[nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

[Joshua Lester]

Ashley, why not start this discussion on the NFB-Talk list.
I'd even contact Scott LaBarr about this.
Blessings, Joshua

On 1/2/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Joshua,
> I use the cd player too. The new victor reader strattus allows you to play
> daisy cds as well as  a USB slot for downloaded books and I think a sd card.
> I have a vr stream, but like you I find it hard to figure out.
>
> I've also heard of other blind people having problems with the learning ally
> downloads.  Sadly, they are not really much an ally to the blind now. They
> took blind out of their name and as I said, I feel their website, including
> the download features, is not very user friendly. For instance before in
> your book search results you could press H to see each book title and
> information underneath it. Now they are tables and you only see the book in
> a link. And they have pictures of each book cover. Notice jaws saying
> graphic a million times; that is because they added pictures to the book
> catalog. And with more links and clutter, you cannot find the text as
> easily.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua Lester
> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 9:02 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>
> Wow!
> I still use the CD player for my classes.
> I hate the Victor Stream, because I can't figure it out!
> Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 1/2/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Antonio,
>> What are the problems? Do you use jaws? I've tried to figure out the
>> download; it took me a while to learn the old way, and now they changed
>> it.
>> I'm not the most patient with technology, keep in mind. If you have a cd
>> player, you still can order daisy cds, but now that humanware no longer
>> offers the little daisy players; vr wave, vr vibe and vr classic,  more
>> probably will download. I still have my old vr wave and thankfully it
>> works!
>> Since as you said downloading is not friendly and a Daisy cd player is IMO
>> easy to use and simple.
>>
>> Humanware recently released a new victor reader player, vr strattus, which
>> both plays those daisy cds and downloadable books from many places like
>> nls
>> and learning ally.
>>
>> I encourage you to write learning ally. Many are disappointed. With
>> changing
>> their name, it seems they changed their mission to focus on learning
>> disabilities without identifying them as disabled, for politically correct
>> purposes. Tell them to still include blind people and that blind people
>> have
>> depended on them for over 30 years since they started. Don't let them
>> forget
>> us and be specific as to your accessibility challenges. Stating something
>> is
>> not accessible won't help.
>>
>> Also IMo, their site is more hard to navigate. More images and complex
>> organization. Like no longer can you see the book catalog from the main
>> page
>> and when you search books you cannot read the edition/publisher anymore
>> without clicking on something extra. So I see like ten books with the same
>> or similar name and it takes longer to figure out what to pick.
>> frustrated,
>> Ashley
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Antonio Guimaraes
>> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 8:35 PM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>>
>> Dear NABS members,
>>
>> It is more than obvious to me that the new Learning Ally download
>> features fall short of offering blind screen reader users the services
>> we've come to know in previous years.
>>
>> Today I experienced at least an hour of frustrations trying to use their
>> new and improved program for downloads. I have listened to their You
>> Tube video explaining the process, and then reached out to people like
>> you for some feedback.
>>
>> There are several reports that blind readers can not use Learning Ally's
>> download features.
>>
>> I am not a happy scholar. I am writing to find out if you too have come
>> up against issues with the download service.
>>
>> The NABS division and its membership should not accept lack of access
>> from an organization that has long been at the forefront in providing
>> access to recorded texts for blind users.
>>
>> Your experience will only help confirm some of the reported issues, and
>> hopefully result in rectifying what must certainly be an oversight on
>> Learning Ally's part.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Antonio Guimaraes
>>
>>
>>
>>
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