[nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

Wed Jan 4 00:22:13 UTC 2012

The VR Stream should have come with a short cable that has a USB port on one 
end. I have never used it with a cartridge, but it should work.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

> Really? How?
>
> Chris
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The real 
> problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that exists.  If a 
> blind person has the proper training and opportunity, blindness can be 
> reduced to a mere physical nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nicole B.  Torcolini at Home" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Mon, 2 Jan 2012 21:35:08 -0800
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>
> You can use cartridges with the VR Stream.
>
> ----- 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 9:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>
>
> Joshua,
> Actually you do not use cartriges with vr stream.  you only use sd cards.
> it only takes little sd cards.
> Its easy to slide in; it only goes one way; it took me a few tries to
> figure out the right way as well.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua Lester
> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 11:50 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>
> 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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