Tag: CCTV

Shopping

My Blindness and Visual Services caseworker stopped in to say “hi”. He remarked a common client had hit a snag in plan A and he was moving him to plan B. Plan B was to be the Carroll Center.

Quite frankly, I had never heard of it. I have only been legally blind for 3 ½ years, guys. I can’t know everything! However, in an attempt to know “everything” I looked it up.

I will give you more on the Carroll Center itself later, but where I jumped into their webpage and where I want to start here is the store. They have CCTVs for rent! Be still my wildly beating heart! The cheaper ones are $25 per month. The more expensive ones are $50.

This is a deal! CCTVs like mine run $3,500. You own it. You repair it. I have had to send it for repairs about three times in three years. Average repair price? Let us say $200. Even renting their most expensive option, the price of one CCTV would cover six years of rental. If it breaks? Send it back and get a new one.

I really like this idea for the budget minded “blind”!

The other thing that caught my interest was a new product the Carroll store is advertising. They are touting this super cool item locator for the price of $26. The system comes with one transmitter and three receivers. You fasten the receivers on to things you are always losing. Keys, my phone and the remote come to mind immediately. The receivers are color-coded and there are three, color-coded buttons on the transmitter. Hit a button and the receiver on an item sounds a tone.

Knowing myself, I think I would want to find a permanent home for my transmitter. Maybe glue it to a table. It is well within the realm of possibilities that I would misplace the transmitter!

Looking at the range of categories of things the Carroll Center has for sale, I would say they pretty much rival Maxi Aids. It is always good to have options.

Now, I will try to pull myself away from shopping and tell you a bit about the Carroll Center. According to their website, the Carroll Center is nearly 90 years old. It started as a Catholic charity but now appears to be non-denominational. Visually impaired? You’re in.

Located in Newton, Massachusetts ( 800-852-3131), the Carroll Center serves all ages and all levels of visual impairment. They advertise services for children all the way up to seniors. For seniors they offer independent living programs such as essential skills, diabetes self-management, orientation and mobility and technology. It appears many of these programs are offered on campus there in Newton. A temporary relocation may be necessary. However, if they are as good as their website suggests, it could be worth it.

Funding? No clue. I know state agencies like BBVS will fund if you have a chance of going back to work. Remember they are part of vocational rehabilitation and their mandate – and most of the budget – is to get people back to work. If you are not a good candidate for employment, funding will have to come from somewhere else.

So, need services? Live in New England? The Carroll Center might be your ticket. And now, if you will excuse me, I am going back to shopping!

Written Sept. 16th, 2019

Next: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

My New Luggage

Hi. Waiting for transportation. What else is new?

I sent Lin a photo of my ‘luggage’ today. This is a joke. I am taking two rolling crates to work. The loaner CCTV has two parts. It has a base and it has a monitor. It is HUGE.

Yes, I am glad I have it. Practicing gratitude and mentally comparing what could be my next month without a CCTV to what it will be with the loaner machine. This is better.

DBT says clients are doing the best they can, but they can do better. Right now I am doing the best I can. Making due with this behemoth of a CCTV. However, it is possible I could do better. I am on the trail of another option. Someone said there are loaners through the library.  If I can get one of those for home and have this one for the office, I will have it made in the shade!

Stay tuned for the next update…and try your local library for equipment loans. They might be able to help.

Later in the evening:

I just sent Lin a picture of the fantastic loaner I got from the library! It is a Freedom Scientific machine and it is very nice. It is a Topaz. When I looked it up on the website I discovered it is  $3400 machine.

And I got it on my library card.

OK. So I also made a donation out of gratitude. Nowhere near the cost of the machine.

When I went in and asked, they had to dig it out from behind some shelving. There were two of them and I took the one closest to me. The better to get it out, my dear.

The library people said they had never used them. Did not know how to use them. They were just taking up space. The solution to my problem gathering dust in a corner.

And how did I get it? I asked.

Having this second CCTV means I can have one at home and one at the office. I will be able to do minimal lugging. I won’t be totally stressed wondering when my CCTV is coming back.

I am thrilled. And all I did was ask.

What else is happening? Well, Lin shared a podcast with me. The name of it is Life After Sight Loss. The narrator – perky little devil! – is a guy named Derek Daniel.

Now I really did not have time to listen to much. I was getting ready for work. There are many podcasts on a variety of low vision/no vision subjects that are included on the site. The site seems to be one you might want to check out.

According to his bio Daniel has been totally blind for some time.  He has Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. (Gene therapy for LHON, by the way, is looking very promising). Daniel appears to have radically accepted his blindness and to have taken part in many different trainings as well as using many technological supports. In other words, he has paid his dues and probably knows what he is talking about.

You might want to check out lifeaftersightloss.com and see what you think. And if you have a CCTV on the blink, check out the public library. It is amazing what you might check out on a library card!

Written June 13th, 2018

Next: Glad They’re On Our Side

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Sue’s Toolkit – 2 Years Later – Part 2

Hi. Sunday and the snow is coming down! All day I have been fighting “it’s snowing! I don’t have to do my work! We will have a day off tomorrow!”

That’s me, by the way. There are no school-aged kiddos in this house. I have been fighting procrastination ever since the snow started around noon. Did manage to get some of my ‘homework’ done. One report written. I don’t want to think about how many more to go!

So, taking time to write a quick page before going on to report #2. I got one of my mymacularjournal.com ‘homework’ assignments back from Lin. Full of ‘red marks’! “Did you mention this? How about that?” Good grief!

I told her I would blame my having to do this page on her.? So there. [Lin/Linda: What can I say…we have high standards here. ::grin::]

Here we go…what has survived the test of time redux.

First of all: these are not advertisements. There are plenty and PLENTY of other products that mostly likely work as well. These are the ones I tried and they worked for me. I have no investment in any of this stuff. If you use other things and like them better, make a comment, write a page. We want to hear. Also, caveat emptor. If you buy something and “hate it!”, it’s not my fault. These are not recommendations.

Now that that is out of the way…my CCTV is from Low Vision International. The model is the Magnilink Zip 17. The 17 is for the screen size. Lin wanted me to tell you what I have and like but, remember, there are probably dozens of others. The big selling point for this one is it is portable. Maybe about 20 pounds including the case. It goes to school. It goes to the office. It goes home. Good deal. Don’t need portable? Maybe this one is not for you.

Lin also wanted me to mention the iPad with the Justand. I seldom use it but if you cannot get someone to plop down $3500 for you to get a CCTV?  The iPad on the Justand is a viable alternative. [Sue wrote about the inexpensive Justand that holds the iPad above what you want to look at. You can see the image on the screen and can enlarge it as needed.  Her page Good Stuff Cheap.]

Why do I seldom use it? I have a portable CCTV. Using my iPad as a magnifier means it is not available for anything else.

Like watching TV for example. Lin asked how I watch TV on my iPad. (I think she knows. It’s a test.? She wants to see if I really know!) I went to the app store and searched for some of my more favorite networks. I have CBS, NBC, PBS and FOX apps on my iPad. You have to ‘subscribe’ (read ‘buy’) if you want the good stuff. By good stuff I mean prime time and current, but sometimes they throw you a bone and you can watch your shows for my favorite word: free. Most of them require you watch the commercials, but sometimes the commercials are the best part! [You can also subscribe to services such as Hulu and Netflx and watch their programming on the TV or on your tablet.  If you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can also watch TV shows and movies on the TV or tablet many are free, some have a cost.]

And when I say require, I mean just that. You cannot fast forward through them. But you can go to the bathroom or get something to eat if you want.?

Oops. This is getting long. Catch up on the rest of the questions later! I gotta get something to eat. (Bet you thought I was going to say something else!?) Bye!

Written Feb. 1st, 2018

Continue reading “Sue’s Toolkit – 2 Years Later – Part 2”

Sue’s Toolkit – 2 Year Later – Part 1

Allow me to start this page with a statement of fact: I am not normal. I do housework under duress. If God wanted me to cook, he would not have invented Chinese buffets and frozen lasagna.

In short, if you are looking for tips and equipment that will make cleaning and cooking easier for someone with a visual impairment, this page is not the place.

That place IS MaxiAids. They have a fantastic collection of adapted materials. Many of their products are designed to help with domestic drudgery…ah, chores. If you are in need of those sorts of products, MaxiAids is wonderful.

Oh, and by the way, none of these are advertisement or recommendations. All of this stuff I either use or, in the case of the MaxiAid stuff, had pointed out to me as a valuable resource. What fits my needs may not fit yours.

Also, if you want to buy any of those types of products, use them and write reviews, welcome guest authors! It just ain’t going to be me doing it.

[Lin/Linda here with a very red face! After all Sue’s fuss about my ‘grading’ her page, she caught me!  I’d forgotten to publish THIS page first.  Whoops!  There are a lot of things I could blame it on but I’ll spare you all.  Sorry, Sue.  You can fire me anytime.  ::grin::]

What I am going to do is do a brief rundown (apparently better than a run-over) of what I have used that has stood the test of time. What technology am I still using two years later?

Let us start with what I just ordered: mini monoculars. Yes, I have had several. The problems with them are 1) they don’t survive water – especially salt water – well and 2) they are not built to be chew toys. The last one I had got chewed to bits. Puppygirls strike again. The one immediately before that fell off a paddle board in the Bahamas. Several times in fact.

When not being gnawed or submerged, the mini monoculars are great for surveying your surroundings from a distance. They are good for street signs and identifying what is running across the field towards you. Yikes!

I bought a larger monocular. I also bought a small pair of binoculars. They were both too heavy to wear around my neck all the time.

What I would recommend more than anything is an iPad. My iPad may be my prize possession. With the zoom feature I can do scads of things! It is onto my iPad that I have downloaded all sorts of free apps including apps for major television stations.

I am not a big television fan. If it doesn’t have NCIS somewhere in the title, I probably don’t watch it. However, when I do want to watch a program, I can often stream an episode of something or other for free.

The really good thing about watching TV on the iPad is your ability to move the screen as close to your nose as you need to. Remember relative distance is a way to magnify. Also with the iPad you can replay a scene if you don’t quite get what happened.

I have talked about all sorts of apps that are on my iPad. Honestly, I may use the KNFB Reader occasionally and NaturalReader occasionally but not all that often. My eyes are still strong enough I can use the iPad camera with a free magnifying app to read menus and other short stuff. [click here for a good article about the features of the iPhone and iPad that make them so good for those with low vision.]

If I want to read a book, I use BARD, also an app on my iPad.  Remember you have to be declared legally blind to get BARD. If you are not legally blind you can buy e-books and zoom them. [Read more about BARD and e-books in Sue’s Page Around the World of Books.]

I am over my 500 words so I will just quickly mention two other things. The first one would be Zoom Text. If you are working on a desktop computer – or at least using a large monitor – ZoomText makes life much easier. Navigation can be a bear since half the page is off the edges, but at least you can see the half that is on the screen.

Last but not least is my CCTV. I use that nearly every day. Without it, I feel like I lost an arm. I can write checks and notes using it. I can read articles for pages. It gets used.

Once again, my CCTV was $3500. Mine was paid for because they wanted to keep me working. You may not have that opportunity. However, spare $3 or 4K? The investment, in my mind, would be worth it. [There are SO MANY CCTV products that we can’t review them at this time.  Search the Internet, ask your Low Vision Specialist or other resources.]

That is it. That is barebones what I actually use after two years being a VIP. Hope the info helps.

Oops! PS I forgot my Max TV glasses! No TV but they are great for doing classroom observations, seeing my students in class and watching movies and live theater performances.

written Jan. 31st, 2018

Next: Sue’s Toolkit – 2 Years Later – Part 2

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Limping Along

Wednesday. Morning! I am in the pre-vacation rush. Not quite ready to pack and get my head in vacation mode but trying to put as much at home ‘to bed’ as I can. Last evening I spent two hours working on stuff for school. Even with that and whatever else I can do in downtime, it is going to be a crunch to beat deadlines when I get back.

To top things off my CCTV died yesterday. What a glorious mess that has been! I tried calling everyone I could think of. Blindness and Visual Services have two loaners and they are both out. The district has nothing and the educational resource organization that serves the district has nothing. I even called the local college. Nothing. The local assistive technology store did call me back but by that time I had a line on some help from Eschenbach.

I have to hand it to Eschenbach. They have helped me several times in the past and they are coming through for me now. I have a loaner machine coming along with an authorization for repairs for my machine. I am hoping the repairs will be done for when I have to go back to work in two weeks.

In the meantime, I got a lot of help today. When you cannot see, adding columns of numbers on tests can be a challenge. I asked several people to check my work. Better to be safe than sorry. Did not do too badly but I would not want to try to function that way every day.

Lesson? Nothing new really. I just needed to advocate for myself and keep pushing until I got the help I needed. Somebody often knows somebody who knows somebody who might have an idea about someone else. Consider it a quest!

People care. BVS called today to see how I was coming along. They had been working their contacts for me, too. Just did not have a lot of luck.

I guess that that is another point. Don’t burn bridges. Be appreciative. All those things they taught in Sunday School or your Sunday School Equivalent. People will put forth effort for people they like. Smile!?

I find it a bit distressing, however, that I had to reach out two states away for help. Eschenbach is in Connecticut. I would love to have resources a little closer to home. The guy from the vision store suggested I contact the local blind association. Not sure if the Office on Aging or some other such thing could have been of help. Probably need to inquire. Now that this has happened I feel as if I need a viable disaster plan for when it happens again.

So that was my day. Not an easy day at work but sort of gratifying. My problem is going to be solved. People cared and were trying to help. I would have liked to have laid my hands on a ‘spare’ within the hour, of course, but that was probably unrealistic.

I can limp along for the next few days.

Written October 25th, 2017

Continue reading “Limping Along”

Timeline Part 1: Advances in Treatment & Care for People with Macular Degeneration

It’s Lin/Linda.  I created this page to go with Sue’s page Not Your Parents’ AMD.  Like some of you, I had a loved one with AMD.  It was my father who was diagnosed with AMD in 2005 at the age of 82.  At the time, I was living 700 miles away and I did not know much about the disease or at what stage he was diagnosed.  He progressed to geographic atrophy (GA), that much I knew.  He was the sole caregiver for my mother who had Alzheimer’s Disease.  He continued to drive (not safely), take care of her and the house.  He was never referred to vision rehabilitation or offered any help other than being told to use handheld magnifiers.

I wondered how things have changed since then which led me to do this timeline review.  Not only have there been advances in the medical end of the field but also in the technology that is allowing people to remain independent for as long as possible.  That is if a person learns how to use the various devices and apps available.

I’ve based the categories of time on an article Age-Related Macular Degeneration
1969 –2004: A 35-Year Personal Perspective by Stuart L. Fine, MD published in 2005.  He says “In 1969, patients with AMD constituted a small part of a typical ophthalmic practice. From 1969 to 2004, the prevalence of AMD has increased, and the methods of evaluation and treatment have changed dramatically.”

I know I have missed many events that have been critical to the history of the treatment & care of AMD.  There is SO much information out there and I’ve tried to use the most significant dates I could find.  Have a suggestion of what to include? Did I get a date wrong? Let me know in a comment or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

1st Era: 1969–1979
  • Emergence of fluorescein fundus photography: test used in diagnosis of retinal diseases
  • Development of ‘hot’ (high power) laser photocoagulation, first treatment for wet AMD
  • Relationship of drusen to age-related macular degeneration
  • Other developments:
    • 1976-1977 first personal computers affordable for home use
    • more low vision aids:
      • 1960s large print books became available
      • 1976 large print calculators became available
      • 1969-1970 CCTV (closed caption TV) for reading aid
2nd Era: 1980–1994
  • Clinical trials to evaluate new treatments, especially laser photocoagulation (1979-1994)
  • Development of risk factor data from large and small epidemiologic studies (epidemology is looking for patterns & causes)
  • mid-1980s term ‘senile macular degeneration’ becomes ‘age-related macular degeneration’
  • Other developments:
    • 1982 Vitreous Society was founded; 1983 first meeting attended by 44 retinal specialists
    • 1991 OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) test used in diagnosis of retinal diseases
    • mid 1980s name changed from ‘senile macular degeneration’ to ‘age-related macular degeneration’
    • 1992 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
    • 1983 first cell phones
    • 1991 World Wide Web for ‘surfing’ the Internet with easy-to-use browsers
    • low vision aids:
      • MaxiAids catalog of aids for orders from people with low vision & other impairments
    • technology/low vision aids:
      • 1982 DragonSystems founded Dragon NaturallySpeaking, speech to text
      • 1988 ZoomText was released which is software to magnify text on a computer screen
3rd Era: 1995–2003
  • Evaluation of radiation therapy for neovascular AMD, not proven to be effective
  • Assessment of pharmacologic interventions for neovascular AMD; Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) “cold” (low power laser) with Visudyne (first drug treatment;  2001)
  • Prevention trials: results AREDS released 2001
  • Other developments:
    • 1995 Amazon sells books online (1998 expands beyond just books; e-books 2000)
    • 1996 Google released
    • 1998 first e-book reader The Rocket
    • 2000 GPS available for civilians; 2001 personal navigation systems available like Garmin and TomTom
    • 2000 Microsoft & Amazon sell e-books
4th Era: 2004 – 2017
  • Completion of ongoing trials for neovascular AMD: FDA approval: Macugen 2004; Avastin 2004; Lucentis 2006; Eylea 2011
  • Earlier identification of eyes at risk: regular use of OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) and other diagnostic tests
  • Prevention trials: results AREDS2 released 2013
  • Increased number of retinal specialists: eg, American Association of Retinal Specialists (ASRS), formerly Vitreous Society (see 1982 above), has 2700 members representing 60 countries.
  • Other developments:
    • 2011 First baby boomers turn 65
    • 2004 Facebook
    • 2013 first ‘bionic eye’ retinal implant, Argus II approved by FDA
    • technology:
      • 2007 Amazon Kindle e-reader; iPhone & Apple IOS
      • 2008 Android 1.0 & Android phone
      • 2010 Apple iPad
    • technology/low vision aids:
      • 2005 Apple VoiceOver for Mac users
      • 2009 VoiceOver added to iPhone IOS
      • 2010 FDA approved implantable telescope
      • smart glasses/wearable technology
      • 2014 KNFB Reader app for Apple & Android; 2017 for Windows 10
    • ongoing research areas:

Not Your Parents’ AMD

3 pm Monday and so far it is a good day. The pool guy is working on my new liner. The funny thingee on my tummy is a normal, benign growth and the transportation company got new vans with fancy logos painted on them. No more confusion with two dozen, white vans. Life is looking up!

Lin told me there was a conversation thread in the Facebook group about parents who struggled with AMD. People remember what their mothers and fathers went through and they are determined not to become like them.

I am reasonably sure my father’s vision problems were AMD. The more I think about it his father’s vision problems may have been AMD. I remember both of them using a handheld lens to read the newspaper as well as the really strange interpretations Daddy would have when it came to TV shows. I have no idea what HE was watching but it was not the same thing I was watching!

I have said it a couple of dozen times and I will say it again: this is the best time in the history of the human race to be losing our sight. Absolutely the best. You may not realize it. You may remember what you saw and think we are doomed to go there too but we are not. We really are not.

I tried a handheld magnifier for a couple of weeks. Not doing that again. They are very inefficient. I have my CCTV, my handheld reader and my iPad which can go in the Justand.

[Lin:Linda: To see what Sue uses on a daily basis, check out these pages: A Day in the Life and A Day in the Life:Work Day.]

I can get newspapers on my phone and books from BARD (there are other sources, too, as well as magazines which are available).  I’m able to take a picture of pretty much any text I want and my KNFB Reader will read it to me. The zoom feature on my iPad will allow me to read email and research pretty efficiently. ZoomText allows me to work. (refer to the “Day in the Life” pages above)

If I want to look at something a little distance away I can use my max TV glasses or my monocular. Not too bad.

Depending upon when Lin publishes this page, you either have or will be hearing about audio description services (coming soon!). If my father had had those for the TV we would have been “on the same page” a lot more than we were when we watched programs together. Audio description can also allow you to go to the movies and live theater and actually know what is going on.

Do I want to be losing my sight? Hell, no! This is not a walk in the park but it is not what Daddy endured either. Just the same he made it into his mid 80s and managed to take care of himself until other issues brought him down. If he could do it without all of the toys, I can do it.  [Lin/Linda: My dad had geographic atrophy & took care of my mother who had Alzheimer’s using several different handheld magnifiers & a few other low vision aids.]

Yet another reason to be optimistic is all of the exciting research happening. We are poised for a veritable explosion of treatments. Not cures, mind you, but treatments. Thirty years ago there was nothing.

[Lin/Linda: To see what’s in the research pipeline, click here.]

What can you do? Be willing. Use what has been provided. If you put that iPad your son gave you in the drawer you have absolutely no grounds for complains. Bluntly put? Your extra suffering will be your own damn fault.

What else? Volunteer. Sign up for clinical trials. Join support groups. Share your knowledge and skills.

Life – and this vision loss bit included – is the craziest thing you will ever experience and none of us get out alive. Make the most of it while you can.

Continue reading “Not Your Parents’ AMD”

The Stuff of Life

Good morning. Fair warning; I might just ramble on this page. A bunch of little things happening. Nothing major.

Of course, little irritations are the stuff of life. I am also thinking they are more the stuff of low vision life.

I am waiting for transportation but I have no idea when they are coming. I got a call but the recording never clicked on. That meant anywhere from one minute to a half an hour. Better than yesterday. Yesterday they never bothered to put me on the schedule!

Fortunately my husband was able to take me. I seem to have a large number of ‘saviors’. Did I tell you a total stranger gave me a ride home from yoga? I was sort of stuck. The stranger told me she has been taking class behind me for six months. Couldn’t prove it by me.

That is a bit embarrassing. The next class also gave me a problem. I really wanted to talk to her but I could not see if she were there or not. What was I supposed to do? Walk down the back row staring at people? That would have been a bit weird.

I finally decided she had been told (and had observed!) that I am visually impaired. If she wanted to talk to me, she needed to speak to me first.

Why doesn’t someone write an etiquette book for these things? Miss Manners for the Proper Low Vision Sufferer!?!? There have to be some sort of rules! I get frustrated having to reinvent the wheel all of the time.

I got my CCTV back from the repair shop. I held on to the loaner a few days just to be sure all was well with mine. Also because returning the loaner was a semi-major event. Pack it up with all sorts of cushioning. That, of course, made it all a little too much for the box so one of us had to hold it closed while the other one taped. Then I discovered they had neglected to include free shipping labels so I needed to call for them. No to mention getting the bulky box out the door and to UPS!

(UPS will pick up. You can schedule a pick up by calling 800-pick ups which is 800-742-5877. However, their website does mention a ‘residential surcharge’. How much, no clue. We are the strong back and weak mind type and just always take things to the store.)

It would be nice if there were local repair options but I don’t believe there are. FYI, though, when I was not sure the company was going to be able to supply me with a loaner, I called Blindness and Visual Services. As a former client I could have borrowed one from them, quality not guaranteed. Pack that one away in your memory for a rainy day with a ‘sick’ CCTV.

Last thing for this post, I have my first visually impaired counseling client! I won’t say much about that person because of confidentiality. Instead, just a quick comment about my (of course!?) thoughts on it. To wit: it is happening slowly but it is happening. Remember that stuff about God closing a door and opening a window? The stuff about not forcing your fate???? How about “build it and they will come”? There you go! We are building and they are coming. Cool. Continue reading “The Stuff of Life”

Parts Is Parts

Today was sort of an ‘eye day’. Spent most of my day talking about vision or dealing with my ‘toys’. “Mama said there would be days like this.” [Lin/Linda: I don’t know if Sue intended this but this song came to mind!]

Toys first: my CCTV is broken again.

Apparently when they say portable they don’t mean what I mean: hauled everywhere and set up and torn down twice or three times a day. I lost another pop rivet so my document tray does not slide properly.

Also, my vertical hold comes and goes. Remember Outer Limits? “We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical.” Whoever is controlling this is not me. It gets flipping enough to make me sea sick!

For future reference should you have this problem, we think it might be a loose wire. When I flipped the camera to distance viewing and brought it back, the flipping stopped.

Needless to say, it is going into the shop. It is going into the shop as soon as I get a loaner; that is…..Oh, and I am not paying the $50 diagnostic fee either. The cursed thing has a two-year warranty.

What can I say? I am hard on parts.

[Lin/Linda: if you were wondering about the title, when I read the above sentence, my mind went to the Wendy’s TV commercial where the catchy line is “parts is parts”.  Click here for the commercial.]

Today was also the vision loss support group. As anticipated, I was the youngest one in the group. I was also the most informed. I am half ashamed to admit that I ‘held court’ and lectured on my toys and some of what I considered to be AMD basics. The ladies – and they were all ladies – seemed receptive and asked me back.

I was a bit disturbed that several of the ladies admitted to owning iPads and having shoved them in a drawer!  They have no background or understanding of computers and they are afraid of them. The lack of knowledge about basic electronics – especially things that can make your life 100 times easier – was scary.

When I said you could get things in the app store I was asked if that was in this town or a town nearby! Oh my….

Which made me think some of you may be in the same boat.

The App Store is a blue and white icon on your desktop. It has a big A right in the middle.

Touch the icon/symbol and you will get a page of whatever apps they are featuring, often games. In the upper right hand corner there is a gray box that says search. Touch that and you should get a keyboard. Type in a keyword or phrase and then touch enter. Examples of keywords might be magnifiers, low vision apps, or knfbreader. Remember many apps are free but some like the knfbreader are for a fee. The ones for a fee you will need an Apple account. Actually, I think you need an account no matter. I always have to put my password in to approve the download. Lin, what do we have about opening an Apple account? [Lin/Linda: I’m posing that information below.]

That is about it for now. I have to email the group leader and remind her about passwords. Next month they are bringing their iPads!

Click here for a good place to start learning about your iPad.

Click here for instructions on how to create an Apple ID.

Click here for the ‘Dummies’ series For Seniors: Use the iPad Online User Guide.  There are also topics on this website about iPhones and Android devices (smartphones & tablets).

Continue reading “Parts Is Parts”

Can An Old Dog Learn Braille?

A reader made a suggestion I could learn Braille. At first it sounded sort of fanciful. I am 63 years old and she wants this old dog to learn new tricks! I am sure it is REALLY hard. I am sure it will take me FOREVER.

Then I thought I should practice what I preach. Turn the mind and be willing. I could at least look into it….besides, it is good for a page and I am running out of ideas. Anyone else out there willing to share? I could use a little more, wonderful help like we got from Lara, Jennifer, Rick and Andrea.

VisionAware has a page on All About Braille. They tell us Louis Braille invented the system in France in the mid-1800s. Braille ‘cells’ are made up of two columns of three rows. Each letter and symbols is made up of a pattern of one or more dots.

The letter ‘s’ is dots in the second column-first row, 1-2 and 1-3. U is 1-1, 1-3 and 2-3. E is 1-1 and 2-1. There! I spelled my name!

I probably would want to learn alphabetic Braille first. That is letter by letter Braille. There is also a form called condensed Braille in which whole words are represented by one cell of dots.

Being part of the special education system, I know a little bit about sign language for the deaf. American Sign Language is not just standard English you ‘speak’ with your hands. It is its own language with its own rules and specialized characteristics. Condensed Braille reminded me of that. It is also just one of a number of systems, just like ASL.

Problems with learning Braille as an older adult include finger sensitivity. Some people are blind because of complications of diabetes. Diabetic nerve damage may interfere with learning Braille.

Right now, I really don’t see Braille as an option for me. Not totally because it would be difficult and time consuming to learn, although those are factors. The major reason is right now I have options that work for me just fine.

I have magnification through my CCTV, reader and iPad, as well as ZoomText on my work PC’s. My computers and my phone also have options that allow me to be read to. I don’t use those options simply because they are so dang irritating! However, if I get to the point I cannot navigate around my desktop or my phone, I may be happy to have them.   [You can review how Sue uses these by going to her pages A Day in the Life and A Day in the Life: Work Day.]

And speaking of being read to, don’t forget my KNFB Reader. Then there are BARD books and the newspapers on my phone.

If I want to write as opposed to read, I do have a few touch typing skills. Speech-to-text is also available to me. Of course, we all know some of the things that happen there.

For example: I tried to speech to text the text “we find our adventures where we can” and the message my friend got was “we find our dentures where we can.” Took a while for her to stop giggling.

OK. Gotta go. I have a staff party tonight and I still have no idea what I am going to wear. Could be worse. At least I don’t have to find my teeth!

Click here for an article on how Braille is useful on the job in case Sue changes her mind. ::smile::

Continue reading “Can An Old Dog Learn Braille?”

About the ADA

There was an interesting comment this week on the website in response to my page One Year Anniversary: Part 1 What I’ve Learned.  I was asked why I would have to quit my job when my vision got worse. The reader asked if the school was not obligated to accommodate me. She cited ADA.

The answer to that question is yes, and no. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are defined as “necessary and appropriate modifications and adjustments that do not impose a disproportionate or unfair burden upon the employer.” The burden can either be financial or it can be in efficiency of getting the job done.

On the job I am already being given reasonable accommodations. If you look back in the pages, you will discover I have accommodations in pretty much all aspects of the job. When I do classroom observations, I wear telescopic glasses. I use my CCTV to do file reviews and learn my kids’ educational histories. When I test, I have my testing manuals loaded on an iPad so I can zoom in and read the questions easily. The tech department took days to do that for me! I use my CCTV again to record answers on the answer sheets. When I write reports with the assessment results I use ZoomText. Lots of reasonable accommodations in my work day!

When I become unable to see my kids to do observation, unable to read test questions to them or record their answers, I will have to stop working. Requiring the school to hire someone to do all that for me so I could ‘sort of’ do my job would be an unfair burden. I would not be doing my job, my helper would and the school would be paying two salaries. That is not fair not appropriate.

In basic terms, ADA does not require an employer to carry the dead weight of a disabled employee when she cannot do the job. What it does is allow those who can still function pretty well to keep working by changing just a few things.

The reader asked if learning Braille would not allow me to keep working. That is an intriguing idea and I may research and write a page on learning Braille as an older adult. Braille, however, would not let me keep my school job. Braille will not help me see what types of mistakes Johnny is making on his math papers. Braille won’t allow me to see how Susie is daydreaming in class. Those are integral parts of my job that require sight.

So, to summarize, ADA moves barriers off the playing field so the disabled worker can run down the field himself. Under his own power. ADA does not require the employer to carry the employee down the field on his back. I have reasonable accommodations per ADA but when I cannot fulfill my job duties using them, I am done. ADA cannot help me.

The learning Braille in my 60s idea? I will get back to you on that.

Continue reading “About the ADA”

A Day in the Life: Work Day

Sunday evening and I am getting ready to start another week. Wow. I was always told time goes faster as you get older but sometimes it is ridiculous!

I was also told time flies when you are having fun, so I guess I am having fun! And, yes, it is possible to have fun with AMD.

Maybe we can do a book or an infomercial on that: Fun with AMD. Sort of like Fun with Flags from the Big Bang Theory. Any thoughts on content?

Anyway, I went to my exercise classes and wrote a couple of pages yesterday. Walked Beastie Baby. Today was a haircut and a trip to the local warehouse store. Also actually wrote that report I was putting off. Sorted some laundry. Found an audiobook I want to listen to. Busy, busy, busy.

But for me, busy, busy, busy is better, better, better.  Not only do you distract yourself with activities, but you get to use your talents.  Sometime in Sunday school I learned we are supposed to use what we were given. It was never said you use what you were given until you start going blind.

So onward! Lin suggested I do a page on a normal weekday. Okey dokey. Monday.

The time I get up is determined by what time the crazy transportation company says it is going to pick me up. I have learned I also need to be ready about 15 minutes before they said they would be here because they are frequently early. Jeez. Flexibility is a virtue.

Monday is different from a weekend day because I have to really be sure my clothes match. I cannot slink home in humiliation in an hour or so because colors I thought were one thing are another and clash….badly.

OttLight

I have a small OttLite on my ironing board but the best bet is still natural light. If all else fails, I ask my husband “what color is this?”

If we were talking Thursday for the weekday, I have to make sure I have everything I need for the entire day. That means I get on transportation with CCTV, purse, briefcase, lunch, yoga mat and workout clothes. Having a good memory and a strong back are also virtues.

Justand V2

Back to Monday. At school I set-up my portable CCTV. I turn on my computer and ZoomText is soon up and running. These things are invaluable. At home I often crank the font size up to 28, but all that magnifies is the text. ZoomText does everything on the screen. If you are on your computer all day, ZoomText is worth the investment. Also LOVE my CCTV, but the price on that is salty and you can get similar results with an iPad and Justand.

Sue’s Eschenbach Smartlux Digital Magnifyer

I check for lunch choices with my handheld reader. I also read anything I cannot get to my CCTV with the reader. Something nice about the reader is I can hold it up to something slightly above my head and take a photo of it. Nice little feature.

Since I was always dropping my reader – slippery little devil! – we put a lanyard on the arm on the back. I can wrap the strap around my hand. It has gone on the floor much less since.

 

To review some of these devices, check out Sue’s page A Day in the Life.

Sue’s Telescopic Glasses

My telescopic glasses help me do student observations. I look like an alien, but the kids are used to it.

Books such as testing manuals have been scanned onto my iPad. My tech person at school did 90% of the work but I also scanned. It was a bit labor intensive but it allows me to read questions and score.

That is pretty much a work day. Questions? Continue reading “A Day in the Life: Work Day”

A Day in the Life

  1. Hello. Lin told me she has a number of new people in the Facebook group and that many of them may not be aware of the variety of assistive devices available to those of us with vision loss. Lin suggested I review the things I have and use in a typical day. I will do this here. Some things to keep in mind:
  • Please read with the understanding this is a cursory review only. More information is available in past pages. I will remind you how to search our website at the end of the page.
  • Also, I’m not specifically recommending anything since choosing these devices is a very personal thing based on the status of your eyes and what you want/need to do with the vision that you have.   What I use was selected for me by the counselors with Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) Bureau of Blindness and  Visual Services (BBVS or BVS) so that I could continue to work.
  • We don’t get any money or services for what we include in my pages.

Here goes…. A Day in the Life

Disclaimer: I am not recommending any particular service or project, just reporting on what works for me.

One option for a low zinc AREDS2 supplement.
One option for AREDS2 supplement

Today is Sunday so I can afford to be a tad lazy. When I get up I take my medication including my low zinc AREDS2 formula vitamins. There is not much help from taking these supplements in the advanced stages but the minor disease slowing they found at other stages is better than nothing if they do occur.

one source of low vision aids

Being the dutiful granddaughter of Welshmen, I have toast and tea (with milk, of course!) for breakfast. Simple preparations do not require great accommodations. However, if I were ‘Becky Home Ecky’, I would own all sorts of nifty, kitchen gadgets from the MaxiAids catalog.

iPad Mini
iPad Mini

Since it is Sunday, I grab my iPad Mini and plop down on the couch. My iPad has been my salvation. I can check my email by using the pinch and zoom feature. I also have larger text turned on. If you go to settings – general – accessibility you can find a dozen other things that may be helpful.

 

Apple App Store
Apple App Store

My Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (VRT)  Blindness and Visual Services literally stuffed my iPad with apps. The ones I actually use are Magnify and Freeze and a large button calculator. It is also sort of fun to demonstrate the wonders of technology to people using the KNFB Reader. There are about a dozen others on there. Some of them are for people with much worse vision than mine at present. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst; you know.  Today I have been carrying my iPad around while I do chores. I am listening to an Agatha Christie novel on my BARD app. Hercule Poirot is such a clever, little man.

ipadtotv
iPad screen bottom left of photo, enlarged onto TV

 

I can plug my iPad into the TV so that I can see everything on its screen.  I don’t use it much since I can use the Zoom feature on the iPad. Click here to find out how I connected them.

 

 

Magnilink Zip 17 portable CCTV
Magnilink Zip 17 portable CCTV

Since I start teaching again on Wednesday I have my portable CCTV setup which is the MagniLink Zip 17 (photo on left). That way I can review my notes and actually be able to see them! If the CCTV breaks (bite my tongue!) I can always fall back on the iPad with Justand V2 (photo on the right).

 

Ott flip light
Ott flip light

I’m going to need to put together an outfit to wear but I need extra light to make sure I’ve got the color right.  I put my little Ott flip light on the “ironing board in the bedroom to help with that.  I also have an Ott floor lamp in the bedroom for extra light.  I can put the little Ott in my purse if I need extra light to find something.

Speaking of my purse, I carry my iPad Mini, Smartlux reader and MaxTV lenses in my purse.

 

We did not go out to lunch today but if we had, I have my Smartlux reader/magnifier in my purse to read menus.

 

 

Glasses to cut down on glare
NOIR glares glasses
Small monicular
small monocular

Later when I take the Beastie Baby for her walkies I will have my glare glasses on and my monocular around my neck. Since the old darling and half of the other dogs get to run off lead at the dog park, it is good to be able to see which of our friends is across the field.

 

Sue's Telescopic Glasses
Max TV Telescopic Glasses

This evening if I want to watch TV, I have my Max TV telescopic glasses. I use those to do classroom observations at my school job. The little kids like them because my eyes look huge when I wear them. They can be handy in a store when I’m trying to find something.

 

 

Those are the basic, low vision tools I use at home. If this were a workday I would also tell you about the zoom text app on my work computer. Absolutely essential if you are using a standard PC.

Hope that quick review helped. Don’t give up hope. With technology, things can be a lot better. Remember, comparatively speaking, you are losing your vision at the best time in history thus far.

If you want to review the pages where I talk about these devices, you can use the 3 ways to search our website: 1) search website; 2) categories and 3) tags/keywords. You can find these either in the right-hand column or at the bottom of the page.
Continue reading “A Day in the Life”

To a Good Home

This page is bad news, good news. First the bad news: my CCTV popped a pop rivet. For those of you who are as woefully ignorant of all things mechanical as I am, a pop rivet is a little piece of metal that goes through two holes to hold two pieces of metal together. They differ from screws in that you don’t screw them in and they stay in place because the tool used flattens them at both ends.

The pop rivet came out of the metal track my document tray rides on. The track kept sliding and allowing the tray to pull out a lot farther than it was supposed to. The whole machine nearly toppled into my lap a couple of times.

Looked like a fairly easy fix to me, but then what do I know?  I was raised on “good enough for poor people” when it came to home repairs.

That was my father’s version of DBT’s ‘effectively’ concept. If it gets the job done, who cares about right or pretty?

Anyway, I called my BVS case manager. I was thinking someone locally could pop in a $.03 pop rivet. He in turn called the equipment sales guy and the sales guy wanted me to send my machine back!

Hold on! Wait! Why don’t we just chop off an arm here? I NEED my machine. I am able to work because I have this machine!

We compromised. I get to keep my machine until a new one comes. Apparently there is a decent warranty on these things and it covers popped pop rivets.

I feel bad about it. Quite frankly I love my machine. It made me functional again. I feel sort of disloyal sending it back for a lousy missing pop rivet. Just the same, the new one is on its way. The company is making good.

Having this happen made me wonder if once they put a new pop rivet in my machine would it still go to a good home? I decided to look on line and see what the story is.

I went on line and found four or five places that sell “pre-owned equipment for the visually impaired”.  They were all companies and not individuals.  Most of the same sites came up when I also searched for “refurbished” equipment for the visually impaired.

You might, however, want to be careful searching for the word refurbished. When I looked at the sites that came up under that heading most of what I found looked new and had ‘new’ prices. Check things out well.

About the best selection I found was New England Vision and Blindness. They had a list of equipment with the age and a rating of the condition of each piece. The problem with this list was it was last updated nine months prior to my search.

On the other hand New English Vision and Blindness offered a link to – where else? – Amazon and the five or so pieces listed there were available for immediate shipping. The prices for used CCTVs were about $1200 less than my new one had been.

Again, no endorsement. I am reporting I found the site, not saying to shop there.

So, for what it is worth, my CCTV company is honoring the warranty. My CCTV is going back and hopefully will be repaired and sold to another good home. Pre-owned equipment is available. It is a tad cheaper. There might be something for you through a reseller. If it is my CCTV, give it a good home, please.

Continue reading “To a Good Home”

Good Stuff Cheap

There is a discount store called Ollie’s.  Their motto is “good stuff cheap”. I am going to steal that motto to talk about my new toys!

standnew1The first thing I got yesterday was the Justand V2e.  It is made in China and distributed by Procomputing, Grapevine, Texas. My BVS rehabilitation therapist said they paid $120 for it.

What the Justand does is hold your iPad steady. That way you can use the free magnification app you downloaded from the App Store and turn your tablet into a magnifying reader just like a CCTV! If you are not really mobile, your Justand and iPad can also take the place of your regular reader. My reader was $600.

Justand= $120. iPad = $450. Magnification app = free. This set up is $570.00 as compared to the $3500 paid for my CCTV. Add the $600 for the reader onto that and we are talking about saving some serious money.

The second thing I got today was the KNFB Reader. The KNFB Reader is for sale in the App Store for $100. Watch out for this one when shopping. I saw something that looked the same on Amazon and the price was $1,000. Of course I may be wrong. We all know what it is like to not have the sight be what it used to be. Maybe what Amazon is selling is more than software???? Anyway, caveat emptor.  [Lin/Linda here: what Sue found on Amazon is indeed not just software, it is a phone which is only sold in Florida and costs $1,325.]

KNFB Reader is apparently made by Kurzweil, the people who were pioneering the technology in the 70s, in conjunction with the National Federation of the Blind. K and NFB; get it?

You take a picture of a page, hit a button and the machine reads to you. For some reason my iPad voice is an Aussie. Doesn’t matter. I understand her.

There are a variety of other languages available besides dialects of English. My habilitation person had a page written in English read in Turkish. Since my Turkish is, shall we say weak – OK, nonexistent – I had no clue how good the translation was. At least it sounded Turkish-ish.

The last thing I got was another app, AudioNote. The idea is to record lectures, etc., at the same time you are writing or typing notes on a page of the iPad.  I haven’t had a chance to play with it since I only received it yesterday. I will let you know if I get an opportunity to use it. The INDATA Project of Easter Seals has a how-to video on YouTube if you want to see what it looks like. Audio Note is $5 in the App Store.

I still have one more app coming. My habilitation worker thinks I need it. I have no idea what it is. I guess I will be surprised.

So, there you go. Good stuff cheap. Hope some of this is more in your price range. Continue reading “Good Stuff Cheap”

Technical Difficulties

Hi! Taught my first class today. First DBT class since my vision loss. Took a lot more preparation and set up, but then preparation seems to be the name of the game for the visually impaired.

I had gone over my notes and had what I was going to teach in mind. Made sure I had all my tools and materials and everything was in order. It is sort of hard to wing it or to keep talking and rifle through your notes when you have to bring things to your nose to see them! Rather hard to be casual about that.

Of course there were technical difficulties. True to my word,  I fumbled with putting the CCTV camera on my students and then back to my notebook. I got some help with that.

There really are many kind people in the world.

Of course, just to make things really interesting, when we got the camera back to the page, the image was upside down! What was with that???? It was first suggested I turn my book upside down which worked except that sliding it up it went down and sliding it left it went right. I am spatially challenged as it is so that was a treat. Someone finally suggested turning it off and back on again. Reset, of course. I should have thought of that!

I could not see the faces of my students. I had expected that. It is going to be harder to learn names. I expect they will sit in the same places anyway but I made a point of asking them to do so.

Old joke: how do you punish Helen Keller? Answer: Rearrange the furniture.  New joke: How do you confuse your DBT instructor ? Switch seats!

The lesson went reasonably well. There was a lot of participation. When I was futzin’ about with the CCTV, I had some people read the slides to me. Asking for help can be hard at times but we are all in this together. Better to ask for help and keep the class moving than fumble around. Fumbling is just frustrating. Enough frustration in this world.

All told, good class. One more hurdle behind me. I know I can teach for a while longer. Continue reading “Technical Difficulties”

Beast of Burden

Some of you may recognize the title as the title of a Rolling Stones song Beast of Burden. Can’t help it, I love music!

This is going to be odds and ends. Hopefully a theme will develop. Then again, maybe not!

I just ordered a rolling cart. I took my CCTV and some work materials and a full-size iPad and my purse with several low vision toys in it across the parking lot to the other school building today. I carried them all and nearly broke my back.

I don’t know if anyone else out there has this problem, but I have acquired a lot of stuff and it is heavy!

Apparently, that is something they don’t tell you in visually impaired school: having all of these toys can turn you into a pack mule!

Another thing they don’t tell you is what to do with all the cords. In addition to all of the usual things that need to be plugged in I now have a CCTV and a reader and a Books for the Blind player and an extra tablet and the list goes on.

Not only do you have all of these electronic toys that need cords, but they need the correct cord. The smart phone wants nothing to do with the iPad charger and the iPad wants nothing to do with the reader charger, etc. You get my point? All the more fun for a disorganized, visually impaired lady.

Of course, life would be a lot nastier without my toys. I just used my iPad to look up a Talking Book to play in my cute little player. I found the new Jeffery Deaver novel available to borrow for free. That is the same novel I just saw available in hardcover only for something like $16. Not sure how many Lincoln Rhymes fans get Talking Books so I might have to wait a bit. However, it will probably be less time than I would have to wait for it to come out in paperback. I am cheap that way.

I am wondering how long you can keep these tapes. I am also wondering how much listening to audiobooks some visually impaired folks do. The order form was old-school, paper to complete with a – gasp – pen. The thing of it is, it was three columns wide and maybe 20 lines deep, front and back! If your average audio book is something like 12 hours, that is a whole lot of listening.

I just ordered one. I love to ‘read’ but I am not good at sitting that long. I am also trying to stay involved and get back to work full-time. AND I want to check out the BARD offerings. I got the acceptance very quickly but have not gotten around to setting up my account. I seem to be very busy these days – doing visually impaired stuff; ya know?

Just never realized this visually impaired business could be so demanding! Aha! A theme!?

Continue reading “Beast of Burden”

Toy Story

This is a toy story. Yesterday the nice delivery person in his reindeer-brown truck brought me a present. What I got was a state-of-the-art, high-end closed circuit television system. This is also known as a CCTV.

I have been practicing on loaner CCTVs from Blindness and Visual Services (BVS). The models I have used thus far are older – one is 1987; this is not new technology – and not high-definition.

The model I will be getting for my very own – as soon as BVS and I pay for it and make ownership official – is pretty awesome. It is called the Magnilink Zip. It is marketed by Low Vision International which is somehow connected with Eschenbach. These are apparently both Swedish companies and they are doing great things for us with visual impairment. My handheld reader is also an Eschenbach.

The Magnilink Zip has a 17-inch screen. It has a camera that can be focused on either a document on the reading table or can be flipped around and focus on things out in the room. I was told this is a popular model with students because it allows them to see their professors and what is being written on the board.

I would like to reverse that and watch my students in DBT class.

The camera is high-definition as is the screen and the picture is incredible. Very sharp and clear. Magnification goes from a minimum which I estimate to be about 5x to 26x. Looking at something with 26x magnification is pretty wild. Not sure why anyone would need it, but it is there if you do.

The big reason I went for this particular model is it is portable. I work in several different places and do a lot of work from the house. I could put three or four lesser quality CCTVs in all of my offices or I could have just one that goes around with me. The Magnilink Zip folds up small enough to fit in a carrying case that most people are able to carry slung from a shoulder. The whole thing weighs between 15 and 20 pounds.

I work several different places and do a lot of work from the house.  I can carry the Magnilink Zip with me.

All in all, not a bad piece of machinery at first sight. I am looking forward to actually ‘road testing’ my Magnilink Zip in the office really soon.

I do need to tell you the big drawback with the Magnilink Zip. That is, the machine is approximately $4000 for the top of the line model that I have. This one has all of the bells and whistles because I will be using it for work. They also make less expensive models with smaller screens and less portability. There may be a model that is more in your price range that will still fit your needs.

Click here for Low Vision International and Eschenbach.

That’s it for now. I might feature more of my toys in another post. There are lots of options out there and I hope you will be able to find the right toys for you.

Written March 2016.  Updated September 2018.

Continue reading “Toy Story”

I’m Baaacccckkkk!

I went back to work this week. It was only part-time and may be part-time for the foreseeable future, but I am back. I think.

I have been told I set a land speed record in getting back to work. I don’t see it as anything extraordinary. Everyone has something they have no intention of giving up for a disability. A lot of people don’t want to give up driving – ever! Others insist upon playing golf or attending church every week. I want to work. I pretty much need to work.

I have done this job for 38 years. It is my profession. In many ways it is my identity and my purpose.

I am a fortunate person. Instead of a cloud of misfortune, ‘dumb luck’ has followed me around pretty much my entire life. When I stop to consider how fortunate I have always been, it is a little unsettling  – when is the tide going to turn? However, I try to give thanks for this crazy, incredible run of good fortune whenever I can.

I have been fortunate to have the help of a lot of good people in getting back to work. My husband takes me in and a friend drives me home. Blindness and Visual Services (BVS) has helped to fill my office with ‘toys’. I have a CCTV and a handheld reader as well as a zoom feature on my computer. My low vision specialist has me trying ‘funny glasses’ that magnify and either allow me to read or – another pair – to look over a classroom full of kids. Thank you.

I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of help in getting back to work from my husband and others driving me to and from work and from the people getting me my ‘toys’.

People on the job have been very supportive. The custodian set up my CCTV. The computer person has been scanning materials onto a tablet so I can enlarge them.  I have literally been welcomed back with open arms by many staff. Thank you.

Very importantly I have been welcomed back by the administration. I am being given a chance to prove myself. They have been willing to work with me even though things are going to be a bit ‘different’ from now until I am either retired or forced by the disease or finances to go on disability retirement. Thank you.

I’ve been welcomed back by my co-workers and the administration. Thank you.

As I said, I have always been fortunate.  Not everyone gets to work with the kind of people I work with, for example. I have not once had to utter the phrase ADA but maybe you will.  ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act. As much as it is hard for me to wrap my head around it, I now come under this act. Damn.

The ADA says no employer with 15 or more employees may discriminate against an employee based on a disability in any aspect of employment. The law stipulates that both the employee must be able to perform essential functions of the job and that the employer must make reasonable accommodations in the workplace. The employee and his reasonable accommodations must not create undue hardship for the employer, his business and his clients.

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) has laws governing the rights of the disabled employee and the employer in companies with 15 or more people.

There are a lot of other things associated with ADA. For example, these are the laws that gave us ramps and cut curbs. However, I will be staying with this simple information in this posting. Follow the links if you are looking for more.

How does ADA affect me? I am back to me with all of my cool toys.  At least for now. I have told my boss to watch me. How am I doing? Am I making mistakes? Am I too slow?

My ‘undue hardship’ would fall squarely on my students. Not having that. That is why I’m back…I think.

I’m back to me with my cool toys and under the watchful eye of my boss.  I won’t let my students be affected by my ‘undue hardship’.

Written March 2016. Reviewed September 2018.

Continue reading “I’m Baaacccckkkk!”

Tech Talk

On one of my ‘out to lunch’ ladies’ excursions we stopped at our local cellular store. I had been having difficulty with my cell phone. Or perhaps I should say my cell phone was having problems with me. I was unable to read my text. I was calling people I had no intention of calling. It’s amazing how similar some names appear when you really can’t see them well.

I was unable to read my text. I was calling people I had no intention of calling.

Tyler took my friend and me under his wing. He got into the accessibility menu of my telephone and tried to make the font big enough for me to see. He tried to point out all sorts of exciting things that could be done with my Android phone. It’s rather amazing what is on such a small machine.

Tyler wanted to put TalkBack on my phone. I demurred. I had already had it on and had a devil of a time getting it back off again. A sweet young woman in Maine and I spent 10 minutes laughing together. We could not shut the TalkBack lady off! Every time the phone was jostled that accursed voice would tell me the time! Things got so bad I suggested the young lady make a house call to help me out. After all Maine is only 8 hours away and this was an emergency! Thank heavens, I was finally able to quiet the TalkBack lady before we needed to go to these extreme measures.

There are accessibility features on both Android and Apple phones. Some are more trouble than they are worth.

So why am I talking about my interactions with the cell phone people? Well for one reason, these encounters once again prove my point that there are wonderful people in the world. I truly believe most people will help if you give them the opportunity. It makes people feel good to help. This is particularly true if the person they are trying to help maintains a sense of humor. A strong sense of the absurd is helpful, too.

I truly believe most people will help if you give them an opportunity especially if you maintain a sense of humor.

Another reason I have for highlighting these encounters is they gave me an opportunity to use the DBT Comparison Strategy. You remember: that is the Distress Tolerance Skill that basically says “hey, things could be worse. Look at that poor guy!” OK, maybe not those exact words, but you get the point.

“Hey, things could be worse. Look at that poor guy!”

I was thinking about what my father had to help him when he had AMD. He made do with a hand-held magnifying lens. Twenty years ago that was pretty much the state of the art.

Comparatively speaking, now is a great time to be losing your vision. Probably the best time yet in the history of the species. How do you like that for cockeyed optimism?

There is so much more to help people with low vision than the hand-held magnifier of 20 years ago.

I mentioned that I have always been an avid reader. Right now I cannot pick up a book or a magazine and get much out of it. However, I have read The Secret Garden in the last few weeks. How? Amazon has free classics to download on a tablet. I have a zoom feature on my tablet that allowed me to magnify the text. I may have had to turn the page at every paragraph, but I read the book.

I even solved the problem of ‘mystery novel interruptus’ that happened when I had to stop 30 pages shy of the end of a new releases paperback I had. Joy of joys, the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services tech guy loaned me a CCTV. That is closed-circuit TV. You put a paper or whatever you want to read under the camera and it shows up HUGE on the screen. It will have to go to the office when I go back to work, but right now I can get away with trying it out on some things here at home.

The tech guy loaned me a CCTV which makes things you put under the camera HUGE.

The bottom line for this post? You have technical resources. Get yourself to your friendly neighborhood tech or phone store and ask for help. Devices you already own – a cell phone, a tablet – have accessibility settings. Ask someone to help you use them. We have more resources to help us than any generation before us. Comparably speaking, it’s a pretty good time to lose your sight.

You probably already own a device that has accessibility settings.  Ask someone to help you use them.

Written in March 2016. Reviewed September 2018.

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