a braille
> >> display---completely  eliminating for any hard copy work--print work
> >>that
> >> he cannot read himself anyway. Main Goals: Using Word and email---gmail
> >>is
> >> one of the easiest to use with jaws, should be the priority---he doing
> >>all
> >> his work in word, then emailing to teacher, teacher using track changes
> >>to
> >> mark his work, sends it back and jaws will read all the markup....all by
> >> himself. Teacher asks kids to read a book and he downloads it himself
> >>and
> >> begins reading just like everyone else.
> >>
> >> Look around your area to see if there is someone---typically going to
> >>be a
> >> blind person using this tech already, and work on getting this person as
> >> part of the IEP team....then that person can teach the tech----when I
> >>teach
> >> like this, I insist the TVI be there to learn along with the
> >>student...or
> >> the para, or some adult who will follow through on the lessons....etc
> >>
> >> Denise
> >>
> >> On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 6:50 AM, Rosina Solano
> >><colemangirly at yahoo.com>wrote:
> >>
> >>> Okay, all this laptop and braille note is getting me ready to ask a
> >>>couple
> >>> questions.  Okay, my school district has been great with braille, but
> >>> horrible with technology.  My son is in 9th grade and still brailling
> >>>all
> >>> his homework.  Getting ready to take them on with tech.  Cost is only
> >>>part
> >>> issue since we already have both a braille sense and a laptop with jaws
> >>> that we have at home.  I just need to get training for him on it.  He
> >>>goes
> >>> over some stuff with his TVI every other day, when he sees her, but
> >>>she is
> >>> not tech and this is becoming silly.  How do you get the tech into the
> >>>IEP
> >>> and what are some general goals concerning tech that we should be
> >>>aiming
> >>> for?  I know that if he could be downloading some of his own books,
> >>>that
> >>> would help with cost for the school down the road, as well as the TVI's
> >>> time brailling all his work, if he could do it all on the computer.
> >>>Being
> >>> not so tech myself, I am a little lost down this road.
> >>>
> >>> Rosina
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ********************************************
> >>> Rosina Foster
> >>> www.tadpoleacres.webs.com
> >>> MOPBC Missouri Parents of Blind Children
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> blindkid mailing list
> >>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> >>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> >>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> >>> blindkid:
> >>>
> >>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/deniserob%40gmail
> .
> >>>com
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> *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
> >>
> >> It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
> >> --Walt Disney
> >>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> blindkid mailing list
> >> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> >>
> >>
> >> End of blindkid Digest, Vol 101, Issue 5
> >> ****************************************
> >
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