HOME Services Journal, Helpline, Email list, Consumer Protection, webletters About us Who we are, mission, history Message of Hope Living tips For the visually impaired Library Free electronic books and online audio Bookstore Purchase large print or braille publications, e-books, audio, and regular books for sighted care providers Assistive Technology Medical Info Diseases, conditions, treatments News In the field of visual impairment Education Opportunities for the visually impaired People Achievers in spite of vision loss Jobs Available FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Press Releases Links to other resources Fundraising Donations, shopping, books, Paypal Site Map List of all our web pages		Back to our Services page. Vision Webletters  Webletter - June 2002   …a potpourri of items of interest to everyone, so feel free to share it with your colleagues, or forward it to a friend who can subscribe easily. See the Distribution Note below for details. In This Issue Dook" Wins NLS Digital Player Contest Finding eBooks On the Internet Tips For Older Drivers With Vision Problems ATMs To Dispense More Than Cash Jumbo Scrabble Latest Statistics on Vision Impairment ZoomText 7.11 Released Marriott International Seeks Trainees Camera Sees Retina Clearly Laptops Not Allowed In U. S. Senate Chamber Splash! The Pond and Water Garden Newsletter GardenWise Newsletter Easy Braille Labels - At Last! When You Can't Afford Your Medicine Distribution Note ******************************************  1. "Dook" Wins NLS Digital Player Contest On June 7, 2002 excitement ran high as more than 140 prototypes were spread out on tables in a conference room at the National Library Service for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (NLS) offices in Washington, D.C. The day had finally arrived when agile young minds of industrial design students across the country would present their creations for the digital talking book player of the 21st century. There were pocket-size players and tabletop entries. Some models resembled silvery boomboxes and retro phones. One device was shaped like a football. Another looked like Darth Vader's helmet. A silvery "Lady Bug" had all the sleekness anyone could expect in the 21st century but broke the contest rules by requiring a separate docking station. Students had been asked to incorporate real-world needs of users: tactile markings for sightless readers; large controls for arthritic hands to manipulate; portability, but also extraordinary stability. All were supposed to be impervious to spilled drinks and able to withstand occasional shipping in little more than a Manila envelope. But as the jury of six professional designers and senior library staff members worked their way around the room, a clear preference emerged for something familiar. First prize went to a prototype in the shape of a book. The winner was "Dook," a rectangular device that opened like a standard volume. Designer Lachezar Tsvetanov, a junior at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, put the controls in one half, speakers and memory card in the other half, and volume regulator in the hinge. Tsvetanov, who grew up in Bulgaria, chose the form for two reasons. He thought a book would be immediately familiar to seniors, who make up half the program's users and are seen as wary of new technology. The designer was also determined that people who needed talking books be able to blend into the world around them. "Users want to be like anybody else," he said. "If you see a young blind person walking down the street and holding an odd-shaped product, it would really stand out." Tsvetanov will be awarded $5,000 for ingenuity at the industrial design society's annual conference July 20-23 in Monterey, Calif. And his device will be displayed at the library's Madison Building on Capitol Hill, along with four second- and third-place winners. The contest was not intended to produce a design for manufacture. The NLS hoped merely to glean ideas for the next step in the process before asking Congress to put millions into the 2005 budget for a total upgrade.   Top of Page 2. Finding eBooks On the Internet Wondering where and how to download books from the Internet? In "Finding eBooks on the Internet," written by Anna Dresner, who is herself blind, tells you how to obtain books in accessible formats from sites like Web-Braille and Bookshare; public domain books from sources like Project Gutenberg and the eText Spider; and commercially available accessible books from companies like Baen Books and FictionWise. Available in large print and Braille (2 volumes), this detailed how-to book also includes information about the Digital Talking Book standard and instructions for accessing different file types, like DOC and PDF. Keyboard commands are given for using Internet Explorer with JAWS and Window-Eyes. Briefly, its Table of Contents includes: Chapter One: Books in Specialized Formats Chapter Two: Public Domain Books That All May Read Chapter Three: Commercial Sites Selling Accessible eBooks Chapter Four: The Future of Access to eBooks Read the Table of Contents for this book at: http://www.nbp.org/ebookconts.html To order, send $14 to: National Braille Press (NBP), 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115. Toll-free: 800.548.7323 or 617.266.6160 ext 20. FAX: 617.437.0456. E-Mail: orders@nbp.org. Major credit cards accepted. Note: $5 processing fee on all agency purchase orders; no charge if prepaid.   Top of Page 3.  Tips For Older Drivers With Vision Problems (From Lighthouse International.) The ability to drive a car and get around independently is essential for millions of adults across the country. While driving safely is a key concern of anyone traveling in a car, changes in the aging eye make it an especially "driving" matter for older people. Everyone experiences some vision changes due to normal aging; these include difficulty focusing on near tasks like reading, difficulty distinguishing colors and contrast, and the need for more light. What's more, as Americans are living longer, increasing numbers of people are affected by more severe vision problems due to conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. Kent Higgins, Ph.D., Vice President for Vision Science, Lighthouse International, advises all older persons to have regular eye check-ups to maintain eye health and to ensure that their ability to drive safely is not compromised by undetected vision loss. The following insights and tips for older drivers with vision problems are based on an established body of research and on original research conducted by the Arlene R. Gordon Research Institute of Lighthouse International: If you are 60 years of age or over, know that you are driving with only about one-third of the light you had when you were 20 years old. This is due to changes occurring within the eye, of which we are generally unaware. Also keep in mind that, as an older driver, you cannot process and respond to visual information as quickly and efficiently as you could when you were younger. Be aware that driving under the influence of some medications can dramatically diminish an older person's ability to react to unexpected road hazards. Ask your doctor about the medications that you are taking. Nighttime driving, which typically involves exposure to bright, fleeting glare, presents a particular challenge to older drivers. With this in mind, take extra caution regarding your decision to get behind a wheel at night. To minimize glare exposure when driving at night, do not look directly at the headlights of oncoming vehicles. Instead, direct your gaze down the road and toward the right side of the lane in which you are driving. Older drivers require more time to adjust to sudden changes in light level such as when one enters a darkened tunnel from the bright afternoon sunlight. You can partially solve this problem with a pair of "flip-up/down sunglasses." View through the sunglasses for a few minutes while approaching a tunnel. Then flip them up and out of the way on entering the entrance of the tunnel. Another approach to achieve the same result would be to use "wrap-around" sunglasses that fit over the top of your prescription eyeglasses, but can be easily removed upon entering the tunnel. Cataracts can seriously interfere with driving performance, even though they may produce only a small decline in one's ability to read a chart in the doctor's office. If you are developing cataracts, check with your eye doctor about whether or not it's time to have the cataracts removed. If you are an older driver with vision problems, plan your travel to minimize the impact of any visual limitations. When possible, drive in familiar locations and avoid driving at night, in bad weather, and during the busy rush hours. Consider speaking to an eye care specialist, friends, or family members about any concerns you may have related to driving.   Top of Page 4. ATMs To Dispense More Than Cash As many know, ATM machines are already equipped to allow users to purchase stamps, long-distance telephone minutes and even theater tickets. But a new generation of high-tech ATMs will allow customers to sign up for credit cards or overdraft protection, view the stock-market ticker, scan the weather or lottery results, get travel directions, purchase event tickets, pay bills online, or shop online. Bank of America has about 500 machines that allow customers to pre-set preferences for cash-withdrawal amounts and whether or not a customer wants a receipt. FleshBoston allows customers to tap funds from home-equity loans through its 3,700 ATMs. 7-Eleven is testing 98 machines that cash checks and send wire transfers. The new bells and whistles stem from big changes in ATM technology. The International Business Machines (IBM) system ATMs have been using is based on the aging OS/2 operating platform that banks say is expensive to operate and to program. Consequently, many are switching to the more flexible Microsoft NT operating system. Although the number of ATMs has quadrupled to 324,000 nationwide over the past decade, the number of monthly transactions per machine has fallen by nearly half since 1997. The banking industry hopes the added features will lure customers back to using the ATMs more and more revenue will be generated for the banks. As exciting and interesting as all this sounds, there is a downside, though. The ads and videos on the ATMs are distracting to some customers. Additionally, lines are longer waiting for other users to listen to the ads, view the videos, answer the surveys, and complete transactions. For the visually impaired it seems more of a challenge than already exists using ATM machines.   Top of Page    5. Jumbo Scrabble With the advent of terrorist scares, Americans are turning to more homespun activities like Scrabble® for amusement. If you love Scrabble®, but sometimes have difficulty seeing the letters clearly, you'll love Jumbo Font Protiles. The letters are larger and bolder, yet they still fit the grid of a standard deluxe board. They come in white or "School Bus" yellow and are much more visible than the standard maroon letters that come with a deluxe Scrabble® set. Protiles are a three-piece design - a heavy paper encased in 2 plastic caps and they can't wear out. They are smooth to the touch (you can't "feel" the letters) and there is a slight indent to distinguish the back from the front. You can't buy these tiles in your local store. These tiles are guaranteed against defects and will be replaced free of charge. These Jumbo Protiles are $25 per set plus $4 priority mail postage. A discount of 15% is available for 3-10 sets. Shipping on quantity orders is greatly reduced. Orders can be placed online and paid for with PayPal or BidPay, If paying by check, Money Order, or Bid Pay, mail to Rita Norr, Attention: PROTILES, 117-01 Park Lane South #C-4M, Kew Gardens, NY 11418. When placing your order, be certain to indicate whether you want White Jumbo Scrabble® Protiles or School Bus Yellow Jumbo Scrabble Protiles. For additional information, call 718.847.1322 or send e-mail to Scrabblette@aol.com.   Top of Page 6. Latest Statistics on Vision Impairment Anyone looking for the latest statistics on vision impairment will want to check the recently updated Lighthouse Statistics on Vision Impairment: A Resource Manual that is available free of charge on the web site of Lighthouse International, http://www.lighthouse.org/research_statistics.htm. The manual is downloadable in RTF and/or PDF formats or can be read online. This valuable manual includes recently released data from Prevent Blindness America and findings from a new study on vision loss among Hispanics.   Top of Page 7. ZoomText 7.11 Released Ai Squared has now released ZoomText Xtra 7.11. This release provides enhancements and bug fixes that significantly improve performance. For a complete description of all enhancements and fixes in version 7.11, please refer to the 7.11 release notes available on the Ai Squared web site. Version 7.11 is free to all registered users of ZoomText Xtra 7.10. If you purchased a ZoomText Subscription Plan*, you will automatically receive a 7.11 update CD in the mail. If you are not enrolled in the subscription plan, you can download the update for free from the company's website: http://www.aisquared.com, or purchase an update CD from Ai Squared for $10 (includes shipping). * Notice to ZoomText Subscription Plan members. The 7.11 update is a free maintenance release that does not reduce the number of 'paid upgrades' provided with your subscription. The ZoomText 30-day trial has also been updated to version 7.11. The trial is available now on the company's web site (a free download) and CD's will be available within a few weeks. More information can be obtained from: Ai Squared, Tel: 802.362.3612. Fax: 802.362.1670. E-Mail: sales@aisquared.com / support@aisquared.com. Web: http://www.aisquared.com.   Top of Page 8. Marriott International Seeks Trainees  Marriott International will be hiring more visually impaired people as Reservation Sales Agents in its center in Santa Ana, California. The next class will begin October 7, 2002. Interested parties must: Be a client of the California Department of Rehabilitation. Go through a series of tests given at the Braille Institute in Anaheim, CA. Qualifications include: People with good communication skills Some JAWS experience preferred. Must type a minimum of 25 words per minute Must have a good understanding of national and international geography For more information, contact the California Department of Rehabilitation, or call the Braille Institute and ask to speak to Cora Hefley, or anyone in their Career Services Department. Orange County Braille: (714) 821-5000   Top of Page 9. Camera Sees Retina Clearly Nidek Inc. seller and distributer of laser systems and diagnostic equipment developed and manufactured by Nidek Japan, recently announced the availability of a new, portable mega pixel digital hand-held fundus camera for use in photographing a patient's retina. The new instrument, called the NM-200D, uses invisible infrared light for alignment and viewing and an extremely low flash to photograph the retina (fundus) of patients with suspected retinal disorders. The color digital images are captured with a much lower flash intensity than conventional cameras, which allows a more comfortable exam for the patients. The NM-200D is compact and easy to use, and does not require dilation of the pupil. Its portability and light weight makes the camera ideal for both adult and pediatric applications.. The digital images are displayed on the instrument's Touch LCD color display screen, and can also be exported to a computer, television monitor, or saved on a PC card.   Top of Page 10. Laptops Not Allowed In U.S. Senate Chamber Although you can still find brass spittoons on the floor of the U.S. Senate, you will not find a personal computer - they are not allowed in the historic chamber even though roughly 35 state legislatures use new computer technology in their chambers. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) is attempting to convince the Rules and Administration Committee to take a second look. His arguments include: Notebook computers are lightweight and small enough so as not to damage the historic Senate furniture. Laptops would not interfere with the Chamber's ambience. Laptops would allow lawmakers to stay on top of the latest bills and amendments being considered. Wireless networks could beam schedule changes and new bills to members right on the floor, allowing Senators to spend less time checking in with their offices and more time to engage in lofty debate. Millions of sheets of paper would be saved. Staffers would save countless hours standing in front of the photocopiers. Senator Enzi also pointed out the important role computers played when Senators were shut out of their offices during last October's anthrax scares. Had they been able to take those notebook computers on the floor of the Senate, they would have had access to all the relevant information at their fingertips as the Senate continued its legislative work. The outcome of this "debate" will be interesting and perhaps amusing if tradition prevails.   Top of Page 11. Splash! The Pond and Water Garden News Now is the perfect time of year to get your ducks in a row. Get weekly advice on building and maintaining a pond of your very own. Learn about pond building, pond plants, pond fish, pond products (including reviews) and more! This is an announce list (read only) that averages 1 message per week. To subscribe, just send an e-mail to pond-subscribe@topica.com or dive in to the Pond newsletter at http://www.topica.com/lists/pond.   12. GardenWise Newsletter How does your garden grow? Love to garden but don't have time for e-mail lists with lots of discussion? This then is the list for you. It covers everything - soil, perennials, annuals, vegetables, good and bad bugs, other pests, landscaping, web sites, and so much more! All tips are reader submitted and proven. It is an announce list (read only) and generates an average of 1 message per week. To subscribe to the GardenWise Newsletter, send an e-mail post to Gardenwise-subscribe@topica.com or visit their website at http://www.topica.com/lists/gardenwise.   Top of Page 13. Easy Braille Labels - At Last! Despite many recent advances in technology, a simple, convenient way for sighted people who don't know Braille to make professional-looking Braille labels just didn't exist. But now there is an answer - The KGS Corporation's Braille Labeler. It makes transparent single-line labels on strips 7, 15 or 25 Braille characters wide. Even if you have no Braille experience at all, in minutes you can label almost anything - hotel keys, signs, simple maps, cassettes, CD cases, vending machines, telephones and more - in durable, top quality Braille. To make a label, you just select grade 1 (the default) or grade 2 Braille and then choose individual letters, numbers, and punctuation marks from a small visual screen. You can back up and edit if you change your mind, even save label text in three "folders" in the Braille Labeler's memory. When you're ready, tell the Braille Labeler to emboss the label, and it will tell you how well your message will fit on the three available label sizes. You insert the label and print. Peel off the backing, and the specially designed clear tape label sticks to most surfaces without obscuring any type or graphics beneath. Hotels, hospitals, agencies, schools, libraries, museums, and companies making products for customers who are blind will find a dozen daily uses for the KGS Braille Labeler. The unit is 9.5 inches deep by 6.75 inches wide by 2.5 inches high (24.13 cm by 17.15cm by 6.35 cm), weighs 4 lbs., and runs on 120V AC. It carries a one-year warranty. Cost: $995. The label material is available in three sizes: Label A (25 Braille Characters), 250 labels for $45.00 Label B (15 Braille Characters), 250 labels for $40.00 Label C (7 Braille Characters), 250 labels for $35.00. Customers in North, Central and South America can purchase the KGS Braille Labeler and the labels for it from Enabling Technologies, 1601 NE Braille Place, Jensen Beach, FL. Tel: 772.225.3687. Web: http://www.brailler.com/kgs.htm.   Top of Page 14. When You Can't Afford Your Medicine  There is a "Medicine Program" that offers assistance to individuals who are regularly required to take prescription medication but lack adequate income to fill their pres criptions each month. There is a one time $5 filing fee per prescription and then the Medicine Program staff will fill out the paperwork necessary to get the individual into one of the drug manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs. Several drug manufacturers are now sponsoring patient assistance programs that provide free medicine to those that qualify. This service is available to people of all ages. Brochures are available in both Spanish and English. For more information, please visit http://www.themedicineprogram.com or call 573.996.7300.   15. Distribution Note You are encouraged to share this Webletter with anyone on your mailing list that you think would find it useful. It is free. Readers wishing to receive their own Webletter should just send an e-mail message to: VisionENews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or subscribe directly at http://www.visionww.org/journal.htm. As this is just a mini sampling of the information contained in our quarterly journal, Vision Enhancement,, you are invited to become a subscriber. More information and prior issues are available at http://www.visionww.org/journal.htm. Top of Page Back to our Services page.   Vision World Wide 5707 Brockton Drive, #302 Indianapolis, IN 46220-5481 Phone: 317-254-1332 Toll Free: 800-431-1739 Fax: 317-251-6588 E-Mail: info@visionww.org © Copyright 1995-2002 by Vision World Wide Inc. All rights reserved. Updated June 19 2002