[Nfbktad] Nfbktad Digest, Vol 34, Issue 6

slery slerythema at gmail.com
Fri Nov 8 08:49:16 UTC 2013 

I would say then, if you still want to be a writer, that you will need to
hire someone to your typing. There are many accessible audio recorders out
there and you should be able to find one that is big and heavy enough to
keep it in place so that you can operate the keys.

Perhaps you could learn to type in braille. A perkins brailler should be
heavy enough to not move around on you (it is very much like the type
writers I learned to type on in high school, a big clunky machine that would
probably break your foot if you actually picked it up). Of course, if you
compose your stories in braille, you will still need a way to get them into
an electronic format for submissions.

You might try the writers list to see if anyone over there can come up with
other alternatives for you to get your work into the computer. The last time
I was over there, they had members using computers, audio only, and braille
notetakers. I'm sure some of them are probably using their phones now.

Respectfully,
Cindy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbktad [mailto:nfbktad-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of April Brown
> Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 7:56 AM
> To: nfbktad at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Nfbktad] Nfbktad Digest, Vol 34, Issue 6
> 
> 
> I don't know why the keyboard suddenly started bouncing.  It 
> didn't used to. I have tried to place those plastic pieces 
> under it, and it does help a little.
> 
> I used to knit and sew.  My hands go up from my wrists, not 
> down.  If I hold them down, below the wrists, they lock in 
> severe pain in seconds.  Of course, I think it's a muscle 
> issue, as I can't even stretch my legs out straight either.  
> If holding your hands below your wrists work for you, that's 
> fine.  It doesn't for me.  Of course, I learned to type on a 
> typewriter, where the top row of keys were at least an inch 
> higher than the bottom spacebar.
> 
> If holding your hands down to use the keyboard works for you, 
> that's great for you. It isn't the only way. It doesn't work for me.
> 
> And Dragon.  I'm laughing.  We made the mistake of buying 
> that two or three years ago.  The first computer it was on, I 
> spent days "training" it.  It worked at about 50% for an 
> hour's worth of writing.  Then it crashed and deleted Word 
> from the computer totally.  After several such attempts, and 
> Dragon not even getting one word out of thousands correctly, 
> I reformatted the entire computer, and tried again.
> 
> This was repeated at least five times on this computer.  We 
> bought a more powerful computer, and went through the same 
> thing.  Bought another computer.  After three times of 
> reformatting it - Dragon offered to uninstall Windows. 
> 
> Um, I'm not so sure Dragon isn't a virus.  Even after not 
> using it, and it still being installed on the computer, it 
> still managed to cash it.  How do I know?  The errors said it 
> was the Dragon program trying to access something even though 
> it wasn't on.  Reformatted again.  
> 
> April Brown
> 
> Writing dramatic adventure novels uncovering the myths we hide behind.
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 04:04:11 -0500
> From: "slery" <slerythema at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFB of Kentucky,Technology Assistance Division'"
> 	<nfbktad at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Nfbktad] Touch typing and keyboard
> Message-ID: <556DF40AC8754D14B62CFA9457A01EDB at CindyDesktopPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> I think Ian may be on to something. If you cannot reach the 
> keys, your keyboard is not where it should be. No one should 
> bend their hands "up" to reach the keys. Our wrists are 
> designed to rest at a flat position. The fingers need to curl 
> to actually "type" on the keys so your keyboard should 
> actually have the back end tilted down a little. I use what 
> is called a natural keyboard, the board has the keys split 
> into two sides that have a little tilt and the center of the 
> board is raised on a curve. Because I am short, I have 
> invested in a articulating keyboard tray for my desk so that 
> I can have a down ward angle to my keyboard (plus, it gives 
> enough clearance for my braille display to sit under the 
> keyboard). I have problems with my spine and thus have had to 
> do extensive research on ergonomics.
>  
> If you can't reach your keyboard, you need to be creative in 
> figuring out how to bring it to you. I don't think you'll 
> ever be able to touch type if you keep a keyboard in such an 
> unnatural position with it sliding all over your desk. If 
> your hands shake uncontrollably for whatever reason, you need 
> to have someone build a tray to keep your keyboard from 
> moving around. A better investment of your time and money 
> would be to purchase Dragon Naturally Speaking and learn how 
> to use your voice to operate the computer. It will take 
> practice to learn to use that software, but it does work with 
> JAWS and you must use a headset to control it so that it 
> doesn't interpret the screen reader speech instead of yours. 
>  
> In my experience, these are the only two options if you want 
> to be independent and a writer. If you don't need to do it 
> yourself, the other option is to hire someone to do all of 
> your typing and either sit with them or record your stories 
> and have them transcribe them.
>  
> If you don't like the above options, I really think you are 
> going to be very frustrated in your attempts. There is no one 
> way for blind people to do things, but we have to figure 
> something out that will actually work for us. I hope you are 
> able to get to the McDowell Center sooner rather than later 
> so they can help you figure out a solution.
>  
> Cindy
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbktad [mailto:nfbktad-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of April Brown
> Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 7:55 AM
> To: nfbktad at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Nfbktad] Touch typing and keyboard
> 
> 
> 
>      I will explain why I have to raise the back of the 
> keyboard and leave it at that.  I may be 40, my hands and 
> body think they are 90.  If I don't raise the back of the 
> keyboard at least two inches, I can only reach the space bar, 
> and maybe, the bottom row of letters.  My wrists do not angle 
> in that strange way type upside down.  The keyboard is now 
> sitting on two boards to raise the back.  They slide too 
> much.  Having the keyboard raised has nothing to do with 
> vision, and everything to do with being able to reach the 
> keys properly.
> 
>  
> 
> April Brown
> 
>  
> 
> Writing dramatic adventure novels uncovering the myths we hide behind.
> 
>  
> 
> April,
> 
> 
> 
> >From what I hear you saying in this message, you are relying on your 
> >vision
> 
> that doesn't exist to use the keyboard. Also, raising the 
> "back" of the
> 
> keyboard is absolutely the wrong the thing to do. Just 
> because they put
> 
> those legs on it doesn't mean that it is correct. Those legs 
> are because
> 
> people have a crutch of needing to "see" the keyboard.
> 
> 
> 
> It takes a lot of practice to be able to touch type. I 
> learned touch typing
> 
> back when the only thing electric on the typewriter was that 
> it had a return
> 
> key.
> 
> 
> 
> Your keyboard should NOT be moving as much as you describe 
> unless you have
> 
> some other reason for being unable to keep it still.
> 
> 
> 
> If you practice for an hour every day in proper techniques, 
> you will develop
> 
> muscle memory for touch typing. I actually had an extremely 
> difficult time
> 
> using on screen keyboards when they came out because I did 
> not know where
> 
> the keys were because I could not touch type. My fingers know 
> where to go
> 
> and the only keys I have trouble with are the top row numbers 
> because my
> 
> fingers are short (had this problem when I was learning in 
> high school). You
> 
> really do need a structured program for learning to touch 
> type. It will
> 
> teach you to learn the letters and then learn to put them 
> together in words
> 
> so that when you type you think in words and not letters. I 
> type about 70
> 
> wpm and have done so since leaving high school.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope you find some of this helpful.
> 
> 
> 
> Cindy Sheets
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
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