LiveWire 4 Education

Submitted by Guest on Fri, 2008-04-11 12:26.

A newsletter for students with a print disability, their teachers and parents.

April 2008 Edition

School holidays and back again

Inside this issue …..

Making Information Accessible

In Australia, one of the big challenges facing educators is how to make increasing volumes of information accessible. Additionally, there are now greater alternative format choices being requested, such as; large print, Daisy talking books and audio (MP3) files. Up until now, all of these had to be produced in a dedicated resource centre.

Dolphin's innovative alternative format conversion software EasyConverter enables electronic or scanned information to be converted into any of these formats in a very simple 3 step process.

Miriam Waller a Resource Technician for blind and partially sighted secondary school students in Bedfordshire UK writes of her experiences using EasyConverter for her blind and low vision students.

Giving students the choice they deserve
"The overall benefit of Dolphin EasyConverter is that you are buying one piece of software with so many different possibilities. In an educational setting, where there are a number of students all wanting the same document but needing different formats, this software should be able to meet most needs."

EasyConverter allows users to convert electronic and scanned paper-based documents into accessible formats such as DAISY digital talking books, large print, MP3 files, standard text and Braille. With options to personalise the settings for the different output formats (such as the text size of the large print output and the playback speed of the MP3 output), EasyConverter allows the user to create tailor-made materials to cater for the individual needs of each student.

"First impressions of Dolphin EasyConverter are very appealing. It is set out clearly and simply and the layout is user friendly. I am excited by the prospect of now being able to give pupils more of a choice of how they access their work."

Making accessible formats
EasyConverter's ability to create DAISY books and MP3 files in just a few clicks of the mouse is of great significance. "Using the MP3 and DTB is quick and easy. Both pick up any tags added to pictures, making any work produced fully accessible…"

EasyConverter’s large print output goes beyond the call of duty. Not only does the large print output increase the text size, but it maintains consistent page numbering. "The large print option did everything I needed it to. I especially liked the automatic page numbering system."

Concluding thoughts
"On the whole I found EasyConverter clear, user friendly and straight forward to use. I think it has a lot of potential."

The Gillian Gale Braille Literacy Award

In recognition of the battle faced by families of blind children to provide them with the technology needed for attaining social and educational goals, Quantum Technology devised its own Braille Literacy scholarship. The Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy offers a Mountbatten Learning System and all associated software and accessories to a child aged between three and eight.

In late 2007 and after a larger than expected number of applications, Quantum Technology proudly announced Trinity Sippel from Queensland, to be the inaugural Recipient of the Quantum Technology Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy.
At three years of age, Trinity lives with her parents and little sister near Gladstone in regional Queensland. She was born with bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia/Septo Optic Dysplasia and is totally blind. In her application, Trinity’s Mother, Anna, wrote:

“Trinity loves ‘reading' her tactile books and tracing the Braille with her small hands. It is a special time that we can spend together, singing nursery rhymes, making animal sounds and discussing things of interest to Trinity. She listens intently to the story or rhyme and often joins in, responds to a question and anticipates what will come next. We believe that even now she understands how important Braille will be in her life. As parents, Daniel and I want the best for our daughter and realize that Braille Literacy is fundamental to Trinity's success. We want to demonstrate a love for literacy to Trinity and instil that love in her.”

Trinity is the only blind child in the Gladstone area and attends three sessions a week at Clinton State School where the staff and students are striving to provide an inclusive environment for her in her own community. In a letter to support Trinity’s application, the school stated:

“By providing and helping Trinity gain access to a wide range of Brailled books, we hope to develop her awareness of Braille and an appreciation for literature. It is also our desire to enable Trinity to have access to a Braille writer so that she can practice and familiarize herself with the basic features of a Braille machine and view it as an exciting tool for writing. Of course, it is a future vision that Trinity will learn the vital skills required to access a variety of Information and Communication technologies in a technology rich world. Trinity has a life time of learning ahead of her and we as educators want to provide her with the best opportunities that we can.”

The On-going Challenge
In any race, competition or award there are always the people that didn’t win. The standard of applications submitted to our Braille Literacy Scholarship was exceptional and having to pick a winner was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do.

So we want to acknowledge all the applicants and advocate on their behalf. We strongly believe that all parents have the right to expect the best options for their children and these should not be dependent on winning an award, but provided as standard in the true sense of equality of opportunity. With a new government in Canberra that is talking about an “education revolution’ lets make sure we all advocate for students like Trinity and the other 28 applicants who were not successful this time.

All children deserve the opportunity for education and the development of skills they will need throughout life. This is even more important if they are blind or vision impaired.

Mountbatten Update - UEB is here!

We are pleased to announce that the Mountbatten now contains Unified English Braille (UEB) translation. Since September last year, a number of users have been beta testing the translation and it is now ready to go. Thank you to all those who participated.

How does UEB work?
Braille entered on the Mountbatten in UEB will appear as the correct text when displayed on either a Mimic or a printer, as well as on a computer screen if sent to a PC. Documents sent to the Mountbatten from a PC via the use of MBComm and with translation turned on in the Mountbatten, will be correctly translated into UEB, ready for reading.

If Duxbury is being used for translation on a PC with the UEB selected, this will also work with the Mountbatten. Unfortunately, Monty does not support translation into UEB. We are looking into the viability of incorporating UEB into Monty and a decision will be taken very soon.

Upgrading to UEB
If you have a Mountbatten Learning System (LS) or Mountbatten Pro under warranty, you are entitled to the UEB translation upgrade at no cost. The warranty on a Mountbatten is 12 months (Extended 3 year warranties are available).

Mountbattens with a USB port on the right hand side next to the Mimic connector, can be updated, simply by placing an order. We will send you the file either by email or on CD. We are happy to then walk you through the instructions step-by-step over the phone. If you feel that your technical skills aren’t quite up to that, you can send the Mountbatten in for a service and an update. The costs for upgrading via the software is $150 and to obtain a service and an UEB upgrade is $295.

Unfortunately, units that are still using the older connector box cannot be upgraded to UEB. And even more sadly, these units are not able to be serviced any longer at all. The first units with their connector box were first released in 1990. Technology has moved on since then in almost unfathomable ways and obtaining components for these older units has become impossible. Mountbattens that were purchased around the year 2000 to date, will all be upgradable. If you’re not sure whether your unit is upgradable, check underneath for the serial number and give us a call.

Changing a Pro to an LS
If you have recently purchased a Mountbatten Pro and would like it to be upgraded to take advantage of all the features of the LS, this is now possible. If you’re not sure what the differences are, get in touch and we can walk you through them.

Another Scholarship Winner!

Humanware US recently announced the winner of their Braille Literacy Scholarship.

Jennifer O’Neill from Nebraska, the mother of Camille, (pictured) eloquently expressed the importance of Braille to her daughter. “I have learned that literacy is literally at Camille’s fingertips. As she learns to read and write Braille, doors will open for her. She will be able to experience the thrill of holding a book and slipping into a different world as stories of wonder unfold. She will have access to newspapers, magazines, and textbooks.

“The Mountbatten will be so much easier for her little fingers to use, making it more fun and less work. The benefits of the Mountbatten will grow with her as she becomes an elementary age student.”

The PACMate Omni has arrived!

There are some compelling reasons for using the PACMate in education, not least of which is that it incorporates JAWS, the most widely used screen reader in the world. Freedom Scientific, the manufacturers of PACMate, have now released PACMate Omni which contains many new features and capabilities that make it the natural choice for blind students who want to access virtually every application that sighted users of mainstream PDAs now enjoy.

“Freedom Scientific is very pleased to bring the power and the many features of the Windows Mobile 6.0 operating system to users in a form that recognizes the unique needs of blind people,” said Jonathan Mosen, Vice President of Blindness Hardware Product Management. “Windows Mobile 6.0 is the most keyboard-friendly version of this operating system ever. With full support for soft keys in Windows Mobile products, the PACMate Omni enables users to install and easily operate a huge variety of off-the-shelf third-party applications that offer keyboard support.”

The new PACMate Omni features an expanded flash memory of 128 MB. While a portion of this expanded memory is used for the PACMate Omni 6.0 software and the operating system, users will have approximately six times more available flash memory than before. All data is now stored in flash memory. This means that all user files and applications are retained, even if the unit is reset or the battery is fully discharged.

The PACMate currently outperforms all competitors in regard to battery life, and the PACMate Omni extends the performance even longer.

New features of the PACMate Omni include:
  • Access to the mobile version of Windows PowerPoint. Send a presentation via beaming, a thumb drive or ActiveSync and you have access to the data with speech and Braille, right on your PACMate Omni at the same time the presentation is being run.
  • Improved Office Mobile Support. Enhancements to e-mail support means you can keep in touch how you want, when you want, wherever you are. You can now read HTML e-mails easily, activate links from within a message and use a single keystroke to move between the header and body of the message.
  • Real time synchronisation of e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks. Now, if the PACMate Omni is synchronising with your computer and you try to turn it off, it will complete synchronising before it will actually turn off. This helps prevent synchronisation from accidentally being interrupted.
  • Smart filtering for rapid location of e-mail messages.
  • Easy information searches via Windows Live Search.
  • Support for the Windows Live Messenger voice clip feature.
  • “Plug and Play” support for popular WiFi and Bluetooth cards.
  • Online Help Changes. When you access Help from the Start menu, the PACMate Omni now displays help based on the currently open application.

Free Materials on Vision

More than 80 percent of the information a sighted child receives comes through vision. A vision problem can impact on your child's educational and social development. Undetected vision problems occur in 1 in 4 Australian children. Many try to adapt to their vision problem without knowing they could see better.

The Optometrists Association of Australia is offering free materials to schools on vision: ‘How to identify children with vision problems’ and ‘How to look after your vision’. There are Teachers’ Guides, Parents’ Guides, Multilingual Guides, stickers and posters. You or your school can order online at www.kidsvis.com.au

A PACMate or a Laptop?

Increasingly, all school students are expected by teachers and their peers to be well versed in a wide range of technologies. Assignments and projects are being written using PowerPoint. Science and maths can use Excel. Social communication is done using Windows Live or MSN. Students who are blind are now expected to also use these technology tools effectively. The release of the PACMate Omni makes this a reality; all within a portable device that connects seamlessly with the digital world.

The PACMate has been available for the last three years, and the Omni is the latest updated version. Just as all technology is moving forward quickly so must assistive technology if it is to keep pace. The exciting features built into PACMate Omni are described on page 4 in this edition of LiveWire 4Education.

There are 2 schools of thought regarding the best options for students. This can be summarised as a contest between a standard laptop versus a purpose built device like the PACMate. One of the arguments for using a laptop with speech as opposed to a portable device with Braille display is the perceived benefit of using full blown Windows applications rather than the ‘slim’ versions built for portable devices.

However, more often it comes down to a matter of cost. In order to compare functionality you need to compare the cost of purchasing a laptop, screen reader and Braille display (approx $10,000 – $12,000) against purchasing a device such as a PACMate with an onboard screen reader and Braille display (approx $7,000 - $10,000). Too often the conclusion reached is to only buy a laptop and screen reader without a Braille display being purchased, and the cost of losing Braille access is not considered.

Using a PACMate Omni, students can now plan and present their projects using PowerPoint. Excel spreadsheets can be read and produced and full communication with peers can be accomplished with Windows Live, as per a regular PC. When you factor faster, more reliable wireless connection to school networks and instant download of email you have a very strong argument for a portable device with an integrated Braille display. Instant turn-on, exceptional battery life and no loss of data when the unit is reset or run flat also make this option very attractive. Being able to detach the Braille display and use it separately attached to a PC, or use the PACMate itself as the keyboard and Braille display for a PC (for those techno-adventurous types amongst us), makes the PACMate Omni a many featured and flexible unit.

What about the old laptop?
Laptops are familiar and mainstream, which means IT people aren’t frightened of them. They have a screen - an obvious advantage in a school setting - and they run full versions of Windows (the environment that most of us know). These are obviously definite advantages and with Braille display technology becoming smaller and smarter (along with everything else) this option may well be worth considering. New Braille displays can be wonderfully small and lightweight. Many offer both USB and Bluetooth (wireless) connection to a laptop and are quiet and inconspicuous. Options exist for Braille displays of various lengths, usually 20 or 40 cells.

Between classrooms, placing a laptop on standby, packing up the Braille display and setting up again in the next classroom takes longer than the ‘instant-on’ PACMate but it is still relatively easy due to the Bluetooth connectivity. Wireless connection options mean that setting it up will not need to be done each time. This solution gives students the opportunity of using full windows and its full range of programs.

Does one size fit all?
The focus on individual education means that everyone is aware that one size does not fit all and this applies equally to technology. It is often tempting to apply the same solution across the board because “in our experience it has worked and it is the solution that we are most familiar with”. Learning new technology and keeping pace with today’s more technologicallyminded students can be a challenge. Especially if technology is your natural enemy.

However, it is important not to let these factors deter you from exploring the options available and giving each due consideration. It is a guiding principle here at Quantum that we provide the right solution for each individual, and we are always available to help you make those decisions. Always feel free to discuss your student’s needs and we will be happy to provide our perspective.

Trial options
We provide equipment for trial wherever possible, including some form of training to ensure that an informed choice can be made. Including students, especially high school aged students, in the trial and decision-making process can work really well. When this is done, students typically feel more responsible and willing to invest more time and effort into learning the technology. Accepting that students are likely to be more comfortable with technology, happy to explore, experiment and willing to use their peers to source information, is worth bearing in mind.

Having a power struggle over the technology can be a negative temptation that is easily fallen into. It is important that students “own” their technology and be the ‘expert’ as these are skills they will need throughout the rest of their lives.

Weighing up the purchase of expensive technology for a student whom you don’t feel is responsible enough to take care of it is a difficult one. Bearing in mind the “nothing ventured, nothing gained attitude” can help, but realising that a student’s attitude is not a great defence when answering an anti-discrimination complaint, will take you a long way. In this instance, supervising its use, setting clear boundaries and guidelines for its use, outlining the responsibilities of the student and the consequences (short term and long term) of breeches are great strategies.

There is no single answer to what is best for your student and the actual product used may only be a small part of the total solution. With over 20 years experience of finding the right solutions for each child, we are always ready to assist you through this process.

Survey - Listening to Children and Young People

National Disability Services NSW invites disability service providers working with children, young people and their families to take part in a state-wide survey.

The aim of this survey is to establish baseline data on the current level of involvement of children and young people with disabilities in decision making.

For the purpose of this survey, ‘young people’ refers to people aged between 12 and 18 years of age, ‘children’ refers to people under 12 and ‘decision making’ refers to individual and/or service planning.

This evidence will assist with future work planned to develop supports and guidance on listening to and working with children and young people with a disability at an organisational level. This area was identified as a key concern for the NDS NSW sub-committeeChildren, Young People and Families in 2008. We also hope to work in partnership with the NSW Commission for Children and Young People on promoting this agenda in the future.

Contact Information: Paula Murphy, Policy Officer, NDS NSW on Tel: (02) 9256 3112 or E-mail Paula.

The New ZoomText USB Drive

Computers have become ever-present in our lives and so has our need to access and use computers everywhere we go… at home, at school, at work, even in libraries and other public facilities. To make ZoomText readily available to individuals that need it, AiSquared has introduced the “ZoomText USB” – ZoomText on a USB flash drive that users can conveniently carry with them and use at any time.

With ZoomText USB, you can install and run ZoomText whenever and wherever you need to (with administrative privileges) without having to purchase additional licensing or activate each installation of the software. Once ZoomText has been installed on a system, ZoomText will automatically start up each time you plug in the USB drive – activated and ready to use.

Key benefits of a ZoomText USB
  • Access on any computer. With ZoomText USB you can plug in and run ZoomText on any computer without having to purchase additional licensing.
  • Portable and always within reach. The ZoomText USB drive fits in your pocket or around your neck (on the included lanyard), so it’s always with you when you need it.
  • Easy to use. Just plug in the ZoomText USB drive and ZoomText automatically starts up. If ZoomText is not installed, the user friendly setup program is launched and you’ll be up and running in minutes.
  • Plug-and-Play license management. Since the serial number is tied to the ZoomText USB drive, there are no serial numbers or license activations to worry about.
  • Take your settings with you. Your personalized ZoomText configuration settings are saved to your USB drive and are automatically loaded each time you plug in and start ZoomText.

ZoomText USB Frequently Asked Questions
  • Does ZoomText USB have all of the same features as the CD version?

    • Yes. ZoomText USB includes all of the same features and capabilities (including speech synthesizers) as the CD version of ZoomText, with the added convenience of a portable activation that you can use whenever and wherever you need it.

  • Do I have to install ZoomText to use ZoomText USB?

    • Yes, but once only. Since the program is loaded onto your PC the USB provides the activation for the license. Note: Administrative privileges are required to perform the ZoomText installation.

  • Do I have to plug in the ZoomText USB drive whenever I want to use ZoomText?

    • To use activate and use Zoomtext you need to plug in the Zoomtext USB drive.

  • How many machine activations come with ZoomText USB?

    • As many as you like.

  • Can I use my ZoomText USB flash drive as a storage device for my personal files?

    • Yes. Your ZoomText USB drive contains approximately 400MB of free space that can be used to store your personal files. However, we urge you to use extreme caution when doing so as you run the risk of overwriting, deleting or damaging files required to install and run ZoomText. We recommend creating a special folder in which to store your files.

  • What should I do if I lose or break my ZoomText USB drive?

    • Contact Quantum Technology to purchase a replacement or to request a replacement provided with your ZoomText USB Insurance Plan (available when purchased with ZoomText USB).

    Quantum’s New Website

    www.quantumtechnology.com.au

    Our new web pages have all the latest information on Quantum, our people, products and activities. You can register on-line to receive any of our newsletters, so please pass the link along to friends or colleagues who may benefit from staying up to date with all matters relating to assistive technology for people with print disabilities.

    Finding the right solution!

    Quantum Technology understands that the needs of our customers are diverse. To allow people to choose the right solution for them, we have a number of options available.

    • Where possible we loan equipment on a short term basis before purchase, allowing users to ensure that the solution they have picked is the best for them.

    • We have showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well as an extensive dealer network throughout Australia.

    • Demonstration copies of our software are available, which allows you to trial full versions for a limited time, before purchase.

    • Quantum actively and directly supports students through a national Scholarship Program each year. The Scholarship is open to students with Vision Impairment or a Learning Disability who are entering tertiary education. Contact us for detailed information.

    Quantum Technology Contact Details!

    Contact Us

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