Mia with Seaside High instructor, Sam Garcia
Mia working on her birdhouse at her SHS Mill/Cabinet class. Mia first used a Braille ruler and awl so she would know where to cut.
The Blindfold is available in Braille and in large print upon request. To go green, and receive yours by email please send an email to vision@blindandlowvision.org and put Blindfold in the subject line.
For info or if you have a vehicle in good running order that you would like to donate, call Russ at 659-5360 or the BVIC at 649-3505.
Remember to save Saturday, November 6 for our annual fundraiser. The BVIC hand crafted items for the event. We are also accepting donations of items and services suitable for the auction.
Many supporters already are helping out the BVIC without spending any extra money simply by shopping for groceries at Save Mart, S-Mart program through Save Mart Supermarkets and S-Mart Foods. There is no information for you to submit or paperwork for you to complete. Each time you shop and swipe your S.H.A.R.E.S. card the BVIC will receive 3% of qualified purchases. Call the BVIC to get your free S.H.A.R.E.S. card.
The BVIC congratulates Cath Tendler Valencia on her retirement from Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE). Cath has assisted many students as the Itinerant Services for Visually Impaired Program through the years. Best wishes Cath, enjoy.
BVIC volunteer and client, Mia Carius has graduated from Seaside High School. Mia plans to attend Sacramento State in the fall. We wish Mia success with her academics and all her goals. We know she will do well.
Mia with Seaside High instructor, Sam Garcia |
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What makes a computer talk? How do you use a computer without reading visually?
Nowadays computers are used in every dimension of our lives and have evolved to be friendlier and easier for almost everyone. eMarketer recently reported there are over 200 million computer users in the US. To the visually impaired and blind, computers help overcome print barriers and are beneficial assistive devices in education, work and life activities. With an appropriate setup, a computer enables a blind or visually impaired person to read, communicate, entertain and access information like the majority of sighted computer users. BVIC services have helped its members who have no useful vision or who
are struggling to read visually. Its services assist people in continuing to use their computers or learn to become a computer user.
How can a person that is unable to see things on a computer screen use a computer?
In response to this frequently asked question, I would like to introduce the assistive technology called a SCREEN READER. A screen reader, a software program, is the interface between the computer’s operating system, its applications, and the user. The user sends commands by using the computer keyboard. This directs the speech synthesizer what to say and to speak automatically when information appears on the computer screen. A command can instruct the computer to read or spell a word, read a line or full screen of text, find a string of text on the screen, announce the location of the computer’s cursor or focused item, and so on. In addition, it allows users to perform more advanced functions, such as highlighting text, and identifying the active choice in a menu. Users may also utilize the spell checker in a word processor or an email.
Although many computer applications have built-in voice announcement features, they do not announce changes on-demand. Therefore, they are not adequate for blind users. There are some questions needed to be explored before you decide to use a screen reader.
Is the screen reader compatible with your computer’s operating system?
There are approximate 15 different screen readers on the market. The American Foundation for the Blind has an introduction and price information for them. Please check out the following website: http://www.afb.org/ProdBrowseCatResults.asp?CatID=49 .
Screen readers are compatible with PC Microsoft Windows systems. JAWS and Window-eyes are two software programs that are most commonly used. The VoiceOver is the choice for MacIntosh users. It is built-in, free of charge
with Mac OS X 10.4. For earlier Mac systems it can be purchased for about $129.
Some other questions like “Do you need high-quality speech, which is more expensive, or can you function comfortably and efficiently with lower quality speech?” or “Can the screen reader work with a screen magnifying program if you want to visualize text or images on the screen sometimes?”
Dr. Moonset Yu will help you explore these possibilities. Individualized lessons to use a computer for independent reading, accessing information and communication on the Internet, etc., are also available.
From time to time I am asked for information regarding hiring in-home caregiving help. The following link will take you to the FAMILY CAREGIVER ALLIANCE, National Center on Caregiving website which contains a comprehensive fact sheet on “Hiring In-Home Help”. Go to http://www.caregiver.org and click on FACT SHEETS, scroll down to Hiring In-Home Help.
Bus User Tips from the O&M Corner (reprinted from Jan/Feb 2008 Blindfold)
Most of you who use the buses frequently do not need tips, but there are those of us who are still just toying with the idea of beginning to use the buses more, or are new to the area. If you do not have enough vision or vision aids to read bus schedules, you can call MST at 1-888-678-2871 or access their website at www.mst.org. Orientation and Mobility services include not only instruction in how to use the bus system for those who are interested, but also assistance with getting the MST courtesy card. The courtesy card is a photo identification card that shows the bus driver that the bus user is eligible for discounts on regular fares based on disability or age.
Cards are available with an application signed by a doctor for those who are disabled or can prove that they are 65 or over. Medicare cards, can be used to prove eligibility for the discount fare. Bus drivers can request to see a Medicare card or courtesy card if you are paying the discount fare.
For those of you who have difficulty with deep steps, you can request the bus driver to lower the lift for you. When you stand back the lift will be lowered to sidewalk level, and you can step up one small step onto it. It has a railing to hold on to. It will be raised to the height of the bus aisle so that you can walk forward directly to the ticket machine at the front of the bus. The lift is for people in wheelchairs as well anyone who has a physical disability, which makes using the deep bus steps too difficult.
The buses have the capability of kneeling, which means the first step can be lowered to curb level for those who may only have difficulty with the first step. Often drivers will lower the bus for people with support canes, but again, anyone can ask the driver to lower the bus.
The O&M specialist can arrange an empty bus familiarization lesson for someone who is visually impaired and has never experienced using a bus. During this lesson you get to walk on the empty bus, find the ticket machine and feel where the coins and dollar bills go, walk down the bus aisle and learn about the type of seating available, where the buttons or wires to signal a stop are, where the doors are, and what the steps and doors feel like when entering or leaving the bus. This makes it easier the first time one must enter a full bus and encounter being in a line, finding the ticket machine, finding a seat, finding the doors, and interacting with other passengers.
The purpose of Orientation and Mobility training or instruction is to enable a blind or visually impaired person to travel, or walk, more independently and safely. Many peoplewho have to stop driving because of vision loss are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with using public transportation. Many such individuals do not need much if any cane instruction, but may need to know how to use the buses because reading signs, finding bus stops, and recognizing landmarks from the bus window is a problem. Also, many people may be concerned about making safe street crossings to get to return bus stops or to destinations a block or two away from the nearest bus stop. O&M training can give the individual the ability to cross streets safely; to maintain orientation; to be able to find objectives; and to know techniques for using buses independently. During mobility instruction the individual practices using new skills with an orientation and mobility specialist nearby, until the individual is ready to go solo.
Deciphering bus schedules, coordinating transfer times, and planning bus routes are another set of skills the O&M Specialist can teach a visually impaired person. Obtaining information is much easier when you know what to ask to get the most accurate route plan. At first this may seem overwhelming, but like anything else it becomes far less daunting once an individual has a chance to practice it. Once one knows how to use buses and knows that one can do it, freedom of movement is no longer restricted to just walking or riding as a car passenger. One can walk out the door and take the bus somewhere. It’s much less expensive than a taxi, and it is sometimes an interesting way to meet other people!Our BVIC Board Secretary, Sonja Jackson, is embarking on an exciting new adventure. She applied for and was accepted by Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) in San Rafael, CA to become a Guide Dog handler and graduate as a Guide Dog Team this October. Sonja has had extensive mobility training with our O&M specialist, Rena Weaver Wyatt, which includes use of the dog handle known as “Juno”. As Sonja’s retinitis pigmentosa (RP) disease has progressed, she feels that the use and companionship of a Guide Dog would be a safer and, yes, more fun way to travel the sidewalks and routes needed.
Training is quite intense, a three-week course, living in a dormitory with the new Guide Dog that GDB has selected to match the person handling the dog. Sonja has created a blog, http://guidedoganticipation.blogspot.com/ where you can follow her preparations for the training, the actual training, and what happens when you bring a Guide Dog home.