Vision WeblettersVision Webletter
... a potpourri of items of interest to most everyone. Feel free to share it with your colleagues and others you believe would find the information useful.
1. Voice Activates Phone Dialer If you want to avoid dialing a phone, consider the new Voice Activated Phone Dialer from LS&S Group. Simply speak the person's name; the dialer then verifies the names and automatically dials the number. The device stores up to 59 names, with four numbers per name. It is easy to program and use. # 20404. Cost: $59.95. Contact: LS&S, LLC, PO Box 673, Northbrook, IL 60065. Tel: 800.468.4789 or 847-498-9777. TTY/TDD: 866.317.8533, E-Mail: info@LSSproducts.com. Web: www.lssgroup.com/contact.html 2. Sources for Talking or Large Print Display Caller IDs 1. Two Caller IDs are available from IRTI (Innovative Rehabilitation Technology, Inc:)
Contact: IRTI, 13453 Colfax Highway, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Tel: 530.274.2090. Sales: 800.322.4784. FAX: 530.274.2093. E-Mail: Info@IRTI.net. Web: www.IRTI.net. 2. Maxi-Aids has a variety of Caller IDs ranging in price from $19.95 to $579.00. These include:
For details, contact: Maxi-Aids, Inc. Tel: 800.522.6294. TTY: 631.752.0738. Fax: 631.752.0689. Web: www.maxiaids.com 3. If you are signed up for Caller ID with your local telephone company, you might wish to check out the economically priced Talking Caller ID from SightConnection.com. It announces incoming phone numbers in a clear voice and stores time and date. It uses four AAA batteries (not included). The unit does not announce name but can announce pre-recorded caller category. # PLU 530. Cost: $45 (US$). Contact: Sight Connection, 800.458.4888 or 206.525.5556, Web: www.sightconnection.com or E-Mail: csbstore@csbps.com 4. Independent Living Aids sells a space-saving, big button speakerphone with large number caller ID display. This combination phone features 3 one-touch memory buttons, 10 two-touch memory buttons, handset volume control, last number redial, mute button, flash button, call timer, speed dial memory, last call indicator, and more. The numbers on the pad measure ½ inch. # 812484. Cost: $39.95. Contact: ILA, 200 Robbins Lane, Jericho, NY 11753. Tel: 800.537.2118. E-Mail: can-do@independentliving.com. Web: www.independentliving.com. 5. LS&S Group lists 3 different models:
Contact: LS&S, LLC. PO Box 673, Northbrook, IL 60065. Tel: 800.468.4789 or 847-498-9777. TTY/TDD: 866.317.8533, E-Mail: info@LSSproducts.com. Web: www.lssgroup.com/contact.html
3. Training At Its Best - The GW Micro Way As most computer users know, the best way to get the most out of any application is to have a thorough knowledge of how it works and how to manage it with useful shortcuts and tips. Such knowledge is usually gained only through direct hands-on training. GW Micro not only is aware of this but is actually doing something about it by holding Window-Eyes training sessions throughout the US, Canada, and UK. Window-Eyes Basic Skills are taught the first day and Window-Eyes Intermediate Skills on the second day. You will want to act quickly as classes are filling up fast. Check the following schedule for a time and location nearest you:
Registration information and details of each day's course are available at www.gwmicro.com/training/. For online registration, go to https://www.gwmicro.com/training/training.php?step=reg.. For further information, contact: Sonja Homan, Training and Sales Coordinator, GW Micro, Inc., 725 Airport North Office Park, Fort Wayne, IN 46825. Tel: 260.489.3671 Fax: 260.489.2608. E-Mail: sonja@gwmicro.com. Web: www.gwmicro.com 4. Ocuvite PreserVision: New Supplement for Eye Health The new supplement, Ocuvite PreserVision, by Bausch & Lomb, contains high doses of vitamin A (as beta carotene 15mg), vitamin C (500mg), vitamin E (400iu) and zinc (80ml).which are the same ingredients at the same levels used in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology in October 2001. The study highlighted the central role played by free radicals in damaging the delicate retina which is essential for normal vision. In certain high risk groups, the study underscored the role that antioxidants and zinc can play in age-related changes to the macular. Ocuvite PreserVision costs approximately $19.99 for a one month's supply - 120 tablets. (Recommended intake is 2 tablets, twice a day.) 5. FTC Takes Action Against Laser-Eye Surgery Providers Following a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against LCA Vision, Inc. (d/b/a as LASIKPlus) of Cincinnati, Ohio and Vision Institute of Lake Worth, Florida, two of the nation's largest sellers of laser-eye surgery, saying their claims that patients would not need glasses for life were "blurry" at best, both companies agreed to stop advertising the safety, benefits and performances of their LASIK procedures without having scientific evidence. At least 4.6 million Americans have undergone LASIK surgery since the Food and Drug Administration approved it seven years ago. At least 1 million this year will undergo the surgery, which can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to more than $1,000 per eye. Anyone considering LASIK surgery should beware of over-promises. LASIK can improve the focusing power of the eye by changing the shape of the cornea. The American Academy of Ophthalmologists recently concluded LASIK is best for moderate, not severe, vision problems. In the short-term, patients have experienced double vision, glare, halos or starbursts of light. Occasionally, some have lost vision, and are unable to see as well as they could with glasses or contact lenses. Others are left with painfully dry eyes. Tips on LASIK can be found on the Commission's Website at www.ftc.gov. 6. FDA Approves Dry Eye Syndrome Drug The Federal Drug Administration has now approved Restasis (ciclosporin eye emulsion 0.05%), from Allergan, Inc. This is the first and only pharmaceutical for patients with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye syndrome) in which tear production is suppressed, possibly due to an infection. The drug will be available during the 2nd quarter of 2003. 7. CMS New Freedom Initiative Forums The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are holding a new open door forum entitled "New Freedom Initiative." The series for this forum will be established once a month during this year. This series will address the commitment made in the Health and Human Services (HHS) New Freedom Report to the President for a Task Force process focused on Medicaid reform actions that can help remove barriers to community living and participation on the part of people with a disability. The first forum of this series was held March 31, 2003. The Topic: The President's 2004 Budget. On April 1, two conferences were held addressing Hospitals and Home Health, Hospice, and DME. April 15 will be the next forum. Topics: Diversity and PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) Following each monthly forum, an audio recording of the conference will be available for 3 days, beginning 2 hours after the conference call has ended. Materials for each open door forum series will be posted on a monthly basis at www.cms.gov/newfreedom/ To keep informed about these important forums, be sure to see the forum updates at www.cms.hhs.gov/opendoor/schedule.asp. Plan to participate, if possible, or at least listen to the proceedings after the conference has ended. 8. Goodbye Floppy Disks As you may have heard, because technologies such as USB flash memory offers much more storage capacity than floppies and are more useful with today's mega-memory computers, Dell Computer Corporation has announced it will no longer make floppy drives as standard equipment on its higher end desktop personal computers. The floppy drives will be available as an option on the Dimension 8250 models. They will, however, continue to be standard equipment on Dell's business line of PCs but will be phased out on some of the company's other models by the end of the year. With its nearly 1.44 megabytes of storage capacity, the 3.5-inch diskette is an anachronism in a world of 20-gigabyte MP3 players, DVD burners and tiny memory cards that can hold hundreds of digital photos. Diskette drives are still found on most computers but statistics show that fewer than 10 percent of computer users store data on them. Most people have discovered that it is easier to e-mail small text files, even if it is to the person sitting at the next cubicle, rather than put them on a diskette. And diskettes don't provide much space for storing large media files, like digital photos, video or MP3 audio. Another function of the diskette, as an emergency disk to boot up a PC in case of a crash, has all but disappeared now that Windows uses its installation CD-Rom for that. In spite of all this "evidence" and the 21st century technologies at hand, as Peter Rojas wrote for the New York Times News Service, "Yet, like a lingering party guest who hasn't realized that it's time to go home, the diskette somehow holds on as a form of removable storage." 9. Talking Colour Detector from Cobolt Systems Ltd Because of its radical design, the new Talking Colour Detector from Cobolt Systems Ltd, is believed to be the lowest priced high quality talking color detector anywhere in the world.. Very light and easy to use, this device has a wide range of useful applications from checking the color of clothes to the ripeness of fruit while shopping! Simply select one of the three available volume levels and hold the front of the unit against almost any surface - paper, cloth, wood, plastic etc. and the color will be spoken. The device uses the Cobolt high quality speech system and is available in several languages. It is supplied with a clip-on cover to protect the sensors while being carried in a pocket and an earphone which turns the speaker off to avoid disturbing others. The cover clips onto the back of the case when the device is being used. The case has been ergonomically designed for both right and left handed use and can be held comfortably in several different ways. It is powered by a 1 x PP3 9v alkaline battery (supplied). The Colour Detector is currently speaking in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, and Danish. French is almost ready to be released. Many other languages will soon follow. Cost: £49.95 Contact: The Old Mill House, Mill Road, Reedham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR13 3TL, England. Tel: U.K. 01493.700172. Tel: Overseas +44 1493,700172. Fax : U.K. 01493.701037. Fax : Overseas +44 1493-701037. E-Mail: cobolt@compuserve.com. Web: www.cobolt.co.uk. 10. Connecting the World to Access Technology Information Assistive equipment users will find a wide variety of useful information on Access Connect, www.access-connect.com, a new website developed by Patrick Turnage. It features a searchable database of user-written adaptive technology tips and tricks, adaptive technology and blindness related news, national and international news, weather, a mailing list, a chat room, and more. A method for users to post their own links to resources is to be added soon. Contact: Patrick Turnage at pturnage@tampabay.rr.com. 11. PC Game To Develop Low Vision Skills The arcade-style game, Termite Torpedo™, is an innovative new PC game designed to help students with low vision practice their vision skills. If the seemingly endless hordes of bright orange and yellow termites are not stopped, the entire town of Woodville will be eaten. The challenge for the player is to save the city by clearing out the termites before that happens. Bright, high-contrast colors, excellent audio, and an engaging theme are the features that will make it hard for students to stop playing this new arcade-style game from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) - and, that's just fine because, the longer students play, the more practice they get in using visual skills such as locating, fixating, tracking, aligning, and following. An enhanced version of Termite Torpedo is now available from APH. It has all the features of the original version, but also makes it possible for a totally blind player and a low vision player to play the game together at the same time. Minimum system requirements include: PC compatible computer running at least Windows 95®, Internet Explorer® 5.5 or later, Sound card and speakers, CD-ROM drive. A free demonstration of Termite Torpedo is available on the APH web site, www.aph.org. Select Termite Torpedo from the Software and Technology Products menu at www.aph.org/tech. Cost: $39. # D-03470-00. Contact: APH, 1839 Frankfort Avenue, PO Box 6085, Louisville, KY 40206-0085. Tel: 800.223.1839 or 502.895.2405. Fax: 502-899-2363. E-Mail: rwilliams@aph.org. Web: www.aph.org. 12. Low Vision Continuing Education Courses in May & June The following courses are being offered by Lighthouse International and will be taught at its headquarters in New York City.
13. ILO Offers Publication on Right To Work The International Labour Office (ILO) Disability Programme has commissioned a working paper on "The Right to Decent Work of Persons with Disabilities" as a contribution to the deliberations taking place in preparation for the development of a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The paper is intended to be of specific relevance to those involved in drafting provisions concerning employment and work in the proposed Convention. It examines the development over time of the "right to work" of disabled persons, the way in which this matter has been dealt with in international instruments and national legislation to date, and the experience in implementing employment and work opportunities. The paper will be useful to those involved in the preparation of the proposed UN Convention, assisting them to build on past achievements and practice. It will also be useful in the drafting of national policy and legislation. Copies of the working paper can be obtained directly from: The Disability
Programme 14. Soulmate Brings Audiobooks to the Digital Age The Soulmate Audiobook MP3 CD line was enthusiastically received at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV. Building on the new specifications for table of contents from the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA) and DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Coalition, the company believes it has a way to offer a premium listening experience for everyone. Until recently, there were no clear guidelines for MP3-CD audiobook formats. Since most players are designed for listening to music, navigating audiobooks could be difficult. Soulmate combines a traditional playlist and id3 tagging, but also has developed table of content files in both the CEA specification format and the DAISY specification format. The Soulmate Audiobook MP3-CD will play and navigate through chapters and virtual "pages" of 60 seconds each in any MP3-CD player bearing the "Audiobook Compatible" logo from CEA and any digital audio player bearing the DAISY logo. Their format provides up to 20 hours of spoken word on each CD. A one-CD book costs $19.99 and $29.99 for a two-CD volume. Soulmate Audiobooks will soon offer their unabridged, bestseller title listing. They also plan to offer a Soul brand "audiobook compatible" portable MP3-CD player. Contact: Soulmate Audio Books, Inc., Spring Lake, MI. E-Mail: info@soulmateaudio.com. Web: www.soulmateaudio.com 15. Affordable Microphones Finding just the right one isn't always easy but Micguys Judd Levison, Mike Cravens, and Brian Wells offer a wide variety of microphones, stands, cables and other related products and promise great values for the price. See for yourself at their website at www.micguys.com. 16. Archive of History Channel's Great Speeches Finding the right words at the right time is an art that lives in history - and, sometimes, the art changes the world as much as it does the words that become charged with new impact. Think about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech or Lou Gehrig's farewell to baseball. The History Channel's Great Speeches collection presents the most famous broadcasts and recordings of the 20th century. Search politics and government, science and technology, arts and culture, war and diplomacy to hear such gems as Prime Minister Tony Blair's remarks on the loss of the "people's princess," and Anita Bryant's 1977 forgiveness speech after being hit in the face with a pie by a gay rights activist. You will find them all at www.historychannel.com/speeches/index.html. 17. Notable Cyber Sites (The following have been suggested by our readers. If you have a favorite site, let us know.) Comedy: www.warrecords.com Earlene's Audio Paradise: http://mysite.verizon.net/hughese/index.htm Hard to Find Microsoft Applications to Downloads: www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/default.mspx The Harry Potter Lexicon: www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/ News and History Network: www.historynewsnetwork.org/ Old Time Radio: www.billsparks.org Site for Sore Eyes (Audio Magazine): www.kenmatthews.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk 18. Do You Shop Online? This webletter is prepared and distributed free. If you find it useful, as you shop on line, please remember Vision World Wide. You do not incur any additional charge for your purchases, but VWW receives a small commission for each dollar you spend. This money helps with maintaining our website and distribution of much free medical and technical information to the vision impaired community. To ensure purchases count for VWW, here are some guidelines:
We truly appreciate the support many of you are giving by listing Vision World Wide as the charity of your choice when you place orders online. Designating Vision World Wide as you shop provides a great opportunity for you to become a partner in our work. 19. Distribution Note You are encouraged to share this free Vision Webletter with anyone on your mailing list that you think would find it useful. Readers wishing to receive future Vision Webletters in their own mailboxes should just send an e-mail request to visionworldwide@yahoo.com, or subscribe directly at www.visionww.org/journal.htm. Vision World Wide does not lend or sell any of its mailing lists. As this is just a mini sampling of the information contained in our comprehensive 68+-page quarterly journal, Vision Enhancement, you are invited to become a subscriber. More information and sample issues are available at www.visionww.org/journal.htm. All issues of our Vision Webletters are available at www.visionww.org/visionenews.htm Vision World Wide, Inc. * 5707 Brockton Drive - #302 * Indianapolis, IN 46220-5481 * Tel: 317.254.1332 / 800.632.7152 * Fax: 317.251.6588. E-Mail: visionworldwide@yahoo.com. Web: www.visionww.org ***************************************
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