Re: remembering my first experiences with the Optacon
- From: "Anthony Vece" <ajvece@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 10:16:15 -0400
Hi Charlene;
I was fortunate to have studied with Karen and Toni and Fred Noessner.
Anthony
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharlene Wills" <tenagra@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 9:58 AM
Subject: Re: remembering my first experiences with the Optacon
> Right on, Anthony! I use both optacon and slate and
> stylus daily and carry the latter with me everywhere.
> As I indicated in my survey, I was taught individually
> by a TSI licensed grainer, Gail Hodge (she's married,
> now, and I don't know her surname) and, when I read
> that first simple training page, I simply cried for
> joy! I, like so many others, then began reading
> whatever I could get my hands on, including can labels
> at the supermarket, the telephone book, checks, books,
> newspapers -- you name it. I even got so that I could
> read my boss's short notes to me on the bottom of
> documents. He did sort of print, but his writing was
> half cursive, too. Anyway, I say, that which is
> portable, lightweight and gets the job done is the
> best!
> Sharlene.
>
> --- Anthony Vece <ajvece@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Hi Cindy;
>>
>> I also attended classes in Philadelphia for the
>> Optacon in 1975.
>>
>> I don't know what I would do without an Optacon.
>>
>> I mean the talking comptuers today are wonderful but
>> give me a slate and
>> stylus and an Optacon any day of the week.
>>
>> Anthony
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Cynthia Handel" <cindy425@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 8:16 AM
>> Subject: Re: remembering my first experiences with
>> the Optacon
>>
>>
>> >I went to the Western Pa. School for Blind
>> Children. In late 1973 and
>> >early
>> > 1974, I had Optacon classes. For much of that
>> time, the Optacons had to
>> > stay in the classroom and the only practice we got
>> was in class or if we
>> > arranged to go during a study hall to practice. I
>> was so excited when I
>> > was
>> > allowed to take the Optacon out of the classroom
>> and try it out on things
>> > in
>> > my dorm. I remember carrying it with the strap
>> across my body and holding
>> > on to it so it wouldn't dare bump anything...like
>> it was gold or
>> > something.
>> > Then, at the end of my class, I had the
>> opportunity to buy one for $100.
>> > My
>> > parents bought it for me and that was the
>> beginning of my 32 or 33 years
>> > with the Optacon.
>> >
>> > My husband took a class in Philadelphia in 1977 or
>> 1978. He said it was
>> > just amazing when he took the Optacon to work and
>> could use it to read
>> > print, in the office. Then, he got a CRT lens and
>> could, for the first
>> > time
>> > in about ten years of being a computer programmer,
>> actually read the
>> > screen.
>> >
>> > Cindy
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Pam Drake" <pamdrake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> > To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> > Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 3:30 AM
>> > Subject: RE: remembering my first experiences with
>> the Optacon
>> >
>> >
>> > Goodness!
>> >
>> > This is a fun thread.
>> >
>> > There were three of us from Social Security in my
>> October or November
>> > class
>> > of 1975; can't remember which now. There were
>> also a couple of sighted
>> > Optacon teacher trainees.
>> >
>> > Four of us went to San Francisco on Saturday and
>> stayed overnight. What a
>> > wonderful memory!
>> >
>> > My first week was rough. On Thursday night the
>> head of training asked to
>> > come visit me at the motel. I was sure she was
>> going to tell me I wasn't
>> > making the grade and should go home. I had
>> friends in the area and had
>> > gone
>> > to dinner a couple of nights and was sure she was
>> going to tell me I
>> > hadn't
>> > been applying myself.
>> >
>> > I tearfully told her I would do whatever I needed
>> to do in order to stay
>> > in
>> > the class. She told me she had a weekend
>> assignment for me. "I hear some
>> > of you are going to San Francisco on Saturday. I
>> want you to come back
>> > here
>> > tomorrow night, plug in your Optacon, go to San
>> Francisco and have a good
>> > time, and don't touch your Optacon till Monday.
>> You're trying too hard!"
>> >
>> > What a shock! What a relief! I did as she
>> instructed and had a fantastic
>> > weekend.
>> >
>> > From Monday on it seemed that I couldn't make a
>> mistake. I had just
>> > gotten
>> > myself too tense and upset.
>> >
>> > I had somehow managed to forget money for the
>> final Wednesday lunch and
>> > had
>> > borrowed money from Martha, one of the
>> instructors. AT the end of the
>> > training I wanted to try to read something written
>> by hand. Another
>> > teacher
>> > was working with me that day; and I had said I
>> wanted to see Martha to
>> > give
>> > her money.
>> >
>> > The teacher, whose name I unfortunately can't
>> remember, handed me a
>> > carefully printed piece of paper which read, "Pay
>> Martha for lunch.
>> >
>> > Sorry if I got a little long-winded, but what
>> memories this thread is
>> > bringing back!
>> >
>> > By the way, those of you who have had your
>> optacons since the earlier days
>> > will remember that we were taught to always keep
>> our machines plugged in
>> > when not in use. No one understand the effect
>> constant charging had on
>> > battery packs. I wonder how many packs were
>> replaced prematurely because
>> > they were not allowed to fully discharge often
>> enough.
>> >
>> > Pam
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>> > On Behalf Of Linda Gehres
>> > Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 4:55 PM
>> > To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Subject: Re: remembering my first experiences with
>> the Optacon
>> >
>> > Don, what memories your e-mail evokes! I remember
>> going to Palo Alto in
>> > 1975 with several others from Social Security
>> Administration and staying
>> > at
>> > a Best Western and being transported to the TSI
>> headquarters. Ironically,
>> > when my brother began working for a company called
>> Catalytica in Mountain
>> > View, he told me that his employer was right
>> nextdoor to the TSI facility
>> > which by the early 80's had moved. But I digress.
>> At the time I was in
>> > class, there were also a couple of sighted people
>> being trained to work
>> > with
>> > new Optacon users. One of them wrote a letter to
>> us just after he
>> > returned
>> > home, and I remember actually trying to decipher
>> his signature. At last I
>> > understood why even sighted people have difficulty
>> in distinguishing the
>> > handwriting of others.
>> >
>> > Linda Gehres
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Harry Bassler" <HBassler@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> > To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> > Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 9:47 AM
>> > Subject: Re: remembering my first experiences with
>> the Optacon
>> >
>> >
>> >> Don,
>> >> I was in the second class at TSI just behind you.
>> >> Harry
>>
> === message truncated ===
>
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