[nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab andsomeother college questions

Mon Apr 25 14:44:42 UTC 2011

As far as the Apple products,
Voice Over seems to have built-in drivers for  braille displays,
but I'm not sure how that works.

Jorge

On Apr 25, 2011, at 12:05 AM, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home wrote:

>   I just want to make a few points.
> 
> The notetakers are definitely catching up on the technology, but there are still things that you can and will need to do on a computer that you cannot do on a notetaker. One of these things is formatting. Teachers in secondary school tend to be much more relaxed about formatting, but, in college, what passed in secondary school probably will not pass in college. I hardly ever turn any thing in directly from my BrailleNote.
> 
>   I don't think that the person was using the Braille display *instead* of VoiceOver. I don't know how it works on Apple products, but I know that, on windows computers, you have to have a screen reader to act as a driver for a Braille display.
> 
>   To answer the question of why you would need both speech and Braille, some things are easier/faster to do listening and some are better done with Braille. For example, I would find it very hard to listen to math. On the other hand, I can understand JAWS talking a lot faster than I can read, so I listen to things for which it is not critical that I know every little punctuation mark.
> 
>   One last comment about emailing work. In college, most things are not in a format that can be read on the BrailleNote. Most professors use PDF. Some use PowerPoint. Very few use word documents. Even if they do, most use docx files and/or files with formatting that the bn does not support.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
> To: <davidb521 at gmail.com>; "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2011 8:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab andsomeother college questions
> 
> 
>> Hi, guys.
>> 
>> Just a few thoughts on David's suggestions.  I agree with your comment about the laptop vs the notetaker.  With the newer versions of the notetakers like the Braille-Note Apex that I have, you can do most anything that you could on a computer with your notetaker as it's all computer technology now instead of PDA technology.  However, if you're doing a Internet research project or something, the more tools in your toolbox, the better.  I know that some sites are accessible to screen readers but not to notetakers, and vice versa.  So I would reccomend definitely seeing if you can get both.  Now keep in mind, as I said before, rehab probably isn't going to get all the technology you need for you, but you never know.  You might need another funding source, like a Lions club or another foundation like the I CAN Foundation that I mentioned in the last email to you.  On the display vs notetaker and Braille embosser topics, I would suggest a notetaker over a Braille display for its portability and convenience.  I would reccomend a Braille-Note Apex over the Braille-Sense, based on what I've heard about the Braille-Sense.  However, one of the NFB executives was showing me a Braille display called RefreshaBraille from APH, which he uses for his iPod instead of VoiceOver.  It really doesn't matter, in my opinion, whether you get a screen reader for your computer or a Braille display. It really serves the same purpose.  If you have a screen reader, it's already reading the screen, so why would you need a Braille display, and vice versa? On the Braille embosser, it all comes down to individual preference.  I used to love hardcopy Braille until I got the Apex.  Now my teachers email homework or classwork to me and I detach it right onto my Braille-Note.  I also email my teachers homework as attachments to emails instead of printing them out and labeling them in Braille, which saves a lot of time.  I also use the good old thumb drive all the time in school. What's awesome about that is that in the middle of class, my teacher will say "Chris, I need your thumb drive to put a paper on it for today." If he/she has an electronic copy in their computer of the worksheet, they can stick it on my thumb drive and I can import it into the notetaker.  It's a life saver! But if you prefer hardcopy Braille, it's a louder process and you'll use a lot more paper, but it's whatever you prefer.  If you have any more questions, let me and the list know.  Good luck!
>> 
>> Chris Nusbaum
>> 
>> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: David <davidb521 at gmail.com
>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:38:29 -0500
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab and someother college questions
>> 
>> Hi, Jordyn.  Here are some things to keep in mind.  Definitely try to get a
>> laptop with a screen reader.  I know that some agencies may not purchase
>> computers, but rather the adaptive devices like screen readers, notetakers,
>> etc.  But there are always exceptions, it seems.  You'll want a powerful
>> computer with quite a bit of ram and processing speed, as well as a decently
>> sized hard drive.  As for OCR, if you're reasonably good with computers, look
>> in to OmniPage, which is a mainstream OCR solution with excellent OCR
>> accuracy.  I believe that it might be better than Kurzweil and OpenBook, and
>> you should be able to get it for less than $200.  Be aware that OmniPage is
>> not quite as easy to learn as OpenBook and Kurzweil, but if you are a decent
>> computer user, you'll have little trouble with it.  As for the Braille
>> display and notetaker, I would personally recommend a notetaker with Braille
>> output, since it's very portable, and you can just open it and take notes
>> immediately, rather than waiting for the laptop to boot up.  I'd get the
>> notetaker before the Braille display, since most notetakers can act as
>> Braille displays.  However, I don't think it's as convenient as a dedicated
>> Braille display.  Maybe they'll get you both.  A Braille embosser would be
>> nice, but they can be loud depending on the model, and that may be a problem
>> in a dorm setting.  But if you really like using hard-copy Braille, then do
>> try getting one.  It would be preferable than having to schedule time to use
>> the university's.  Those are my thoughts.
>> David
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Jordyn Castor
>> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:09 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab and some other
>> college questions
>> 
>> Hi again guys!
>> I'm going to college in the fall, as I already said yesterday.  This is
>> why I have so many questions! I just want to be sure I'm doing
>> everything right, and what better way to do this then asking other blind
>> students? :) So, thanks for all your great advice on everything!
>> My other question is, what are reasonable things to ask Rehab for in the
>> way of technology?
>> I'm thinking a laptop, 40 cell braille display, Window Eyes, and a
>> printer scanner combo thinggy with software like OpenBook or Kurzweil.  I
>> don't know if I'd get a notetaker though as these are super expensive.
>> lol Any suggestions or other things you'd ask for? What are you all
>> using as far as technology in college?
>> My college also has a place where I can, I think, borrow technology like
>> an embosser or Braille Display.  Should I use that rather than asking
>> rehab for some of the things like the display and the printer? I think
>> it would be awesome to have a printer in my dorm though lol!
>> Oh, speaking of dorms, do most of you have a roommate or a single room?
>> A lot of my blind friends seem to have single rooms because of the
>> expensive technology, but, I want a roommate, I think.  lol Thoughts?
>> Anyway, I'll stop rambling! :)
>> Thanks again,
>> Jordyn
>> 
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>> 
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