From dandrews at visi.com Mon Feb 1 16:11:49 2010 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:11:49 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Let Freedom Ring: Braille Letters to President Barack Obama is now available Message-ID: Dear Federationists: In the fall of 2009, the National Federation of the Blind put out a call for Americans to write letters to President Barack Obama expressing the role that being able to read and write Braille plays in their lives. The NFB was flooded with responses from a large variety of blind and sighted people?from school children to working professionals to retired senior citizens. While there are great variances in the people who responded, one factor was the same: that Braille plays a vital role in their lives and is an important, and indeed necessary, tool for the blind. We have compiled one hundred of these letters into a book intended to be presented to President Barack Obama. This morning, February 1, 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan received the publication on behalf of the President at a ceremony at the United States Department of Education. During the event, Secretary Duncan, other dignitaries from the Department of Education, and leaders of the NFB heard from various speakers, including Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, two school children, and a parent of a blind child. Fredric K. Schroeder, First Vice President of the NFB, presented the book and asked the Secretary to support the NFB?s goal of doubling the number of school-age children reading Braille. Secretary Duncan left the event with the knowledge that Braille is vital to the independence of the blind. And he left armed with the book that will give President Obama this knowledge as well. Let Freedom Ring: Braille Letters to President Barack Obama is now available for you to read on our Web site at http://is.gd/7jiz3. This event and the release of this book is a great way to begin our 2010 Washington Seminar! Let Federationism Ring! Mark A. Riccobono Executive Director, Jernigan Institute National Federation of the Blind mriccobono at nfb.org From jsorozco at gmail.com Thu Feb 4 20:21:51 2010 From: jsorozco at gmail.com (Joe Orozco) Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:21:51 -0500 Subject: [Mabs] Adaptive Technology and Your Pocketbook Message-ID: <5EEF166543EF4055A5EC5391BB73E7FD@Rufus> Hello, Over the past couple days I have engaged a discussion on several lists concerning the price of adaptive technology. There are varying views on whether or not these prices are fair, and there appears to be interest in creating a campaign to address the issue. If you are interested in lending your views or your support, please e-mail me at the address below. This would be preferable to a prolonged discussion across multiple lists. Please e-mail anyone you feel would be interested in participating, and please especially help us find representatives from the leading adaptive technology companies. We are not interested in creating a landscape of corporations versus consumers. At this time there is no evidence suggesting adaptive technology companies are not willing to discuss our concerns, and preliminary feedback on the issue mostly agrees that we should find a plan that takes into account the real cost of production and the impact to a consumer's personal finances. We do not know if the answer lies in lower prices, payment plans or philanthropic programs to help offset the cost of this technology, but we will not find answers if we do not hear from you. If you are interested in participating in a working group, please e-mail me at: jsorozco at gmail.com Thank you in advance, Joe Orozco "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd."--Max Lucado __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4836 (20100204) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com From jsorozco at gmail.com Thu Feb 4 21:24:01 2010 From: jsorozco at gmail.com (Joe Orozco) Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 16:24:01 -0500 Subject: [Mabs] Textbook publishers heading to iPad Message-ID: <9AD885015FC34D6EB3D13EF03F17CEE0@Rufus> Subject: Textbook publishers heading to iPad Textbook publishers heading to iPad Major publishers sign deal with ScrollMotion to adapt their textbooks and study guides for Apple's iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10446865-37.html?part=rss &subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 * * home * reviews * news * downloads * cnet tv * On GameSpot: So-called 'Halo killer' gets 23 to life * * log in * join CNET * welcome, * my profile * log out CNET.com * Latest News * CNET River Beta * Webware * Crave * Business Tech * Green Tech * Wireless * Security * Photos * More * Media * Cutting Edge * Apple * Politics & Law * Gaming and Culture * Microsoft * Health Tech * Blogs * Video * RSS * Markets * Home * News * Apple Apple February 3, 2010 11:37 AM PST Textbook publishers heading to iPad by Lance Whitney * Font size * Print * E-mail * Share * Post a comment * Share Publishers aren't wasting any time getting their books onto the new iPad. (Credit: Apple ) Publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Kaplan Publishing, McGraw-Hill Education, and Pearson have signed deals to be among the first to port their textbooks over to Apple's new tablet. Heading to the iPad as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch will be their textbooks, study guides, and test prep manuals. Announced on Wednesday, the agreements were made with ScrollMotion, a company that develops the iPhone e-reader app Iceberg Reader and works with publishers to digitize their books for the mobile market. The digital textbooks promise a slew of options to take advantage of the medium, according to ScrollMotion. Students can mark text in any of six different colors to visually categorize each highlight. They can write notes or use the microphone built into the iPad and iPhone to record audio notes. Students can also search for text by subject, topic, and other criteria. The digital books are even capable of playing quick videos to accompany the content. Finally, students can take interactive quizzes and track their right and wrong answers on the device. Even before Apple chief Steve Jobs touted the iPad as the ultimate e-book reader, publishers were eager to hop on board. At an earnings conference call the day before the iPad launch last week, McGraw Hill CEO Terry McGraw dangled remarks about his company's college textbooks potentially running on an Apple tablet. The publisher's CourseSmart textbook line is already available as an iPhone and iPod Touch app. McGraw seemed confident that the same content now on the iPhone could run out of the box on a tablet device. Debate has surfaced as to whether the iPad could push other e-book readers out of the marketplace or at least make a dent in their sales. The iPad has a couple of potential drawbacks. Its LCD screen is seen as less friendly on the eyes than the e-ink used in dedicated readers like the Kindle. And for consumers only interested in reading books, the iPad's starting price of $499 could be hard to swallow compared to the lower cost of most standalone e-book readers. Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit . Lance is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET. Topics: iPhone , iPod , iPad Tags: iPad , e-books , e-book readers, iPhone , iPod Touch, Apple , textbooks , ScrollMotion Share: Digg Del.icio.us Reddit Facebook Twitter Recent posts from Apple Textbook publishers heading to iPad Analyst: Apple will sell 8 million iPads by 2012 Researcher warns of risks from rogue iPhone apps Apple patch plugs iPhone, iPod Touch holes Apple releases firmware update for 27-inch iMac displays In their words: Experts weigh in on Mac vs. PC security Report: Jobs says 'don't be evil' mantra is BS Apple icon drops pants, suggests you e-mail your senator Add a comment Comment SUBMIT Click here to add another comment. 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Message-ID: <85ff10071002131115o69c59b83n8ddcf844db384cf7@mail.gmail.com> national Association of Blind Students >From the Desk of the President February 13, 2010 In This Bulletin: 1. Washington Seminar Report! 2. Legislative Update! 3. Scholarships for Convention! 4. NABS On Facebook and Twitter! 5. NFB 2010 Scholarship Program Washington Seminar Report! On Sunday, January 31, the National Association of Blind Students held our annual midwinter meeting in Washington, D.C. It was my pleasure to organize this year?s meeting. In addition to the usual informational updates and talks from our NFB president, NFB governmental affairs director and NFB scholarship chairman, we had an excellent panel discussion of job-finding skills and another panel discussion of NFB blindness skills training opportunities. We also conducted breakout sessions where students could ask questions and receive information about on-campus involvement, academic issues, assistive technology and NFB philosophy. On Sunday evening, we held a NABS mixer and auction where students could socialize and dance. NABS raised $750 in the auction. Finally, on Monday morning, NABS held a student information fair where representatives from RFB&D, BookShare, ETS, NewsLine, Blackboard, and our three NFB training centers distributed information and talked with students. This was our first time doing this, and I think it was quite successful and informative for all who attended. I?d like to thank everyone who attended our meeting, as well as all those who presented information, for making it a success! Legislative Update: Sean Whalen, second vice-president of NABS, writes the following regarding the NFB?s legislative work in Washington: On Monday, February 1, NFB members from across the country, including impressive numbers of students, converged on Washington DC to carry our message regarding the legislative priorities of blind Americans to Congress. Over the subsequent three days, we met with Senators, Representatives and Congressional staff in virtually all 535 Congressional offices to educate them on issues of importance to the blind. We talked to them about how important it is that cars can be heard and how the proliferation of silent cars is a real threat to the independent travel of the blind. We talked about implementing cheap and easy common-sense solutions to ensure that blind individuals can participate equally in society and the workplace by making certain that we have access to home and office electronics and software. And we showed them how the current rules governing eligibility for SSDI benefits can actually serve as a disincentive to work for blind recipients. Now, Washington Seminar is over, however, the legislative work for the year has just begun. Whether or not you attended Washington Seminar, you can help with the critical work of garnering Congressional support for our bills. It is crucial that Members of Congress hear from their constituents about these issues. Each one of us can play a vital role in forwarding our legislative agenda. Simply call or write to your Senators and Representatives and, if they are not already signed on as a cosponsor for our bills, let them know why the issue is important and ask them to sign on. If you do not know who your Representatives or Senators are, you can look them up at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov respectively. To find out whether or not your particular member is a cosponsor of a given bill, go to Thomas.loc.gov (no www) and enter the bill number for the legislation you are interested in checking on. Bill numbers are as follows: H.R. 734 Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in the House S. 841 Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in the Senate H.R. 886 Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act (SSDI) in the House S. 2962 Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act (SSDI) in the Senate H.R. 4533 Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind in the House Note: There has not yet been a technology access bill introduced in the Senate. This is all the more reason to reach out to your Senators to see if they would be interested in introducing such legislation. After searching for the bill, click on the bill title on the search results page. From there, you will find a ?cosponsors? link that will take you to a page which lists all current cosponsors of the bill. If you wish to call your Senators and Representatives, you may call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator?s or Representative?s office. It doesn?t take long to reach out to your elected officials, and contact from constituents is one of the biggest determinants of where Members of Congress come down on issues. Let?s keep up the momentum of last week. Working together we can build a brighter future for blind individuals throughout the United States! Sincerely, Sean Whalen Convention Scholarships Available: The NFB will be having its annual convention this year in Dallas, TX, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel on July 3-8, 2010. Stay tuned for more details regarding the convention and student activities. In the meantime, if you have never attended an NFB convention before, you can apply for funding to cover your expenses. Please contact your NFB chapter or affiliate president to get a letter of support for your funding application. If you don?t know who your affiliate president is, go to http://www.nfb.org/nfb/State_and_Local_Organizations.asp NABS on Facebook and Twitter: The National Association of Blind Students now has a page on Facebook and an account on Twitter! Become a fan of NABS on Facebook to stay in touch and communicate with other blind students across the country. Follow us on Twitter to receive announcements about what NABS is doing both nationally and in our state divisions. You can find us by searching for "National Association of Blind Students" on Facebook and "NABSLINK" on Twitter. Do you have a piece of news that you want us to post on Facebook and Twitter? Please send it to the membership committee by writing an email to 2010 Scholarship Applications Now Available: Each year the National Federation of the Blind awards thirty scholarships to legally blind college and graduate students across the country. The scholarship includes a cash award ranging from $3000 to $12000, plus a free trip to the NFB national convention and often a piece of assistive technology such as a KNFB Reader Mobile. The scholarship application for 2010 is now on the Web at www.nfb.org/scholarships Applications are due by March 31, 2010. Already won a national NFB scholarship? You can apply again and potentially win a second scholarship, also known as a TenBroek fellowship. In addition, many NFB affiliates offer scholarships to blind students. You needn't be an active member of the NFB to win. Contact your NFB state president for details. -- Arielle Silverman President, National Association of Blind Students Phone: 602-502-2255 Email: nabs.president at gmail.com Website: www.nabslink.org From jsorozco at gmail.com Sun Feb 14 03:41:29 2010 From: jsorozco at gmail.com (Joe Orozco) Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:41:29 -0500 Subject: [Mabs] Pac Mate Omni for Sale Message-ID: Hello all, I have a Pac Mate Omni BX420 for sale. The firmware is the latest version, 6.2. The unit is in excellent condition, including all cells on the Braille display. Scroll down for information about pricing and possible payment plan. Features: * Access to the mobile version of Windows PowerPointR * Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for real time synchronization of e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks * Smart filtering for rapid location of e-mail messages * Easy information searches via Windows Live Search * Support for the Windows Live Messenger voice clip feature providing users with "push-to-talk" functionality in instant messaging * "Plug and Play" support for popular WiFi and BluetoothR cards The package will include the following items: * Pac Mate Omni * 20 cell Pac Mate portable display * AC adapter * Braille quick reference guide * USB cable * Standard to mini USB adapter * 1 gig cf card * 128 meg cf card * CF modem adapter * CF Ethernet adapter * CF wireless adapter and drivers * CF FM tuner and drivers * PCMCIA adapter * Standard carrying case and included shoulder straps * Executive products carrying case with included shoulder strap and accessory pouch for the AC adapter * FS Reader * FSCommander Alone, this unit is worth $3,795. This unit, plus accessories, is being sold at $1,150, including standard shipping. I will sell it to you for $1,350 if you prefer to work out a payment plan, also including standard shipping. If seriously interested, please e-mail me at: jsorozco at gmail.com PayPal is preferred. Joe Orozco "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4864 (20100213) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com From dandrews at visi.com Wed Feb 17 02:34:51 2010 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:34:51 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] NIB Leadership Development Fellowships Message-ID: Applications for the Fellowship at National Industries for the Blind are now being accepted. The Fellowship for Leadership Development, sponsored by National Industries for the Blind (NIB), is a salaried, two-year program that combines business-focused, on-the-job experience with formal management training. Legally blind individuals who have an undergraduate degree, work experience and passion for business are invited to apply. Fellows are selected based on academic achievement, experience, motivation, references, and personal interviews. Fellows, who completed the program, have moved to management jobs, gaining financial independence and, as business leaders, have added value at all levels of the workplace and society. Go to the NIB Website at www.nib.org and look under the Business Leaders Program section to learn more about the NIB Fellowship. Or: For the Fellowship Frequently Asked Questions, please click here. Read FAQs before applying. For the Fellowship Application Form, please click here. The application deadline is April 15, 2010. If you have questions, contact Sandy Finley, NIB Business Leaders Program, at fellowship at nib.org or 703.310.0506. From dandrews at visi.com Tue Feb 23 03:01:53 2010 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:01:53 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Seeking Students for Braille Study Message-ID: [Flyer for Students: Announcement of Study] Seeking Students for Research Study Students who are between the ages of 16 and 22 years who are braille readers and users of assistive technology are needed for a study. This study will explore how you use both braille and electronic information for classroom work, and how you learned these literacy practices. The purpose of this research will be to add to our understanding of the current role of both hard-copy (paper) braille and use of electronic access to information by people who are blind from ages 16-22, and your attitudes and perceptions about both braille and technology. This information will inform how we prepare pre-service teachers to instruct young braille readers. If you are interested in participating in this study or getting more information, please contact me via email at fmd22 at pitt.edu, by calling 412-521-5797, or by writing to me at: Frances Mary D'Andrea 5513 Posvar Hall University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA 15260 If you are under 18, you MUST have your parents' or guardians' permission. A consent form will be send to you in braille or electronically after you verify that you are: 1. between the ages of 16-22 2. a student enrolled in school 3. a braille reader 4. a user of electronic assistive technology devices, hardware, or software. If you are under 18, your parents will also receive a consent form that must be signed before you can participate. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your interest! Frances Mary D'Andrea From dandrews at visi.com Tue Feb 23 03:12:29 2010 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:12:29 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Survey on Synthesized Speech and Audio Description Message-ID: We have been asked to circulate the following: Dave February 19, 2010 Recruiting Now for a Survey on Synthesized Speech and Audio Description IBM Research-Japan and WGBH's Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) are conducting a joint study via an online survey on the applicability of speech synthesis for audio description of Web-based video. Adults (18+ years of age) who are blind or have low vision will be asked to share their opinions about a few short video clips which include synthesized description. NCAM is seeking participants with a range of familiarity with synthesized speech (from little or none to regular users) and as well as familiarity with audio description (from little or none to regular users). Interested in sharing your opinion? Please send an email to access at wgbh.org with "participate" in the subject line. Once the online survey is posted on or about March 1, you will be sent an email with the survey's Web site address and asked to complete the survey by Friday, March 12. The survey, which will be accessible via screen-reading software, should take no longer than one half hour. NCAM will summarize and share the results of the survey once user opinions are analyzed. NOTE: This is an early investigation into a subject many people who are blind or have low-vision have asked about for many years. Though we are conducting this study, WGBH does not intend to substitute synthesized speech for human voices on the programs and movies we currently describe. Following this narrow and limited initial study, further research will be required to expand the scope of investigation into larger populations, other types of media and other parameters. Thank you! Mary -- Mary Watkins Director of Communications and Outreach Media Access Group at WGBH One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135 617 300-3700 mary_watkins at wgbh.org access.wgbh.org Follow the Media Access Group on Facebook and Twitter (AccessWGBH) WGBH Boston informs, inspires, and entertains millions through public broadcasting, the Web, educational multimedia, and access services for people with disabilities. From gwunder at earthlink.net Wed Feb 24 20:12:34 2010 From: gwunder at earthlink.net (Gary Wunder) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:12:34 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Fw: RFB&D Accepting Applications for 2010 Scholarships! Message-ID: <000801cab58d$b7c2e5e0$260482a1@umh.edu> RFB&D ----- Original Message ----- From: RFB&D Update To: gwunder at earthlink.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:10 PM Subject: RFB&D Accepting Applications for 2010 Scholarships! Click here to view this email as a web page Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic? (RFB&D?) is now accepting applications for the 2010 National Achievement Awards! High school seniors with learning disabilities and college seniors who are blind or visually impaired are eligible for the award. Each year, six top winners receive $6,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC! The deadline of April 1st is fast-approaching! Click here to learn more and print out your application. This is a commercial message. If you would prefer not to receive further announcements from RFB&D, please click on the following link. Unsubscribe -PVTL:enUS: 3wDOiAeKTnIzp6DtXyRL44- ? 2010, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Incorporated. All rights reserved. 20 Roszel Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic?, RFB&D?, Learning Through Listening?, the Heart and Headphones design, AudioPlus?, AudioAccessSM and all trademarks and service marks are owned by Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Incorporated. Privacy statement | Accessibility statement From gwunder at earthlink.net Fri Feb 26 23:20:37 2010 From: gwunder at earthlink.net (Gary Wunder) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:20:37 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Fw: NFB 2010 Scholarship Program for blind college students Message-ID: <0497830A0A60433C9D746E489F0C7F0E@gary4fd8f0f186> NFB 2010 Scholarship Program for blind college students Dear Educators, Librarians, and Counselors: I've attached a flyer about the National Federation of the Blind national scholarship program. This program is solely for legally blind students in the United States or Puerto Rico who will be attending college or university in fall 2010. We have 30 scholarships in our program. Students apply to the scholarship program (not for a particular scholarship). The NFB Scholarship Committee chooses the 30 winners from all who apply and later decides which scholarship each of the thirty winners will receive. $12,000 - 1 award $10,000 - 1 award $ 5,000 - 4 awards $ 3,000- 22 awards Plus other gifts to our 30 scholarship winners. Complete details are available on our Website at www.nfb.org/scholarships. Please share this information with other departments and agencies in your state that have contact with blind college students. Please give it to any high school senior intent on entering college in fall 2010 or any blind college student from college freshman up through working on a PhD, and any counselor, teacher, or parent working with a blind scholar. Cordially, Mr. Anil Lewis, Chairperson NFB Scholarship Committee NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND 200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230 at Jernigan Place Office: (410) 659-9314, x2415; Email: scholarships at nfb.org; Website: www.nfb.org/scholarships Discussion Groups: www.nfb.net.org There is a Braille literacy crisis in America. For the whole story, go to www.braille.org. From info at michaelhingson.com Sat Feb 27 22:45:34 2010 From: info at michaelhingson.com (Michael Hingson) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:45:34 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] KnfbReader Hints and Tricks discussion open to all Message-ID: KnfbReader Hints and Tricks discussion open to all Everyone is invited next Thursday, March 4, to participate in a combined on-line and telephone conference to discuss how we all use the KnfbReader Mobile. A number of persons have wanted a forum to learn from other users "How do you do that?". In response to these many requests we are arranging for everyone to be able to call in via phone or Skype in on line to participate. This innovative program will take place next Thursday, March 4, beginning at 9PM Eastern time, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain, 6PM Pacific and 4PM Hawaiian time. In order to attempt to make this program as available to all as possible we are offering two ways to participate. First you can Skype into the program. Skype is a communications program available free of charge through the internet. If you have Skype simply call my Skype name, mhingson, and I will add you to the conference. More instructions will be published later about this if necessary. If you wish to participate via phone Here are the dial-in instructions for the call. The call -- in number is (218) 339-3600. The access code is 329906#. Simply call in no later than times given above to be a part of this call. The program is free. Only any relevant long distance charges will apply. Please bring your questions as well as your own reading techniques. Please be ready to share and learn from the many other KnfbReader Mobile users and experts who will be participating in the call. No question is too silly and no idea is unwelcome. If you do not own a KnfbReader Mobile here is a chance for you to hear first hand from users how they read, learn, and succeed using this marvelous invention. I look forward to meeting you all next Thursday evening. Thank you in advance for participating in this first KnfbReader Mobile users forum. Best, Mike Hingson The Michael Hingson Group, INC. "Speaking with Vision" Michael Hingson, President (415) 827-4084 info at michaelhingson.com www.michaelhingson.com for info on the new KNFB Reader Mobile, visit: http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com From dandrews at visi.com Sat Feb 27 22:59:51 2010 From: dandrews at visi.com (David Andrews) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:59:51 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] KnfbReader Hints and Tricks discussion open to all Message-ID: KnfbReader Hints and Tricks discussion open to all Everyone is invited next Thursday, March 4, to participate in a combined on-line and telephone conference to discuss how we all use the KnfbReader Mobile. A number of persons have wanted a forum to learn from other users "How do you do that?". In response to these many requests we are arranging for everyone to be able to call in via phone or Skype in on line to participate. This innovative program will take place next Thursday, March 4, beginning at 9PM Eastern time, 8PM Central, 7PM Mountain, 6PM Pacific and 4PM Hawaiian time. In order to attempt to make this program as available to all as possible we are offering two ways to participate. First you can Skype into the program. Skype is a communications program available free of charge through the internet. If you have Skype simply call my Skype name, mhingson, and I will add you to the conference. More instructions will be published later about this if necessary. If you wish to participate via phone Here are the dial-in instructions for the call. The call -- in number is (218) 339-3600. The access code is 329906#. Simply call in no later than times given above to be a part of this call. The program is free. Only any relevant long distance charges will apply. Please bring your questions as well as your own reading techniques. Please be ready to share and learn from the many other KnfbReader Mobile users and experts who will be participating in the call. No question is too silly and no idea is unwelcome. If you do not own a KnfbReader Mobile here is a chance for you to hear first hand from users how they read, learn, and succeed using this marvelous invention. I look forward to meeting you all next Thursday evening. Thank you in advance for participating in this first KnfbReader Mobile users forum. Best, Mike Hingson The Michael Hingson Group, INC. "Speaking with Vision" Michael Hingson, President (415) 827-4084 info at michaelhingson.com www.michaelhingson.com for info on the new KNFB Reader Mobile, visit: http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com From TEOlivero at nfb.org Sun Feb 28 01:57:23 2010 From: TEOlivero at nfb.org (Olivero, Treva) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:57:23 -0600 Subject: [Mabs] Braille Reading Pals Club Message-ID: National Federation of the Blind Braille Reading Pals Club Registration is now open for the New Year beginning April 1, 2010. The Braille Reading Pals Club is an early literacy program that encourages parents to read daily with their blind or low-vision child (ages infant to seven). Participating club members will receive: * A print-Braille book and a plush reading pal * Monthly parent e-newsletter promoting tips for early Braille literacy * Quarterly Braille activity sheets for young children * Braille birthday cards for child participants * Access to a network of resources devoted to serving parents of blind children Mission of the Program * Introduce young children and their families to Braille * Provide parents literacy strategies to use with their children * Direct parents to essential resources for promoting success for their young blind children * Help parents promote early literacy skills, a love of reading, and a positive attitude about Braille through daily reading with their blind children To learn more about this exciting program, or to register, please visit www.nfb.org/readingpals, or call (410) 659-9314, ext. 2295. Cosponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC)