Re: FW: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student

['Jason White' via MacVisionaries]

On 19/9/21 11:21, skipper8...@gmail.com wrote:


Thanks.

Kindle is a great source for books, and I really wish they could be 
read on the Mac with VoiceOver.


That's an Amazon issue. It might be worth contacting them.


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RE: FW: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student

[skipper8218]

Thanks.

Kindle is a great source for books, and I really wish they could be read on the 
Mac with VoiceOver.

 

From: 'Jason White' via MacVisionaries  
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2021 11:19 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: FW: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose 
a Mac as a Blind Student

 

 

On 17/9/21 05:08, skipper8...@gmail.com   wrote:

The only problem I see with this analysis is lack of support for the Kindle 
eReader and OCR out of the box but the iPhone can take care of that.

Also, as a person who works in a job that significantly involves writing 
scholarship for publication, I've never needed Kindle. Others may be in a 
different position; I'm simply noting that, for academic purposes, there are 
usually other sources.

As for OCR, ABBYY FineReader for Mac should be investigated.

Is it possible to use Learning Ally materials on an iPhone?

On iPhone or Mac, yes, as far as I can recall.



What about unzipping Bookshare books or transferring NLS materials to a Victor 
Reader Stream?

Yes to the former. I don't have a Victor Reader Stream, so can't comment. If it 
presents as a USB mass storage device, it's simply a matter of copying files.



What about reading PDF files?

Yes - Preview, Adobe Reader for Mac, or the PDF reader in Google Chrome - take 
your choice.



 

 

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Re: FW: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student

['Jason White' via MacVisionaries]

On 17/9/21 05:08, skipper8...@gmail.com wrote:


The only problem I see with this analysis is lack of support for the 
Kindle eReader and OCR out of the box but the iPhone can take care of 
that.


Also, as a person who works in a job that significantly involves writing 
scholarship for publication, I've never needed Kindle. Others may be in 
a different position; I'm simply noting that, for academic purposes, 
there are usually other sources.


As for OCR, ABBYY FineReader for Mac should be investigated.


Is it possible to use Learning Ally materials on an iPhone?


On iPhone or Mac, yes, as far as I can recall.


What about unzipping Bookshare books or transferring NLS materials to 
a Victor Reader Stream?


Yes to the former. I don't have a Victor Reader Stream, so can't 
comment. If it presents as a USB mass storage device, it's simply a 
matter of copying files.


What about reading PDF files?

Yes - Preview, Adobe Reader for Mac, or the PDF reader in Google Chrome 
- take your choice.






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Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at:  
mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at 
caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
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FW: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student

[skipper8218]

The only problem I see with this analysis is lack of support for the Kindle 
eReader and OCR out of the box but the iPhone can take care of that.

Is it possible to use Learning Ally materials on an iPhone?

What about unzipping Bookshare books or transferring NLS materials to a Victor 
Reader Stream?

What about reading PDF files?

 

From: tech...@groups.io  On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 2:29 AM
To: tech...@groups.iotv 
Subject: [tech-vi Announce List] From iPhone Arena :5 Reasons to Choose a Mac 
as a Blind Student

 

iPhoneArena - Monday, September 13, 2021 at 5:14 PM


5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student


5 Reasons why a Mac Is a Great choice for a Blind Student


If you live with sight loss, going to a new college or university can bring a 
host of new experiences and challenges. Stressing over your assistive 
technology should not be one of them. The inevitable question will arise: What 
computing platform should you choose for your academics? Mac 
  or Windows 
 ?

If you’re blind, in a hurry and want to get to the meat of this article, the 
correct choice is a Mac. Now here’s why.


1. Cost vs. Benefits


If you’re a time-crunched student who has to sort out accessible books, travel, 
classes and other school concerns, you want a computer that saves you time. 
Macs do this by bundling all of the needed software with the machine. In 
addition to VoiceOver and Zoom, Macs come with built-in productivity tools such 
as Pages, Numbers and Keynote. These apps are accessible right away and there’s 
no need to install anything else to get them to work with the assistive 
technology.

The trade-off is cost. Yes, Macs can be more expensive in the short term, but 
the alternative is buying a PC, paying for an installing a screen reader, 
paying for and installing productivity apps and configuring the machine to your 
liking. When all is said and done, you may actually lose time installing and 
configuring extra software whereas with a Mac 
 , you can simply turn the machine on 
and start working right away.


2. The Apple Ecosystem


When you buy any Apple product, you’re jumping into the Apple ecosystem. Macs, 
iPhones, Air Pods, Home Pods and iCloud all work together seamlessly. This is 
another time saver if you’re a blind student looking to have everything work 
the first time with no let downs. This not only lets you focus on your studies, 
but you are creating an ecosystem of products that can grow as you purchase 
Apple products down the road.


3. Low Maintenance


It’s 2 in the morning and you’ve got a major paper due in 7 hours. As you’re 
settling into your writing flow, do you want to be interrupted with reminders 
to defragment your hard drive, scan for viruses and check for malware? Macs are 
known for their easy-to-use interfaces and low maintenance requirements. When 
you’re in school, you don’t need the extra distraction.

Further, VoiceOver gets updated when macOS does, so there is no need to worry 
about installing drivers, patches or fixes. VoiceOver will even recognize 
refreshable braille displays simply by plugging them into your Mac.


4. Interoperability


In the past, blind students often had to rely on specialized (and ugly) 
equipment to take notes or use a calculator. Today, the most inexpensive Mac 
can do all of this and much more. The days of specialized and expensive 
equipment for the blind student is over. Today, it’s easy to collaborate with 
classmates on a Pages document, exchange Excel and PowerPoint slides with a 
teacher or even share musical ideas in Garage Band.


5. Performance


If you’re a blind student, having a computer that just works can make the 
difference between missing a deadline for a term paper and handing it in before 
everyone else. Macs break down less often, have rock solid security features 
and are extremely fast and responsive. VoiceOver users can easily and quickly 
use large spreadsheets, write code or even edit audio without freezing or laggy 
performance. This can often make you the most efficient Mac user in the class.

Macs are the right choice for the blind student who simply wants to get work 
done without having to worry about the technology hindering their academic 
performance. There is a ton of online support for blind and low vision Mac 
users including how-to guides, podcasts and videos.

https://iphonearena.com/reasons-to-choose-a-mac-as-a-blind-student/

 

 David Goldfield 

Assistive Technology Specialist

 

Feel free to visit my Web site

WWW.DavidGoldfield.info  

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