[nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

Tue Jan 3 04:50:15 UTC 2012

Thanks, Nicole, for the offer.
I'll do, when I get the cartredge, because that's my main problem,
(putting the darn thing in!)
Thanks again.
Blessings, Joshua

On 1/2/12, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
> If you would like help using the VR Stream, you can email me off list.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 8:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>
>
>> 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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>>
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