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

Fri Mar 22 21:55:50 UTC 2013

Hi Marsha,
I am not the technology wizard that Scott is since that is what he does 
at HKNC. However, using the Phonak FM system that uses a Zoom, the 
rectangular directional "microphone" that other people wear and sends 
messages to the "Icom" that I wear. The Icom is receiver that gives me 
the blue tooth capability. I do not know what the 3g and 4g you are 
referring in relation to the all this. But with the Icom I can connect 
to my laptop, listen to my digital recorder or NLS player (with an 
connecting cable).
Best,
Janice

On 3/22/2013 5:05 PM, Marsha Drenth wrote:
> Scott,
>
> Yes I knew that I could connect the focus to my computer. I am not sure what version of the focus I have, its my universities, they are allowing me to borrow it. If i could ever get a meeting with my counselor at BVS, i would ask that they purchase me one. Yeah right!
>
> I have the verizon iphone 4, so thus the issues with braille display connections. I am going to be upgrade to the Iphone this summer. So what I am reading is that they the BN has no issues with connecting to the verizon iphone 5? I might go out and upgrade tomorrow, if you tell me there are not the same problems.
>
> I have been told that Resound, Seimens; sorry not sure how that is spelled, and Phonak make 3g or 4g hearing aids. I didn't think i could pair it with everything. I more was interested in pairing with my BN, my iphone, and my laptop. Did I see it correctly that the new stream, victore stream has bluetooth?
>
> Sorry to keep on going on the Ip-relay information. Is there a website I could go to get more information?
>
> your help is greaatly appreciated, I am so new to this, I am learning and need all the help I can get. Thank you!
>
> Marsha drenth
> Sent with my IPhone
> http://adventureswith2feet4paws.blogspot.com
>
> On Mar 22, 2013, at 10:23 AM, Scott Davert <scottdavert at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all.
>> I'm responding to severalso messages at once here so that I'm not clogging your inboxes with lots of messages.
>>
>> Which version of the Focus 40 do you have, do you know? You know you can hook the Focus 40 up to your PC and use that with JAWS, right?
>> I do not have too many problems pairing the Apex with my verizon iPhone 5, but you have to update to the latest version of Keysoft for it to be somewhat reliable. I have found that the iPhone 4 in partticular, which was the first iPhone to be on Verizon, struggles with braille connectivity.
>> 3G and 4G FM systems? I can't say that I'm familiar with those. Who makes them? Also, not every bluetooth enabled device can pair with hearing aids, though I wish that were the case. In fact, with many hearing aids that do have bluetooth connectivity features, you must use a device to go between the iPhone and the hearing aids. You cannot pair the phone directly to the hearing aids themselves.
>> Ip-relay is a free service, but you must register with one of the companies who provide it. You will get your own phone number to associate with your account.
>> Anyway, my break is over, so that means my writing this message is also over. Smiles.
>>
>> Scott
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Mar 22, 2013, at 9:27 AM, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Scott,
>>> Thank you that information is very helpful. I already have a QWERTY BrailleNote apex, with a verizon Iphone. They won't pair via bluetooth. Those of us who have BN's and verizon iphones have been bugging Apple to fix the bug that won't allow them to talk to each other. I think there was something also about the QWERTY that messed it up. I have been waiting for 2 years for this change, I am not holding my breath.
>>>
>>> I do have fairly good braille reading skills. As at my university I use CART in all of my classes with a focus 40 display. for those who do not know what CART is, its Captioning Access Real Time. I have four very discussion based classes, where students and professor are talking back and forth. So the captioner, who sits next to me in my classes, uses a steno graph machine, types about 250 words a minute, to keep up with conversation. she types, that goes into a program, that then is export instantly into a word document, and thus is displayed on a braille display. I pushed my university to come up with a solution. Please don't think I read every single word, but with the little hearing I do have it fills in the gaps. Plus I have a transcript of the whole class after wards.
>>>
>>> I do use JAWS, only at its loudest setting, at its slowest speed, with speakers. My poor husband, I am going to make him deaf with how loud I have to have everything.
>>>
>>> One last question, does this Ip-relay app and service cost?
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Marsha drenth
>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>> http://adventureswith2feet4paws.blogspot.com
>>>
>>> On Mar 21, 2013, at 11:14 PM, Scott Davert <scottdavert at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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.
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