Accessible World News Wire:  February, 2008, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

“We can all be angels to one another. We can choose to obey the still small stirring within, the little whisper that says, ‘Go. Ask. Reach out. Be an answer to someone’s plea. You have a part to play. Have faith.’ We can decide to risk that He is indeed there, watching, caring, cherishing us as we love and accept love. The world will be a better place for it. And wherever they are, the angels will dance,” says author, lecturer frequent Coast to Coast visitor, and Internet columnist  Joan Wester Anderson, guest of Books and Beyond, an Internet talk show sponsored by the Accessible World. Join hostess Bonnie Blose as she talks with this versatile writer about fascinating stories of modern day angels many have shared with her and that she includes in her popular weekly Internet column Where Angels Walk.

Following the interview, a question period will be available for audience participation.

Date:  Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Time: 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central, 8:00 p.m.
Eastern and elsewhere in the world Thursday 1:00 GMT.

Where: Books and Beyond Conference Room at:
http://www.accessibleworld.org.
or use the Direct Link: 

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsf44894b5dc56

All online interactive programs are open to everyone worldwide.  There is no direct cost, and no need to register. . NO PASSWORD IS REQUIRED.
 
If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities (http://www.talkingcommunities.com) online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download
and then run.  A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms.

Archives of all events and sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are available at: http://www.accessibleworld.org.

The Accessible World News Wire:  February 12, 2008 Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Those of you who joined us January 7 for the special Tech Talk featuring the up close look at HumanWare with Gilles Pepin, CEO and Pierre Hamel Vice President of Research and Development may remember that Pierre was unable to complete his presentation due to Internet issues that disrupted the Accessible World broadcast. Pierre has graciously accepted to repeat that presentation for us February 18.

HumanWare has a sound reputation for innovation including products like BrailleNote, Victor Reader, Trekker GPS, Maestro, My Reader and of course the Stream. Here is your chance to learn how that innovation is embodied in the HumanWare product development process. Pierre will describe the R&D activities within Humanware. He will summarize how HumanWare takes a technology concept and the stages that transform it to a final marketable product. Pierre will also answer your questions after his presentation.

After Pierre, we will again be joined by Gerry Chevalier, Victor Reader Product Manager who will give us an overview of the new software version 1.2 for the Stream scheduled for release in mid February. The Stream continues to grow in popularity and HumanWare has been fast-tracking another release of software that directly responds to feedback from the ever growing Stream user community.

Join us to hear Pierre’s insight to HumanWare product development and the latest news of the Stream from Gerry.

Brought to you by http://www.talkingcommunities.com web conferencing services

Accessible World News Wire February 12, 2008
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
The Accessible World is pleased to announce its sponsorship of a special international conference to be held February 18 to 21, 2008 that will address issues involved in on Professional and systematic education of blind people as an important condition for successful operating computer (theory, practice and experience. Participants will include Center for the Blind students, blind people employed in the Centre and blind people from whole Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The seminar program will highlight 26 topics including general computer usage, how to make HTML documents, how to convert document into MP3 format, etc..
Seminar Location:   Centre for the blind in Sarajevo

Conference Languages:  South-Slavic

Time:
Local Time:  08:30,
Universal Time:  0730
USA Eastern:  03:30a.m.

Internet Voice Room:  Slikom
Direct link:
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs97b7abfbc5c2
Brought to you by http://www.talkingcommunities.com web conferencing services

Accessible World News Wire:  February 1, 2008, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Lisa Wingate, guest of this week’s Books and Beyond, an Internet talk show sponsored by the Accessible World, is internationally known for her novels filled with love of family and the importance of memories handed down from generation to generation. Author of nine novels, including the Tending Roses series, she writes not only of the importance of family but the value of place for each of us in the community in which we live. She believes we are all called to add something good to the world, to inspire and uplift, and just as an artist pursues his craft, we, too, must add our colors to the canvas. As hostess Bonnie Blose talks with Ms. Wingate, you will identify with her strong belief that everyone can find importance and strength through family and community.

Following the interview, the virtual audience will have an opportunity to chat with this personable novelist.

Date:  Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Time: 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central, 8:00 p.m.
Eastern and elsewhere in the world Thursday 01:00 GMT.

Where: Books and Beyond Room at http://www.accessibleworld.org or use the
following direct link: 

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsf44894b5dc56
 
All online interactive programs are open to everyone worldwide.  There is no direct cost, and no need to register. . NO PASSWORD IS REQUIRED.
 
If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software http://www.talkingcommunities.com, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download
and then run.  A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms.

Archives of all events and sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are available at: http://www.accessibleworld.org.

This month, we have a rich array of opportunities to share with you:
Podcasts and Vodcasts
EASI Online Course: Barrier-free Web Design
Webinars: 6 different Webinar experiences with both EASI and guest speakers

February is ALMOST here.  Several of these opportunities start at the beginning of the month.  Don’t put off checking out these opportunities.

Podcasts and Vodcasts
We now have 4 different Podcast and Vodcasts we deliver every month.  The newest one shares videos designed to watch online or, better, on your
MP4-enabled personal player.  These are all captioned IT Tips and Tricks shares audio on ideas to make information technology more accessible.
It’s About People Not Technology contains personal interviews AT conferences carries recordings from recent conferences.  This month is a presentation from the 2007 Higher Ground conference about accessible math. You can find these from the Podcast link on the home page (http://easi.cc).

EASI’s online courses can be taken individually or 5 of them will earn the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology.  This month, the course
is Beginner Web Design.  While for many this may be old hat, the Web is including more and more interactive elements which cause new accessibility
problems.  While this is an overview course, it does introduce participants to making interactive elements accessible. The course starts Feb. 4 but registrations will be accepted till Feb. 8. You can read more and register at (http://easi.cc) and select courses.
Six different Webinar experiences (2 are fee-based series and 4 are open to the public).

Taming MS Office Programs Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26
This series will aim at different audiences.  One focus will be on using these applications to create output for delivery in several different
modes but in formats that will be accessible to users with disabilities.  The other focus will be to help users with disabilities and their trainers to
master these products using their special software. Accessible Blogs and Wikis Feb. 7, 14, 21 28
Blogs, Wikis and the many different formats of social networking are prime examples of how the Web is more than a window through to view
information.  It is now highly interactive enabling the user both to interact with the Web itself and to interact with other people through the
medium of the Web.

These 2 fee-based Webinar series are free to EASI Webinar annual members.  The normal fee is $195 per series.
Read about these and register from the Webinar link on the home page (http://easi.cc)
There are 4 open, public Webinars but you need to register online in advance to reserve a seat in the Webinar room.  These can be found from the Webinar link on the home page (http://easi.cc).

1  AutoHotkeys (Feb. 13 and 20) is software that makes it easier to create your own hot keys.  The application is accessible and people with disabilities are some of those who benefit from these tools to facilitate manipulating a computer.  This is a 2-part public series.

2 Bookshare update Feb. 26 AT NOON EASTERN
Jim Fruchterman will provide an update.  With the new grant Bookshare has received, it will become more useful and important as a resource for electronic texts.

3.  Webinar Snapshot, Accessible Cell Phones Feb 6
This will be a short overview of the current state of the accessibility of cell phones.  Accessibility of these phones has been slow in coming and is
still less than perfect.

4 Webinar snapshot Feb. 27 demonstrating editing audio with Audacity open source software.  With the popularity of making podcasts, free open source
editing software is a good place to get started.

Both individuals and institutions can benefit from subscribing to the EASI Webinar Annual Membership.  For one fee, you can access all the fee-based
Webinar series for an entire year and get a discount on all courses.  Read more at: http://easi.cc/sub.htm.

Webinar services for EASI provided by http://www.talkingcommunities.com

Fullerton, CA - January 16, 2008 Low vision and blindness portal, OcuSource.com, announces the OcuSource EXPO 2008, a year-long virtual conference for the visual impairment industry. Through the integration of accessible web-conferencing, visitors to this online event can participate in interactive online presentations, visit exhibit “booths,” and even attend online entertainment events, all from any sound-enabled computer with access to the internet. Hosted by the virtual tradeshow system from LetsGoExpo.com, the resource will offer a series of monthly events throughout the coming 12 months, kicking off March 26, 2008 at http://ocusource.com/main.cfm?page=vision&topic=osexpo, and can also be found via the LetsGoExpo calendar of events: http://letsgoexpo.com. “The OcuSource EXPO fulfils many needs of the vision impairment industry” states Dr. Lou Lipschultz, founder of OcuSource.com. “The key here is that there are around 14 million individuals in the United States with some form of vision loss. Yet, we estimate that less than a total of 10,000 visually impaired persons attend the five major vision impairment tradeshows in U.S. There is obviously a significant access issue here,” stated Lipschultz, a low vision specialist and former executive of one of the manufacturers of technology for the visually impaired. “Lack of awareness, transportation, and financial constraints contribute to poor attendance by both consumers and professionals. OcuSource is now bringing the conference to attendees around the world, and we’re doing it all through an interactive online venue designed specifically for low vision and blind users.” The “virtual conference center” is provided by sister company, LetsGoExpo, and is constructed to seamlessly work with software called a screenreader such as Jaws or WindowEyes. Users easily navigate through “presentation halls” and “exhibit halls” allowing the visitor to find his or her way to the topic of interest. Presentation halls are organized by topic including macular degeneration, education and employment resources. Exhibit halls are filled with “booths” staffed by manufacturers, vendors, agencies, organizations, and other entities eager to share information about their services and products. Attendees can also speak directly to booth representatives over the internet via the integrated web conferencing tool from venture partner Talking Communities, which allows the exhibitor to show PowerPoint and video presentations from within their booth. Visitors who are unable to attend the live portion of the conference can still experience all the benefits around the clock through archived streamed videos of the presentations which will be available for 12 months after the live presentation. “Our greatest challenge is getting the word out around the world of this valuable resource. We’re hoping that as the year progresses, a network of low vision, blindness and senior oriented sites will share the availability of this valuable resource with their visitors” describes Lipschultz. The management team is now accepting applications for exhibitors, presentations, and sponsors. About OcuSource California based OcuSource.com, LLC (www.ocusource.com) , an internet portal dedicated to assisting the low vision and blindness industry with essential search tools and resources for consumers and professionals. OcuSource provides multiple databases of products, vendors, doctors and therapists, along with a customized auction system. The privately held company was founded in 2003, and is headquartered in Fullerton, California. About Talking Communities Michigan based Talking Communities (www.talkingcommunities.com) creates interactive synchronous web conferencing tools which provide customers numerous capabilities at a very affordable rate. Live voice-over-internet conference rooms are suitable for public or private business meetings, employee training and support, family get-togethers, educational purposes, public and private interactive events, live broadcasts, and web presentations. About LetsGoExpo California based LetsGoExpo, Inc. is a web development firm, and is owner of (www.letsgoexpo.com), a web content management (live or recorded audio and video), and meeting management resource. The service creates countless opportunities for entrepreneurs who may create business opportunities through the integrated e-commerce abilities of the service. After creating their free account, users can assume the role of attendee, exhibitor, advertiser, or even host events. Events or “venues” can be configured by hosts to achieve various objectives: Capture information and opinions through surveys, create online meeting and webcasts, provide online training, hold online “virtual” tradeshows or conferences, provide e-learning services, and most recently, to manage on-site tradeshows and conferences. LetsGoExpo is committed to affordable pricing so that businesses of all size may use the system, and to accessible web design for those with various disabilities.

The Accessible World News Wire:  January 16, 2008Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Presenter:  Woody Anna Dresner, National Braille Press.
888-965-8965  http://www.nbp.org
Computer users worldwide are meeting the daily challenge of harnessing the power of Google, the largest, most complete, and popular Internet search engine available today. Attendees at this week’s Accessible World Tek Talk event WILL BE PROVIDED  an introduction to using Google based on the book “Get Going with Google”, Read the rest of this entry »

Talking Communities will be providing a free weeklong series of workshops on on-line teaching using web conferencing software. During the week of January 7 from 4:30 to 5:30 CST, Talking Communities will be giving a free workshop on one aspect of synchronous on-line teaching, which are open to the public at http://www.talkingcomunities.com/moodle.  Read the rest of this entry »

Most of us do one or more things a little differently than other people. Some of us wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to see a little better. Some of us put cushions on our chairs so we can sit more comfortably. Some of us type everything because we don’t like writing things out longhand.

If a person is in a situation where performing a function in the usual way is difficult, no one thinks much about it if that person amends the situation–and his own procedures–to enhance his performance.

Most of us do it so often that we don’t even consider that we’re adapting a situation to fit our own abilities–or disabilities. We’re just making things a little more comfortable, a little easier on ourselves.

That’s what adaptive computing technology is all about. Using special computing software and hardware to make things easier and more accessible for people with disabilities. Read the rest of this entry »