RE: Optacon Memories
- From: "Rose Combs" <rosecombs@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 10:28:15 -0700
In the mid 1980's I was using the Optacon with a CRT lens to access all
computer information at work. It failed to work one morning and I made
arrangements to send it in for repairs, then made arrangements to work at
home using my computer with speech. I gathered up most of the print books
on my desk to work at home with, shipped the Optacon and then got home with
all those books and it hit me that I had no way to read them!
The Optacon was gone for three weeks and one day I changed a ribbon in the
printer and then printed about 100 pages only to find out that they did not
print. Had to do them all over again, on a Daisy-wheel printer that made a
lot of noise.
Rose Combs
rosecombs@xxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of mandlcastner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2006 9:03 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Optacon Memories
Hello, Everyone,
Over the past few days, I have been reading all of the optacon memories with
great interest and delight.
I received my optacon training in the fall of 1977 at the Flamingo Hotel.
There were about seven individuals in the class from various parts of the
country. One of them became my husband in 1979. And we wish we could
locate Becky who lived in Idaho at that time.
We traveled to and from the hotel each day in a van and ate dinner together
at Stickneys. Group members were really nice individuals.
The optacon opened a whole new world for me, and like all others on this
list I read almost everything I could get my hands on.
In 1980, I became a word processor and used the optacon with the lense for
the selectric typewriter--though the machine was a very antiquated mag card
machine. I had to use the optacon in a very unusual way. As the mag card
machine would not justify the right margin, I had to use a half space
between some words and an expanded space between other words to make the
margin look as even as possible. All of the operators who used the mag card
units spent more time making the right margin look beautiful than doing the
actual typing. Because the letters appeared larger with the lens than they
were in reality, my attempts to make the right margin tactily even resulted
in a margin that to the eye was virtually justified. My supervisor, who
loved these even margins, and other operators could not believe that the
margin could look so beautiful, and what a waste of time that process was.
I did that every day until we got more up to date word processing equipment
in 1983, and then the university purchased a CRT lens for me, which I left
behind when I left that job in 1985.
After that time, I still used the optacon at home for all the tasks
mentioned and later purchased the optacon II. I always lived with the dread
that these units would quit and that the optacon would be gone forever! I
was so glad to learn about Richard Oehm and his repair of the units and now
feel confident that I can continue to use the optacon for sometime.
It is wonderful to be with a list (group) of people who understand the value
of this device!
Lori Castner
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