[blindkid] My Technology Journey

[Marianne Denning]

Please remember that if the students at your children's schools are
creating slides, complex documents and using Google Drive your child
should not be excluded from these learning opportunities.  These
skills will be absolutely critical in high school, college and beyond.

I attended school in the distant past.  In 7th grade my classmates
learned the process of completing a research paper.  At the time, I
needed sighted assistance to do this so the school and Mom decided I
did not need to do this assignment.  Fast forward to college.  In my
first semester at college I decided to obtain my degree in history and
become a secondary school social studies teacher.  Well, sadly, I
never learned to complete a research paper and one semester I had 35
pages of research papers to complete and still needed sighted
assistance to complete the work.  I really struggled because I did not
learn those skills.  Please make sure your students have the skills
they will need.  You are their best advocate right now.

On 9/14/15, IftheShew Fits via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> My son started out in Kindergarten using only paper Braille and learned how
> to use the Perkins Brailler. In 2nd or 3rd grade at the state academy for
> the blind he got the use of an older mPower and later an Apex but only in
> school. He learned to use Jaws about that time as well as ZoomText and
> probably others I don't remember. In 4th or 5th grade I requested and
> received an Apex for his home use for a school year. During that year I
> applied to our local Lion's Club for a grant to get him a Focus 40 and an
> iPad which we received from them. My son has been using that device almost
> exclusively since. He just entered 6th grade. With that he downloads books
> using Read2Go and they output in Braille to his Focus. So that's our story!
>
> Our next step is to learn if the KNFB reader app will output to the Focus
> 40. My son left the academy this year and is attending a local private
> school. It's on me to provide him materials in Braille and I'm wondering
> (hoping) that this is our solution.
>
> Thanks for sharing! Best to you!
>
> :) Carolynn B
>
> On Sunday, September 13, 2015, Roanna Bacchus via blindkid <
> blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear Parents,
>>
>> I hope all of you are doing well.  I wanted to tell you about my journey
>> to use assistive technology.  In elementary school I was introduced to
>> the
>> Perkin's braille writer which I used through my seventh-grade year of
>> middle school.  I also began learning how to type on the computer using
>> the
>> Taking Typer program.  In eighth grade I received a BrailleNote M-power
>> from Humanware.  The BrailleNote opened up some new doors for me at
>> school.  It took away the need to carry braille paper and have my TVI
>> transcribe assignments for my ighted teachers.  I now have a BrailleNote
>> Apex, IPad, and IPhone all of which I use daily.  I'd like to hear about
>> the techildrenlogy journeys of your children.
>>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053