update May 8 2006
- From: Catherine Thomas <braille@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 05:11:56 -0400 (EDT)
SURVEY REQUESTS COMING IN
Have sent surveys to about ten people today. How many responses we get?
Well we will see. We have EIGHTY surveys in the current Optacon Usser file
and eleven I think in the Potential user file. Today we had some
interesting experiences. See below.
OPTACON TRAUMA
I had one respondent fill out both surveys. This was because of his/her
sudden loss of the use of the Optacon. We need to learn more about this
aspect of things if we want to secure funding eventually. How do people
who have been using Optacons cope without them? I am going to re-contact
the considerable number of users who have broken Optacons and ask about
this.
The respondent sent back the two surveys--also several notes each one in a
different tone. One note included the decision not to purchase a new
Optacon. No need. Next came the two survey responses, each one admitting
more and more uses that were made of the Optacon. I responded by sending a
note summarizing some of the most common uses of the Optacon as reported
by our surveys. Among these was our top favorite which is reading and
sorting mail and also using the Optacon as an orientation and aid to
scanning documents. Another use I mentioned was signing documents. The
next thing I know I get another note asking for suggestions how to do this
using the Optacon. I sent back some suggestions but I plan to re-read the
recent thread on the list covering this very topic in case I missed
anything.
SABOTAGE
I received one survey request which included the fact that the respondent
had asked TeleSensory how to get the Optacon rapired. He/she was accused
of
being a "die-hard Optacon user and was not given any further information.
I wonder why TeleSensory chose to actively sabotage their own device.
Interesting!
INTEREST SURVEY REQUESTS
In a while I'm going to posts a message containing excerpts from two
survey requests. One reason is that they are both very interesting and the
other reason is that one respondent seems to have had some success with
reading on-screen displays. Maybe he has tried something others of us have
not thought of. Also, the two requests are both very well-written, so look
forward to that message.
THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING
As we enter our third week on this unscientific and informal Optacon
preservation and re-development project, we still have not spent any
money. In spite of that, we have 91 surveys to use as project data. We are
daily adding listers to the Optacon user list. We are also reuniting
people with thwir broken Optacons. This of course will take some time.
We are still hunting for potential Optacon repairers. The three who are
working together so far are Dave Godfrey from London, England, Richard
Oehm from California, U.S.A. and Leo Drell, also based in California.
TeleSensory used to have authorized repairers. If anybody can think of a
place that used to repair Optacons, we might be able to add some repairers
to our approved list. To date, we still have not heard from the gentleman
in Canada.
KEEP DIGGING FOR THOSE CORPSES. KEEP POSTING TO THOSE LISTS, AND STAY
TUNED IN FOR MORE UPDATES.
Catherine
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Catherine Thomas
braille@xxxxxxxxx /
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