[Blindtlk] BrailleNote Users Web site announcement: seeking testers for relay of TeamTalk and Conversation Station to be used for BrailleNote Chat series

[Chris Nusbaum]

Hi everyone,

This subject may be a little confusing to those who don't know 
about the BrailleNote Users site or the BrailleNote chat series, 
so here is a clearer explanation.

The BrailleNote Users Web site is, according to the description 
on the home page, a "central resource for all BrailleNote users." 
It provides many articles and podcasts which deliver a wealth of 
useful information to all users of HumanWare's BrailleNote family 
of notetakers.  As part of the information we provide on the 
BrailleNote Users site, we host a series of online chats on the 
BrailleNote and related topics called the BrailleNote Chat 
series.  Until now, only people who have computers, a sound card, 
speakers and a microphone can participate in the BrailleNote 
chats, as we have used an online audio-chat hosting provider.  As 
we transission to a new chat hosting provider for the PC 
(TeamTalk,) we are interested in expanding our chats to allow 
those BrailleNote users who don't have a PC to still participate 
in these informative and fun chats for BrailleNote users.  So, we 
are using the Conversation Station phone chat line for the blind! 
But before we can truly declare that we're ready to have our 
chats, we need to make sure that this relay of TeamTalk to 
Conversation Station will work; that phone participants can hear 
the online chat and online users can hear any questions/-ts the 
phone users might have.  In short, we need to do a test, and to 
do that, we need your help.  If you would like to help us test 
our new idea by using the Conversation Station, please come into 
Room 284 on the Conversation Station on Friday, December 30, at 2 
p.m.  Eastern time, 1 Central, 12 Mountain, and 11 Pacific.  To 
get into our room, call 231-224-7222.  At the welcome message, 
hit pound to skip to the main menu, then 1 for live chat rooms, 
then type in 284 pound at the room code prompt to enter the room.  
If you would like to use TeamTalk to help us test the relay, go 
to our page exclusively for the chat series at 
chat.braillenoteusers.info.  Then, join us in the BrailleNote 
Chat room on TeamTalk at the time specified above.  Please let me 
know if you have any questions prior to the test conference by 
emailing me at dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com or leaving a message in 
my Conversation Station voicemail box, which is 6519.  Hope to 
see you on Friday at 2 PM Eastern (1 PM Central, 12 PM Mountain, 
11 AM Pacific) in Conversation Station room 284! Thank you!

Chris Nusbaum, member of the BrailleNote Users Testing Team

Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year!

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan (President, National Federation of the Blind, 
1968-1986

 The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps blind and visually impaired youth 
in Maryland say "I can," by empowering them through providing 
assistive technology and scholarships to camps and conventions 
which help them be equal with their sighted peers.  For more 
information about the Foundation and to support our work, visit 
us online at www.icanfoundation.info!