RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the Blind

  • From: "Bissett, Tom" <tom.bissett@xxxxxxx>
  • To: "'jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:20:54 -0400

Can you post the contact info for the list?


Tom Bissett

________________________________
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Philip
Sent: October 20, 2010 2:08 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the 
Blind

There are a number of us that still use the optacon.
I uuse almost every day to quickly read my paper mail and to write checks. I 
have used it dozens of times to install operating systems.
there is a maling list devoted to the optacon and its redevelopment.

Phil


________________________________
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Harmony Neil
Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 13:37
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the 
Blind

I wish there was a piece of software/hardware which could read handwriting.

From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Bissett, Tom
Sent: 20 October 2010 18:25
To: 'jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the 
Blind

My opticon died.  There are times I wish I still had it.  I am sure I would be 
using it to day, reading diagrams and the like because these are still things 
to which we have no access.

Tom Bissett

________________________________
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Smart Eze
Sent: October 20, 2010 1:15 PM
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the 
Blind
Hello tom,

I also used the Optacon when I began working for the United Nations as a 
professional staff in 1980.

It was an enormous help at that time, although my proficiency was not good 
enough to master the challenge of quickly reading huge United Nations documents 
stsreaming daily into my office.

Today, I still have my Optacon sitting in my home office like in a museum.  I 
have no more need for it.  Advances in access technology have taken over.

I wonder if there are some folks out there still using the Optacon?

Best regards,  Smart

-----Original Message-----
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Tom Lange
Sent: 20 October 2010 18:28
To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: the Personal Computer was the greatest thing ever invented for the 
Blind
Hi,
I've used Optacons since 1978, when I was hired by IBM as a programmer trainee. 
 The Optacon was the only way that I could read my 3270 display terminal at the 
time; the Talking Terminal wouldn't read the APL characters that I used to 
write code.  I agree with the statement that the Optacon really helped me to 
see how things are laid out both on paper and on screen, which is a huge help.

While screen readers have been a godsend, I have definitely noticed a decline 
in blind people's ability to spell the written word, and I blame this on the 
de-emphasis on Braille in our educational system.  It appalls me that only 10 
percent of blind people in the U.S. read Braille, and, if it were up to me, I 
would make Braille education mandatory, unless it could be demonstrated that a 
student has a physical limitation that prevents him/her from reading Braille.  
90 percent Braille illiteracy is, to my mind, nothing short of obscene.  You 
can talk about lack of manpower to properly teach it, lack of funding, et 
cetera et cetera, but what that says to me is that there's a callous disregard 
by the government for the literacy of blind people in this country, and that 
makes me furious. Surely I can't be the only one who feels this way.

Tom

Other related posts: