[nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

Wed Jan 4 20:16:23 UTC 2012

Hi Joshua,
Actually, I think they still do good in some areas; nice customer service 
reps and they braille the cd sleeves so you know what book is inside.
I think they will redo their site if someone tells them.
And I don't know an organization that has more textbooks than learning ally. 
Now with the daisy format, you can jump to particular pages and peruse a 
book faster than before. I remember the days of four track tapes. Also, I 
know what its like to use readers, having them not show up and getting 
behind in your work or having a reader quit mid semester. So
while they are flawed, IMO its better than before.

And how can you say they don't care? Have you talked to them about it and 
gotten a response?
I doubt it. We cannot make assumptions about them without some statement 
from them. I do agree it does not seem like their an ally now. Can you have 
a sighted person help you navigate the screen till they get it fixed? You 
can still use them
Unfortunately, accessibility when you are a minority is an after thought. No 
it should not be that way, but sadly it is.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Joshua Lester
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 12:06 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

They are only an ally to those with dislexia.
They don't care about us, anymore.
Bookshare may be our only option, now, if only they start doing
textbooks, which I doubt will happen.
Blessings, Joshua

On 1/3/12, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
> Hi, Josh, and other interesteds,
>
> Ally?
> How can they call themselves something so ridiculous as Learning
> Ally? Really? Some ally. We really are without friends, if that's
> what they consider as such.
> Car
>
>
>
>   Torcolini at Home <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>> > Yes, but, sometimes, you have to just take what you can get,
>> especially once
>> > you get into college.
>> >
>> > ----- 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
>> >
>> >
>> >>I personally don't want to have the synthesized voice on the Stream 
>> >>read
>> >> a
>> >>book to me, especially a novel or textbook, and would go the RFBD route
>> >>whenever possible.
>> >>
>> >> 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 20:10:14 -0800
>> >> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>> >>
>> >> You don't have to have a book.  It also plays MP3 files and reads TXT
>> >> files.
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "Joshua Lester" <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
>> >> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> >> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> >> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 6:45 PM
>> >> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I was shwon one, at convention, 2 years ago.
>> >> I have one, but I'm not sure about working it.
>> >> I don't have any books for it, now.
>> >> I'll save your address, and E-mail you when I get a book.
>> >> Blessings, Joshua
>> >>
>> >> On 1/2/12, Patrick Molloy <ptrck.molloy at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> Joshua,
>> >> E-mail me off list and I can help you figure out the Stream.  It's
>> >> really quite simple.
>> >> Patrick
>> >>
>> >> On 1/2/12, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
>> >> 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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