I totally agree. One of the rewards we get from teaching others, is
the joy they share with us, as they begin to use their newfound
skills. One young lady with whom I worked last year, (she is at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks) is now actively involved with Skype
and she can now chat with her sighted colleagues who use Skype. She
bought a Mac Book Pro from us last year and takes it everywhere with
her. I talked to her this morning and she remarked tha herMac Book is
like her credit card; she never leaves her dorm without it. Richie
Gardenhire, Anchorage,Alaska.
On Dec 12, 2008, at 10:32 AM, patrickneazer wrote:
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
