Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?

  • From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:28:13 -0500

hi,

before you start to learn programming, you need to have the smarts not to share high dollar key protected software! how would you like to work all day for years and not get paid because someone gives away your app for free on the web?

Bryan Schulz
The BEST Solution
www.best-acts.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "doctor love" <minimack_19@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?


it saves us on money lol. if you guys wish, I won't shear programs on this list. but, I'd like to cuz I'm a nice person . how ever I'd like to share everything I have. from music to software. and I just like helping others.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tyler Littlefield" <tyler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 12:06 AM
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?

Sighs, I really have to wonder why people don't use common sense before they just offer a $1200 program up for free, which is clearly protected by copyright in the middle of public.


Thanks,
Tyler Littlefield
Web: tysdomain.com
email: tyler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
My programs don't have bugs, they're called randomly added features.

----- Original Message ----- From: "doctor love" <minimack_19@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?


hae bill, you can contact me on skype. I have a version of jaws if you want a coppy. my friend buys jaws every year and then gives us a coppy. I've talked it over with him and he said I can give you a coppy. but, I've download a coppy of jaws from torrents and it's good as well. how ever, I'll give you a coppy of jaws which I got from my friend. If you'd like to contact me, you can on msn at
mackrishi@xxxxxxxx
or you can contact me on skype. my skype name is zmackrishi. by the way, I'd like a little help from you also. I'm now learning programing. I've just started. or you can say that I haven't started cuz, I haven't started one. I need to know what I have to learn, and what I have to get. I have vissual basic rite now. and I really want to do this. I heard that this list is the best.


From: Bill Cox
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 2:46 PM
To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?


Thanks, Jackie, and everyone for the replies.

I have to say, it's a load off my shoulders knowing that many other programmers succeed with visual impairment. I'm more adaptable than most, and am pretty sure I'll do OK. The emacspeak project looks most promising to me in my situation (long-time emacs hacker, with peripheral vision that should work long-term). I'll be able to use apps I'm familiar with with magnification sometimes (like skype). I'm having trouble installing any speech synthesizer it works with on my Kubuntu 9.04 x64 system, though. I'll post to the emacspeak list, and if I have to, I'll write some support for other speech synthesis back-ends.

Not that it's critical now, but if I'm going to bother writing a back-end for emacspeak to support another speech synthesizer, which synthesizer would you recommend? I've installed both festival and espeak. I've also listened to demos of Cepstral, which sound much better to me.

Thanks,
Bill


On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 2:12 PM, Jackie McBride <abletec@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

 Hi, Bill:

 1st, I do know what you're going thru. It bites.

 U asked a question about whether u should use magnification or
 screenreader. generally speaking, the conventional wisdom has it that
 once you're at 5x magnification or above, productivity decreases to
 such a level that screenreading software should be employed. This is
 not to say that being able to zoom in on a particular spot might not
 be helpful, but that it takes so much time to navigate the screen
 using magnification that productivity suffers. It should also be noted
 that eyestrain using magnification software can result in headache &
 fatigue. Often, if system requirements permit, screenreading software
 & magnification can function together to create a more powerful
 solution than either technology alone.

 Regarding learning braille, there are a variety of factors to
 consider, including tactile sensitivity & desire to learn. I recommend
 it for those who can, but, for example, many w/diabetic
 retinopathy/neuropathy find it to be more frustrating than it's worth.

 I really suggest that u not only avail yourself of the resources on
 this list, which are considerable, but also contact your state
 vocational rehabilitation department/commission for the blind, as the
 case may be. They should surely be able to assist u, especially as it
 relates to learning braille. Also, Hadley School for the blind in
 Winnetka, IL, has braille courses, though I think u probably have to
 be legally blind in order to access those.

 Please let me know if u think I may be of further assistance.


 On 6/15/09, Haden Pike <haden.pike@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
 > The orca screen reader, part of gnome, supports magnification.
 >
 > Haden Pike
 > Email: haden.pike@xxxxxxxxx
 >
 > --------------------------------------------------
 > From: "Holdsworth, Lynn" <Lynn.Holdsworth@xxxxxxxxxxx>
 > Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 11:16 AM
 > To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
 > Subject: RE: Advice for a programmer losing vision?
 >
 >> And there must surely be a plethora of free and cheap screen
 >> magnification solutions for Linux. Anybody know anything about those?
 >>
 >> -----Original Message-----
 >> From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 >> [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tyler
 >> Littlefield
 >> Sent: 15 June 2009 16:09
 >> To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 >> Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?
 >>
 >> Bill,
 >> Something you might check out is the speakup project found at:
 >> http://linux-speakup.org
 >> They have a mailling list, and a good community.
>> Basically speakup is the community for one of the linux screen readers
 >> that is out, that uses espeak,flite,or festival.
 >> HTH,
 >>
 >> Thanks,
 >> Tyler Littlefield
 >> Web: tysdomain.com
 >> email: tyler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 >> My programs don't have bugs, they're called randomly added features.
 >>
 >> ----- Original Message -----
 >> From: "Bill Cox" <waywardgeek@xxxxxxxxx>
 >> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
 >> Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 9:03 AM
 >> Subject: Re: Advice for a programmer losing vision?
 >>
 >>
 >>> Thanks, Jim.
 >>>
 >>> It makes me feel a lot better to hear you say that.  I've been here
 >>> before,
>>> with the typing problem, and there wasn't much of any community at the
 >>
 >>> time
 >>> to help.  Yes, I will most likely stay in the linux world, though I
 >> would
 >>> not rule out controlling linux boxes through cygwin bash shells and
 >> emacs
 >>> like I did before.  I also hope to help with development of some of
 >> the
 >>> tools being used.
 >>>
 >>> Bill
 >>>
 >>> On Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Homme, James
 >>> <james.homme@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
 >>>
 >>>>  Hi Bill,
 >>>>
 >>>> You can definitely be productive as a programmer in your situation.
>>>> According to me, you have come to the right place to ask these kinds
 >> of
 >>>> things. We have a lot of great people on this list. Do you want to
 >> stay
 >>>> in
 >>>> the Linux world?
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> Thanks.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> Jim
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> ----------
 >>>>
 >>>> Jim Homme, Usability Engineering.
 >>>>
 >>>> 412-544-1810.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> Note: I will reply to email and voice mail within four hours.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> "Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people
 >> with
 >>>> talent.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> "Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> "Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
 >>>>
 >>>> - Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> *From:* programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
 >>>> programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Bill Cox
 >>>> *Sent:* Monday, June 15, 2009 10:32 AM
 >>>> *To:* programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 >>>> *Subject:* Advice for a programmer losing vision?
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>>
 >>>> Hi.
 >>>>
>>>> Sorry if you get a lot of first-time dumb posts, like this. I've got
 >> a
 >>>> rare genetic defect that's causing me to lose my central vision.
 >> It's a
 >>>> lot
 >>>> like macular degeneration, but I'm only 45 years old.  I've been a
>>>> programmer all my life, and have succeeded in dealing with disability >>>> before. I could not type for three years. I mostly program in C on
 >>>> Linux.
 >>>>
>>>> What tools should I learn, what forums should I join, and what skills
 >>>> should I develop to stay a productive programmer?  I'm very good at
 >>>> building
>>>> custom environments, which I did when I couldn't type. For example,
 >>>> should
 >>>> I bother with Braille, and which screen readers are best for mail,
 >> web
 >>>> browsing (and which browser?), and controlling shells and emacs?  I
 >>>> expect
>>>> to have peripheral vision for a long time. Do programmers with only >>>> peripheral vision fare better reading text up close, or using screen
 >>>> readers?
 >>>>
 >>>> Thanks,
 >>>> Bill
 >>>>
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 --
 Change the world--1 deed at a time
 Jackie McBride
 Check out my homepage at:
 www.abletec.serverheaven.net
 & please join my fight against breast cancer
 <http://teamacs.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=1790196&pg=personal&fr_id=3489>

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