I actually think the Lego robotics hardware and programming environments are on topic for this list as a number of us communicate frequently with blind children who will turn into the blind hackers of the future. Robotics is an especially good area as so much can be done with the technology that can be applied directly to issues regarding people with disabilities. If I knew of someplace where a handful of blind kids congregated on a frequent basis, I would buy their center another set to see how they can work with the Lego system out-of-the-box. They might be able to conjure designs that their sighted counterparts and we adults (and adulteresses) can't fathom because our heads are stuffed with the possibilities of today while the children can imagine futures well beyond what we can think up as they have a lot less baggage. Does anyone know of a blind center where middle school kids congregate? Enjoy, cdh -----Original Message----- From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of James Panes Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 9:08 AM To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Lego for the Blind was Re: Scanner/Stuff... Hi BC, Don't know if this is a programming topic, so any additional material on this thread will be off list. I have lost my sight over the years, but lego is still my favorite toy. My sculptures don't look as pretty as they used to because I can not determine what color my bricks are, but I still make more and more complicated models every year. I highly recommend lego for blind as it helps to develop spacial awareness and planning skills. Regards, Jim jimpanes@xxxxxxxxx jimpanes@xxxxxxxxxxxx "Everything is easy when you know how." ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Hofstader" <chris.hofstader@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 7:36 AM Subject: Scanner/Stuff... Hi Guys, My parents are in town so I'm fairly distracted from vocational and other programming related tasks. I did, however, manage to find a scanner with a document feeder (they used to call these sheet feeders, were consumers stupid enough to think they had something to do with bedding or is using the more sophisticated term a way to hit me up for an additional $25 or so by making me think it's a device far more interesting than something that simply scans sheets of paper - which, in fact, is what I want it to do). I bought a new Canon from the low end of their "professional" line which wasn't terribly expensive and only slightly slower than the one that died on us last week. It is expected to arrive by UPS mule by Thursday so Sue can start the Drupal scanning project on Friday while I'm having a tattoo put onto my left forearm. Assuming we don't get bogged down in a lot of paper jams and other scanning hell, we should have the book done by sometime on Saturday. This brings me to a minor conundrum - currently Bookshare.org is my most profitable client (the amount I earn from my different projects varies on a monthly basis depending upon how much attention I can devote to a gig and the project's level of urgency). I want, therefore, to promote BSO subscriptions to help defray the cost of the work they pay me to perform and to help keep the non-profit running smoothly as possible. At the same time, I don't want to exclude our friends outside the US from having access to this and other books on programming and technology that we process. Also, any web site that posts the book without the protections afforded by BSO, NLS and the others runs into a possible copyright problem with the publisher as, although we claim it is intended for blind people only, we have no way of protecting the content to ensure that proof of a print disability has been proffered before we share the book. I'm open to all sorts of ideas, please make suggestions. Yesterday, I spent an additional $250 on a birthday gift for my twin niece and nephew. I got them the Lego robotics starter kit which includes a ton of really neat features (you can read about it at lego.com), there are at least a half dozen books on Amazon describing projects one can make with the set, loads of add on parts, the ability to write code on a PC and download it to your bot and so many other very cool features that I could write for hours. The kids were first introduced to these Legos as part of their charter school program that brought them to MIT for two hours per week, one hour on robotics using the kit I got for them and the other on crypt-analysis and code breaking. Where were such programs when I was eleven years old? On a more topic based question, though, if I recall from my own childhood, Lego bricks and other pieces were highly tactile - does anyone know of blind kids using this kit to make their own robots? Does anyone know of any trials with children with vision impairment and such a kit? I'm curious to learn if it could be fit into a middle school course for budding blind hackers. Enjoy, cdh __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind __________ NOD32 3092 (20080512) Information __________ This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.eset.com __________ View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind