This is from one of our TRADE student's mothers...
“You guys really deserve so much credit in regard to his maturing and growth, social skills and articulation. Before attending the TRADE program he was reclusive and didn’t want to communicate with others. I’m so thankful. He has so much respect for you. When someone shows Vernon how to do something on the computer, he says, ‘Eric said to do it this way.’ That’s all he’s been able to talk about. I’m thankful.”
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sarah's Story
I think for most of us that are reading this message there are things that we take for granted: every day things; opening mail and reading it and paying bills with checks or through our on-line banking accounts. For most of the students here at EmpowerTech these things are done with assistance usually by another person. The following story will anger and appall you but I promise it has a very good ending.
The main character of this story is Sarah (not her real name for privacy purposes). Sarah is one of our recent Blind/Low-Vision program graduates, she is extremely independent and even more so after completing the program.
There were still a few things that she did need help with, primarily opening of her bills and then writing the checks. She did have a hired assistant who would come in a few hours a week to help her with this. Sarah and her got along very well and a trust began to form. For several months, a few hours a week, the assistant helped Sarah with her finances. Then one day by sheer luck, Sarah called her bank to check her balance. She was overdrawn and the check that the assistant wrote for her rent was going to bounce.
Very upset and beside herself she called Tom Lange, EmpowerTech's Blind/Low-Vision Director. Tom immediately calmed her down and helped her navigate along with her bank's assistance, the source of the overdraft, a check was forged by the assistant. The bank acknowledged the problem and replaced the funds.
A few days later and through a series of phone calls, Tom taught her how to use on-line banking.
You see there are things you and I take for granted; opening our mail, paying bills and on-line banking. But now because of EmpowerTech and Tom's help our Blind/Low-Vision students are all being taught and taking advantage of on-line banking even furthering their independence.
The main character of this story is Sarah (not her real name for privacy purposes). Sarah is one of our recent Blind/Low-Vision program graduates, she is extremely independent and even more so after completing the program.
There were still a few things that she did need help with, primarily opening of her bills and then writing the checks. She did have a hired assistant who would come in a few hours a week to help her with this. Sarah and her got along very well and a trust began to form. For several months, a few hours a week, the assistant helped Sarah with her finances. Then one day by sheer luck, Sarah called her bank to check her balance. She was overdrawn and the check that the assistant wrote for her rent was going to bounce.
Very upset and beside herself she called Tom Lange, EmpowerTech's Blind/Low-Vision Director. Tom immediately calmed her down and helped her navigate along with her bank's assistance, the source of the overdraft, a check was forged by the assistant. The bank acknowledged the problem and replaced the funds.
A few days later and through a series of phone calls, Tom taught her how to use on-line banking.
You see there are things you and I take for granted; opening our mail, paying bills and on-line banking. But now because of EmpowerTech and Tom's help our Blind/Low-Vision students are all being taught and taking advantage of on-line banking even furthering their independence.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Student Comment about our TRADE Program
In each quarterly TRADE progress report is a section for students to provide input. Some of the student comments are quite moving - such as the one in the report I am currently writing. The student is Christine - the tiny woman we often undoubtedly hear squealing with excitement when she experiences a success.
I think the class is fantastic. I'd love to continue as long as it takes me. As long as I will have my computer I will still come to class on Tuesdays. It will make me very smart!
I think the class is fantastic. I'd love to continue as long as it takes me. As long as I will have my computer I will still come to class on Tuesdays. It will make me very smart!
Monday, July 27, 2009
1000 Empowering Moments
EmpowerTech launches emergency fundraising campaign
We are calling this campaign 1000 Empowering Moments. Our goal is for 1000 people to give $100. We are looking to raise $100,000. These "Empowering" Moments are in addition to our daily Empowering Moments we get to witness in person. Devon, who has MS, and has been coming to EmpowerTech since he was a teenager, was diagnosed with MS a degenerative disease, that has slowly taken away all of his motor skills. For Devon having access to a computer and Head Mouse each Wednesday during our Open Access Lab is the only opportunity he has to send emails to his sister 3000 miles away. Please help us keep our doors open donate now
We are calling this campaign 1000 Empowering Moments. Our goal is for 1000 people to give $100. We are looking to raise $100,000. These "Empowering" Moments are in addition to our daily Empowering Moments we get to witness in person. Devon, who has MS, and has been coming to EmpowerTech since he was a teenager, was diagnosed with MS a degenerative disease, that has slowly taken away all of his motor skills. For Devon having access to a computer and Head Mouse each Wednesday during our Open Access Lab is the only opportunity he has to send emails to his sister 3000 miles away. Please help us keep our doors open donate now
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Orator for BlackBerry Smart Phones Coming Soon
HumanWare is pleased to introduce Orator, its newest software solution Orator for BlackBerry SmartPhones is your BlackBerry® smartphone accessibility solution.A joint collaboration with Code Factory, the leading provider of screen reader technology and maker of Mobile Speak, and Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the award winning portfolio of BlackBerry products and solutions, Orator for BlackBerry Smartphones is design to convert the information visually displayed on the device screen into voice output enabling people who are visually impaired to use BlackBerry smartphones to increase independence and productivity in today's competitive world. In today's world access to information on the go is key and highly related to the ability to communicate via portable mobile solution. The constant evolution of mass-market electronics has been providing more portability than ever before and smartphones are quickly becoming the predominant way that business professionals, individual consumers and students stay in touch with their friends, family and information while on the go. Unfortunately this mobile technology is more design for a sighted world and still creates accessibility challenges for people who are blind and visually impaired.Orator is unique screen reader software that brings your BlackBerry® smartphone to life using state of the art text to speech (TTS) technology with adjustable volume and speech rate to let you access and interact with the Smartphone applications. Orator converts the information presented visually on the device screen into intuitive and familiar speech output. Whether you are at work, home or on the go, Orator will let you manage your emails and contacts, make and receive calls, compose and read text messages and other features while on the go. Powered by Code Factory and design for the new generation of BlackBerry® smartphones with full QWERTY key board, Orator will provide you with a unique mobile communication experience. Orator provides you: •State of the art TTS engine voice output •Auto start mode when the device turns on •Full control over the speed and pitch of the voice •Different verbosity levels to allow users to define the amount of information provided •Keyboard echo settings for text entry •Easy to use command structure •Training mode to help familiarize yourself with the structure•Fully operational during a call •Multi language support •Support documentation on the device
HumanWare is pleased to introduce Orator, its newest software solution Orator for BlackBerry SmartPhones is your BlackBerry® smartphone accessibility solution.A joint collaboration with Code Factory, the leading provider of screen reader technology and maker of Mobile Speak, and Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the award winning portfolio of BlackBerry products and solutions, Orator for BlackBerry Smartphones is design to convert the information visually displayed on the device screen into voice output enabling people who are visually impaired to use BlackBerry smartphones to increase independence and productivity in today's competitive world.In today's world access to information on the go is key and highly related to the ability to communicate via portable mobile solution. The constant evolution of mass-market electronics has been providing more portability than ever before and smartphones are quickly becoming the predominant way that business professionals, individual consumers and students stay in touch with their friends, family and information while on the go. Unfortunately this mobile technology is more design for a sighted world and still creates accessibility challenges for people who are blind and visually impaired.Orator is unique screen reader software that brings your BlackBerry® smartphone to life using state of the art text to speech (TTS) technology with adjustable volume and speech rate to let you access and interact with the Smartphone applications. Orator converts the information presented visually on the device screen into intuitive and familiar speech output. Whether you are at work, home or on the go, Orator will let you manage your emails and contacts, make and receive calls, compose and read text messages and other features while on the go. Powered by Code Factory and design for the new generation of BlackBerry® smartphones with full QWERTY key board, Orator will provide you with a unique mobile communication experience. Orator provides State of the art TTS engine voice output, Auto start mode when the device turns on, Full control over the speed and pitch of the voice, Different verbosity levels to allow users to define the amount of information provided, Keyboard echo settings for text entry, Easy to use command structure, Training mode to help familiarize yourself with the structure, Full operation during a call, Multi-language support, and Support documentation on the device
HumanWare is pleased to introduce Orator, its newest software solution Orator for BlackBerry SmartPhones is your BlackBerry® smartphone accessibility solution.A joint collaboration with Code Factory, the leading provider of screen reader technology and maker of Mobile Speak, and Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the award winning portfolio of BlackBerry products and solutions, Orator for BlackBerry Smartphones is design to convert the information visually displayed on the device screen into voice output enabling people who are visually impaired to use BlackBerry smartphones to increase independence and productivity in today's competitive world.In today's world access to information on the go is key and highly related to the ability to communicate via portable mobile solution. The constant evolution of mass-market electronics has been providing more portability than ever before and smartphones are quickly becoming the predominant way that business professionals, individual consumers and students stay in touch with their friends, family and information while on the go. Unfortunately this mobile technology is more design for a sighted world and still creates accessibility challenges for people who are blind and visually impaired.Orator is unique screen reader software that brings your BlackBerry® smartphone to life using state of the art text to speech (TTS) technology with adjustable volume and speech rate to let you access and interact with the Smartphone applications. Orator converts the information presented visually on the device screen into intuitive and familiar speech output. Whether you are at work, home or on the go, Orator will let you manage your emails and contacts, make and receive calls, compose and read text messages and other features while on the go. Powered by Code Factory and design for the new generation of BlackBerry® smartphones with full QWERTY key board, Orator will provide you with a unique mobile communication experience. Orator provides State of the art TTS engine voice output, Auto start mode when the device turns on, Full control over the speed and pitch of the voice, Different verbosity levels to allow users to define the amount of information provided, Keyboard echo settings for text entry, Easy to use command structure, Training mode to help familiarize yourself with the structure, Full operation during a call, Multi-language support, and Support documentation on the device
Serotek's Accessible Event and A New Release of Window-Eyes
Serotek has released Accessible Event, an online platform that makes group meetings ,webinars, lectures and other events accessible to the blind, deaf, and deaf-blind. It works with presentations designed in the Microsoft® Word, Excel®, and PowerPoint® or Adobe® Acrobat®, with those featuring displays in Microsoft Outlook®, or web pages in Serotek SAMNetâ„¢, Microsoft Internet Explorer® 7 or higher, or Mozilla® Firefox®, and with online meeting services such as Cisco WebEx, Citrix® GoToMeeting® and GoToWebinar®, Adobe Acrobat Connect®, Microsoft Live Meeting and more.
GW Micro is proud to announce the release of Window-Eyes 7.1 and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the public beta cycle. Your feedback helps make Window-Eyes the best it can be. Window-Eyes 7.1 is packed with features, including support for Windows 7, support for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7, enhanced Braille functionality, new scripting features for end users and script authors, and more. Window-Eyes 7.1 also continues to build on the foundation of stability, performance, and reliability. The unrivaled Window-Eyes Error Reporting feature has again proved itself invaluable, allowing resolution of a wide range of issues. GW Micro is committed to ensuring a stable computing environment so that you can get your job done, without worrying about crashes and unexpected reboots. You can rely on Window-Eyes. Read more about the features that Window-Eyes 7.1 offers at http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/Latest_Features.
GW Micro is proud to announce the release of Window-Eyes 7.1 and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the public beta cycle. Your feedback helps make Window-Eyes the best it can be. Window-Eyes 7.1 is packed with features, including support for Windows 7, support for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7, enhanced Braille functionality, new scripting features for end users and script authors, and more. Window-Eyes 7.1 also continues to build on the foundation of stability, performance, and reliability. The unrivaled Window-Eyes Error Reporting feature has again proved itself invaluable, allowing resolution of a wide range of issues. GW Micro is committed to ensuring a stable computing environment so that you can get your job done, without worrying about crashes and unexpected reboots. You can rely on Window-Eyes. Read more about the features that Window-Eyes 7.1 offers at http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/Latest_Features.
News Bits and Bytes
Freedom Scientific announces that beginning in July, they will ship the new Focus 40 Blue braille display, which is more streamlined than earlier Focus displays and offers Bluetooth connectivity, for $4,495. To read the press release, click here.
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents are becoming increasingly prevalent out there on the web, which is great if, for example, you’ve lost that dog-eared copy of the user’s guide for your mobile phone or you need to get an owner’s manual for a secondhand appliance that you bought on the cheap at eBay. While PDF documents are designed to look just like their hardcopy counterparts, trying to read them with JAWS or some other screen reader can be a dicey business for blind guys. Questions abound regarding which version of Adobe Reader works best and how to effectively use it with screen readers. To help solve these mysteries, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) has produced a guide to accessing PDF documents. Entitled Screen reader access to PDF: a users guide, it covers a comprehensive array of topics including finding and configuring the proper version of Adobe Reader, reading PDF documents on web pages, saving them to your computer, navigation tips, conversion to other formats, and many more.
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) documents are becoming increasingly prevalent out there on the web, which is great if, for example, you’ve lost that dog-eared copy of the user’s guide for your mobile phone or you need to get an owner’s manual for a secondhand appliance that you bought on the cheap at eBay. While PDF documents are designed to look just like their hardcopy counterparts, trying to read them with JAWS or some other screen reader can be a dicey business for blind guys. Questions abound regarding which version of Adobe Reader works best and how to effectively use it with screen readers. To help solve these mysteries, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) has produced a guide to accessing PDF documents. Entitled Screen reader access to PDF: a users guide, it covers a comprehensive array of topics including finding and configuring the proper version of Adobe Reader, reading PDF documents on web pages, saving them to your computer, navigation tips, conversion to other formats, and many more.
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