We need to be careful because some folks who are legally blind can drive a car, a total of course can not normally do so under regular circumstances.

They still stay because I have JAWS I should be able to "see" huge databases, unreadable books, soundless videos, etc etc.

I offer them a blind fold and ask them to do the same. Expectations to exceed are awesome but expectations based on faulse information is offensive.

Sorry James if this is off topic to far.

Bobby and Prince

-----Original Message-----
From: Jfw [mailto:jfw-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Lisle, Ted (CHFS DMS)
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 12:31 PM
To: The Jaws for Windows support list.
Subject: RE: Focus 40 Blue for JAWS

I don't remember those halcyon days when assistive devices were cheap. We've always needed special this and that, the market has always been small, the price has always been dear. In fact, the use of mainstream computers and software has actually been a step in the right direction.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jfw [mailto:jfw-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Laurie
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 1:27 PM
To: The Jaws for Windows support list.
Subject: Re: Focus 40 Blue for JAWS

Well said!!!!

Sent from Laurie's iPhone

On Jul 18, 2013, at 12:16 PM, "Angel" <angel238@...> wrote:

This is the problem now facing the blind. That being, the ability to pay for modern technology. This wasn't such a problem in ages past. But, a child will rise to the level of the expectations of his parents. This is why parental expectations are most important in shaping what the blind child eventually becomes. If they expect little of him, he will accomplish little. Regardless the technology available to him. If he is expected to achieve, and his level of achievement isn't stifled by parents misguided beliefs of the level of those achievements based on physical characteristics alone. Regardless his economic handicaps, that child will achieve as much or more than his sighted peers. If such is expected of him by his primary care givers.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Holloway"
<rholloway@...>
To: "The Jaws for Windows support list." <jfw@...>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: Focus 40 Blue for JAWS

As I recall, life in the "technological dark ages", while much less of a hassle for the sighted, caused a good deal of hassle for everyone. We endured what now seems intolerable hassle to prepare even a term paper or the like. Most of us would "hunt-and-peck" (type) our way through preparing any formal assignment and produce a marginally acceptable piece, generally with half a bottle or so of liquid paper "white out" smeared all over the thing to fix "typos", but it was either that, or pay someone to type for us.

This is huge example where students today have a potential for much more of a level playing field. Kids in grade school today do their own web research and word process their own papers, sighted or blind, so long as they have the right skills and equipment.

I don't claim to fully grasp the magnitude of change which technology has brought to the blind, but I figure if I take the changes for the sighted in a similar area and multiply by say, 50 or 100, I might be on the right track. And while we face absurd prejudice and misassumptions daily where our daughter is concerned, no longer is it assumed (by most at least) that blind people need to be shipped off to a special school to live, or that blind people are helpless idiots. It is not impressive that my daughter gets up and goes to school with typical kids. It is not impressive that she swims or dances will be a school patrol or plays in the chess club, etc. That's what kids are SUPPOSED to do. What is impressive is being on the honor roll, as she is, or winning a national competition, as she has done a couple of times.

And mind you, i expect there are still situations where a school for the blind is an appropriate choice, but simply being blind certainly doesn't make that an automatic decision. I suggest it never should have in the past either.

I'm not trying to over-brag. Only to make the point that my greatest wish for my daughter is that she impress others, just like I want my typically-sighted children to do-- through hard work and accomplishment and ultimately through achievement. That, or that she do whatever it is she needs to make her be happy and feel fulfilled in life.

With various e-books and Bookshare, my daughter can access tens, if. of hundreds of thousands of books. With the combination of her Braille display and JAWS, she can access a huge number of web sites, and tossing an iPod and iPad into the mix with VoiceOver, even more sites can be accessed.

I cannot imagine my daughter's life without the equalization of technology, and I look anxiously forward to new conveniences which seem sure to abound in the years to come. All we have to do is figure out how to pay for them! LOL...

Great discussion everyone.

Thanks, Richard.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 18, 2013, at 7:47 AM, "Lisle, Ted (CHFS DMS)" <Ted.Lisle@...> wrote:

Yep, that's how we did it. IBM brought forth its first PC, with its glorious 16k of memory, just about the time I was wrapping up my dissertation, so I guess timing is everything. I started using an XT for daily work while I was teaching at University of Louisville, producing all my own exams, and other related material, without relying on my department. I just printed out the number of copies I knew I'd need. I learned my first spreadsheet so I could use it to keep grades. Of course, I had to have sighted help grading tests and papers.

Having lived, and worked, both before and after makes me appreciate what we have now.

Ted

-----Original Message-----
From: Jfw [mailto:jfw-bounces@...] On Behalf Of Angel
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 5:18 PM
To: The Jaws for Windows support list.
Subject: Re: Focus 40 Blue for JAWS

When we typed on manual typewriters, with and without the language accent marks, in whichever languages we wrote, we kept in memory what we wrote, and accuracy was held high as a premium. We were quite aware we would have no spoken or written feedback as we typed. When we wrote papers we Brailed rough drafts, and, if we were particular, we Brailed final drafts as well, and we copied from those drafts on the typewriter. So, we would be aware of what we were writing. I would mark a stopping place with tape on the draft.
That I might return to it when I resumed typing.
We engaged readers, paid for by the state. Which taught us the
skills we would need as adults when we hired others to do work for
us. Such as reading or driving, or assisting us with other tasks
requiring sight. They read to us the comments left on our [papers by
the teachers. I hope this assists you in determining the answer to
your question. This method worked for those like Robert Erwin, who,
in 1904 created the first resource room for the blind in a sighted
educational setting. In my own city, I might add. I was taught by
his apprentice teacher. As you all know, he was also totally blind,
and was a Harvard graduate. Long before all these affirmative
action programs, and these student service centers, and the ADA
program extant today. Doctor Jacobus Tenbroek, 1916-1968
http://www.blind.net/who-are-the-blind-who-lead-the-blind/dr-jacobus
-tenbroek-1916-to-1968.html who, as you know was a renown blind
constitutional lawyer. Who founded in
1940 the National Federation of the Blind. Regardless what one might think of the organization itself, how many blind people who are 24 years old today can boast they founded a nation wide organization of the blind. The first
of its kind in history. and the grand and marvelous Doctor Abraham Nemith.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_NemethWhose like we will rarely see again I fear. Not to mention the fine modern Blind African Ph.D holders who were taught using the technology I listed in my previous posts.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway@...>
To: "The Jaws for Windows support list." <jfw@...>
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 2:53 PM
Subject: Re: Focus 40 Blue for JAWS

I don't think I follow you-- if you type a paper conventionally,
how do you review / edit it?

My daughter types in qwerty quite well, but if you're typing,
unless you have a braille display and you're typing electronically,
how would you know what you've typed? Screen reader? If so, that's not the same thing.
Screen readers are great, but that's the SCREEN reading, not the student.

Sighted kids can look at what they have written or typed and
correct it before it is turned in. Braille literacy for kids is all
about blind / VI kids reading and writing in braille. For us, the
screen reader is mostly a convenience or things like Web Surfing,
where sometimes there's no practical way to work with a braille
display alone. That, or a convenience that supplements her braille work now and then.

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