by Billie Jean Keith
The announcement of products and services in this column is not an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its staff, or elected officials. Products and services are listed free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The Braille Forum" cannot be responsible for the reliability of products and services mentioned.
To submit an item for "Here and There," send an e-mail message to [email protected]. You may call the ACB toll-free number (800) 424-8666, and leave a message in mailbox 26. Please bear in mind that we need information two months ahead of actual publication dates.
If I Can Do This, I Can Do Anything
Ski For Light returns to Anchorage, Alaska, February 23 - March 2, 2003. Join more than 250 active adults from around the world for the 28th annual Ski for Light (SFL) event.
An international, week-long, cross-country skiing vacation, SFL pairs visually and mobility impaired skiers with non-disabled guides. Novice skiers will be taught to cross-country ski. At Ski For Light, skiers set the pace, asking their guides to assist with skills, technique, endurance or simply enjoying the outdoors.
Those interested in attending may contact Lynda Boose, phone (906) 250-7836, e-mail [email protected], or apply online at www.sfl.org. The application deadline is November 1, 2002.
Internet by Phone
Philmore Productions provides a service that allows access to the Internet using a touch-tone phone. The user can send and receive e-mail, browse web pages, and surf and post Usenet articles. System access costs $24.95 for five hours per month on a toll-free number, or $29.95 per month for unlimited time on our Chicago number. For more information, please call (877) 638-2974, or e-mail [email protected].
What Makes a Livable Community for People Who Are Blind?
If you could live anywhere in the U.S., where would it be? The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is surveying U.S. citizens who are blind or visually impaired to find out what makes a community livable. This year-long, national research project will identify actual communities most highly rated by participants. The best-rated communities will be announced in February 2003, at Vision Loss in the 21st Century, an international symposium co-sponsored by the AFB and the Foundation for the Junior Blind (FJB). The purpose of the project is to help people who are visually impaired advocate to improve the accessibility of their own communities. The research will provide information resources for people who are considering a residential move, college attendance, tourist destinations, etc.
Methods for gathering information includes focus groups, informal interviews, and web-based "voting." AFB learned early that an important criterion is the general "walkability" of the community. Walkable includes sidewalks that are present and in good condition; in snowy areas, sidewalks are plowed and snow is kept off walkways; and good street lighting is present at night, etc.
Currently, the plan is to identify "livable" communities in each of four major geographic regions of the U.S. Community size will also be considered. And what's important for students, and working-age adults, or seniors may be totally different.
To submit input, or learn more about the project, please e-mail [email protected], visit www.afb.org/livability.asp, or phone (800) 232-5463.
Jumbo Scrabble
Jumbo font Scrabble Protiles are made especially for people who are visually impaired. Letters are larger and bolder, yet still fit the grid of a standard deluxe Scrabble board. The tiles are white or school bus yellow, both with bold black letters. For more information, phone (718) 847-1322, e-mail [email protected], or visit the web site, www.protiles.com.
Google Search via E-mail
If you have an Internet question, e-mail [email protected], and state the text of your query in the subject line. Search results will arrive by e-mail.
Kurzweil Honors ACB Scholarship Winners
In addition to the recognition and awards during the ACB national convention, scholarship recipients were presented with a copy of Kurzweil 1000 (TM) software. Twenty-eight students who are blind or visually impaired were chosen by ACB to receive scholarship awards, in recognition of their scholastic excellence and community service.
Kurzweil user group meetings will be held on a semi-annual basis coordinated by Kurzweil Educational Systems. Consumers will receive free product updates, technical alerts, company news and other relevant information via a unique online retrieval feature within version 7 of Kurzweil 1000.
To learn more about Kurzweil products, contact Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc., 14 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA 01730, phone (781) 276-0600, toll-free (800) 894-5374, fax (781) 276-0650, e-mail [email protected], or visit the web site, www.kurzweiledu.com.
For information about ACB scholarship opportunities, call (800) 424-8666, or visit the ACB web site at www.acb.org.
Products from IRTI
Since 1979, Innovative Rehabilitation Technology, Inc. (IRTI) has modified electronic products to make them accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Portable 4-track talking book players have been a specialty. IRTI also provides cassette-recorded instruction manuals for their products.
For more information, see IRTI's web site at www.irti.net, e-mail [email protected], toll-free phone (800) 322-4784. Call and ask for their catalog on cassette tape.
Listserv for Gardeners Who Are Blind
If you are interested in gardening, this list is worth joining. Receive articles and newsletters of interest and discuss topics such as gardening company web sites and how accessible they are for screen readers; gardening in general and other problems unique to blind gardeners. To join the list, send a blank message to [email protected].
Textbook and Magazine Recording
The Catholic Guild for the Blind records all printed materials onto audio cassette in a prompt, professional, and inexpensive manner. They specialize in recording school and college textbooks. They also will record instruction manuals, magazines, newspaper articles, novels, self-help books, etc. Orders are accepted from all addresses in the United States at a cost of $1.75 per cassette. For more information, please contact Eddie Williams at Catholic Guild for the Blind, phone (312) 236-8569, e-mail [email protected].
Talking Typing Teacher
The Talking Typing Teacher (TTT) is ideal for home or classroom. It features human speech in every part of the program. With the exception of having text-to-speech read your name and play back text typed into Workbook, every typing lesson or practice session is read aloud with clear, concise pre-recorded dialogue. Manuals are available in large print, braille, and on cassette at a cost of $99.95.
For more information, contact: MarvelSoft Enterprises, Inc., phone (800) 987-1231 ext. 3066, fax (800) 695-8271, e-mail [email protected], or see the web site, http://www.marvelsoft.com. (Excerpted from "Vision World Wide" magazine, July 2002.)
Cassettes for Sale
Slightly used C-90 or C-60 cassettes are for sale at 50 cents each. Phone (925) 674-1264, or e-mail [email protected].
Headsets Galore
According to a press release, Logitech has introduced a PC and telephone headset providing 100 feet of cordless freedom. The Swiss-based company has "cut the cord" with the Cordless Freedom Headset for PCs and the Cordless Telephone and PC Headset. Logitech has a new corded headset, the Hands-Free Telephone and PC Headset, that brings added clarity for PC voice recognition dictation, and offers "smart switching" technology to enable users to switch instantly between the PC and telephone. This new line is available in U.S. and Canadian retail outlets and online at www.logitech.com. The headsets range in price from $49.95 to $79.95.
Phone Bills in Braille or Large Print
If you are an AT&T customer and would like to have your monthly statement in braille or large print, call toll-free (800) 222-0300 to request this accommodation. It may take three billing cycles for the request to be fulfilled.
Practical Tips for Everyday Living
This is the name of the monthly radio program hosted by people who are blind in the Washington, DC area. Programs can be heard nationwide through the Internet. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Ear, programs are broadcast monthly on the radio reading service and can be heard anytime using the Ear's dial-in news service. ACB members were recruited to be program anchors and included Julie Carroll, Pat Beattie, Paul D'Addario, Jane and Pat Sheehan, and Billie Jean and Bud Keith. Program topics have included taxes and special provisions for blind people, clothes shopping and fashions, recreation and sports, travel tips for blind people, and various ways to get food and how to organize your kitchen. More programs are being developed by the Ear's founder and president, Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl. To listen to these programs, visit the Washington Ear's web site, www.washear.org, and follow the link to Practical Tips for Everyday Living.
California Canes: New Address, New Product
Business owners Tami and Jeff Carmer, who are blind, have a new travel-lite, slim-line, folding cane, with tip of choice, denim/leather cane holder for $45, which includes shipping. Contact California Canes at 16263 Walnut Street, Hesperia, CA 92345, toll-free (866) 332-4883, fax (760) 956-7477, e-mail [email protected], or check the web site, www.californiacanes.com.