Summary Notes
The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held December 9 7pm as a Zoom virtual meeting and was combined with the GTT National Zoom meeting.
29 people attended.
IMPORTANT: Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about one on one telephone support, the National blog, CCB Podcast, Zoom meetings, and the support email list.
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December Topic: Canadian Assistive Technology
Steve Barclay, owner of Canadian Assistive Technology, was our guest. Steve reviewed several of his most popular products of interest to blind and low vision people. These included:
Braille Me (an affordable $750 20 cell 6 dot refreshable braille display)
Orbit Writer (a compact inexpensive $135 braille keyboard)
Orbit 40 (40 cell 8 dot refreshable braille display $1890)
Compact 10 (Electronic magnifier with some unique features)
Magnilink Tab Electronic magnifier
Low Cost Devices For Christmas Gifts
Steve suggested the following:
- WayAround tags only about $1 each (clips, buttons, stickers, magnets) for the WayAround audio labelling system.
- Typio Accessible Typing Tutor ($135) for all ages who want to learn touch typing.
- Orbit Writer (a compact inexpensive $135 braille keyboard)
- Sunu Band ($295) is a sonar smartband that uses vibrations to aid navigation for visually impaired.
- For many more ideas simply visit CanAssTech Products page and sort from lowest to highest price among low vision or blindness product categories.
Simple MP3 Players
Steve was also asked about simple MP3 players with minimal buttons suitable for elderly. Although he doesn’t sell them he suggested trying the following 2 devices on Amazon.
iGuerburn Upgraded 16GB Simple Music MP3 Player
Simple MP3 Music Box for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Next Meeting (Monday January 11 at 7pm)
The next GTT Edmonton Chapter meeting will be January 11 at 7pm. Topic TBA.
The meeting link will be included in the agenda which will be emailed in early January.
Additional Resources
Telephone Training and Support
Contact the CCB national office GTT coordinators to book one on one telephone training.
Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513
Email: GTTProgram@Gmail.com
David Green 1-877-304-0968 Ext. 509
AccessibilityTraining7@Gmail.com
GTT Blog and Regular Zoom Meetings
CCB sponsors more than a dozen monthly Zoom meetings on technology, lifestyle, and open chat socialization. You may wish to read the GTT blog to find email notices of the Zoom meetings and other information such as the weekly Windows from the Keyboard Tips. If you would prefer to receive the blog posts in your email inbox, then you may activate the Follow link at the bottom of the blog web page to enter your email. IF you have difficulty contact Kim or David for assistance.
CCB Podcast
CCB sponsors a podcast feed. Use your favorite pod catcher app or the Victor Reader Stream book playing device to subscribe to the feed. Search for “CCB” (Canadian Council of the Blind). You will find episodes on technology as well as general interest topics such as CELA Library, NNELS Library, WBU, and more.
GTT Email Support List
CCB sponsors a GTT email support list to provide help and support with technology for blind and low vision Canadians. To subscribe to the email list, send an empty email to:
GTTsupport+subscribe@groups.io
GTT Edmonton Overview
- GTT Edmonton is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
- GTT Edmonton promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
- Each 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour. If you know someone in the Edmonton area who would like to be a part of our group, simply ask them to email their full name and vision status (blind, low vision, sighted) to:
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GTT Program blog and resources 