Hello Ryan and all:
When I was 11 years old the Rubix Cube was the popular thing on my
block and in the school yard. I did not know at 11 years old about
adapting things that were presently trendy. a friend was kind enough
to modify one of those cubes in order that I could tactilely tell the
colors apart. I took it to the school yard the next day and showed it
to my friends. they were amazed as I was and I became part of the
circle of people on the school yard who was playing with that cube.
I mention this potentially unimportant story to make the point that
friends are really important to an 11 year old young man. if he can
talk with a friend at school using his webcam I suspect the rest will
take care of itself. if he can send goofy pictures of himself ... the
type that every blind person takes when they are just starting to play
around with the camera ... he and his friends just might have a good
laugh. if he can trade a cool song with a friend that might make him
seem just like any other kid in the neighborhood.
Everyone wants to be a part of a group chosen by them rather than it
being chosen for them.
I have been a trainer for a number of years. when you strip away all
of the discussions about software and screen readers and which client
does what ... what we have found is that the clients want to navigate
confidently within the friendships that they currently have and will
have. the computer is a tool which helps accomplish that. not overly
techy though very human ... you know ... the people who operate those
machines (smile).
Good luck to you and the young man. I am sure he is on his way to
making something that lasts longer than a computer ... friends (smile).
If he wants a penpal ... feel free to contact me. my little niece is
still wondering how I can use a computer even though I walk with a
cane (grin). lots of explaining has been done via webcam.
I wish the same fate for the young man. may his mac help form
friendships that last a long time. still have those friends who were
around when I had that rubix cube and I am a little older than 11
these days (smile).
On Dec 12, 2008, at 12:19 PM, Ryan Dour wrote:
Hello,
Got any suggestions on things that could keep teaching Voiceover fun
for teens and pre-teens? I am helping out a friend teach her son
Voiceover, and I want to keep things interesting. One thing that
helped big time was the use of tactile graphics of the OS, Safari,
iTunes, common controls, etc. I used the ViewPlus Emprint in emboss
only mode on Windows to emboss the screen captures. I had a friend
help me crop them to exactly what I wanted to show off. Wonderful
result.
He likes sports, games, and music. Please let me know what could be
helpful.
Thanks,
Ryan Dour
Take good care and I wish you enough.
Love
Me
