[Home-on-the-range] Fwd: [Nfb-seniors] QUE PASA - New Mexico's Newsletter - Another Good One!
Dianne Hemphill
diannehemphill at cox.net
Wed Dec 13 15:03:05 UTC 2017
fyi - some really useful info in the NFB New Mexico quarterly newsletter. Dianne
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Robert Leslie Newman via NFB-Seniors <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Nfb-seniors] QUE PASA - New Mexico's Newsletter - Another Good One!
> Date: December 10, 2017 at 8:52:03 AM CST
> To: "0senior division listserv" <nebraska-senior-blind at nfbnet.org>, "NFB Senior Division list" <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Robert Leslie Newman <robertleslienewman at gmail.com>
> Reply-To: NFB Senior Division list <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
>
> QUE PASA
>
>
>
> December 2017
>
>
>
> Quarterly newsletter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
>
>
>
> (Published in March, June, September, and December)
>
>
>
> Adelmo Vigil, President
>
>
>
> E-mail: nfbnewmexicopresident at gmail.com
> <mailto:nfbnewmexicopresident at gmail.com>
>
>
>
> (575) 921-5422
>
>
>
> James Babb, Editor
>
>
>
> E-mail: jim.babb at mysero.net <mailto:jim.babb at mysero.net>
>
>
>
> (505) 291-3112
>
>
>
> Tonia Trapp, Assistant Editor
>
>
>
> E-mail: nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com
> <mailto:nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com>
>
>
>
> (505) 856-5346
>
>
>
> ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
>
>
>
> To submit an article or recipe for possible inclusion in this newsletter,
> please email it to jim.babb at mysero.net <mailto:jim.babb at mysero.net> . By
> submitting your article or other material, you are agreeing to the
> following:
>
>
>
> *You assert that your article does not violate any confidentiality,
> copyright, or other laws, and that it is not intended to slander, defame, or
> mislead.
>
>
>
> *The NFB of New Mexico (NFBNM) has the discretion to publish and distribute
> the article either in whole or in part.
>
>
>
> *NFBNM is authorized to edit the article for formatting, length and content.
>
>
>
> *NFBNM reserves the right to not publish submissions for any reason.
>
>
>
> Table of Contents
>
>
>
> PREAMBLE. 2
>
>
>
> EDITOR’S NOTE. 2
>
>
>
> PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. 3
>
>
>
> THE 2017 WHITE CANE BANQUET: A WHITE CANE DAY CELEBRATION.. 4
>
>
>
> SIGNIFICANT HAPPENINGS IN THE WORLD OF NONVISUAL ACCESS TECHNOLOGY. 5
>
>
>
> A REVIEW OF THE YELP REVIEWERS IN ALBUQUERQUE. 7
>
>
>
> USEFUL WEBSITES, APPS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS. 9
>
>
>
> MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. 10
>
>
>
> PREAMBLE
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico (NFBNM) is a
>
> 501(c)(3) consumer organization comprised of blind and sighted people
> committed to changing what it means to be blind. Though blindness is still
> all too often a tragedy to those who face it, we know from our own personal
> experience that with training and opportunity, it can be reduced to the
> level of a physical nuisance. We work to see that blind people receive
> services and training to which they are entitled and that parents of blind
> children receive the advice and support they need to help their youngsters
> grow up to be happy, productive adults. We believe that first-class
> citizenship means that people have both rights and responsibilities, and we
> are determined to see that blind people become first-class citizens of these
> United States, enjoying their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities.
> The most serious problems we face have less to do with our lack of vision
> than with discrimination based on the public’s ignorance and misinformation
> about blindness. Join us in educating New Mexicans about the abilities and
> aspirations of New Mexico’s blind citizens.
>
>
>
> (Adapted from NFB of Ohio newsletter.)
>
>
>
> EDITOR’S NOTE
>
>
>
> by Jim Babb, Editor
>
>
>
> Hello fellow Federationists and other Que Pasa readers,
>
>
>
> I hope you enjoy this edition of Que Pasa, the newsletter of the National
> Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. The articles contributed by you help
> make this newsletter a success. I wish to thank Assistant Editor Tonia
> Trapp, who finalizes and compiles the submitted articles for this
> newsletter. She also reads this newsletter onto New Mexico Newsline.
>
>
>
> Have a great holiday season!
>
>
>
> PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
>
>
>
> by Adelmo Vigil, President, NFB of New Mexico
>
>
>
> Greetings Federation Family:
>
>
>
> We are fast approaching the holidays. It is a great time to reflect on all
> that we have accomplished in 2017. I want to take this opportunity to wish
> everyone blessings through the holidays and a happy new year.
>
>
>
> In November, we conducted our leadership training seminar. I want to thank
> everyone who helped plan the seminar, as well as everyone who participated
> in it. The purpose of this event was to help our chapter and division
> leaders expand their skills to grow the organization at the local level.
>
>
>
> The members of our affiliate have been very busy participating in
> Cardtronics testing to determine if their ATM machines are truly accessible.
> They have also held many Meet the Blind Month activities.
>
>
>
> It is not too early to begin planning for our state convention in 2018.
>
> The convention will be held at the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, APRIL
>
> 19 through April 22, 2018. Let's work at making this the largest gathering
> of blind New Mexicans in our state affiliate.
>
>
>
> We call on members of each local chapter and division to help us move
> forward and grow as an affiliate. We can change what it means to be blind
> for children, youth and adults of all ages in New Mexico and throughout the
> country.
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico knows that blindness is
> not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
> the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. We can live the life we want; blindness
> is not what holds us back.
>
>
>
> THE 2017 WHITE CANE BANQUET: A WHITE CANE DAY CELEBRATION
>
>
>
> by Nancy Burns
>
>
>
> The atmosphere was tinged with enthusiasm as Federationists filled a private
> room at the El Patron restaurant. This event was planned and hosted by the
> West Mesa Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. The
> occasion was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the White Cane Law.
> New Mexico played a high-profile role in this historical event, as
> then-Governor David Cargo signed the law into effect in 1967.
>
>
>
> Chapter President Don Burns shared the fact that he had obtained White Cane
> proclamations from the mayors of Rio Rancho and Albuquerque as well as from
> Governor Martinez.
>
>
>
> The highlight of the event was the guest speaker, Stephanie Kean, Field
> Representative for Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham. She brought regards
> from the Congresswoman and commended the NFB for our positive work in
> protecting the rights of blind people who use a white cane or guide dog. Her
> comments were well received.
>
>
>
> Caroline Benavidez, 1st Vice President of the NFBNM and retired school
> teacher, shared her thoughts as a professional woman about the importance of
> her white cane. Tara Chavez, President of the Albuquerque Chapter, spoke
> about her roles as a mom and working woman and talked about the importance
> of her guide dog in that context. Arthur Schreiber, President Emeritus,
> recounted the difficulty in obtaining the passage of this important law.
> Curtis Chong, Treasurer of the NFBNM, read the proclamation from his Braille
> copy.
>
>
>
> All of these presentations were given before Ms. Kean had to leave for
> another event. We thanked her for attending and expressed our appreciation
> for bringing comments from Congresswoman Lujan Grisham.
>
>
>
> West Mesa Chapter members had decorated the tables with miniature white
> canes and provided two door prizes. This event highlighted the history and
> importance of the White Cane Law and the important role played by the
> National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico. The White Cane Law plays a
> key role in allowing us to live the life we want.
>
>
>
> SIGNIFICANT HAPPENINGS IN THE WORLD OF NONVISUAL ACCESS TECHNOLOGY
>
>
>
> by Curtis Chong
>
>
>
> The Demise of Window-Eyes
>
>
>
> On May 15 of this year, long-time users of the popular Window-Eyes screen
> reading program were stunned by a widely-distributed email sent from GW
> Micro declaring that sales of Window-Eyes had ended in the United States and
> Canada. Users of Window-Eyes were advised that they could use this program
> as long as it continued to work for them, but they were warned that as the
> Windows operating system and applications changed over time, Window-Eyes
> might not function adequately to meet their needs. Window-Eyes users were
> told that they could migrate to the JAWS for Windows screen reading program,
> and for many, this migration could happen without cost.
>
>
>
> Readers of Que Pasa should know that both GW Micro (the company which
> developed and sold Window-Eyes) and Freedom Scientific (the company which
> developed and now sells JAWS for Windows) were merged into a larger
> organization called the VFO Group, a company which now owns GW Micro,
> Freedom Scientific, AI Squared, and Optelec. Consequently, the demise of
> Window-Eyes, while disappointing, came as no surprise to individuals and
> organizations closely watching the access technology market.
>
>
>
> On a positive note, if you have been a long-time user of Window-Eyes and are
> worried that you will need to learn a plethora of new commands for JAWS, you
> can be reassured that most of us don't really use many Window-Eyes commands
> as we operate the computer every day. You can continue to use just about
> every keyboard command you know because those commands are built into
> Windows and the programs you use on a daily basis. Those commands work as
> well with JAWS as they do with Window-Eyes.
>
>
>
> JAWS 2018: A New Number and a Significant New Feature
>
>
>
> On October 25 of this year, Freedom Scientific released the latest version
> of JAWS for Windows. With this release, version numbering for JAWS has now
> changed. Prior to this release, the most current release of JAWS was
> numbered 18. The latest release of JAWS is now called 2018, and the next
> release will be dubbed JAWS 2019, which will probably come out in late
> October of next year.
>
>
>
> JAWS 2018 now offers support for the Microsoft Edge web browsing program,
> which comes with Windows 10. Significant as this support is (Microsoft Edge
> was released more than two years ago, and JAWS support for this browser has
> been a long time in coming), in this writer's opinion, there is another
> feature which comes with JAWS 2018 which most blind users will find more
> significant. Simply put, JAWS 2018 can now function as a basic print-reading
> program, complete with the ability to capture printed text through a scanner
> or using the Freedom Scientific Pearl™ camera, the price for which has been
> reduced from over $700 to around $300. Not only can printed information be
> captured through a scanner, but JAWS has the ability to recognize when text
> has been printed in multiple columns and can render that text in a format
> that is more readable to the nonvisual user. For some of us, this means that
> basic reading of printed information can be achieved without expensive
> software such as OpenBook or Kurzweil 1000, both of which cost nearly
> $1,000.
>
>
>
> Important Information for Users of Mozilla Firefox
>
>
>
> In an article called "THE NEED TO USE MORE THAN ONE WEB BROWSER IN WINDOWS,"
> published in the September, 2017 edition of Que Pasa, I mentioned that
> Mozilla Firefox was one of the two best web browsing programs to be used
> with screen reading software. I have had to revise my opinion about Firefox
> in light of an October 25, 2017 blog posted by Freedom Scientific. In this
> blog, nonvisual users are warned that Firefox Quantum, a release of Firefox
> scheduled to be released on November 14, will severely hamper the ability of
> JAWS users to surf the Web. If you want to read all of the gory details,
> point your browser (assuming that it is still working<smile>) to this link:
>
>
>
> http://blog.freedomscientific.com/2017/10/25/important-information-for-users
> -of-mozilla-firefox/
>
>
>
> According to the blog, "...we recommend switching to the Extended Support
> Release (ESR) of Firefox as work on the accessibility issues continues,
> because even when you are running assistive technology that supports Firefox
> Quantum, performance with Firefox will be much worse than you are used to."
>
>
>
> Fortunately, for Firefox users who don't want to switch to another program,
> there is a workaround. This involves installing the Extended Support Release
> of Firefox, which can be found at
> https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/. The Quantum changes
> are not scheduled to be rolled out for this release until the second quarter
> of 2018, at which time all of us hope the performance issues with Firefox
> Quantum will have been fixed.
>
>
>
> A REVIEW OF THE YELP REVIEWERS IN ALBUQUERQUE
>
>
>
> by Mary Willows
>
>
>
> Over the past five years or so, there has been a trend in disability
> awareness called “Dining in the Dark” which has been considered very
> controversial in the blind community. Some think that it is abhorrent and
> counterproductive. Foodies believe that it is educational while being
> entertaining at the same time.
>
>
>
> For those who may not be familiar with the website called “Yelp," it is a
> means for consumers to review local restaurants and businesses.
>
> Recently, Curtis Chong and I were asked to represent the NFB of New Mexico
> at a restaurant called Torino’s located on Jefferson in Albuquerque. Both of
> us were apprehensive, but being committed to public education about
> blindness, we went to dinner at Torino’s on November 11.
>
>
>
> When Curtis and I arrived, we were met by the Marketing Coordinator for Yelp
> Albuquerque, Howie Kaibel. Mr. Kaibel introduced us to the owners of Torinos
> restaurant and we took off to preview the layout and discuss the menu. Some
> of the details were not what Curtis and I would have recommended, but the
> important part was to let them know that we would introduce the dinner
> guests to blindness and make sure that the experience was positive. I am
> glad to report that this was the goal for Howie and the Torinos managers,
> Daniel and Jenna, as well.
>
>
>
> The dinner guests were people who frequent the Yelp website to review
> restaurants and other businesses in Albuquerque. There were twenty
> blindfolded, hungry people in the restaurant. Howie introduced Curtis and
> me, and then the fun began. Curtis described how one should find place
> settings on the table. He did an excellent job of directing people to the
> water glass and wine glass without spilling. Then the first of four courses
> was served. There was no doubt by the sounds of moans and smacking lips that
> the food was outstanding. Participants described the flavors to each other
> as though they had never eaten such a wonderful meal before. The owners of
> the restaurant were quite pleased with the responses. When the food was all
> gone, participants were asked to take off the blindfold and share the
> experience. Some people had questions about the food and others asked
> questions about blindness. The discussion topics covered the gamut. We
> talked about guide dogs and assistive technology, and I even gave the
> participants a crash course in Braille reading.
>
>
>
> Yelp Albuquerque will be following up with Adelmo Vigil, President of NFBNM,
> to send a donation to the affiliate and see if we can add a link to the Yelp
> website to tell us whether a particular restaurant offers Braille menus. All
> in all it was a very good experience.
>
>
>
> USEFUL WEBSITES, APPS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
>
>
>
> http://www.dmaconsumers.org <http://www.dmaconsumers.org/>
>
>
>
> This is the website for the Direct Marketing Association. Go to the mail
> preference service and register if you do not want mail from their members.
>
>
>
> Also:
>
>
>
> http://www.optoutprescreen.com <http://www.optoutprescreen.com/>
>
>
>
> Register here to stop most of the bank-type solicitations.
>
>
>
> http://www.charitywatch.org <http://www.charitywatch.org>
>
>
>
> This is the giving season, so you will receive solicitations from many
> charities. Go here to see if the particular charity gives at least 90
> percent of what they receive to the intended charitable purpose.
>
>
>
> http://www.zello.com <http://www.zello.com>
>
>
>
> This app turns your smart phone into a walkie talkie. It has been useful in
> the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, when large segments of the cellular
> network are down.
>
>
>
> Free 2-day shipping websites:
>
>
>
> Go here and check the stores they service. These sites are what is called
> fermium, meaning the basic service is free and there is a charge for more
> advanced services.
>
>
>
> https://express.google.com <https://express.google.com/>
>
>
>
> http://www.shoprunner.com <http://www.shoprunner.com/>
>
>
>
> https://duckduckgo.com <https://duckduckgo.com/>
>
>
>
> I have used this Google-type search website several times and find it
> useful. It promotes that it does not put cookies on your computer and does
> not track you.
>
>
>
> MEETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
>
>
>
>
>
> * v December 22-31, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø NFB Independence Market will be closed
>
>
>
> * v January 28-February 1, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø Annual Washington Seminar to be held at the Holliday Inn Capitol. The
> Great Gathering will take place on Monday January 29.
>
>
>
> * v March 31, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø Deadline to apply for NFB scholarship awards ranging from $3,000 to
> $12,000. For information go to www.nfb.org/scholarships
> <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships> <http://www.nfb.org/scholarships>
>
>
>
> * v April 15, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø Deadline for applications for the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award
>
>
>
> * v April 19-22, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico State Convention,
> Sheraton Uptown, Albuquerque, New Mexico
>
>
>
> * v July 3-8, 2018
>
>
>
> * Ø National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, Rosen
> Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida
>
>
>
> Tonia Trapp, secretary
>
>
>
> National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico
>
>
>
> nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com <mailto:nfbnewmexicosecretary at gmail.com>
>
>
>
> www.nfbnm.org <http://www.nfbnm.org>
>
>
>
> Live the life you want.
>
>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
> who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind.
>
> Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> NFB-NM mailing list
>
> NFB-NM at nfbnet.org <mailto:NFB-NM at nfbnet.org>
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-nm_nfbnet.org
>
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NFB-NM:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-nm_nfbnet.org/jim.babb%40mysero.net
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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