[NFBMT] printer/scanner

Sat May 19 16:51:00 UTC 2018

The KNFB Reader app on my Android devices works well for me, but it does
take some practice.  A user has to get accustomed to holding the phone or
tablet correctly to get the best results.  Also, I purchased a stand from
Amazon that holds my phone steady at the correct distance for taking the
photo.  Lastly, lighting conditions make a big difference, too.

Computing is moving away from a PC-based technology to cloud-based
technology.  The cloud simply consists of servers that store data and
provide applications online, so instead of working from a local drive on
your computer, your drives are remote.  Mobile technology is quickly
overtaking the PC model.  In the future, but not quite yet, our screen
readers will most likely be built into whatever operating system our device
uses.  For example, for Apple IOS, it's Voiceover.  For Android, it's
Talkback.  For Microsoft, it's Narrator, and for Chrome OS, it's ChromeVox.
I think Jaws and NVDA will eventually fade away in favor of these built-in
screen readers.  It's going to take a while yet, especially for Narrator to
catch up, but I bet we aren't far from the change.  What's really cool about
this is that blind people enjoy immediate access to what our sighted peers
take for granted.  We already can buy and use mainstream devices right off
the same store shelf, and it's only a matter of time before this will be the
norm for Windows, too.

Going back to KNFB Reader, the thing that makes it work for me is that I use
the cloud to store information, and I can access the cloud with any of my
devices, including my PC.  I don't have to mess with file transfers.  I
simply go to a cloud site like Dropbox, One Drive, or Google Drive, and
access my files there.  I continue to use my PC for serious work, but this
is because the mobile options are not quite fully reliable for me yet, which
is caused by a combination of my own lack of mobile skills and weaknesses in
under-developed mobile options.  Thing is, though, the mobile stuff gets
updated rapidly.  What might be a barrier one day can go away with an
update.  Of course, the converse can be true, too, in that an update can
break accessibility.

Best!

Jim Marks
Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
(406) 438-1421

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Edward Robbins
via NFBMT
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 5:01 PM
To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List' <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Edward Robbins <ecrobbins517 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBMT] printer/scanner

Joy,
	You covered several subjects here, and I would like to comment on
several.  Scanners and a program like Open Book is great.  I am fortunate,
in that Anna does most of our reading, but when she isn't here I can do it
myself.  As for Mortgage and other recurring payments, they can be set up
for automatic payments so you don't forget and get hit with "penalty's".
Several years ago we changed our recurring payments, (utilities, phones,
Mortgage, NFB PAC, Insurance, etc.) to automatic ACH payments from the bank,
or Charge to my Credit card, which I gain points from with each charge.  The
credit card is then the only payment we have to remember and we set this up
for payment to be taken out of our bank account 2 or 3 days before it is
due.  If you maintain a balance on your credit card, this too can be set up
for "Auto Pay" and have a regular amount paid each month.  You only have to
remember that you have limited funds left in the bank for discretionary
purchases, such as food, clothing and other necessities of life.
	FYI, after a few years, I have earned enough points that I can
purchase, or Help purchase my air tickets to attend the National convention.
It is kind of like a savings account.  Not a lot, but every little bit
helps.
	As for maintaining records, the computer is good, especially if you
"back up" your computer occasionally.  You can do this with an external hard
drive, or if not that, even a portable "thumb drive) works.  Before I was
working so much with the computer I used my Braille N Speak and after one of
my crashes, one of my boys told me that I needed to "back up" the thing as
often as I didn't want to loose the information.  You can do this with the
external hard drive to "automatically" back up weekly, daily, or any period
you choose.
	As a Christian, I have been reminded several times that even "JESUS
SAVES".
	Each of us needs to use the system that works best for us, whether a
Braille record, Computer "backed up" or a paper trail.

Ted

EDWARD C "TED" ROBBINS, E-MAIL:  ecrobbins517 at gmail.com CEO MBEI & Treasurer
NFB of Montana PHONE & FAX:  406 453 6678, CELL:  406 799 6268
104 RIVERVIEW 5 E
GREAT FALLS  MT   59404

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT <nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of BRESLAUERS via NFBMT
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 2:07 PM
To: nfbmt <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: BRESLAUERS <breslauerj at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFBMT] printer/scanner

We have a room set up in our house like an office where we have a computer
desk with a computer, a phone, and a printer/scanner.  We had a reader once
in Great Falls but when she got married and moved away, we never found
another one.  It has been so helpful for us to have access to a
printer/scanner that we can use with OpenBook to read the mail on a daily
basis, and do our banking online.  I know everybody doesn't have this setup,
but it works well for us.  It keeps the paperwork down, lets us know what is
and isn't junk mail, and we can pay our bills or schedule them to be paid
when we want them to go out, and determine how much they get.  That way
other people and their schedules and editorial comments don't need to be
involved.
Each of us knows exactly what we have at all times, since we keep a running
balance in Braille in a notebook.  We do this as a team.  I love it.  I
haven't had a lot of success with the KNFB reader yet, but that would be a
good option as well for scanning and reading the mail.  Our system works
well for us unless we receive something that is handwritten.  I know people
who keep an expense ledger in a Braille device or on a computer that can be
read with a Braille device.  I don't trust the computer any more since it
has crashed on me more than once and I can't afford to lose irreplaceable
information.  I also know people who keep notes in their Victor Stream or in
their head, or call the phone banking.  I don't go by the phone bank because
there are always things that haven't cleared yet.  You can't afford to make
mistakes and forget things, so it is hard to keep tabs on it if you only use
your memory.  Once, even though I was using the
write-it-down-in-a-Braille-notebook method, I forgot to deduct the mortgage
payment and wondered where all the extra money came from.  Oops, make that
twice.  I'd like to say I'll never do that again, but I think that's what I
said the first time.  I think it's really important for blind people to
learn home management and how to handle finances.  I would bet that most of
us have never had any training on it.  I didn't take any courses on it in
school.  I know my parents didn't give me much advice, but the advice they
did give me I fortunately heeded, and that was to write everything down in a
notebook.
Maybe that was the only time I heeded their advice.  One thing about
braille, unless you have a fire or a flood, you're not likely to lose the
information like you would in a computer crash.

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/> 

Live the life you want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

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