[nfb-db] FCC to distribute assistive technology to people with combined hearing and vision loss

[Scott Davert]

Hi Marsha.
Braille displays come in a wide variety of flavors and sizes. What you
may want may differ from what someone else on the list may want,
depending on several factors. One is what you plan to use the display
for, another to consider is how well your braille reading skills are,
and also what type of keyboard you're most comfortable with. This is
why I don't recommend 1 or 2 displays across the board, because there
are so many options. Certainly, if you're looking for portability and
don't mind having a small display, the Focus 14 could be a good
choice. Especially if you're a JAWS user, since it is very tightly
integrated with that screen reader. You can use the display on your pc
as well as with the phone. If you want something with a lot of
internal functions though like the ability to take notes without
connecting to an external device such as an iPhone or computer, the
Focus 14 is not a good choice, nor would the Brailliant line be a good
option. Like Janice said, the Braille Sense u2 is also an option, and
this also has a lot of other features which you can use independently
of the phone. I could write a book on this, so I'll stop before I do
just that. (smiles).
As for ip-relay, it's essentially a service where you type your
message on your computer or phone, it is read by an operator to the
person on the other end of the phone who then talks through the
operator. The operator would then type whatever that person said back
to you, and you would read it on your braille display. IP-Relay, just
like braille displays, comes in different formats, all with unique
benifits to different parts of the population. Again, this is
something I could write a book about, but don't have the time to do
so. However, I hope this helps answer some of your questions in
general?

Scott

On 3/21/13, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
> You've done nothing wrong. My loss is somewhere betreen fifty and sixty
> percent across the board. Without mmy aides speech is difficult to
> understand even from a few feet away.
> If I'm out with my dog hearing anyone more than a couple of feet ahead of me
> even with my aides is impossible and frustrating.
> Sheila LeiglandI can still hear traffic though.