Well, I won't say that these problems don't exist because they do. However, as an assistive technology specialist for a state agency for the blind I am proud to say that I recommend a lot of technology and assistive technologies that the sighted folks in my department won't recommend. Why don't they recommend them? Well, it is easier to half way know a few of the most popular productsand forget the rest. But, as a blind person myself I want the best, and (I want those that I work with to have the best product for them too. That makes a lot of people mad at me sometimes because I won't play the party line and go along with the najority, but since I have more experience in the field of assistive technology for the blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind than anybody else in the department and much more background and education in the computer field than anybody else in the depaqrtment they don't dare question my recommendations.
Sadly, I see a lot of blind folks that work in positions where they could help change this practice, but they are afraid to rock the boat, and don't want to chance being repromanded for thinking for themselves. ----- Original Message ----- From: erik burggraaf To: Sky Taylor Cc: window eyes Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2009 2:35 PM Subject: Re: Agencies and governments that supply tech stuff for the blind Hello friend. Systems that provide government funding for disability related equipment and services are almost universally corupt and problematic in other ways as well. When you talk to people about the structure of the funding in a serious and considered way, you will be told that the easiest way to fix the waste and coruption is to simply pull the plug on the system. I think I know the company you are talking about and if it's the one I'm thinking of, they sertainly do provide window-eyes, the braille sense, and any other non freedom scientific equipment you care to ask for. The trick is to know what to ask for and make a case for something other than the universally accepted norm. This takes research on the part of the user... Research which many users are unwilling to do, or research which users are discouraged from doing not only by funding providers, but by friends and family who have said equipment and advise on their experience there-by supposedly saving the new user time and frustration trying different packages. That especially when assessment sentres don't have equipment to demonstrate. In this case, they will invariably recomend the most expensive, and most popular solution for all ensundary. That's not to say that the recomendation is always right, that the system is fair, or that it shouldn't be changed. Now I have to tell you something you are not going to want to hear, but if you plan to be an assistive technology trainer, then you had better reconsile yourself to this. The system is what it is. The products are what they are. Your job as a trainer will not be to crusade and wage war against the funding providers, much as their approach is obviously and completely rong. Your job as a trainer will be to take some person. That person has most likely recently lost their site. They will not necessarily but most likely be old and impatient. If they are young they will more than likely be angry at the loss of their site and all the things they used to have along with sight that they now don't. Now they have been thrust through a whirlwind of funding, doctor visits,, assessments, paperwork, and opinions from who knows how many people, only to have a huge ammount of new equipment dumped on them. You will have a set number of hours in which to teach this person what they need to know. You will have to do your best to incourage and inspire this person. You will have to assess their needs. There's no point thrusting them into internet searches when all they want to do is get email from the grand kids. You'll have to listen to them, hear about their gripes and anxieties, find out what they want to get out of life, and do your best to make the computer they have been given fit their life style. None of this will be possible if you allow yourself to be angry at the funding system for providing over-priced and under performing products to people who live in the dark ages and don't bother to question for themselves. You're young, and you're putting yourself through the schooling and doing all your own thing now. That's great, but you won't meet many people like you in your chosen profession. You'll be responsible for putting your own thoughts, feelings, opinions and such asside and making the equipment some one has work for them. Eventually, maybe you will be in a position to advise people before they go for funding to ask for things that meet their needs better than the standard fair, but not if you round on the system like a bull in a china shop. I'm doing this training gig now, working in Ontario where things are happless in the extreme. I know a lot of people aren't getting the equipment that best sutes their needs, but if I discourage them in the slightest, then they won't get any use out of it at all, which is just an even bigger waste. Between us, it's OK to think things are wrong, corupt, half-baked, and screwey, but it's not OK to represent that to your training clients in any way. So, I hope you come to terms with this, and if there's anything I can do to help you out, go ahead and give me a call. Best, erik burggraaf A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. Phone: 888-255-5194 Email: [email protected] On 31-Jul-09, at 6:52 PM, Sky Taylor wrote: Hello List, I was thinking about something early. You know how some governments and agencies provide just one choice and that is Jaws? The reason they do this is because they're neither interested nor do they want to here about Window-Eyes, and I doubt that if Doug or anyone from GW Micro tries to market we to the powers to be in any governments, it wouldn't even work. For example, I am in BC, Canada, and I am still in high school, i am starting transition year next year. The company from Vancouver supplies all the tech stuff to the schooldistricts , these include: Jaws. Magic, PacMate, and Kurzweil1000. However, I must tell you guys that when I was at a tech camp on an island, one of the ladies from the company went to CSum, and she tried Window-Eyes, and she found it to be very very responceive, and in her oppinion, better. I was shocked to find somebody from the company that supplied Jaws give that comments. Furthermore, i'm going to be an assistive technology instructor but i'm primary going to be teaching Jaws, and I don't want to teach We, as the company that asked me to teach just wants me to teach jaws, and nothing else, maybe the PacMate, but no gw Micro products. I might be able to teach Window-Eyes on the internet, but not in person. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. All GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo, and can be searched through and sorted using the search form at the bottom of the page. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list, send a message to [email protected] and include leave gw-info in the body of the message. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. 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