From dandrews at visi.com Sat Dec 5 16:23:34 2009 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:23:34 -0600 Subject: [Blindvet-talk] Last Chance to Help Braille Literacy with Coin Purchase Message-ID: Christmas Header The holiday season is upon us?a time when we turn our focus, more than any other part of the year, to giving. This year, give a gift that really counts?a future full of opportunity for a blind child! Today far too many blind children and adults in America are being refused Braille instruction by both schools and rehabilitation agencies, and many who are receiving a Braille education are given inadequate instruction. There is a way you can help. When you purchase the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, not only will you receive the first U.S. coin to feature readable, tactile Braille, but $10 from the sale of each coin will also go to the National Federation of the Blind?s efforts to end this Braille literacy crisis. That?s a gift anyone would be proud to give. But time is running out! You have just a few days left to purchase this exceptional coin and leave your mark on this crisis. Visit the U.S. Mint?s Web site or www.braille.org, or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) by December 11, 2009, to give the gift of Braille literacy today. The United States Mint guarantees delivery by December 25, 2009, on any in-stock item, anywhere in the United States on orders placed by December 7, 2009, for standard delivery, and December 11, 2009, for express delivery. Orders over $300 will receive free expedited shipping. If you've already purchased the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, consider making a matching gift to the ?Braille Readers are Leaders? campaign. It is a great way to multiply the impact of your purchase. We at the National Federation of the Blind thank you for your devotion to America?s blind and wish you the happiest of holiday seasons! Braille Coin (Black & White) To learn more about the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, the Braille literacy crisis, and the Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit www.braille.org. National Federation of the Blind 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place Baltimore, Maryland 21230 (410) 659-9314 Fax (410) 659-5129 From RWest at nfb.org Tue Dec 8 12:36:01 2009 From: RWest at nfb.org (West, Renee) Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:36:01 -0600 Subject: [Blindvet-talk] Follow NFB-NEWSLINE on Twitter to get the freshest scoop! Message-ID: In order to better communicate with our subscribers, NFB-NEWSLINE is now on Twitter. Our posts, or "Tweets," which come out on a weekly basis generally, advise subscribers of new publications added and new features or system enhancements, such as the ability with NFB-NEWSLINE Online to view publications on our Web site or download them to your digital talking-book player. Occasionally we also post Tweets that bring attention to interesting articles that we feel subscribers might enjoy. If you would like to follow us, please visit http://twitter.com/NFB_NEWSLINE. For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter, it is a social networking site that consists of "microblogs," time- or topic-sensitive posts that are 140 characters or less. You may read our tweets on the Web or use one of many available Twitter clients, most of which are free to use. A podcast, called "Twitter from a Blindness Perspective," is available at www.blindcooltech.com and may be of help in learning more about the service. Below is a sampling of clients available: McTwit is a free, open-source desktop client for Twitter.com. The program is designed with productivity of keyboard users in mind. Additionally, if the JAWS, System Access, or Window-Eyes screen reader is active, some information is conveyed efficiently through direct speech messages. This client is available at www.mctwit.com. A more complete introduction to this client may be found at http://www.fredshead.info/2009/08/mctwit-accessible-interface-for-twitter.html. TwInbox: Formerly known as outTwit, this add-in to Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 provides a method of integrating Twitter into your e-mail system. Tweets can be displayed in your Inbox or a designated folder. Outlook commands for Reply and Reply to All can be used to reply to messages as private, direct, messages or replies can be sent to the "timeline." Tweets can be manipulated and stored just like any other Outlook item. The advantage of this client, for those users who routinely have their e-mail open all day, is that it brings the Twitter experience into an application with which you are already familiar. TwInbox is available from Techhit at http://www.techhit.com. Further information on this client is available at http://www.fredshead.info/2009/12/tweet-from-outlook.html. Twittelator PRO is a low-cost application for the iPhone that allows you to utilize most Twitter functions, including the managing of multiple accounts. Twittelator Pro also offers a search feature, the ability to post shortened URLs, and the ability to differentiate direct messages from ordinary tweets. Visit http://www.stone.com/Twittelator for more information and downloading instructions. Qwitter: This client, mainly designed for use by the blind, provides a number of interesting features that make it appealing to power users. The program runs in the background and checks for new tweets at specified intervals, and keyboard commands are then used to review the new messages. Qwitter provides access to its interface from anywhere in the operating system, making it unnecessary to leave your current task to access new tweets. Qwitter presents different tweets in "buffers," which provide a way for you to access your timeline (showing all the messages from people you follow), replies (showing all messages with your @username in them), direct messages (messages sent privately to you), and sent (displaying messages you have sent). Additionally, Qwitter provides the ability to define search buffers, which will search the Twitter public timeline for a designated string and present them to you. The Qwitter client supports speech output directly to your screen access program, or uses a SAPI voice if no speech software is running. This program is available from http://www.qwitter-client.net. You can become more familiar with this client by accessing a podcast on the subject at http://www.lalrecordings.com/node/31. Tweets60 is a free Twitter client for Nokia S60 smartphones, and is compatible with the Talks screen reader. Tweets60 is the first free native Twitter application for Nokia S60, providing a simple and accessible way to manage your Twitter account on the go, providing access to most standard Twitter functionality on the move. Once installed Tweets60 is accessed through the application tab on your menu and will automatically connect to your Twitter account, showing you new tweets, direct messages, and your latest updates. You can then change your status, read the tweets of people you follow, re-tweet, and manage who you follow. You can even leave Tweets60 running in the background and it will automatically update. You may download this client from http://www.tweets60.com. Jawter is a tool that essentially turns your screen reader into a Twitter client and allows you to use Twitter with a minimum of fuss. You simply install it, set it up, and read your Twitter updates with hot keys that work anywhere in windows, wherever you are, and whatever you're doing. Your tweets can be navigated from within the screen reader, then there's no need to go launching separate programs just to see what your friends are saying. This client may be downloaded from: http://randylaptop.com/software/jawter-2. Blind Cool Tech has a podcast you can listen to in order to learn more about Jawter, available at http://media.libsyn.com/media/bct/bct1319Jawter.mp3. Twitterrific is a free application created for Mac users that lets you both read and publish posts or "tweets" to the Twitter community Web site. The application's user interface is clean, concise, and designed to take up a minimum of real estate on your Mac's desktop. You may access the download by visiting http://iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at nfbnewsline at nfb.org. From the NFB-NEWSLINE Team Renee West Manager, Marketing and Outreach Sponsored Technology Programs NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 200 East Wells Street Baltimore MD 21230 Phone: (410) 659-9314 ext. 2411 Fax: (410) 659-5129 Websites: www.nfb.org; www.nfbnewsline.org; www.nfbnewslineonline.org There is a Braille literacy crisis in America. You can be part of the solution. Buy the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar now! From NABlindVets at aol.com Fri Dec 18 01:15:35 2009 From: NABlindVets at aol.com (NABlindVets at aol.com) Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:15:35 EST Subject: [Blindvet-talk] A Christmas E- Card is Attached from the NABV President and Family! Message-ID: I hope this attachment is allowed as it is our Christmas E Card to You from the Sayer Family in Euripw this Christmas. Dwight Dwight D. Sayer National President, The National Association of Blind Veterans A Division of the NFB Email - presidentnabv at aol.com or president at nabv.org Web Site - _www.nabv.org_ (http://www.nabv.org/)