GTT Program blog and resources
Get Together with Technology for people who are blind or have low vision, an initiative of the Canadian Council of the Blind.
Our next northern Ontario GTT teleconference call will take place on Thursday November 19 at 7 PM Eastern time. The topic is ADP and a better understanding of it. Find out what is covered and how it works from an assessor’s perspective. If you live in another part of Ontario and want to join in for this call, please RSVP to Kim at 613-567-0311 Xt. 513. Or email
gttprogram@gmail.com
Here is the call in info.
1-866-740-1260
Passcode 5670311
All about labeling, and identification.
November 11, 2015.
There were 20 participants on this very lively and useful conference call.
I am always amazed and really enjoy all of these calls with all of the wonderful information that comes to us from all across the country.
Sometimes the blind/low vision community seems small and scattered but it feels larger and much more unified when we all Get Together.
I want to thank everyone for all of your participation and ideas.
Wherever you have a GTT, (Whether in person or on a call) thank you for all you give and share with others.
A huge thank you to Lorne from the Edmonton GTT group.
He provided me with many e-mail resources on this call which I include in the notes below.
Lorne Weber is blind. He is the accessibility specialist for Norquest College and a volunteer on the GTT Edmonton team.
Also Donna Jodhan sent along a blog post about locator dots which I have incorporated into these notes as well as it is very relevant to this topic.
Once again, thank you all for your sharing and generosity.
Albert talk about the Orcam.
OrCam optical character recognition, face recognition head mounted device.
The web site is
Camera is on the right arm of the glasses. Behind it is a bone conducting speaker. Just around your right ear. There is a processing unit 6 inches long, a inch wide. 4 hours of continuous use. One trigger button, up and down volume and power.
Can set up menus with trigger plus volume.
Face recognition. Pretty accurate with face recognition. It was tested with the same person wearing and then not wearing glasses and it still picked them up.
It cannot pick people up from a distance.
It is Light dependent and people have to be within 5 or 6 feet of the person in order for it to recognize them. It cannot recognize them as they come into a room or across the room and your face/orcam would need to be pointing directly at them.
If there is a certain product you want to identify regularly, take picture of it and every time that product is there, it will identify it. You can hold a book or piece of paper in front of you and it reads. Albert did a demonstration. Can read books. Cannot save the file and read later. If want to read part of a sheet, hold your finger near your face point it at the sheet it will hopefully read.
It was able to Read text of buttons on a washing machine.
Can it pick up text on a screen. Yes it does and on the iphone screen.
Does KNFB reader work on a screen? Yes.
how does the weight feel? The weight is not heavy but the cable coming off the back is bothersome.
There was talk about Google glass and possible similar products.
Google glass was banned for privacy reasons because people did not like others taking pictures of them without their knowing it.
It is interesting to think about this in relation to people who are blind and needing to take pictures of things in order to identify them.
Google glass has a head phone jack.
We talked about how expensive iphones are and talked about people being able to now use ipod touches for almost everything.
The new ipod touch which came out in the summer has a camera which is as good as the iphone 6. Also the processor is as good as the iphone 6 as well.
This means that for much less cost, you can now use an ipod touch for almost everything and you don’t need to incur the monthly fees of a cell phone.
Wherever there is a wifi connection you can use the ipod touch.
Use it for everything except making calls or GPS.
Fongo gives you a phone number for Ipod touch.
It is voice over internet calling service.
You can make free calls as long as you are within range of your wifi.
You can also use it for text messaging if you pay a small fee.
You can have a voicemail box too and it gives you a phone number.
Note: Kim signed up for fongo. The app itself is accessible but the sign up process is not very accessible. There are captias that are not accessible and also a few check boxes that were not readable with voiceover on the I device.
Kim is contacting the company to point this out to them.
The new ipod touch also reads well with KNFB reader but KNFB reader costs over 100 dollars.
Voice is a free alternative to KNFB reader.
fopydo provides a fairly inexpensive stand to use with your phone or device for scanning pages and products.
My fitness pal app for iphone is not necessarily designed to read bar codes but it does a good job for bar code reading.
Crowdvis is a new IOS app that is similar to bemyeyes in that it puts you in touch with people who can give you descriptions of things.
It is an app that is similar to a facetime or skype call in that you are using your video camera and hearing audio of the other person who is helping you.
Pen friend is used for many purposes by many people on the call.
They include:
Labeling Seed packets and also labeling the markers for what is growing in your garden.
Use pen friend also for labelling food items.
Put a label on the top of a spice jar and keep the lid each time you replace the spice.
PUt Put the label on a card before putting it on something in your freezer.
Put a label on a magnet before sticking on a can.
For clothes Can buy water proof ones last up to 70 washes.
Pen friend labeller can also label chords, label cd’s, and anything around the house, also labelling medications.
Possibly use double sided tape to stick braille labels on plastic bottles such as medications.
We talked about locator dots.
Futureaids has a pack of locator dots that come in all different shapes and sizes.
Donna Jodhan told us that she has used them for many purposes.
CNIB sells them.
www.cnib.ca and look for the shop.
Futureaids has them very inexpensively and seems to have more variety.
What do people use the different shaped ones for?
One option is for marking stoves or appliances where there are arrows.
Use the triangular ones to mark the up and down arrows.
If you are at the gym or other place where you would regularly need to place locator dots on a machine that others use, (examples washers/dryers in an apartment building, equipment at a fitness facility, etc, you might be able to create or have someone with sight create a sheet of plastic built with locator dots so that you could put it over the panel.
We talked about colour identifyers and colour identification apps.
The Colorino Color identeifyer unit has also a light detector and some said it is very good and easy to use and has lasted a long time.
Another person had the Colour reader by cobalt.
There are a few apps that can work well but are not fool proof.
Aid colors is the one Kim uses.
She also uses the app called light detector for determining whether or not lights are on.
We talked about labelling clothes as colour identifier apps and systems do not always work well.
One good way of labelling clothes is to use Brass safety pins. They have to be Good quality.
We talked about labelling stove tops and how some of the flat stove tops are not as accessible.
Someone suggested using a template to put over the stove top.
Solid state stove top is easier to feel.
WE talked about the speed dots screen protectors for I devices. No one on the call was using these. Some people like them and others not so much.
Here are the excellent resources from Lorne Weber.
Additional Resources
GTT National Conference Call
November 11, 2015
iPhone technology that will puff out tactile buttons on the screen of your phone and then will flatten out again once the keyboard disappears is from a company called Tactus Technology,
they’re offering it in the form of a case you put your phone into (currently sold out), and it’s called Phorm (spelled with the PH). you can find out more
information if you go to the following website and go to the 4th heading down from the top where they have a frequently asked questions section:
A free app you can get that will give you a free local inbound and outbound Canadian phone number + voicemail, and will let you make unlimited long
distance calls across Canada is called Fongo, you can download the app here:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/fongo-free-calls-+-free-texts/id473770452?mt=8&ct=fongo_web
However be warned, if you sign up using the app on the phone there is a CAPTCHA. if you opt to sign up for the free pc or Mac option, then you can fill
out all the information on your computer using Jaws, etc., so you could use Firefox and the Web Vism plugin for solving CAPTCHAS.
https://www.freephoneline.ca/accountRegistrationStepOne
Another app I suggested as a free alternative to the KNFB Reader app is called Voice – Take Pictures & Have Them Read/Spoken In Many
Languages with Fast OCR, and it can be found here:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/voice-take-pictures-have-them/id903772588?mt=8
and here is Applevis’s excellent page describing it:
and there is even a demonstration of it from Applevis:
We discussed the Six Dot Braille Labeller, a new cheaper alternative to a full Braille Embosser for making braille labels, this is it:
http://www.aroga.com/6dot-braille-labeller/
it seems the PenFriend Labeller is quite popular with GTT groups. CNIB is selling it for $199 here:
https://shop.cnib.ca/ProductDetail/liv0513210002_penfriend2-talking-labeller
And here are some demos of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePE0-U73Ajc
and:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXqBZvLfiLY
During the call we tried to remember the name of the cheaper alternative to the PenFriend labeller that Aroga sells. It’s called the AnyBook Reader, made by Franklin
Electronics, for $40, more info is here:
I know this is an ambitious topic but I think all of these things are connected.
the next GTT national teleconference call will take place on WEdnesday November 11 at 7 PM eastern 4 pacific.
Our topic will be an open discussion about labeling things. How do you label and identify food items, shampoo and other bottles, medications, etc.
Do you use bar code readers or scanning apps or devices to tell what things are?
Come and join the discussion.
The call in info is
1-866-740-1260
The passcode is 5670311
Hello everyone.
I just returned from the Braille conference in Toronto.
It was great to attend workshops, move around the exhibit space, and talk with people who are as passionate about braille and access technology as I am.
Thank you to Leona Emberson for presenting with me about GTT.
While there, I tried this new product below.
I think it has a lot of promise.
I really liked the way it worked.
See below for more information and ordering instructions.
The note below is provided by Wayne and if anyone wants to be in touch with him about this please contact me at
gttprogram@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with him.
Hi everyone. I am just following up on he item I mentioned at our last GTT Ottawa evening meeting.
I am a member of the Telecommunications (CRTC) Committee. This committee is composed of the following members; Leo Bissonette, John Rae, and me from AEBC and Lui Greco from CNIB. The committee has been very active in making several submissions to the CRTC on a variety of issues concerning the delivery of telecom services including cell service and television. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact me or Leo Bisonette. We would welcome any new members who have an interest in these issues.
This committee will be making a presentation to the CRTC on November 4th on the process for making complaints related to accessibility concerns with respect to the delivery of telecommunications services. It will focus on the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS), which is the vehicle used by the CRTC to handle most complaints. You may visit the following link to read this committee’s submission to the CRTC on this issue.
Submission by AEBC and CNIB – CRTC 2015-239: Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services
In order to support the Committee’s presentation, you are encouraged to attend the hearing. While only Committee members will be able to speak at the hearing, your presence will help support the importance of this issue for blind and partially-sighted Canadians.
In order to facilitate the transportation and other logistics for people wishing to attend, Lui Greco has reserved a room at the CNIB Office for November 3rd from 2:00 to 3:00 PM to discuss the arrangements for getting to the meeting. If you cannot attend this meeting in person, you can dial in at the following number: 1 (866) 783-7393 participant code 16975769. The tentative plan is to have transportation arranged from the CNIB Office to the CRTC Hearings at 7:30 AM on November 4th and returning to the CNIB at 4:00. However, once our presentation has been confirmed by the CRTC, I will share this information and you are more than welcome to proceed directly to the CRTC hearings in Gatineau. The address is:
Conference Centre
Phase IV
Outaouais Room
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec.
If you are planning on proceeding there directly, pleas let Lui Greco or Christine Robins know. Lui can be reached at hiss cell number; 403) 629-3522. Lui and Christine will be at the entrance at 8:30 AM to help people navigate the maze to the conference room. I will share the hearing time once it is confirmed. If you plan on arriving later, please let Lui know.
Business attire is recommended for attendees.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks.
Hello everyone.
I had several emails letting me know that you could not open the link on the post about facebook shortcuts. I have looked up the article again.
In case some of you are not able to open the link I will paste below, if you go to the Huffington post web site and search for technology articles, you should find it there.
Here is another link, hope it works.
Glad you are all reading and following the blog.
Many of our GTT groups have talked about facebook. We have also discussed it during a national GTT conference call.
I did not know about any of these. I have not
tried any of them yet but would be happy to hear any thoughts from anyone who does.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/562692e4e4b0bce347028b
GTT Ottawa Meeting
Date: Monday Sept 20 2015
This meeting was live-streamed
Location: CCB office 20 James Street
The meeting was also attended by vendors who were in town in order to attend the annual CNIB Tech Fair taking place in Ottawa on Tuesday September 21. The vendors all described their products, and told us what was new.Bram Caron: Aroga Technologies
–Canada-wide ; hi and low tech products for people with disabilities including communication, mobility and vision. Aroga also distributes Ambutech canes.
–The canes are available in any colour you want
–Classic white canes are also available.
–For every cane you choose, there are also lots of different kinds of tips.
–Canes available in white with coloured handles, joints and tips.
— Canes with a red base are still available
–Colours include; royal blue, purple, gold, red, and many more.
–The solid coloured cane is available
–The hybrid cane is a little less durable than the standard mobility cane but is very light weight and easy to carry around. Many guide dog users carry them around to have a cane when needed. between mobility and identification cane; these are good for the not-so-heavy cane users. These are also called slim-line canes.
–Kiddie canes are also available.
— A question was asked about whether or not people who are blind traveling around with these types of canes confuse the public? Aroga and ambutech have not noticed this. These canes are becoming more popular and are causing some people (especially kids and youth who might not otherwise use a cane) to begin carrying one around.–You can usually tell that a person is blind, regardless of the colour cane he/she is using
–There are now different ways people use their canes to get around. There are tappers and swipers who use canes differently. Cane choice is a personal preference — Society still recognizes them as canes for vision-impaired.
–Some canes have lights on them in Europe. The lights are hard to replace, and the batteries are easily-broken
–There are many cane handles to choose from although the hybrid (slim line) canes come with cork handles only at the moment.
The other canes can come with foam, cork, carved wood and like a golf-club. Wood handles are heavy. As with cane preference, handles also are a matter of preference. It often amounts to what transmits information best for each user.
–There is quite a new cane tip called Dakota disc: It feels like a mini-frisbee–good for grass, sand, gravel There are also tips that are roller-balls now have high-mileage. There are also marshmallow and pencil tips.
Again tip preference varies for each cane user.–What’s the best cane/tip for snow? There are different kinds of snow and snow like conditions. It would depend on where you are living and what kind of walking you do.
Something that glides over snow. Dakota tips are good for gliding but heavier and possibly not as durable as roller or marshmallow tips.
There is a support cane that you use for support while walking. It is not a mobility cane.
Canes are used for support, mobility, identity.
–Aroga has 15 different kinds of canes
–Aroga has other products, including the vibrating glasses that warn the blind person about objects and obstacles that are above the waist and above the sweep of a cane.
–When a product breaks, Aroga tries to get it back to the customer as soon as possible.
Their web site is
www.aroga.com
–Their phone number is 1-800-561-6222David Greenich: Canadialog
–The company has been around for 5 years
–They have products from Freedom Scientific, JAWS, Magic, and focus Braille Displays.
–You can try before you buy for about a week before you make the commitment.
–This company is nationwide with offices throughout Canada.
–David demonstrated a portable CCTV that weighs less than 5 lbs and can be connected to a laptop.
The book goes under the camera like a CCTV There is also a bigger model of CCTV, weighing about 8 lbs.
–Another product they sell is the Topaz, costing $2,700.00. This may qualify for ADP funding
–They also sell the Ruby magnifier–hand held.
–Reminder Rosie–a talking alarm clock that saves up to 25 reminders is a new product they are starting to sell. They will be selling other household products too.— Clients are looking for more the low tech products such as clocks, microwaves etc.Their web site is
www.canadialog.comStephen Ricci: Frontier Computing
–He has also been a customer, having used the products himself.
— This company was founded by someone who is blind.
–They sell products for people with other kinds of disabilities; It is a one-stop shop for high and low-tech as well as an ADP vendor; corporate, educational institutions, libraries, government and individuals, at home, work, play and school. Their products hope to level the playing field, and to help people feel independent, self-confident and successful.
–Some equipment is loaned.
–They represent all the manufacturers but don’t have a large supply of materials.
–Frontier staff use the products.
–if a product should break, they try to get it back to the customer as soon as possible. They also offer tech support to customers.
www.frontiercomputing.com
www.frontiercomputing.ca–The Zoomtext keyboard is of better quality. The letters are in large print and high-contrast and specialized keys that control some of the functions. This can be found on AISquared.
Michel: Humanware
–A manufacturer of innovative solutions like the Braille Note Apex note taker and the Victor Readers Prodigy–video magnifier assistant that works on a tablet.
–Humanware does market surveys to find out what the consumer wants.
–The Trekker Breeze 2 has been revamped and more efficient, like a talking GPS–walking or riding public transportation.
–The Victor Reader Stream allows you to listen to radio shows over Wi-Fi. It also allows you to download podcasts and download books from CNIB/CELA library and bookshare.–Questions arose about transferring CDs onto the Stream.
–There are different options for braille displays to connect to computers and smart phones.
The human ware line up includes the brailliant braille displays as well as the braille note family of note takers.
There was a question about getting a braille display that had limited note taking capabilities.–We don’t need all the features as these are available on our phones.
–Humanware can be contacted at 1-888-722-3393Claude Harris: Locus Engineering
–Developing an echolocation device
–Not everyone can echolocate
–The device consists of a small board sends out an ultrasonic pulse and makes tones. Each frequency represents a distance, with close objects making a high-frequency tone and getting lower the further away the object is from you
–It is meant to be an extension of a white cane–a succession of echoes that warn us about obstacles ahead.
–Users can change the chirp rate. You can send a pulse out or have it set to automatic–there are 6 frequency bands. He is just in the process of developing this product. He is very keen to have some of us test this product once he has developed it more.
In a few months we can try it out.
–Can it be fitted onto a white cane? If not on the cane, it could be clipped on or worn.
–As a cane is angled, it may not be able to get a straight echo.
–What about people who are blind and also need to use walkers? Could it be put onto the front of a mobility device like a walker or wheelchair?
–Hand-guide; set to beep or vibrate
–Every 6 inches, users will hear a new musical tone. You can hear things ahead of you. You would aim the device like a flashlight as it has a very directional beam.
— Claude’s website is www.Locusengineering.comIssues discussed:
— CNIB ID cards question. If you are totally blind, you don’t need an eye assessment to get a new CNIB ID card. This new practice was put into place because there have been so many changes and advancements in ophthalmology and optometry. We will be required to show proof of legal blindness. You can obtain an eye report through your optometrist or ophthalmologist just before your ID card is due.
We brainstormed topics for future meetings
–using braille displays with iphones
–comparing braille displays
–using hand-held magnifiers
–What is new in IOS 9?— AODA; where to turn if you have a question or concern
–Ottawa Public Library now has 3-D printers–what do they do?
–Will there be a workshop on 3d printing–is the software accessible?
–all about spreadsheets How to use them.
–A workshop on photography–using your camera and KNFB Reader and other barcode readers to get information
–Useable, exchangeable and nice-to-have apps
–Household and kitchen items touchscreens and menus labelling and identifying
Comparison of screen readersNext Meeting
Monday, October 26
CCB Office, 20 James Street
We will divide into two groups.
Group 1. All about braille displays.
Group 2. All about hand held magnifyers.
This is a great set of notes from the GTT Toronto group.Anyone who is using CNIB library/CELA library service can get something out of these.
October 15, 2015.
Jason Fayre opened the meeting. He introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Lindsay Tylor, Manager of member services for CELA, Centre for Equitable Library Access. She proposed discussing what CELA is, and how it interacts with the CNIB library, then library services in general. She did a check-in with the group: most people use the CNIB library, a handful use things like Bookshare, commercial services and the public library. The Centre for Equitable Library Access is a non-profit created in April 2014 by Canadian public libraries so that they can offer services for people with print disabilities. Its origin is in the idea that it isn’t just for some to require the use of charitable dollars to access library services. The main point is that public libraries are increasingly accessible. This means that all libraries in Ontario should be able to offer an equal level of access to people with print disabilities. This is especially impactful for people in small communities. CELA also means that anyone with a print disability can access the large collection owned by CNIB, not just people with vision loss. The functional difference with CELA for the user is merely that they will be accessing their material through the public library system. Anyone coming to the CNIB as a new client will interact directly with the public library, and existing clients will be enrolled by CNIB staff.
The first goal of CELA is to recognize that one size doesn’t fit all users; one format won’t work for everyone, and people have a range of technical skills. The goal is for pleasure reading and life-long learning, not really academic material. In the publishing world at large, very little is available in alternative format, and there’s a recognized goal of not duplicating material that is already accessible. There are three formats, audio, etext and Braille. For each one there are different delivery methods. Audio is by far the most popular. All of the audio through CELA is in daisy format. This means the books highly structured, and can be accessed by page, heading, and other fine organizational ways. It’s used worldwide. There are two ways of downloading daisy books. The first is daisy zip, which is a bunch of mp3 files with some data files that dictate the organization of the audio. These come in a zipped folder that can be downloaded, then transferred to a portable device. The process of unzipping a file is built into windows. Internet access is required. For those who don’t have internet, daisy books are made available on CD. Most users currently use CDs. You can play the files on the computer itself if you prefer. The second method, the newest, and most convenient, is the direct to player method. There are specialized players Victor Reader Stream and Plextalk are the two main portable daisy players. They come internet enabled, and you can configure them to your internet connection. The player will download books directly from the library site to your player without having to use CDs or zip files. It’s easy.
When you get a player, you need to sign up through the public library to access the service, or you call the CNIB or CELA help line and they will walk you through configuring your player with your library account. A technician can send you an SD card which will configure the device for you, or they can walk you through it over the phone. A long standing CNIB library user can call 1-800-268-8818. A CELA user can call 1-855-655-2273. Your local library should have this CELA number. The website is http://www.celalibrary.ca. Players sold in the last 2 years will connect to the internet; an older player may not.
Since the spring, aps for Apple and Android devices will do the same thing as downloading with a dedicated daisy player. This can be a cheaper option. Lindsay did a demonstration of the Apple ap. You can peruse the website yourself, or instruct the service to choose books from particular genres and download them. The ap is called Direct to Player, and is available in the Apple App store for Apple devices, and in the Google Play Store for Android. It’s easy to delete books if you’re sent books from your chosen genre that you decide you don’t want. There’s a generous lone period, but eventually the books may disappear from your device because of licensing agreements. You can simultaneously choose particular books, and receive books from your chosen genre. Lindsay demonstrated playing a title off of her phone. There are features for bookmarks, sleep timer etc.. The ap features work very much like those on a dedicated player. Lindsay was asked whether there’s a plan to put a search feature directly into the ap. Lindsay replied that this is one of the most common requests, and that she thinks it’s coming. The ap is free. You have the option to stream or download. At this stage the ap is strictly for audio, not Braille for a Braille display. The first time you open the ap you must enter your library number. The ap is used by both the CELA and CNIB systems.
Newspapers are one of the most popular services offered. It’s available online, and it’s simple. Sign into CNIB or CELA, go to the link called News Stand, and over 50 national and international newspapers are listed. Enter on the link, and plain text articles are offered. It’s electronic text. Newspaper specific sites can be difficult to navigate, but this service is much easier, and updated daily.
Bookshare is an American service, the world’s largest online library of its kind. 260,000 titles. They work closely with publishers, and have titles that aren’t always easy to find. They’re made available at the same time as the print editions. The books are all etext or synthetic speech, or electronic Braille. Not all titles are available to Canadians because of licensing agreements. Joining on your own is $75 the first year and $50 each subsequent year, but CNIB and CELA members have free access. At http://www.bookshare.org, you must go through a membership process. Scanning your CNIB id card and sending it will qualify as proof of disability. If you don’t have a card you need a signature by a professional. They have their own built in web reader, and Apple ap called read to go which you pay for. There’s an Android ap that’s free. The ap has options around font size for low vision readers. Voice Dream Reader was proposed as a better and cheaper ap option. The voices offered through Voice Dream are outstanding. Voice Dream also works with CNIB and CELA titles. Voice Dream is $13.20. Direct to Player and Read to go are similar. All titles appear on your bookshelf. In Read to Go, you can search Bookshare from within the ap. Lindsay demonstrated the Read to Go ap with its own synthetic voices. It allows you to control the speed of the voice or the size of the font.
The topic of DVS movies was raised. Some DVDs are produced with DVS, but many aren’t. CELA does buy DVDs they can find that have it. The CELA DVD collection is popular and well used.
It was proposed that links to books in the Digital Times e-newsletter should be made into direct download links. Lindsay agreed this would be very useful, but might be technically difficult to arrange.
It was also suggested that Braille downloads should be in zip files, not downloadable one volume at a time. Lindsay said she would bring this suggestion to others in her department.
In answer to a question on the topic, Lindsay explained that the library’s content comes from local production, international agreements with libraries around the world, and a growing relationship with commercial audio book producers, Particularly Recorded Books. She explained that patrons can request a book either through an online form on the CNIB library website, or by contacting the help line. She said that some priority is given to blind authors who’ve written on the topic of vision loss, but that there isn’t currently a focus on producing works by blind authors in other genres.
In closing, Ian White encouraged anyone who isn’t already on the mailing list, to email gtt.toronto@gmail.com in order to begin receiving communications from the GTT list. There are movements towards creating a Facebook page, and a voicemail line to disseminate information. He announced that the next meeting will be on November 19th, and that Brian Moore will be presenting on the topic of GPS solutions.
Hello.
This is just a reminder that our first ever northern Ontario GTT group will take place tonight at 7 PM Eastern time by teleconference.
We will be brainstorming topics for future teleconferences, discussing what high and low tech solutions we use every day, and deciding how often to have our meetings.
Please come and also share with anyone who would like to call in from Northern Ontario.
The call in information is:
1-866-740-1260
Passcode 5670311
Hello.
This is just a reminder about our national call tonight.
Gerry Chevalier will give a presentation on surfing the web with a screen reader.
Here is his description.
Gerry Chevalier will demonstrate and discuss techniques for efficiently
navigating web pages using a screen reader. Topics will include shortcut
navigation keys, navigating links, headings, tables, and filling in forms.
The demonstration will include two web sites:
1. CNIB/CELA Library book search which is familiar and used by many of us to
find our favorite books.
2. Freedom Scientific Surfs Up web site which is a valuable self paced
training tool that is provided free by Freedom Scientific to help you learn
how to navigate web sites.
Here is the call in information.
1-866-740-1260
The passcode is
5670311
Hello.
Below find another blog post from Donna Jodhan.
This post talks about timers.
There are many ways to access timers.
There have been braille timers.
Also, there are some commercially available ones at kitchen stores that can work.
Also, microwaves usually have a timer feature.
Of course, smart phones and I pod touches have this feature too. You can even ask Siri to set a timer for you.
Here is Donna’s post.
Meet the talking timer
Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox. As mentioned in my previous blog, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking timer.
Ah yes! The talking timer and over the years this precious commodity has both shrunk in size and cost. There was a time when the talking timer was not very portable and it was also extremely clumsy and clunky in shape. Today however, the talking timer has shrunk in both size and cost and it is now possible for you to stuff one in your pocket or purse.
The cost of a talking timer has also dropped dramatically and you can now buy one for about $20. The nice thing about the talking timer is that there is a variety of styles and sizes for you to choose from. Some talking timers come with a talking clock add on while others do not. I have both.
You can get a talking timer for your kitchen or have one that clips on to your belt. I have a talking timer/clock that gives me the option of choosing different sounds for when the timer goes off and I also have one that does not give me the option. They are both very 0ortable and I can clip them onto my belt.
You’ll have to find the one that best suits you. Just make sure that the one you want is the one you end up with. The talking timer is a very nifty little gadget to have. Use it to time your cooking and baking. Use it when you wish to time yourself on your exercising equipment or use it for anything else. The ones that I have work with triple A batteries.
Here are a few places for you to contact if you are interested to learn more.
CNIB – toll free = 1800 563 2642
Frontier Computing – toll free = 1-888-480-0000
Or visit http://www.futureaids.ca
You can also call them at 1-800-987-1231
So have fun now with your talking timer and see you in two weeks.
Happy Thanksgiving to you.
If you like audio mysteries and are looking for some affordable ones then visit my online store at http://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
Or maybe you would like to join my bullying campaign at http://www.jodhanmysterybook.club
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/donnajodhan
and at http://www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
Have a super day
Donna
Hello everyone.
Our next national GTT conference call will take place on Wednesday October 14 at 7 PM Eastern, 4 Pacific. Gerry Chevalier will lead us through tips and tricks on how to browse the web if you use screen reading software. I know this has been a topic of interest for quite some time.
Here is the conference call information.
1-866-740-1260
Passcode 5670311 If you have questions, contact
gttprogram@gmail.com
‘See the note below from Dorothy who is helping to start a northern ontario GTT group.
I am very excited about this too and will be on the first call.
Just a reminder that if anyone in any community is interested in starting a GTT group, get in touch. We can help you with ideas, logistics, suggestions and of course post your announcements, resources, and notes to the blog.
Kim
Hello everyone,
Here is information about our first CCB Northern Ontario Get Together with Technology (GTT) teleconference call. Everyone is welcome, so please share this information with anyone you know with vision loss.
It will be on Thursday, October 15 at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
The number to phone is 1-866-740-1260. The access code is 5670311.
It is pretty straightforward.
Kim Kilpatrick from the CCB National office, who is in charge of the GTT program in the East will be co-facilitating with me.
The topic we’ve chosen for the first teleconference is “Adaptations we’ve made in daily living situations and technology that can help”. We will share ideas that range from simple, common sense ideas that work to low tech devices to high tech devices, including apps available for iPhones, iPads, and android phones and tablets. You may want to find out how others label items like cans in their cupboards, how to identify colours of clothing, how to keep track of appointments and other practical ideas. Kim has vast experience, as do some of the people in our CCB group who will be joining the call.
We will also have time at the end of the meeting to talk about ideas for future workshops, as we want these GTT workshops to meet your needs.
Looking forward to this first teleconference and hope everyone can be involved.
Dorothy
Below see a blog post from Donna Jodhan. I too have had talking bathroom scales for many years.
They are very useful and helpful even for weighing some items including my guide dogs.
September 28 2015
Meet the talking bathroom scale
Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox. As mentioned in my previous blog, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking bathroom scale.
Now, I’ll state up front that I bought this nifty piece of technology many years ago and I am not sure who sells it today but I can give you some contact info to check out.
When I bought my first talking bathroom scale, I was lucky enough to have my friend Maria bring it to me from the United States as she had purchased it for me at a convention. However, I am hopeful that someone in Canada would be selling it today and I’ll share my contact info with you at the end of my blog.
The talking bathroom scale is really a very simple device. It is larger than the regular scale and when I bought it the cost was quite a bit more than the regular scale. It works through the use of a square battery and you can insert the battery into a small compartment at the bottom of the scale. So you’ll have to flip it over in order to locate it.
My present talking bathroom scale can announce my weight in either pounds or kilos and I can choose my preference of announcement by tapping the bottom right hand corner of the surface of the scale with my foot. Note from Kim: The scale I have, you have to press a button on the scale to get it to talk. Back to Donna. Each time I tap with my foot the scale announces what I have chosen. The voice is in a clear male tone with a somewhat British like accent.
To use the talking bathroom scale; I first place it on a level floor surface.
Next I stand on the scale and I place each foot on either side of a large round button which is located towards the top left hand corner of the scale.
Within seconds you’ll hear a voice that says “please step off.”
When you step off the voice will then tell you your weight in whichever format you have chosen.
At this point you could tap the bottom right hand corner to change the format of your weight and the scale will announce it to you.
So for example: I stand on the scale placing my feet in the position indicated above.
The scale asks me to please step off.
It announces my weight to me in pounds.
I tap the bottom right hand corner of the scale with my foot and it then announces my weight in kilos.
The next time I stand on my scale it will announce my weight in the format that I previously chose.
Note: When you first stand on the scale, it beeps before it asks you to please step off.
Simple and easy and here is the contact info that I can share with you.
Note from Kim: I looked up talking bathroom scales and found one on the Future Aids/braille book store site for 42 dollars.
Their web site is
http://www.braillebookstore.com/talking-bathroomscale.1
Frontier Computing does not appear to have these any more.
The CNIB store may have them but Kim was unable to find one in their list.
From Kim: If anyone has products they would like us to know about that you use around the house all of the time, please send an email to
gttprogram@gmail.com
Back to Donna:
If you like audio mysteries and are looking for some affordable ones then visit my online store at http://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/donnajodhan
and at http://www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
Have a super day
Donna
826 Princess Street at the CNIB Kingston offices.
Their topic is every day technology.
People will be encouraged to bring in devices and gadgets that they use in their homes every day.
We have used this topic in other GTT groups and it is highly successful.
For more information, contact Maryse Theberge
(613) 542-4975 X 5088
maryse.theberge@cnib.ca
The GTT Kingston group will be meeting on Thursday October 8 at 10 AM at
Hello everyone.
Another eastern Ontario tech fair day to announce.
Before I do that, I want to thank Maryse and the Kingston GTT group for letting me call in to their meeting on September 10 2015 and talk all about blind square.
David Grene who volunteers with GTT in Ottawa joined me and he is a great user of blind Square.
Thanks David.
Maryse sent me the following announcement to post to the blog about a tech fair day in Kingston.
There will also be one in Lanarck on Wednesday September 23.
I do not have details about that one. For more information about it call Richard Marsolais
613-563-4021 X. 5029
richard.marsolais@cnib.ca
Upcoming
Event!
Assistive Technology Demo Day
Thursday, September 24, 2015
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
734 Montreal St.
Kingston, ON
Drop in and view the latest in assistive technology and unique products for people with vision loss
Phone: Maryse: 613-542-4975 x 5088
Or Anne: 613-542-4975 x 5080
CELEBRATING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES
AND ADAPTATIONS
CCTV’s
DAISY Players
Computers with large print and speech
Scanners
Note Takers
Day Planners and More!
Hope to see you there!
Hello everyone.
It has been brought to my attention, that the talking microwave discussed in a previous post is not available at future aids. They do not sell these. Some very kind and eager readers have offered to go on a search for these microwaves and send appropriate links to me. Thanks so much. Just goes to show that our community is engaged, interested, and always willing to help each other. Stay tuned for more information. If anyone has additional resources to share about talking microwaves or anything else, please send along to gttprogram@gmail.com
This is another guest blog post from Donna Jodhan all about talking microwaves.
September 14 2015
Meet the talking microwave
Hi there! It’s Donna and thank you for allowing me to come into your inbox. As mentioned in my previous blog, I would like to concentrate on the lower levels of technology and today I’d like you to meet the talking microwave.
I am happy to tell you that just a few years ago, I got introduced to the talking microwave and since then I have used this gem every day in my kitchen. The model that I bought was by Hamilton Beech and I am sure that since then there have been additional improvements and other companies manufacturing and selling talking microwaves.
So what can I do with this talking microwave model? Well, I can do such things as:
Cook or warm food at specified times.
Cook or warm specific foods.
Defrost frozen foods.
Cook and warm food by weight.
Set my timer.
Set my clock.
I can warm and or cook anything from frozen to fresh vegetables, potatoes, soups, popcorn, a dinner plate, pizza, and beverages.
Here is a brief layout of this model. The buttons are located towards the right hand side of the front of the microwave.
First off, there are buttons that go down the front of the unit vertically and each button represents the numbers that you can choose to cook for; from one to five minutes.
I can also choose the number of minutes that I wish to cook for if it is more than five minutes.
There is a big round knob to the left of these buttons that allow me to cook for 30 seconds at a time when you press it in. Turning the big round knob clockwise also enables you to select what you wish to heat up; from frozen vegetables to potatoes and pizza and more. You can hear the choices as you turn the knob.
I can clear or stop the microwave and all of these buttons mentioned here emit voice output when pressed. I can even choose the voice level that best suits me. There are three additional buttons at the bottom of the front of the microwave and going from left to right they are:
Press once and you can stop the microwave. Press twice and you can clear the time completely.
The middle button is for choosing the voice level.
The right most button is for setting the kitchen timer.
When I bought the Hamilton Beech microwave, it came with a cassette but I am sure that by now their manuals would either be online or in other alternate formats. Of course, there are always improvements to be made and I am sure that the folks at Hamilton Beech are quite mindful of our needs.
If this is not the case then I would love to hear your comments.
That’s my talking microwave and I hope you will go out there and make friends with it.
If you would like to learn more about this product then you could visit www.futureaids.com and ask them to help you out.
If you like audio mysteries and are looking for some affordable ones then visit my online store at http://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/donnajodhan
and at http://www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
Have a super day
Donna
This is just a reminder that was posted in August.
I am very excited about GTT starting in Toronto.
Just a reminder too that if anyone is interested in starting a GTT and wants any assistance, contact Kim at
gttprogram@gmail.com
or
1-877-304-0968
See below for an exciting notice about GTT starting up in Toronto. I was honoured to be part of that first conference call to plan logistics. There was so much energy and collaboration on that call. It is wonderful that so many groups and organizations are collaborating to make this happen. This was the case when we started up here in Ottawa. CCB, CNIB, AEBC, and other groups are all joining together to work on this. Thank you to you all and I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures. Hey Toronto, we’re Getting Together with Technology!A couple of years ago, CCB (Canadian Counsel of the Blind) partnered with Kim Kilpatrick and a program called Get Together with Technology (GTT), to encourage those who use adaptive technology – and those who would like to know more – to get together and share their knowledge. The result is that GTT groups have sprung up in CCB Chapters across the country, meeting regularly to talk and learn about the technological tools that can enable independence and help build confidence. We are pleased to announce that we are forming a GTT group here in Toronto!
Topics can range from relatively low-tech devices such as colour identifiers and Talking Book players, to tips on how to get the most out of your computer or the latest smart phone, and anything in between! GTT groups are self-directed, discussing topics brought to the group by group members.
And don’t worry if you are not ‘tech savvy’. The idea of a GTT group is that those with some knowledge will share that knowledge with the rest of the group.
There are 3 things you can do to get connected to this incredibly powerful resource:
1. Come to our first meeting! Our first meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17th from 6-8 PM at the CNIB national office at 1929 Bayview Avenue. The topic for the first meeting will consist of participant introductions, and what you hope to get out of participation in a GTT Group. The rest of the meeting will consist of a brainstorming session to generate specific topics for future meetings, and to rank these, setting a schedule of topics for the next few meetings. Meetings will be held on the third Thursday of each month between September and June. For more information, you can send an email to gtt.toronto@gmail.com.
2. You can subscribe to the GTT blog, a wealth of information about various technologies, with detailed descriptions on how to make the most of them. To get information about upcoming GTT meetings and conference calls as well as meeting notes and resources, please subscribe to the GTT blog. To register, visit the web page below. Look near the bottom of the page for a heading called, “Follow “GTT Program blog and resources” and leave your email address in the edit field below that heading. You will receive an email message asking you to confirm that you wish to be subscribed, and clicking on the “confirmation” link in that message will complete the process. https://gttprogram.wordpress.com/ Or you can follow GTT on Twitter @gttprogram.
3. The GTT group run by the National Get Together with Technology coordinator, Kim Kilpatrick, offers a national conference call-in once a month. If you’d like to participate in this conference call, please contact Kim by email at gtt@ccbnational.net or by calling her through CCB National Office’s toll free line at 1-877-304-0968 for full details on how to call in to the conference. So get connected! Get together with Technology! And make the most of the powerful tools that can open up your world.
GTT Program blog and resources 
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