[bksvol-discuss] Re: A Chat Solution
- From: "Monica Willyard" <rhyami@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 17:39:15 -0500
Yes. There is a text chat area, and it works with screenreaders. In fact,
for those who like it, the text chat can be set up to read automatically
using the SAPI voices on your computer. That way it can read the text even
if your screenreader is busy in another window. Others prefer to use their
screenreader to manually read the text in the window when they're ready. I'm
always scanning a book while chatting, so I set mine up to read me the text.
The software is a very small browser add-on that's around 150K in size,
around the size of a short Bookshare daisy file. You let it install once,
and you're done. You just press the control key when you want to talk and
let up that key when you're done speaking. If you prefer to type, you can
press the F8 key to type in an edit box and hit enter to send text to the
group. There is even a client for Mac users, so Cindy could join us and
listen if she wants to. (No pressure Cindy. I just want you to know you're
always welcome and that we like you.) :)
The one fly in the ointment is the lack of support for people who have
hearing impairments. Unfortunately, Sue tried it, and we found that the chat
doesn't work with Braille displays very well. If I were a programmer, that's
something I'd fix right away. If we end up doing some instructional things
regarding Bookshare, one of us can type up some notes or a detailed summary
to help our deaf-blind members. They do so much in the Bookshare community,
and I want them to be included as much as possible.
Monica Willyard
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker
_____
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chela Robles
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 5:16 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: A Chat Solution
great but I don't always use microphone so is there also text capability
too?
Chela Robles
----------------
"If you go without playing the trumpet for one day, no one knows, two days,
only you know, and more than three days without practicing, girl you better
look out, because everyone will know!"--Rudy Cervantes, Friend/Trumpet
Inspiration
----------------
E-Mail: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx
MSNWindowsLive Messenger: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxxxx
Skype: jazzytrumpet
----- Original Message -----
From: Monica Willyard <mailto:rhyami@xxxxxxxxx>
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 11:00 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] A Chat Solution
Hi everyone. If you can't use the Accessible World Rooms, you can use one of
the rooms at ourplace.acbradio.org to chat. It's the same chat room as
Accessible World uses, so you don't have to learn anything new. They have
several rooms. I personally like to use the Politics room because it's
rarely used for other things. It's reserved for a show on Tuesday nights,
but it's wide open and usually empty on the weekends. At least, that was
true when I spent time there. I haven't been there for a few months.
The ACB Radio rooms can hold a lot of people, and private text chat is
enabled in case people want to exchange email addresses or Skype names. I
think it's a great choice for helping our Bookshare community connect, both
as a group and on a private level beyond the chat.
A bonus to meeting in that room or one like it is that people may join the
chat when they see people in that room. You may meet people who have never
heard of Bookshare or have only heard about Bookshare being hard to use.
There is a huge void in the blind community. Most of them still don't know
about Bookshare at all or have only heard about it as a sort of thing for
really academic people. I used to be able to sign up between 8 to 10 members
and at least 2 volunteers each month, just from talking with people about
what I'm reading or scanning for Bookshare. When they see that it's not just
about textbooks, they usually get pretty excited.
If our volunteer community held a chat somewhere, people would begin to join
it to learn about Bookshare. Just by including these people in our games,
chatter about our books, and suggestions about scanning or proofreading, we
make it safe for a new person to ask questions. That's often the first step
toward gaining a new friend, Bookshare member, and/or volunteer. When
someone offers to help a new member learn how to unzip and read books,
Bookshare becomes fun, not something to fear.
What do you all think?
Monica Willyard
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -- Peter Drucker
_____
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jamie Yates, CPhT
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 1:30 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: ot: getting to know you ... getting to
likeyouRE: Re: O T, Looking for a Meteorologist to Kick
We have to find out where and how and if we are allowed to use the
accessible world rooms.
--
Jamie in Michigan
Currently Reading: Jupiter's Bones by Faye Kellerman
Earn cash for answering trivia questions every 3 hours:
http://instantcashsweepstakes.com/invitations/ref_link/49497
See everything I've read this year at: www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html
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