Just somethign that I thought might help

[Drew Radcliffe]

Hello All

Guess that some of you may be aware of this but I have never seen it on the boards.

I use a piece of software called Supanova to Access my PC becasue I can't read very easily. This software magnifies and reads to you and also has a braille display support function.

There is a cut down version wich magnifies and changes some colours and also reads to you called LunarPlus. The voice is a bit mechanically american in tone but I can forgive it that as it helps me out so much.

You can download a free 30min demo from

http://www.dolphincomputeraccess.com/do ... /index.asp

To restart the demo you have to resart your machine. Ive just decided to buy the product for home and have been told that I can have a discount because I am registerd VI.

I am not endorsing this as suitable for anyone else and don't want any comeback from this post. I am just putting it here incase someone else wants to lookinto it an may find it helpful for their circumstances.

Drew

[withnall]

Hi

Id the package free and virus free.

It sounds great.

[jayuk]

Drew

Thanks for that...funni enugh I was looking for something that could do someting similar..I was abut to buy Dragon software which enables you to speak rather than needing to type.....but thanks for the info

[GarethB]

I recall preveous posts on possibly Dragon, but definitly Supernova describing how it helped them at work. It is good there are demo version of Supernova to try before you buy. Perhaps as the site grows John will be able to add these to a links page and then perhaps we can rate which helps best or is one better suited for certain types of needs so helping more KC'ers in the work place.

Jayuk, like the sig including the pronouncing the name! No one can pronounce my surname which apparently is a good excuse to use some choice phrases, none of which are suitable for the net!

[Susan Mason]

Hello all

If you are working and from reading the 'Access to Work' July 2004 publication, I understand it applies to any paid job, part time or full time, permanent or temporary.

And if your disability or health condition affects the kind of work you can do and is likely to last for 12 months or longer you should ask about appling for 'Access to Work'.

You need to fill in a short form a give details about the duties you complete during your working day and then 'Access to Work' will arrange for you to be assessed by an expert in your field of medical condition. In the case of KC I would expect this to be the RNIB or possibly 'Action for Blind People'.

From personal experience it was RNIB and they were very good when dealing with my needs. They explained everything fully and allowed me to see various types of equipment that helps people with visual impairments.

Once the assesments are completed a report is sent back to 'Access to Work' and they then decide what funding they can provide. The booklets provide details of how much support they will give and cost wise it can be quite a lot, in my case approx £4,000 to £5,000.

In my case they suggested, SupaNova as the software option however, unfortunately the company I work for could not get it to run alongside it's own IT so personally I have had lots of problems with it.
I don't feel this was anything at all to do with SupaNova and Dolphin offered support to the IT department however, I can't say how that went as I don't know ALL the facts.
From an RNIB point of view they went to great lengths to try to check before they made the recommendation for the software, if my company felt it had any IT issues or needed more advice.

The charity 'Action for Blind People' will supply support and advice to people who want to retain their employment or I understand also retrain if things get really difficult.

Personally I have found the greatest hurdle at work is others not understanding and giving the opinion they didn't want to understand or just not caring at all.

It is very easyto be written off before your time just because we no longer fit into a nice little box and suddenly have a need different to others.

The change in the 'Disability Discrimination Act' back i late 2004 should help matters however, personally I still feel that excuses are quite easily and regularly made by some employers just because it is easier to swap an employee rather than help an existing one through a rough patch.

Susan

[Drew Radcliffe]

Im getting into Techi Toys big time right now, because Im off to university and want to maintain my independance.

Have been looking at Tablet pc's which allow you to handwrite straight into word docs or emails etc which is great for me because i can still write but can't read my own writing unless its in Marker Pen. This gets me running independantly in lectures etc.

I have also been playing around with Omnipage Pro 14 which is a scanning peice of software which I found works well for me scanning books into word. It will also convert the text to speach wich a really cool voice called realspeak. Means you can save books as audio files for your off days

Oh and there are quite a few digital dictaphones out there that Use Dragon Naturally speaking to covert your voice recordings to Text.

It might be helpfull for us all if we could find a way of pooling our knowledge for this kind of thing and a way of rating the solutions we try out.

Drew

[jayuk]

GarethB
Indeed the name thing lol....had it since I was knee high to a grass hopper!

Susan
Interesting info there.....I wasnt aware of all the info

Drew
Yes the omniview pro software is excellent for text conversion but havent used the speech add on.

Just downoaded the Dolphin Magnifier, not bad if I say so myself.....think it needs getting used to as the XP Pro version sits nicely on the top of the screen which I love..but thats more me being used to th inbuilt version!!

[Susan Mason]

Hello again,

Sorry should also have said that with the software also comes training, part of the cost of the package.

For SupaNova it was a 2 day training and installation thing and the trainer was really good and had lots of experience with workers, students and school children all with visual impairments.

Susan

[Hannah Pye]

There is also a speech package called Jaws which is very good if you are internet friendly. In Birmingham, at the Queens College, they have a Sight Village and all these products are on display, there are so many products that can suit, and there are people who explain the product and let you try them Its worth a visit, there will be a website set up for them during the month of June

[GarethB]

Drew,

It is good to hear there is so much more techie things for students now. 17 years ago, the most advanced thing available was from the RNIB, it was a walkman sized tape recorder that would actually split the tape in 4 sides (2 tracks per side) with auto reverse, so by using a standard 90 minute tape I could record a full two hour lecture! I had the lecturer give his name, module being studied and subject of the lecture so If I could not read the index card, I knew exactly what was on the tape. This then allowed me to hand write my notes at my leasure and stick in diagrams where necessary (I got all overhead slides reproduced, now you would be able to get the full interactive pc presentation ). With todays speach recognition, you would be able to play the tape direct into the pc and it would write the notes for you!

I will admit from profiteering at Uni, as I could write more comprehensive notes, when I had pc, I got my girlfriend (now wife) to type up the notes and I used to sell them to the lower years

Drew, the information regarding technology would be of use to alot of us not only at work but at home too. Keep it coming.

Gareth