[nabs-l] braille displays

Sat Apr 30 00:03:32 UTC 2011

Just wondering,
how much is a Focus 40 more or less?
Thanks,
Jorge
On Apr 29, 2011, at 1:59 PM, Katie Wang wrote:

> Jewel, I also have a Focus 40 braille display and find it very useful
> for reading web pages and such. However, I do find it a little tricky
> to navigate MS Word documents and wonder if you have any tips.
> Specifically, I can use the panning keys to read through a line of
> text on the screen, but at the end of the line I have to pann back to
> the beginning of the line and use the whiz wheel to move to the next
> line. If I keep pressing the panning keys without using the whiz
> wheel, the braille display will show some random information about
> which page and section I'm on and stop advancing. Have you encountered
> this problem? Is there any way to fix it or is this just how the
> display works with MS Word?
> Ashley, I believe a braille display would be most useful when you need
> to read/edit long documents on the computer, so how much you will need
> it depends on the nature of the job you find. For personal
> reading/leisure books that you do not have to read on your PC, your
> Braille Note probably can serve the same purpose as a braille display
> connected to the computer.
>   Katie
> 
> On 4/29/11, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> Jewel here. I have a Focus 40. For me, the main benefit is not
>> wondering how a word is spelled while I'm reading it, knowing where
>> the punctuation is put, and being able to read instead of listening to
>> e-mails, books, and schol work.
>> 
>> An example: In Spanish class, we have to know how to spell words
>> correctly. Without the braille display, I have to listen to each
>> letter individually for every word. This takes waaay to long. Also, I
>> am given worksheets where I need to put the answer within the area of
>> the line. If I am lsstening to this, I have to go word by word until
>> it says underline underline underline. With a braille display, I can
>> find the line just while reading and can press a cursor routing key to
>> go directly to that area.
>> 
>> I had no troulb e setting up the display. It comes with a CD that you
>> put in the computer and goes step by step through the process. Also,
>> it has a Braille translation key that, when on, translates whatever
>> you are reading into grade 2 Braille, whether on-line, in a word or
>> TXT file, or hatever. To read a BRF file, you just press the braille
>> translation key to turn that off.
>> 
>> I'm still learning how to use the display as a keyboard, but it is
>> proving promising. I know how to move through a file without touching
>> the keyboard, and am learning how to type using the six-dot keyboard
>> (which is actually eight because it can do computer Braille).
>> 
>> I wanted to show someone how much of a difference the dislay made for
>> me, so I read a file for the first time via the JAWS speech, answered
>> comprehension questions, then read it with the Braille display and
>> answered other questions. I got way more comprehension when I read the
>> file with the display.
>> 
>> I've never use d a Braille note, but with the Focus 40, I have several
>> options for panning, using a wizwheel, two rocker switches, and two
>> panning buttons. For examle, I tend to use the right panning button
>> for panning while reading a long file, because I can just tap it at
>> the end of the line before moving b ack to the beginning of the line.
>> When I'm skimming a document, I use the wizwheeel to skim by line,
>> paragraph, or sentence. Moving the cursor is easy, like I said
>> earlier, by just pressing the button above the cell you want the
>> cursor to move to.
>> 
>> If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer.
>> 
>> ~Jewel
>> 
>> On 4/28/11, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>>> What model and KS version of the BrailleNote do you have? You can use the
>>> BrailleNote as a Braille display for the computer.
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 7:08 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] braille displays
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> 
>>>> I’d love to have a braille display.  If I work for a government
>>>> organization or contractor, they will likely purchase one for me as they
>>>> have the funds for it.
>>>> But privately, I don’t know.  Isn’t the typical display $3000?
>>>> 
>>>> Anyway, as I dream of what I think its benefits are, I’d like to know the
>>>> reality of them.
>>>> I’m not an auditory person and I’ve just thought that reading the display
>>>> via the computer will afford me the opportunity to see the punctuation
>>>> and
>>>> 
>>>> spelling you miss with speech.
>>>> 
>>>> So for those of you who use displays, what are your thoughts?
>>>> What display do you have?  How does it work?  What are the benefits?  Is
>>>> it like the Brialle Note display where the cursor can be moved at the
>>>> touch of a button?  Do the pins stay duravle?  If not, how often do they
>>>> need maintenance?
>>>> If you buy a display to work with jaws, is it hard to install?
>>>> Also, can the display show you grade 2 braille in text documents?  I mean
>>>> does it automatically convert to grade 2 braille even though its text? If
>>>> not, do you have to convert to .brf to run it?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Any pros and cons, I’d like to hear.
>>>> 
>>>> I have the display on the Braille Note and do not use speech.  The
>>>> braille
>>>> 
>>>> is quiet and works so much more efficiently for me!
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Ashley
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>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
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