[nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag
Jedi
loneblindjedi at samobile.net
Thu Feb 4 04:49:29 UTC 2010
What you're talking about already exists to some extent. The
Accessibility is a Right Foundation (AIR) has a perpetual license of
System Access which SEROTEK has given them. This version is called
System access to Go and is provided free by going to
http://www.satogo.com. The service will give you the option of saving
your preferences and will create an account for you at SEROTEK in case
you want to buy any of their products. You can use this free service
any time you are logged onto the internet. You need only keep a browser
window open for as long as you need the screen reader. It's a cloud
application that will not leave anything behind on the host computer
when you close the browser window. The only thing is that some
computers are locked to prevent running executables from any other
source than the computer itself or the server its attached to. In that
case, you'll have difficulty running SAToGo, anything on a portable USB
drive whether it's U3 enabled or not, etc.
Speaking of affordable software: I do want to let folks know about some
options for Windows. We know about NVDA which has recently released a
new version for free. I don't have the web site off hand, but a general
internet search for NVDA will bring up the main page with a download
link for access to both the desktop version and the portable version of
the software.
Alternatively, SEROTEK has come out with some new options for
purchasing their software. remember that System access costs $399 to
buy it outright with a license for two personal computers. For $499,
you get this license plus a U3 enabled System Access Mobile license
which allows you access to a computer using a U3 drive. Alternatively,
you can elect to purchase the software as a service either on a per
rental basis or on a rent-to-own basis. The per rental service is
called "Build a bundle," and you can pick and choose from the wide
range of consumer services and products SEROTEK offers including System
access, System Access Mobile, The System access Mobile Netork (the web
portal which includes media content, social networking services, and
streamlined access to your files and e-mail), the Remote Access feature
(this allows you access to your computer when you're away from home),
and the remote training and support feature (great for those who have
friends using SEROTEK products who either need your help or who can
help you with technology issues). You can pick and choose from this
cornacopia of products. alternatively, you can rent to own the products
(all of them together) for $24.95 a month for four years. afterward,
the license is yours and you'd then only pay $129 a year if you want
continued subscriptions to the web portal. If not, you're done paying
for your screen reader since SMAs no longer exist at SEROTEK. A word
about netbooks: since they use different processing technology, you'd
need a special license at $149 unless you're simply using a U3 enabled
SAM key to use the computer. All of this information is available in
greater detail at http://www.serotek.com. To address the K-12 issue,
SEROTEK does have Keys for K-12 which you can learn more about at
SEROTEK's web site. No, I don't work for them, I'm just a user with
something to contribute in our discussion regarding low cost technology.
Let me move for a minute to scanning software. Of all the blindness
scanning software for computers, I've heard great things about EyePal
and Kurzweil. However, these solutions are still quite expensive. If
you can't get your hands on them, let me offer you some information
that can help. Microsoft Office 2007 and above has a tool called
Microsoft Document Imaging. A web search on this topic should get you
the necessary info you need to install this add-on to your Office
suite. Document imaging allows you to scan pages and turn them into
Tagged Imaging format (tif) files which are then put through OCR
software that comes along with the imaging product. This is a free
solution with Office. For the most part, it does a pretty good job but
isn't as sophistocated as our blindness scanning products are. OmniPage
from Nuance is another solution with a variety of pricing options
depending on what you want the software to do. In that case, you'lre
looking at prices ranging from $135 to $449. Both of these options give
you highly editable documents that retain their original layout for the
most part. SEROTEK also offers Document Scan for $159; this product is
primarily for scanning bills and memos. You can buy a light and
portable USB scanner from SEROTEK which will work with Document Scan or
any of the other products I've just mentioned. This scanner will also
work with your standard blindness products. Remember that these
products will not do exactly what our blindness products do, but they
will convert printed text on a page to something electronic we can work
with. Adobe Acrobat also has a similar feature with the added benefit
of being able to OCR pdf documents not already processed. Last I
checked, Acrobat costs $150.
I hope this information is useful to you. There are free and low cost
options out there. While our blindness products are useful and do
things these others won't, the fact they exist tells us that our
blindness products can use mainstream software components that can, if
utilized, lower the price of the products we use. If you need a
technological solution that doesn't break your bank in a time when
you're not elligible for government assistance, give these a think.
Respectfully,
Jedi
Original message:
> If there was a nonprofit company out there that made software comparable to
> JFW it could solve the problem. This company would only request a donation
> of whatever you can afford for the use of there software. This would solve
> the problem without having to rely on government.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Briley Pollard" <brileyp at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 6:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag
>> It is a difficult question. While I agree that paying so much simply
>> because I happen to be blind is ridiculous, isn't it opening a dangerous
>> door to expect the government to limit how much things can cost? At the
>> end of the day, assistive technology companies don't exist as charities,
>> they are businesses just like any other, except for the fact that they are
>> selling to a small niche market. Do I think it is horrible that they
>> exploit our need for these products to make a buck? Of course. Isn't that
>> capitalism though? I'm no conservative by any stretch of the imagination,
>> and I honestly don't have a firm opinion on this subject. But I thought
>> I'd raise this aspect of the argument.
>> Briley
>> On Feb 3, 2010, at 10:45 AM, Hope Paulos wrote:
>>> Dear Joe. I agree with you. There have been countless times that I've
>>> needed adaptive technology and haven't been able to purchase it without
>>> assistance from my vocational rehabilitation agency. (I was in high
>>> school or college at the time). It's horrible to think that companies can
>>> charge $150 or more for even software updates. Paying $6,200 or
>>> thereabouts for a device made especially for the blind is ludicrous.
>>> Especially when this device may not be compatible with mainstream
>>> software. If you need help with this campaign, I'd be more than willing
>>> to assist you in any way possible.
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Hope Paulos
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
>>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: "'Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students.'"
>>> <nabs at acb.org>; <tabs_students at googlegroups.com>; "'NFBnet NFBCS Mailing
>>> List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 11:45 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Independence with a Price Tag
>>>> Dear list,
>>>> I'm continuously appalled at the price tags associated with adaptive
>>>> technology. While you're in college you might receive assistance from
>>>> your
>>>> rehab agency to purchase equipment. You may get some assistance after
>>>> you
>>>> find a job, but inevitably there comes a point when the expense comes
>>>> directly from your own pocket. I wonder how many people have had to
>>>> settle
>>>> for outdated technology because they simply cannot afford it. But,
>>>> that's
>>>> the thing. I'm only assuming there are tons of people who cannot afford
>>>> this technology. I'd like to lead a campaign to call public attention
>>>> to
>>>> this monopoly, and, I'd like to hear your thoughts on whether or not you
>>>> think me crazy. If my assumption is wrong, I'll keep my views to
>>>> myself.
>>>> If there is a high number of people unable to tap into emerging software
>>>> simply because they cannot pay for it, I'd like to hear from you. I
>>>> understand the technology itself costs a lot of money to develop. Yet,
>>>> it
>>>> seems more of the price boost is owed to extravagant government
>>>> contracts
>>>> that allow the few players to charge something like $6,200 for a device
>>>> that, despite its best advertisements, does not perform completely on
>>>> par
>>>> with its mainstream counterparts.
>>>> At this time I have only a vague idea for a strategy. Yet it's
>>>> something
>>>> I'm willing to build up if the need can be clearly identified.
>>>> Looking forward to your input,
>>>> 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 4829 (20100202) __________
>>>> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>>>> http://www.eset.com
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