Free Public Transit for People with Disabilities

The AARP Bulletin features an article titled, "New law makes public transit free for some disabled people." (As a side note, I would recommend "people first" language be used in the article title.....)

The article talks about a new law, Senate Bill 1920, in Illinois. Based on household income, people may qualify for free (or reduced) fares on public transit. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/6nwopw

How to Use the Victor Reader Stream: Transferring Files to the Victor Reader Stream

To those readers with a Victor Reader Stream, this may be of interest....

Topic: Transferring Files To Your VR Stream, Scheduled for Friday, September 5, 2008

Facilitator: Ann K. Parsons, Assistive Technology Trainer

Email: tutoring.info, akp@samobile.net
Skype: Putertutor

How do you transfer books and other files to your Victor Reader Stream?

Can the Stream Companion be used to transfer files?

Are there other methods and, if so, which is the easiest?

Answers to these and more questions will be provided during the upcoming ninety minute training session sponsored by the Friends of Bookshare. Whether you are a beginner, an intermediate or an advanced computer user, we believe you will derive valuable information that will enhance your use of the Stream. So, mark your calendars NOW!

Date: Friday, September 5, 2008

Time: 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 Central, 8:00 Eastern and elsewhere in the world Saturday 0:00 GMT.

Place: Friends of Bookshare Community Room at:

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e

or, alternatively, select the Friends Community Room at either
http://www.friendsofbookshare.org or http://www.accessibleworld.org.

This event will be recorded so if you are unable to participate live at the above times then you may download the presentation or podcast from the archives on our website at http://www.friendsofbookshare.org and http://www.accessibleworld.org.

All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the facilitators and others in the virtual audience. Text messaging is also available.

If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World and Friends of Bookshare online rooms.

Media Contact:

Pat (Patricia) Price, Events Coordinator
http://www.friendsofbookshare.org
http://www.accessibleworld.org
317-254-1185
pat@patprice.org

Free Job Search Engine for Adults Age 50 and Older

Did you know AARP has a job search engine for people age 50 and older? Check it out at http://jobs.aarp.org/

The website states, "The AARP.org Job Search Engine powered by RetirementJobs.com is a free service that allows you to search for opportunities with thousands of employers nationwide. RetirementJobs.com reviews and certifies companies that have age-friendly hiring practices. Now, you will be able to find the companies that are seeking the skills and experience of workers age 50+."

Helping the Deaf to "See Sound"

Found on the BBC News website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7558017.stm

"Deaf children have been testing software that enables them to see a visual representation of sound waves.

Called Lumisonic the software translates sound waves into circles that radiate on a display.

It creates a real time representation of sound and is designed to elicit responses quickly in the human brain.

"If I make a sound and lower the pitch, the rings contract," said Dr Mick Grierson, from Goldsmiths, University of London, who developed the system."

Get the full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7558017.stm

Resource Guide - Services, Products and Technology for the Visually Impaired

Have you seen the Resource Guide - Services, Products and Technology for the Visually Impaired? It's provided by the Washtenaw County Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. It's a great comprehensive list of resources for those with disabilities. Be sure to share it with others!!!

Check it out (by subject index) at http://tinyurl.com/5mu52m

If you want to see it as an alphabetical listing, go to http://tinyurl.com/5suun2

Taken from the website:

The Resource Guide is an alphabetical listing of businesses and agencies providing products and services to individuals with vision loss. Entries include:

• Alphabetical listing of businesses and agencies
• Brief description of products and/or services
• Telephone number (toll free when available)
• Email address
• Internet (URL) address

Victor Reader Stream - Tell us Your Story On Tek Talk Monday, August 25, 2008

I received this information via email from the Accessible World Tek Talk newsletter:

The Accessible World News Wire, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Victor Reader Stream - Tell us Your Story On Tek Talk Monday, August 25, 2008

As we approach the first anniversary of the Victor Reader Stream, Accessible World Tech Talk wants to hear from Stream users. Monday August 25 we will host a user forum for the Victor Reader Stream. We invite you to tell us your story. What has the Stream done to change the way you access information? How and why do you use your Stream? How has it changed your life as a student, working age adult, or how do you just plain have fun with it? Have you used it for unusual purposes that perhaps others have not thought of? Do you have tips and tricks to share with your fellow Stream users? We will begin the session with two users whom we have asked to get the discussion going with their own stories. Then the room will be opened for you to share your experiences. You can also ask questions to our invited presenters and to each other. We have also invited Gerry Chevalier, HumanWare Victor Reader Product Manager, to provide a few tips and tricks of his own. This is your opportunity to share your experiences and learn more about how others use this this versatile little DAISY, MP3, and voice recorder which has already affected the lifestyle of over 10,000 users worldwide.

Join us to tell your Stream stories next Monday...

(HumanWare Contact Info:
Australia: au.sales@humanware.com
Tel: +61 2 9686 2600

Canada: ca.info@humanware.com
Tel: 1-888-723-7273

UK and Europe: eu.info@humanware.com
Tel:+44 1933 415 800

USA: us.info@humanware.com
Tel: 1-800-722-3393)

Date: Monday, August 25, 2008
Time: 5:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 7:00 p.m. Central,
8:00 p.m. Eastern and elsewhere in the world Tuesday 0:00 GMT.

Where: TekTalk Conference Room at:
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

Or, alternatively,
http://www.accessibleworld.org. Select the TekTalk room, enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

All Tech Talk training events are recorded so if you are unable to participate live at the above times then you may download the presentation or podcast from the Tech Talk archives on our website at http://www.accessibleworld.org.

All online interactive programs require no password, are free of charge, and open to anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers, and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with the presenters and others in the virtual audience.
If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that you need to download and then run. A link to the software is available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online rooms.

Free course for school librarians & teachers, plus a $700 stipend!

Since I know there are teachers and school librarians who read this blog, I am including a link to a free "Teaching East Asia" seminar I just learned about. It is free to participate, plus you can receive a $700 stipend if you successfully complete the course. How awesome is that?

Taken from http://www.kcta.ku.edu/tea.shtml:

You will receive hundreds of dollars of benefits by participating in “Teaching East Asia," a thirty-contact hour professional development seminar for in-service classroom teachers and school librarians. Funded by the Freeman Foundation of New York and Stowe, Vermont, participation is FREE, or the seminar may be taken for two graduate credits through the University of Kansas. Benefits include:

• $200 worth of books and other educational materials about China, Korea and Japan for personal use.
• $350 stipend for attending the seminar & submitting two lesson plans and one action plan with primary sources.
• $350 stipend for implementing these plans.
• Complimentary one-year subscription to Teaching about Asia magazine.
• Optional two graduate credits in either history or language/culture from the University of Kansas if desired.
• Periodic trips and events for seminar alumni.
• Bimonthly email updates on educating your students about East Asia.

For more information, go to http://www.kcta.ku.edu/tea.shtml

Free White Canes to be Provided Nationwide

Taken from http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=353

"The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, today announced an initiative to ensure that any blind person in the United States and Puerto Rico who needs a long white cane will have one, regardless of ability to pay. The NFB will provide a free cane to anyone in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico who is blind or has low vision and who uses or desires to use a white cane in order to travel independently. This historic initiative is the largest effort ever of its kind to provide white canes to individuals who are blind or have low vision...

The National Federation of the Blind will provide a straight, light fiberglass cane to any blind individual in the United States or Puerto Rico who requires the cane for personal use. Canes are available in the following lengths: 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, or 63 inches. Individuals may only request one free cane in any six-month period."

For more info, check out the website at http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=353


Update: You can fill out the application online at http://www.nfb.org/freecane/forms.asp or download an application at http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/documents/pdf/Free_White_Cane_Application.pdf

More information on the program is also available at http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Free_Cane_Program.asp?SnID=2137334358

Call for Participation for NISO/DAISY Digital Talking Book Standard Revision

I received the following email from Cynthia Hodgson:

"I thought your blog readers would be interested in this announcement:

*Call for Participation for NISO/DAISY Digital Talking Book Standard Revision*

NISO members have approved a project that will revise Specifications for the Digital Talking Book (ANSI/NISO Z39.86). Integral to this process is the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information SYstem) Consortium, maintenance agency for the so-called DAISY/NISO standard.

The revision proposal was prepared and submitted by George Kerscher, Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium, and the DAISY maintenance advisory committee. Prior to the proposal, the committee had conducted a call for requirements to better gauge the need for and issues surrounding a revision. The revision will The standard will approach from two directions: distribution and authoring. Among the expected changes are plans to modularize the standard and update it to take advantage of improved technologies that enable a significantly better user experience by improving the existing model for authoring and consumption of accessible multimedia documents, and also by facilitating the creation and distribution of rich interactive presentations.

A working group roster is now being formed. If you are interested in joining this working group or if you would like to be part of the affiliated interest group, please contact Karen Wetzel, kwetzel@niso.org, NISO's Standards Program Manager."

Cynthia Hodgson
NISO Technical Editor Consultant
National Information Standards Organization
Email: chodgson@niso.org

Concerns, Strategies, and Issues of Career Women 55 and Older

Taken from http://tinyurl.com/6b5oeq:

Project Renewment -- Concerns, Strategies, and Issues of Career Women 55 and Older.

• Thursday, August 21, 2008
• 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM (Eastern Time)
• Register

We invite you to join us for our August Healthy Aging Briefing webinar.

Our presenters will be Helen Dennis and Bernice Bratter, authors of the new bestselling book, Project Renewment: The First Retirement Model for Career Women. (Simon & Schuster/Scribner, 2008).

Helen is a nationally recognized expert on issues involving aging, employment, and retirement. Bernice is an expert on women’s issues and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who as served as Executive Director of the Center for Healthy Aging and President of the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation.

Helen and Bernice provide a driving force behind the national “Project Renewment” movement – a growing community of women’s groups where career women may gather and explore in a non-judgmental, supportive setting the issues, challenges and opportunities they see ahead of them for the next 30 years of their lives.

Our Healthy Aging Briefing Series has offered presentations before on attracting and serving Boomers. And we’ve explored the issues and challenges in serving men. Now, it’s time to think about these issues from the unique perspective of career women.

Take-away points will include:

• What aging service professionals should know about this cohort as a potential target group for services as well as a resource to aging services.
• How these considerations and realities will affect us personally as professionals looking forward to our own next chapter.
• Strategies that can provide a resource for career women while engaging a new population of Boomers within aging services.

Whether you already offer programs serving career women or are simply curious how this might fit into your organization’s plans for the future, we invite you to participate in this online workshop. After Helen and Bernice present, there will be time for your questions and comments.

Library Accessibility – What You Need to Know toolkit

Taken from the website at http://www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclaprotools/accessibilitytipsheets/

"The ASCLA “Library Accessibility –What You Need to Know” toolkit series of fifteen tipsheets was developed to help librarians in all types of libraries understand and manage access issues. These issues include but are not limited to: patrons who have cognitive, mental, or emotional illnesses; patrons with learning and/or developmental disabilities; patrons with service animals; patrons needing assistive technologies and patrons with physical disabilities. Each tipsheet addresses a specific concern."

There are tip sheets (in PDF format) on the following:

Developmental Disabilities
Learning Disabilities
Management
Physical disabilities
Children with Disabilities
Autism & Spectrum Disorders
Mental Illness
Service Animals
Volunteers with Disabilities
Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Assistive Technology
Multiple Disabilities
Staff
Vision
What Trustees Need to Know

Thanks to everyone involved in this project. It looks great!

At 112, artist still going strong

You are never too old to be an artist! I guess it is true that art is ageless!

Be sure to read the article, At 112, artist still going strong, at http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/07/20/elderly.artist.ap/index.html

Taken from the article:

Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals -- and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.

Drawn on sheets of butcher paper and sometimes stretching to more than 30 feet long, the works mostly show rural agricultural scenes, with buildings, trains and vehicles straight out of the early 20th century.

And his colorful creations are gaining more attention in the art world.

Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities

Several months ago, I learned about a program called AgrAbility, that helps people with disabilities who work in agriculture. You can see the Kansas AgrAbility website at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/agrability/

The website states, "Kansas AgrAbility is a partnership between K-State Research & Extension and Southeast Kansas Independent Living in Parsons.... Our goal is to inform, educate, and assist farmers, farm families, and farm workers who have disabilities, so they can continue to work and thrive in their agricultural career."

Some of the available services include: recommending farm equipment adaptation, eduational materials, and peer support from other farmers. You can find out about services offered through AgrAbility at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/agrability/services.htm.

You can also contact Kansas AgrAbility at 1-800-KAN DO IT (1-800-526-3648).

***And, for those not living in Kansas, you can check out the National AgrAbility website at http://www.agrabilityproject.org/index.cfm

A map of states with AgrAbility projects and AgrAbility affiliates is available at http://www.agrabilityproject.org/stateprojects.cfm. From the map, you can click on your state to get to the AgrAbility website for your particular state.

Silver Alert helps rescue lost seniors

Have you read the article, Silver Alert helps rescue lost seniors? You can find it at
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=307412

The article discusses the Silver Alert program, which is similar to the Amber alert program, but for older adults who are missing. At least 8 states already have Silver Alert programs, and there is a push for a Silver Alert program at the national level.

Helping children who are blind or visually impaired through Keys for K-12 / Free license for System Access Mobile

Helping children who are blind or visually impaired through Keys for K-12 / Free license for System Access Mobile

Taken from the Serotek website at http://www.serotek.com/kk12.html:

For children in the 21st century, using a computer is as basic as learning to read or riding a bike. Serotek Corporation is introducing a program today that will put blind children on the same page with their sighted peers -- giving them the ability to use a computer anytime, anywhere, with help from Keys for K-12 (kk12.)

Keys for K-12 is a free license to carry the System Access Mobile capabilities on a portable thumb drive. With the SA Mobile Software, your student can plug his or her flash drive into any computer, anywhere, and have instant access -- through text-to-speech and/or magnification -- to all Windows-based applications already there.

At school, the library, Grandma's house or a sleepover, a blind child can access the same information on the computer as any sighted student who can see the screen.

What does it feel like to be age 85?

I recently came across an article, Simulating Age 85, With Lessons on Offering Care, at http://tinyurl.com/648uxa

The article discusses a program, Xtreme Aging, that is being used to help people experience what it's like to be an older adult, age 85 or older.

Check out the article and let me know your thoughts.... anyone ever taken a course like this? I used to work at a place that taught a similar course, but never experienced the course....

http://tinyurl.com/648uxa

Estimate your social security retirement benefits online

Are you interested in estimating your social security retirement benefits? The PCLS Senior Services blog at http://pclsseniors.blogspot.com/ alerted me to a new social security retirement estimator that is now available online. You can find the estimator at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator/

The Retirement Estimator website states:

"The Retirement Estimator produces estimates that are based on your actual Social Security earnings record. Retirement estimates are just that, estimates. They will vary slightly from the actual benefit you may receive in the future because:

• Your Social Security earnings record is constantly being updated;
• Our calculators use different parameters and assumptions (e.g., different stop work ages, future earnings projections, etc.); and
• Your actual future benefit will be adjusted for inflation.

You can use the Retirement Estimator if:

• You are not currently receiving benefits on your own Social Security record;
• You are not a Medicare beneficiary;
• You have enough Social Security credits at this time to qualify for benefits; and
• You are not eligible for a Pension Based on Work Not Covered By Social Security."