[nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally

Gloria G gloria.graves at gmail.com
Wed Jan 4 20:26:27 UTC 2012 

Hi,
Can anyone tell me when down loading books from bookshare, if I want to put 
the book on my victor stream I thought I should download the daizy version 
of the book. When I extract the zipped file I get a few choices like DTD or 
html. Which of the files do I choose to put on my stream? Thanks
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Seems we lost an ally


> 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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>>> >>
>>> >>
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>
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