SVRC: Bulletin 04, 2002

The ICEB General Assembly meets every four years, the last such meeting having been held November 2-5, 1999 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, hosted by BANA, the Braille Authority of North America. The 1995 General Assembly had been held in England.
The ICEB's Executive Committee meets continuously by e-mail, and in person every two years.

ICEB Projects

- Unified English Braille Code (UEBC): The largest current project of the ICEB is a research project to investigate the feasibility of a single Unified English Braille Code (UEBC, also known as UBC) for both literary and technical purposes throughout the English-speaking world. See UEBC Project Information at http://world.std.com/~iceb/ubc.html/.
- 8-dot Braille Code: This project is to define a standard 8-dot braille code. See 8-Dot Project Information at http://world.std.com/~iceb/ice8d.html/.
- Tactile Graphics: This project is to coordinate research and write guidelines for the production of tactile graphics and related teaching methods. See Tactile Graphics Project Information at http://world.std.com/~iceb/icetac.html/.
UEBC is a research project with its deliberations and progress reports, including its objectives, available to anyone who is interested on the ICEB web site http://www.iceb.org/. Observers are welcome on all the working committee listserves and encouraged to participate when discussion is taking place.

Also available on the ICEB web site are the lists of symbols that have been designated. That list is updated as new assignments are made. There are also samples of materials brailled in UEBC.

Zoomtext Price Drop

The following information comes from Trevor Boyd (Quantum Technology).

There is a new version 7.1 of Zoomtext and we have had a price reduction for ZT L1 and L2. The prices are now:
Level 1 $850
Level 2 $1165

The new upgrade prices are now:
ZoomText Xtra L1 UPGRADE from L1 V6.x or earlier $235.00
ZoomText Xtra L1 UPGRADE from L1 V7.x $120.00
ZoomText Xtra L2 UPGRADE from L2 V6.x or earlier $235.00
ZoomText Xtra L2 UPGRADE from L2 V7.x $166.00

Guide Horse - Website

Guide Horses are being trained to work with blind and vision impaired people (though not in Australia as far as I know). According to accounts, the horses have a calm nature, wide-angle vision and amazing memories. They can live up to 30 years, whereas the guide dogs' working life is 9 or 10 years. Other stated advantages include: they don't get fleas, they don't chase cats, they can see in almost total darkness, they stay very focused and are great lawn mowers. Once fitted with running shoes, there is also no chance of hooves damaging floors.
Dan Shaw recently emailed me a link to his website - 'World's First Guide Horse'. Dan's website describes his experiences of having deteriorating vision and applying for and receiving a guide horse. Dan then goes on to describe some of the places they subsequently travel together (eg on a plane etc). The website is written as a narrative in the following style with a picture (only some with an alt text description) on each page:
As my sight deteriorated to the final stages of Retinitis Pigmentosa I began to look into the possibilities of a Guide Dog.
Then on the evening of March sixth, 2000, my wife and I sat down to fill out an application for a guide dog.
The television was on as Ann began to fill out the papers. I could hear this lady say that they had trained a horse to guide the blind. I couldn't believe it! A horse that could really guide the blind?
At that moment I stopped Ann and said, Ann thats me! If I am going to get a guide animal then I want it to be a Guide Horse.

This website would be suitable for students and can be viewed at: http://www.danandcuddles.com/. Click the picture for the link to the rest of the site.

And Whilst on the Subject - Have You Heard About Guide Robots?

From RT News, February 2002:

A Japanese inventor has created a robot 'guide dog' to help vision impaired people get around. The dog uses video cameras and sensors to avoid obstacles.
Hideo Mori, of Yamanashi University, hopes to produce 20 experimental dogs for trials later this year. As well as having sensors and cameras, the robot dogs are also programmed to 'remember' the route the owner takes using a navigational information system. Professor Mori hopes the robots will be in general use in four years, the Asahi Shimbun reports.

Australian Listserves - Information

RoundTable

To subscribe send an email to: Majordomo@ilanet.net.au
Leave the subject line empty and in the message area type: subscribe round_table
No other information should be in the body of the email e.g. do not include your signature file
If you have any difficulties please contact Rosalyn Bates, Round Table Administration Assistant
Tel (03) 9505 3270 or email rosalynb@melbpc.org.au/.

OZBRL

OZBRAILLE promises to keep you up to date with "all things braille".
To subscribe to the new address for Ozbrl, send an email to ozbrl-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
The message can be blank, but it must be sent from the email address that you wish to use to send and receive Ozbrl messages. You will receive a reply advising that your subscription request has been forwarded to the moderator for approval. You will subsequently receive a welcome message that gives some general information about the Ozbrl list and how to use it.

A Note for the Student

By Ramona Mandy

When I was a blind student at high school in the late 70's and early 80's, I considered myself pretty lucky compared to blind students from earlier generations. I didn't have to carry a typewriter from class to class because we had specialist teachers on site who would over-write my brailled class work for handing in to the mainstream teachers with only a day or two delay. The education department had a braille transcription service in place so I did not need to rely on friends and family to record texts on to tape. However, the delays, often up to three or four months, in getting transcribed material, meant I could not undertake class tasks at the same time as my classroom peers.
Carrying a Perkins Brailler around caused calluses on my fingers and probably some back problems in later life, but, I had a tool for literacy and therefore I could participate in mainstream schooling. I, and my blind peers, just accepted that it took much longer for us to access information, having to rely on alternative format production and the help from support teachers and volunteers.
So, I find it very interesting to observe how students with a vision impairment today go about completing their class and homework. Something that is obviously a feature for all students, sighted and blind, is their exposure to and requirement to use technology. Calculators are a commonplace item in the maths classroom. Schools have computers for students to use for research or project work. A personal computer at home is frequently used to do assignments and everyday homework.
It is no wonder then that teachers and parents are constantly looking for technology solutions for vision impaired students which will enable the student to access computer based tasks and participate in a study environment in an equitable and efficient manner. As taking notes and writing such things as essays, assignments and test answers is such a large part of school work, then support staff and parents are embracing the advent of note takers designed for vision impaired people. Pulse Data Australia has a range of note takers referred to as Personal Data Assistances (PDA) because they allow a vision impaired student to do many more things than just take notes. However, the note taking capability itself offers some innovative features.
The range of PDA units includes six types. They are all small and easy to carry. They are only the size of an average textbook. The weight varies from .7 to 1.3 KGs. Even young or slight-built children can carry them without strain.
The family of units is known as the BrailleNote family. All units have speech output and you have the option of a unit with 18 or 32 cells of refreshable braille which displays in braille what is also being spoken. Alternatively, the VoiceNote uses speech output only with no braille display, and is, therefore, a cheaper option.
All 3 versions come with either a braille style keyboard (similar to a Perkins Brailler only more ergonomic and easy to press), or a QWERTY style keyboard, (similar to a laptop but a little smaller). This caters for everyone's needs both in terms of preferred method for writing and preferred method of receiving information.
The BrailleNote PDA's are based on the Windows CE operating system, which is like a cut down version of Windows. This provides the user with the ability to read and write Microsoft Word documents. The advantages here are enormous. Students can create documents, anything from spelling lists to essays, save the file to a disk and give the work to a teacher who can then read the text on their own PC. Likewise, teachers can produce work for students which can be instantly read in the BrailleNote or VoiceNote without any necessary conversion process. The student can access that work either via the speech or braille display or both. This has the benefit of saving a lot of time in transcription work.
In addition, students can take notes in class, and if so desired, they can later print or emboss that work. The battery life in a BrailleNote is around 20-25 hours so there is no concern about accessing power or flat batteries, and no worries about running out of paper.
The other advantage to having a Windows CE operating system is that the BrailleNote can access a regular POP3 type of email account. Students can exchange files with family, friends and teachers simply by sending them as an attachment to an email.
The calculator has many scientific functions in it such as trigonometry and geometry. One less device to carry is always a bonus.
The BrailleNote also contains a book reader which allows a user to load e-books after they have been downloaded from the Internet and to read them in speech or in their preferred grade of braille. Blind students can read Harry Potter books at the same time as their sighted peers!
One comment that teachers and parents frequently make is about how the BrailleNote has helped a student's literacy, particularly when they have the unit with the braille display. Being able to "read" what is spoken and see how it is spelt, as well as seeing text layout and use of punctuation, reinforces literacy skills.
The BrailleNote can connect to a desktop or laptop computer, permitting easy file transfer. This connectivity also allows sighted people to use the monitor on a standard computer as a visual display for seeing what is being written on the BrailleNote.
I am the BrailleNote Promotions Officer for Pulse Data Australia. I'd be very happy to discuss and demonstrate the BrailleNote range with anyone. You may find it worthwhile inviting me to attend a PSG (Program Support Group) meeting so that all parties involved with decision making about appropriate equipment can be given a hands-on experience of the units. Similarly, I'd welcome any proposals for presentations to district meetings, inservice days, parents' support group meetings or just a one on one demonstration for a single family or student and teacher.
There's no doubt that the BrailleNote products give a student greater freedom and flexibility at school and at home. The opportunities presented by this technology are not limited to school students, either. Students leaving school and going into a training or employment situation will find it an invaluable tool.
I look forward to your contact. My details are as follows:
Ramona Mandy
Pulse Data Australia
BrailleNote Promotions Officer
Tel: 03 9686 2601 or Mobile: 0404 834 924.
Email: rmandy@pulsedata.com.au

Staff News

Braille Transcriber Emilie is taking 12 weeks Leave - so you might be seeing some new faces around the place.
Janie (Northern Region) is back on deck after her period of leave but Trish (Bendigo) is now on leave.

Student News

Anita, who was equal Dux of her school last year, will be studying Science Commerce at Melbourne University this year.
Hanna will be studying Health Promotion at Deakin this year.
Neslihan completed first year Law at Melbourne University last year.

If you have something you would like included in The Bulletin, contact:

Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).

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Web editor Lyn Robinson. Last updated March 2002
Copyright/Disclaimer

Term	PD Event	Date
1	Low Vision Day	Friday 15 March
1	O&M Morning	Thursday 21 March
2	JAWS for Beginners	Wednesday 17 April
2	VI Students with Additional Impairments Day	Friday 3 May
2	Mountbatten Morning	Tuesday 14 May
2	Visiting Teacher Conference	Mon-Tue 27-28 May
2	Visiting Teacher PD Day	Friday 7 June
3	Mountbatten Morning	Thursday 25 July
3	Visiitng Teacher PD Day	Monday 12 August
3	Integration Aide Day	Monday 26 August
3	O&M Monrning	Tuesday 10 September
4	SPEVI Combined Agencies Day	Monday 7 October
4	Mountbatten Morning	Tuesday 26 November
4	SVRC Mini EXPO	Friday 6 December