equipment

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Sophie Bull
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equipment

Postby Sophie Bull » Sat 31 Jul 2004 3:11 pm

hello, this is directed at anyone who may have some advice but also to Dray as after reading one of your other posts you seem to know a bit about computer equipment. My LEA are paying for some equipment to help me through my next year of study. I had a two hour assesment to see what may help but it was very difficult as i have little to no knowledge of helpful computer stuff and my assessor had little to no knowledge of KC other than what i could try and explain in those two hours.

So far I am getting an 18'' flat screen, some software so i can learn to touchtype, a new keyboard thats helpful when learning to touch type and something to hold up bits of paper.

Does anyone know of any other useful equipment that may be of help for me. I spend quite some time sat behind a computer. Currently wearing a rose k2 in left eye with varrying degrees of comfort..depends on the day and waiting/thinking about corneal graft for my right eye.

Think my uni will pay for extra stuff but i dont know what may help, maybe what i am getting is good enough but just wondering if anyone knows of anything else??

Thanks
Sophie

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Andrew MacLean
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Postby Andrew MacLean » Sat 31 Jul 2004 6:07 pm

Hello Sophie

The problem is that you don't say how great is your sight loss. I have a video-magnifier: this is a big machine that sits beside my computer. I put books into it and by a process that I don't understand it presents an image of the text in the book on my computer screen. I can adjust the type to any size I like and can also change the configuration; black on white, white on black, yellow on blue, blue on yellow ... etc. It also has a "photo mode" so I can enlarge full colour photos.

I can also splite the screen so that half of it is run by the computer and the other half by the video-magnifier.

I use an Apple computer running Mac OSX. This is great for folk with an eyesight problem as OS X has embedded protocols that enable my computer to read aloud to me the text I am viewing on my computer screen. I am also able to change the size of text that is displayed. I use all this with a flat screen - a great improvement on my previous computer screen that flickered annoyingly.

All the best.

Andrew
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Helen Scholar
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Postby Helen Scholar » Tue 03 Aug 2004 9:11 pm

I worked with a student with visual impairment (not KC) who had all sorts of devices, including some software which spoke to her letter by letter as she typed, and a scanner which could read text back to her from books, photocopied articles etc. She had an assessment done by the RNIB (presumably in the North West as this was at Liverpool) who specified what she needed - if you need more info I could try to find out from her.

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Sophie Bull
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Postby Sophie Bull » Fri 06 Aug 2004 5:11 pm

Thanks for the replies,

Firstly in terms of how bad my sight is..I couldnt find the letter i have with my visual acuity scores, but i basically have no useful vision from my right eye (currently waiting/thinking about a corneal graft..I have lots of central scarring) and so i am fully dependent on my left eye which with my lens gives a reasonable level of vision (but have managed to scratch my cornea twice in the last few months, leaving me pretty much out of action). With lens in left eye I can reach almost but not quite the line for legal driving distance. Without it I see ok but quite blurry. looking at a computer screen is possible, but not very easy and involves a far bit of unattractive squinting!

Andrew..do you know what company the magnifying equipment comes from? and the mac sounds interesting i will look into it, but after hearing some reading software im not sure how helpful i would find it but maybe i would get used to it.

Helen..I would be interested in knowing the details of the RNIB assesment but if it is difficult fo ryou to get hold of I can probably e-mail them myself and find out.

Thank you very much for your help i will keep in touch with more questions as i come across them
Sophie

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Sophie Bull
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Postby Sophie Bull » Fri 06 Aug 2004 5:54 pm

Thanks for your replies,

I couldnÂ’t find the piece of paper with my visual acuity scores on them, but basically I have no useful vision from my right eye (currently waiting/thinking about a corneal graft, I have lots of central scarring) and the vision in my left eye is quite quickly getting worse at the moment but is not too bad, pretty blurred with no lens but with the lens in reasonable, I can nearly reach the line for legal driving distance but not quite. However it means I am very dependent on being able to wear my left lens and recently I have scratched it twice and not been allowed to wear it until it heals which pretty much leaves me out of action. I can see a computer screen with no lens in but not very easily and with quite a lot of unattractive squinting and certainly not later in the evening.

Andrew..was wondering if you know the company that supplied the magnifying equipment as I think this could be really useful. I will look into the mac thing, but have had a quick go on some software that reads for you and found it not very helpful but things have got worse since then and maybe I would get used to it.

Helen..It would be useful to know the details of the RNIB assessment but if it is difficult for you to find out IÂ’m sure I could e-mail them and get the details.

Thanks again for your help and information
Sophie

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Drew Radcliffe
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Postby Drew Radcliffe » Sat 07 Aug 2004 7:32 pm

Hi Sophie

The special equipment that I use is as follows. LEA covered this lot. Following an RNIB assesment.

Laptop is standard as is all the software that I need to use for my course.

To help me access it I use software called supernova http://www.dolphinuk.co.uk/index_dca.htm this reads and changes the colours to make them easier to see it also magnifies.

You can get sticky labels for you keyboard with large print key symbols from the RNIB website. I touch type so this is not an issue. I do put two red dots on the home keys and on either end of the number keys as well just so i can keep an eye on what im doing.

I have a CCTV camera and monitor which magnifies and inverts the colours so i can read books etc from a white text on a black background this is on loan from the local blind association. My rehab worker from social services sorted this out. You can also get hand held ones.

May be worth looking at http://www.magnifiers.co.uk they were recommended by my local blind association as a good source of products not used them myself.

Hope this gets you on your way there's loads more toys out there when i get stuck and find im really struggling to do something i normally find the RNIB helpline gets me going again.

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Hannah Pye
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Equipment

Postby Hannah Pye » Sun 08 Aug 2004 3:02 pm

I know its a bit late in the day but once a year there is a Site Village, Queens College in Birmingham, where there are loads of companies that come for you to view their equipment, this exhibition is held every year iduring the middle of July, and is very useful, there is a website for this, and you can obtain a map leading you round the site.
Also equipment can be purchased from a Company called Cobolt, which is very good, they also have a website. http://www.cobolt.co.uk There are many speech facilities for computers, one called window eyes, and one called Jaws, both extremely good. There are people in your area who do voluntary wory for the RNIB who will come down and give advice and help you with your computer. Hope this is of help to you.

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Sophie Bull
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Postby Sophie Bull » Sun 08 Aug 2004 8:19 pm

Thankyou for your advice and help, I think I will try and contact RNIB and see what advice they are able to give as well.

Thanks again
Sophie

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Susan Mason
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Postby Susan Mason » Thu 12 Aug 2004 11:16 pm

Sophie

Not sure if this will help or if you have by now already sorted things out.

I was referred to RNIB for assesment via 'Access to Work' North West Regional Disability Services, based in local jobcentres I believe mine being contactable on 01204 516480. From filling in basic forms I was then referred to RNIB (tel 0151 298 3222) who came out to assess me at my workplace and then invited me to Liverpool to look at special equiptment.

It was suggested that I get Supanova, which I see has already been mentioned to you and whilst dissapointingly my employer (a rather large on at that) couldn't get it to work for me, from seeing it running it is really good although a tad expensive at £816 plus £940 for two days training and prices as quoted to me as at Dec 2002.

I was also shown a CCTV - Pulsedata SmartView 8000 costing £2350 as at Feb 2003.

They also at RNIB Liverpool had things like special keyboards, keyboard gloves and stickers in various colours.

I hope that this helps if you have not already sorted things out. Hopefully if you are studying maybe it is possible to loan the equiptment. I was luck and 'Access to Work' agreed to pay a large percentage of the cost. My only problem was my employers took na long time to get things in place and even now it doesn't all work as it should
, however having seen the products I know this is not a fault of them just the installers, my employers - so myuch for keeping yopu in a job and making you feel normal!

Susan

Mark Bennister
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Equipment

Postby Mark Bennister » Tue 31 Aug 2004 9:08 pm

Sophie
I am about to undergo an assessment, as I am returning to university to start a PhD. I too am unsure of what assistance I need apart from a large flat screen and perhaps some software. i'll keep you posted.
Mark


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