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This largely Round Table and SPEVI issue of The Bulletin was edited by Deb Lewis, Co-ordinator, Statewide Vision Resource Centre.
The SVRC PD program for the rest of 2006 appears below. For the complete list of activities for 2006 and where available downloadable programs, go to: http://www.visiontech.svrc.vic.edu.au/pd2006.htm
All activities offered by the SVRC are open to class and subject teachers, integration teachers and aides, careers teachers, therapists, parents VTs, students etc. Please register: tel (03) 9841 0242, fax (03) 9841 0878 or email svrc@svrc.vic.edu.au
Ramona Mandy from HumanWare got a little more than she bargained for at a recent workshop held at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre.
Along with the two SVRC staff, two visiting teachers, two integration aides, one parent and one student (not related), Ramona also workshopped our nine visitors from Northamptonshire LEA, UK!!!
Jeff Myring from the International Division of the Department of Education (yes, apparently we have one) arranged an interesting and varied program, mainly based in Eastern Region where visitors had the opportunity to take in:
We understand that they also visited the Immigration Museum, the penguins, Healesville Sanctuary, Ackland Street, Rialto Towers and they even managed to paddle in the sea at St Kilda!
Here for only a week, they are back in their school in the UK on Tuesday!!! That’s what I call a whirlwind tour!!!
Below: Ramona demonstrates ScannaR at the workshop on Tuesday.
Each year the Round Table runs a conference to facilitate and influence the production and use of quality alternative formats for people with print disabilities. Conferences showcase examples of best practice in the provision of accessible information to people with a print disability in the workplace and the community centre, including businesses, agencies, tertiary institutions, libraries, Commonwealth, State and local government.
I recently attended the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities – always an exciting event packed with information and networking opportunities.
Lea Nagel’s Braille Music Cheat Sheet (Issue 6, 2006 of The Bulletin which you can download from the link here: www.svrc.vic.edu.au/06%2706.html) offered us a window into the mysterious world of the Braille Music code … but there is now a fabulous new resource available for teaching braille music.
At the recent 2006 National Conference for the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities in Brisbane, Denise Pellow introduced us to the “Survivor’s Guide to Braille Music Notation”.
There are precious few teachers in the specialised field of braille music so the materials were written to support those trying to provide brailling students (children and adults) with the skills they need to succeed in the music arena. Denise and her colleagues come from the school of “whatever can be written in print music can be represented in braille music notation”.
The program, designed as a basic introduction course, assumes a sound knowledge of contracted braille and a basic knowledge of music. It is:
The program includes a print version, a braille version and also
a music CD.
Download your order form for this free resource from the Vision Australia website:
www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=1062
and for more information call Vision Australia: 1300 847 466.
Talking books for the blind were first produced for the National Library of Congress in the USA in 1934 – that is over 75 years ago. Early incarnations for people with vision impairments included long play records, reel to reel tape and audio tapes (currently on their way out, too!). Today we are expanding the range of options from physical items (eg tapes and CDs) reliant on physical collection or postage to downloadable files. BookPort is one of the new range of audio options.
This exciting little device can be used to read DAISY, rich text and braille files via an inbuilt synthetic voice. BookPort has a long battery life – up to 50 hours from two AA batteries. Users can download books and newspapers (eg “News on the Go” see below) via a USB connection.
Vision Australia’s Andrew Furlong reported on a new program allowing access to newspapers. “News on the Go”, a Vision Australia project described in issue 1, 2006 of The Bulletin (www.svrc.vic.edu.au/01%2706.html) provided a free BookPort to 100 people with print disabilities to trial this new system for accessing daily newspapers.
“News on the Go” provides access to 24 daily Australian newspapers in DAISY format!!! “News on the Go” is amazing! Every day, before the paper newspaper hits the streets, the DAISY equivalent is available for download. Download can take place via broad band or dialup internet service and takes less than a minute. As it has full text capability, “News on the Go” is fully searchable and can be read via on-screen print or high quality digital voice. It can be read via the laptop (with DAISY software) or other DAISY devices such as BookPort.
In the future, “News on the Go” will offer:
DAISY is the alternative format to print that most closely resembles print in its structure and accessibility. For example, DAISY generally has a table of contents, page numbers, chapters etc.
Amongst the wide range of other benefits, DAISY is a space-efficient alternative format – eg a print book of 450 pages would appear as 20 audio tapes in 5 audio tape cases OR one CD.
Like all digital formats, DAISY can be stored on a CD, flash card, internal memory, and it can be emailed and downloaded from the internet.
A DAISY book can be produced as:
A DAISY book will often have the following structure:
There is an ever-increasing variety of ways to access a DAISY file – though currently DAISY files cannot generally be accessed via MP3 or audio CD players (that’s probably, however, just a matter of time…). DAISY files can be played on:
The basis of production of materials in DAISY will be the XML file. This is known as “XML centrism”, where XML is at the centre of the process of production of materials in alternative format. XML offers the structure and the content of the document. Structural markup indicates the structure of the document and is not intended to be read by a reader eg
<h1>DAISY</h1> this indicates that the word DAISY will be written as a heading
<p>text</p> this indicates that the text appears as a paragraph
<em>text</em> this text will be emphasised
Files which have markup such as this can more easily be converted into a variety of formats that better suit the needs of the individual reader
As DAISY becomes the standard in digital format for people with print disabilities:
If you’d like a Jot a Dot demo unit email Quantum Technology: info@quantumtechnology.com.au
And you can enter to win yourself a Jot a Dot by going to the
link below and nominating how many separate parts make up a Jot a Dot. The exact,
or closest to the number of parts, will win a Jot a Dot Pocket Brailler. Go
to: www.jotadot.com/index.php?x=entercomp
Competition will close on 31 July 2006 and the winner will be notified by e-mail.
Key commands and other tips can make your experience of your Windows environment a quicker and more efficient experience. Here are some resources which may improve your access to your PC:
If you have a cheat sheet you’d like to share, please contact Deb Lewis.
For the complete list of Cheat Sheets (which will be updated as new offerings come to hand, go to: www.visiontech.svrc.vic.edu.au/cheatsheets.htm
Source: ACROD News Update, 23 May 2006
Extension of the ‘fair dealing’ provisions in the Copyright Act will allow greater print access for people with print disabilities. The changes, announced by the Federal Government on 14 May, will reduce a major disadvantage according to the Federal Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes.
Copyright restrictions, and related waiting times, prevent people with print disabilities from gaining access to much print material, and force them to wait unduly long times for the material which they do access. People with print disabilities have access to only 3% of the information available to the general population. The changes to the Act will mean that this miniscule percentage can be increased.
The proposed changes will allow a person with a print disability to scan print material and then – using computer technology – read it in braille or audio. They may also decrease the time necessary for libraries for people with print disabilities to make such material available. The changes still won’t mean equal access, but they will certainly make a difference.
More information: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission www.hreoc.gov.au/media_releases/2006/27_06.htm and The Attorney-General www.ag.gov.au/agd/www/ministerruddockhome.nsf media release of 14 May 2006.
Source: Go to: www.e-bility.com/spevi/
South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment - SPEVI - acts as the professional body in matters pertaining to the education of people with a vision impairment within the South Pacific region.
The SPEVI web site provides information about SPEVI and membership services, such as the SPEVI List. It is also being developed as a resource for anyone interested in vision impairment or who has a friend or relative with vision impairment. There you’ll find a growing collection of links to information and support in areas such as: recreation, Australian and international blindness organisations, equipment and software developers, career information and vocational education resources.
Planning for the 2007 Conference is underway and regular updates will appear on the events page of this web site (www.e-bility.com/spevi/conf07.php).
When: 7th -12th January 2007
Where: Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia
Theme: Connecting the Pathways: Sharing our Knowledge to reflect
the collaborative involvement of children, families, therapists, community groups,
specialists, educators and professionals in working together for enhanced outcomes
for children/youth who are blind or who have a vision impairment.
Members are also encouraged to join the SPEVI Mailing List. This initiative is seen as an exciting way of facilitating communication and sharing expertise. Subscriptions are now open, so if you are a SPEVI member and would like to be part of the discussions you are welcome to join in: www.e-bility.com/spevi/mailinglist.php
Following the Education Week activity on May 12 at the SVRC, the Children’s Mobility Service accompanied a group of students to the Zoo for some Orientation and Mobility activities. The students worked in small groups and chose an area of the zoo they wanted to visit and then had the task of finding their way to the selected destination using large print maps and talking compasses. The students were also able to participate in a Zoo Education Centre activity where they were able to hold different animals including a frog and they were able to touch a variety of animal skins.
Thanks to the Visiting Teachers who were able to support the activity by attending the afternoon. Jeni Blake took the opportunity to reinforce some public transport use skills by travelling back to Springvale station.
To meet the Orientation and Mobility needs of a group of students in Northern Victoria the Children’s Mobility Service will be running a short program in a small town not far from Swan Hill. This will be an excellent opportunity to provide O&M in the student’s local area and in the company of other students. Three O&M Instructors will be staffing the program and students and O&M’s will be staying in motel accommodation.
A Big Night Out for girls is being organised for July. The program features activities we have not done before and we have enlisted the support of Myer Stores to help facilitate the program. Further details about the night will be advertised once the arrangements have been confirmed.
Organisation for the Echuca program is now well underway. The program is for Senior students and will provide a range of Orientation and Mobility challenges as well as the chance to have some fun. Applications for the program closed on May 30.
The next CMS newsletter is due for distribution in July. We welcome articles from students and Visiting Teachers. Please contact Janet Murray 9854 4467 janet.m@guidedogsvictoria.com.au for further information.
The Children’s Mobility Service is currently providing O&M services to children, their families and teachers throughout much of Victoria. Staff visit may regional centres regularly including Mildura, Wodonga, Rutherglen, Warrnambool, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Sale and Bendigo.
The service currently has 6 staff all based at the Guide Dogs Victoria campus in Kew.
For further information about the Children’s Mobility Service please contact dean.j@guidedogsvictoria.com.au or rachel.m@guidedogsvictoria.com.au
FReeZACentral is hosting free, accredited training days around Victoria for young people aged 15 to 25 who are interested in a music industry.
The all-day workshops will be held in Footscray (June 17), Ballarat (June 20), Brunswick (June 23), Morwell (June 28), Frankston (July 1), Mildura (July 5), Geelong (July 8), Shepparton (July 11) and Melbourne city (July 15).
FReeZACentral workshops provide young people with information on planning their careers in the music business, plus the unique opportunity to meet industry pros and learn first hand about their day-to-day jobs. Young people attending the training days can choose a workshop stream from performance, technical, event management, marketing and music business operations. Qualified presenters from Victoria University plus long-established music industry professionals will share their expert tips on how to get a better knowledge of the music business, and how young people can get a foot in the door of their chosen field. The workshops help demystify an industry which is notoriously hard to break into.
Registration is free and includes a free lunch. Register online at www.freezacentral.vic.gov.au or contact The Push on (03) 9380 1277
Source: Winter 2005/2006 issue of Blindosity
Future Inventions for the Blind and Visually Impaired by Hannah Jones
In my scanning of MaxiAids and other catalogues, there are things that we don’t have but I think would be pretty nice. (Some of these are somewhat farfetched.)
Thanks to Dean Johnson, Stephen Wagner, Mike Steer and Rene Williamson for contributing to this edition of The Bulletin. Thanks also to my fabulous proof-readers, stuffers and mailers.
Deb Lewis (who can be emailed at deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au).