[blindlaw] Methods for Reading Handwriting

Tue May 19 09:07:52 UTC 2015

Years ago when I worked as a vocational expert for the Social Security 
Administration hearings office in Detroit I had to hire at my own expense a 
reader to review client files. While much of Social Security files have gone 
digital and attorneys/clients are given a CD ROM file it is not always 
compatible with all computers. I usually make a point to review a file in 
advance of the hearing to make sure that the files contain all necessary 
records as many times there are omissions and many records were not received 
or requests for records were not sent. I think the only way to go with this 
is a reader because many clients are overwhelmed with medical technology and 
a trained reader becomes familiar with what I want to know when reviewing a 
file. This would apply to all types of medical or technical records and some 
times information contained in a claim file can be upsetting to a client 
especially when dealing with a psychiatric condition. hope this helps.
Chuck Krugman, MSW Paralegal
1237 P Street
Fresno ca 93721
559-266-9237

-----Original Message----- 
From: Gerard Sadlier via blindlaw
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2015 3:35 AM
To: Blind Law Mailing List
Cc: Gerard Sadlier
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Methods for Reading Handwriting

Hi,

Depending on the length of the forms, their complexity and any
litteracy issues, perhaps the best solution would be to get your
clients to read these forms over to you at the meeting. In that way,
your clients would definitely become familiar with the data - which
after all does relate to their cases. One of the great concerns one
has with clients from time to time is whether they are actually
reading the material that they need to - however strongly they are
advised to do so.

The downsides to this approach are:
1. meetings may take longer;
2. some clients will be better at the reading required and/or more
accommodating than others.

Ger

On 5/14/15, Angie Matney via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I certainly have not found one. Unfortunately, I believe you will need
> a sighted person to access handwritten materials. This doesn't mean
> you can't do the work, but it does mean someone will have to read the
> form or type it for you. Of course, depending on the size of your
> office, there may not be someone in place right now to do this. Do you
> have a legal assistant who could go over forms with you before you
> talk with clients, or enter the data into blank versions of the forms?
>
> Sorry I don't have any better ideas for dealing with this.
>
> Angie
>
>
> On 5/13/15, Gerard Sadlier via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Kerri,
>>
>> I'd be glad to be corrected but I think the short answer is that there
>> are no such programmes?
>>
>> Ger
>>
>> On 5/14/15, Kerri Regan via blindlaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi everyone. I recently started my first full-time paralegal job at a
>>>  firm which deals primarily with Worker's Compensation and Social
>>>  Security-related cases. My position is mostly computer and
>>>  phone-based, communicating with clients and keeping track of a busy
>>>  caseload for my supervising attorney. The case management software
>>>  works well with JAWS and much of the paperwork the firm uses is
>>>  already scanned into the computer, but today I encountered a major
>>>  problem. There are forms that are filled out by medical professionals,
>>>  sent back to us and scanned into our system. While the forms
>>>  themselves are typed PDFs, many of the doctors fill them out by hand.
>>>  The handwriting comes across just fine for my sighted colleagues, but
>>>  when I tried reading the forms with JAWS' OCR utility I was only able
>>>  to read blank fields, not their content. Going over these forms with
>>>  clients is an important part of my job, and while my employers have
>>>  been wonderful and willing to adapt the position to better fit my
>>>  abilities, I'd prefer not to foist reading duties on one of my
>>>  colleagues and do all the work this position requires.  I know many
>>>  OCR programs have trouble processing handwriting, but are there any
>>>  out there that might be an exception?  I'm totally blind, familiar
>>>  with all Windows screenreaders and have the KNFB reader app on my
>>>  iPhone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for
>>>  your help, Kerri
>>>
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>>
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>
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