[blindkid] update on what computer system your child should be using to prepare for future

[Richard Holloway]

This teacher sounds like a salesman’s dream. Maybe she’d like to buy some cure-all hair tonic, or perhaps some prime swampland in Florida?

I’m a huge Apple fan— I don’t mean to suggest they don’t sell great products. I’ve been using Macintosh systems personally for nearly 30 years, and my (blind) daughter uses her iPad and iPod regularly. She even pairs them with a bluetooth Braille display and keyboard for greater access, and she loves them. She also uses a BrailleNote Apex, (and sometimes uses a Macintosh too). 

Nonetheless. we just bought her a nice new PC Laptop last week and installed a fresh copy of JAWS 15 on it to replace the PC that recently failed on her, and she is only in 5th grade. We did this because she needs the PC to access certain web items and to properly access, compose, and edit certain documents, and also just because there are so MANY PC’s out there and she needs to know about them as they will effect her future. I don’t need anyone telling me that some little tablet, however cool it is, will solve all of our computing needs— not for any of my kids, blind or sighted. 

This teacher sounds misled and confused, but no matter what the reason, I think she is entirely out of line suggesting she knows the computer needs of every student, let alone that she fully grasps the specialized technology needs of a blind student as fas as accessible computer solutions based on what the Apple sales guy has to suggest...


On Mar 17, 2014, at 10:53 AM, Dan Burke <dburke at cocenter.org> wrote:

> Actually, here's an article from How to Geek I found on the Flying Blind weekly e-mail citing the same stats:
> 
> Are PCs Dying? Of Course Not, Here's Why:
> http://www.howtogeek.com/183381/are-pcs-dying-of-course-not-heres-why/
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dr. Denise M Robinson
> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2014 8:19 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children); Discussion about issues related to blindness
> Subject: [blindkid] update on what computer system your child should be using to prepare for future
> 
> I am bringing this up as I just had an Apple dealer come to one of my schools and tell the regular ed teacher that all students should be using just the ipad. The teacher told my student who is blind to ditch her computer and she wanted her on an ipad full time. The para, parent and child were trying to tell her that that would not work, but she continued to argue with them on why she was right. The student knew what to use the ipad for and what not and knew that her PC was her main tool. They told me.
> I sent the below chart info on the PC being the leading computer in the world and all other reasons why the student was using the best tool. If the graphic does not come out well on your computer, I attached the data in excel and jpg. Many tools make light work, and learning to use a PC will give you a better chance of getting a job down the road. Also notice that the Mac and itools are a tiny part of the market place.
> 
> --
> *Dr Denise*
> 
> Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
> CEO, TechVision, LLC
> Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision Private training to your needs
> 423-573-6413
> 
> 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
> 
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