Holiday gifts and Christmas presents for persons who are blind or visually impaired

Need Christmas presents or holiday gift ideas for someone who is blind or visually impaired?

(NOTE: If you are looking for librarian gifts, check out Fun librarian gifts for less than 20 dollars (for the holidays or anytime)!)

From time to time, people ask me (or visit my blog!) for recommendations on specific items or holiday gifts for persons who are blind or visually impaired. So, I thought it might be useful to offer some suggestions for favorite holiday gifts for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

And of course, these gifts are not limited to the holidays, but are also appropriate year round as gifts. I am providing direct links to the items at Amazon and/or Independent Living Aids, so you can do "one stop shopping" if you so desire. If you are unable to view the pictures, please click on the text links to get to the items. Enjoy!

Talking Microwave - a microwave that talks to you
ila Deluxe Cook Magic Talking Microwave

Talking Scales - these scales will read your weight out loud.

Reizen II Talking Bathroom Scale for Low Vision - Silver

Superior Bathroom Talking Scale

Talking Alarm Clock - this clock talks to you and also features very large numbers on the display.

Talking 4-Alarm Clock with EL-Backlight

Talking Watches - Ladies' & Mens'

Ladies Tel-Time Gold-Colored Talking Watch with Golden Expansion Band

Avalon XXL Series Low Vision 1- Button Talking Watch # 7425-1B

Large Button Remote Controls

Tek Pal Universal Large Button TV Remote Control

Giant Big Button Universal Remote

Low Vision Playing Cards

Marinoff Low Vision Playing Cards

Braille playing cards

Braille playing cards

Victor Reader Stream - this is one of the talking book players you can use with the NLS free digital download project to download free audio books

Victor Reader Stream

Please note it is not my intention to promote a specific item and/or product manufacturer. The opinions expressed are purely my own.

UPDATE 12/08: As a side note, I just learned that if you need to make sure you get a gift sent out ASAP, you can get FREE 2 day shipping from Amazon on many items if you sign up for Amazon Prime. (It's free to sign up, and if you cancel within 90 days, you will not be charged for Amazon Prime.) So if you're in a rush, you might give that a try! Happy shopping and happy holidays!

Tutorial for Victor Reader Stream Companion Software

Need help using the Victor Reader Stream Companion Software? Need to know how to use the Victor Reader Stream Companion Software? Then this one is for you!

Received via Accessible World's Newsletter:

Tek Talk Offers Companion Tutorial for VR Stream Monday, December 1, 2008

The Accessible World News Wire, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Tek Talk Provides Tutorial On Using HumanWare's Companion Software To Transfer Books To the VR Stream Monday, December 1, 2008

As increased numbers of VR Streams are being purchased and used by thousands of blind individuals worldwide, Tek Talk has received numerous requests to again offer training on transferring files from the computer to the VR Stream using the Companion software. Therefore, during this week's Tek Talk event, Don Barrett, recognized advanced computer user, will provide specific training on the many features of the Companion 2.0. He will demonstrate how easy it is to use this powerful tool to transfer a variety of files including Bookshare, NLS digital books and, if time permits, Audible.com content.

Following the presentation, there will be plenty of time for questions from the virtual audience.

(Contact: Don Barrett, donter@verizon.net, 202-453-7320)

Date: Monday, December 1, 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 1:00 GMT.

Where: Tek Talk Conference Room at:

http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

Or, alternatively,

http://www.accessibleworld.org. Select the Tek Talk Room, enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

All Tek 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 Tek 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.

Sign up information for all Accessible World News Wires and discussion lists are also available at our website: http://www.accessibleworld.org.

Media Contacts:

Robert Acosta, Chair, Planning Committee
818-998-0044
Email: boacosta@pacbell.net
Web: http://www.helpinghands4theblind.com

Pat Price, Founder and Events Coordinator
The Accessible World Symposiums Vision Worldwide, Inc.
317-254-1185
Email: pat@patprice.org
Web: http://www.accessibleworld.org

American Sign Language (ASL) blocks for children

Thanks to the Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs blog, I learned about a cool new resource.... American Sign Language (ASL) finger spelling blocks. Basically, these are like traditional ABC blocks, but have a toy hand on top of the block, showing the ASL "sign" for that particular letter. What a cool idea and a great way for kids (and adults) to learn ASL finger spelling! And what a cool resource for teachers!

You can see the blog post here.

You can go directly to the ASL Finger spelling blocks website at http://www.signlanguageblocks.com/

Although.... is it just me, or do these children's blocks remind you all of "Thing" (AKA the hand!) from the Addams family? These things are too cool! I would love to have a set of my own!

Do You Really Want to Eat That? Accessibility of Nutritional Information on Restaurant Companies' Web Sites

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has an article by Janet Ingber titled Do You Really Want to Eat That? Accessibility of Nutritional Information on Restaurant Companies' Web Sites.

Taken from the article:

Did you ever wonder how many calories and how much fat are in a fast-food burger or latte? Some cities now have regulations that require restaurants to post the nutritional information for the food they serve. However, if you are blind or have low vision, you may not have access to this information. Before you drink that latte or eat that burger, you may want to check out the nutritional information for these and other items.

This article reviews a variety of fast-food web sites to determine whether nutrition information for their products is accessible... An accessible web site can help consumers with visual impairments make informed decisions about what food they choose to eat. The restaurant web sites that I reviewed are Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway, Papa John's, Domino's, Baskin-Robbins, and TCBY.

You can read the entire article at http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090605

Let me google that for you....

Thanks to the Library Stuff blog, I learned about a new site.... (see the post at http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/11/20/let-me-google-that-for-you/)

The site is called Let Me Google That For You. It's at http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/. The site does just what it says.... it googles something for you..... To see how it works, you just have to check it out for yourself....

The Let Me Google That For You site says, "This is for all those people that find it more convenient to bother you with their question rather than google it for themselves." So for what it's worth, enjoy...

Special note to email subscribers: for some reason, Feedburner did not send out my post for Thursday, November 20. If you missed it, you can check it out here:

Article: Google makes 10 million photos from LIFE archives available online

Article: Google makes 10 million photos from LIFE archives available online

Google is making 10 million photos from the LIFE archives available online. Some of the photos are from as far back as the 1750s! Many of these photos have never been seen before.

You'll be able to search through the photos at Google Image Search. Check out the post on Google blog at
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/life-photo-archive-available-on-google.html

Follow Library Camp Nebraska online!

If you are interested in attending a library "unconference", check out Library Camp Nebraska. Even if you can't be there in person, you can follow all the action online through the Library Camp Nebraska Friendfeed room! Check out Michael Sauers'/Travelin' Librarian blog for all the details:

http://www.travelinlibrarian.info/2008/11/library-camp-nebraska-is-today.html

Social Bookmarking: Introducing the Diigo Educator Account

Attention librarians, teachers, and other educators! Don't miss this free event!

Live Web Meeting - Social Bookmarking: Introducing the Diigo Educator Account

Taken from the website at http://www.classroom20.com/events/social-bookmarking

Maggie Tsai, co-founder of Diigo and her special guest, Jennifer Dorman, will demo and discuss the first phase of "Diigo Educator Account:" a suite of features that makes it easy for teachers to get their entire class of students or their peers started on collaborative research using Diigo's web annotation and social bookmarking technology. For reference: Peggy Steffens - "Diigo ~ 21st Century Tool for Research, Reading, and Collaboration" http://www.amphi.com/~technology/techtalks/online/nov08/bestpract.htm

Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern / 1:00 AM GMT (on Friday)

To join the event at the time, click on the following URL:

https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008350&password=M.48E63F72A6B22156092010DFDE4A1F

To test your system in advance for compatibility with Elluminate, visit this Web page:

http://www.elluminate.com/support/

Amazon offers XO Buy One Get One Laptops (One Laptop per Child: Give a Laptop, Get a Laptop)

Many of you have probably heard of the XO Laptop Buy One Get One - One Laptop Per Child program (OLPC), or Give a Laptop, Get a Laptop program. It's where you buy a laptop computer that will be sent to children in developing countries, and then you get another laptop computer for free. Yes, a free laptop, or a free computer for you (or your child). It's a really neat program, and it's only $399 total for both laptops. And now it seems that Amazon has jumped on the bandwagon and is now promoting the XO Laptop Buy One Get One - Give a Laptop, Get a Laptop program, which is pretty cool, because this will help spread the world about this program. (And not to mention they are offering free shipping). If you were thinking of taking part in this program, now is the time! Check it out here:

XO Laptop Buy One Get One Free

The Accessibility of Digital Television Converter Boxes: Recommendations for Accessible Digital Television Converter Boxes

The American Foundation for the Blind has an article on their site by Darren Burton, The Accessibility of Digital Television Converter Boxes.

And before I talk more about the article, I want to make sure you all have ordered your digital tv coupons to use toward the purchase of a digital television converter box. If you haven't, go here first: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ (and don't forget to come back to read the rest of this article!) *smile*

The article (http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090602) gives a list of converter boxes that may be more accessible to people with vision loss, due to certain features. These include "converter boxes that pass through video description through the secondary audio programming feature and have a dedicated button on the remote control for accessing that feature directly."

Recommendations for Accessible Digital Television Converter Boxes

The list is fairly long, and I must admit I had difficulty tracking down many of the ones on the list. So, if you're looking to save time and easily find these more accessible digital converter boxes to purchase for yourself or a loved one, feel free to check out the links below to these products. (Please note: I am NOT endorsing any particular model! These links are for your convenience.... and yes, you can use the coupons at many online stores, including Amazon.)

Memorex MVCB1000

Philco TB100HH9

Taken from the article at http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090602

"These converter boxes were not designed the way we would have preferred them to be, and some features are not accessible at all. However, they can be used effectively after some initial assistance from a sighted person with the setup process. That being said, it is obvious that NTIA did not consider people with visual impairments when it set the standards for these boxes and really does not get it when it comes to accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision. It would have been helpful if NTIA had required all the boxes to be able to pass through the SAP channel and to be compatible with smart antennas. NTIA could have also at least allowed for a manufacturer to provide a speech-output function for accessing the menu system, but that was not even on its radar screen. Accessible manuals would also be helpful. This has been a government-led program from the outset, but questions remain on how much the program complies with existing regulations for accessibility and usability."

2008 Holiday Toy Guide

Looking for a 2008 Holiday Toy Guide? Well, look no more! There are two cool ones I've found.

1) AFB has a great guide that you can use as a 2008 Holiday Toy Guide. It's called Guide to Toys 2008: Let's Play (A Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs) You can find it at http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=82. While the guide is targeted to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, the toys are appropriate for all children! So take a look and find some popular, cool, and fun holiday toys for 2008!

The AFB website states, "Every day, parents ask professionals for advice on buying toys for their children. Often, shoppers are wary of buying toys for special needs children. However, selecting a toy for any child begins with two steps: first, learning what the child is interested in, and second, assessing his or her skill level. Let's Play: A Guide to Toys for Children with Special Needs is a helpful educational tool designed to assist with this selection process. After reviewing this guide and doing your homework, we encourage you to visit toy shelves (both online and at your local retailer) and sample the great products designed to excite, engage and enthrall your child. Experience with them the joy and happiness of play!

With support from the Toy Industry Association, Inc.™ and its members, the Toy Industry Foundation™, in partnership with Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) and American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), has researched and tested hundreds of toys in an effort to offer you a comprehensive guide to the best toys for children of all ages with all types of special needs and interests. Toys included in this guide were tested by over 100 "toy experts"—children with a variety of special needs. ATA and AFB selected the featured products based on the toy's play value for children with special needs. Whether shopping for a three-year-old, visually impaired child or a ten-year-old with developmental disabilities, Let's Play is an excellent resource for finding the perfect toy."

2) Also, I just discovered Amazonhas a cool 2008 Holiday Toy Guide. It's called the Amazon Holiday Toy List.You can sort by age or price, and it has video demonstrations of the products! Too cool! Check it out here:

***Additional note from Talking Books Librarian... while it is not specifically a toy guide, you can find some cool toys at Independent Living Aids

I've linked directly to the toy page here.

2008 Holiday Shipping Calendar for Military and International Cards and Packages

For those in the United States, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has posted its 2008 holiday shipping calendar for military and international cards and packages. Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/4ep5lw.

Happy Holidays to Everyone! :)

Have you tried a lijit search? Social networking & searching combined!

Want to try a new search widget for your website or blog, other than google search? Then lijit may be just what you're looking for. It's social networking and searching combined into one great tool. (talk about a fun combination!) I've been using it for awhile now and love it.

Lijit also maintain some cool stats for your blog, including stats on readers, searches, and exposure. It also shows you exactly what people are searching for on your blog.

And one of the coolest things about lijit - If you choose, you can add other friends' websites or blogs to your lijit search network, and lijit will search the blog content from those blogs, in addition to your blog! You can add your bookmarks, photos, videos, and social networks. The social networking part of lijit is a great tool for your readers - Give it a try and see what you think! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Want to try a lijit wijit on your site? Here's how to add a lijit widget on your own site....

Simply click here to get a lijit widget of your own. Lijit will walk you step by step through the process. The whole thing took me maybe a couple minutes... You can sign up at http://icanhaz.com/lijitwijit

(By the way, the lijit widget is also known as a lijit wijit, lijit search widget, and lijit search wijit.... they're all the same thing!)

Holiday gifts for persons who are blind or living with disabilities

Are you looking for a Christmas or holiday gift for someone who is blind or living with a disability? Need some fun gift ideas?

UPDATE: Check out my blog post with gift recommendations for persons who are visually impaired here: http://tinyurl.com/giftsforblind.

NOTE: If you are looking for librarian gifts, check out Fun librarian gifts for less than 20 dollars (for the holidays or anytime)!

And you may also want to check this out!

Taken from the Accessible World New Wire email:

Tek Talk Presents Stocking Stuffers 2008 Part Two Monday, November 10, 2008

The Accessible World News Wire, Indianapolis, Indiana USA

If you are still looking for that special present to please the most discriminating family member, friend or colleague on your shopping list, plan now to attend this week's Accessible World's free online Stocking Stuffers 2008 Part Two event. It will feature three more manufacturers and product distributors who provide useful and accessible products for celebrating religious holidays, to remember a birthday or anniversary, to send get well wishes or express gratitude to a special person in your life.

You will have an opportunity to learn about a myriad of unique, fun, practical, impractical and yet affordable gifts that will please the most discriminating recipient of any age whether vision impaired or fully sighted. Time will be allotted for the audience to ask questions of each presenter.

SESSION 1:
The American Printing House for the Blind is believed to be the world's largest provider of accessible educational and daily living products. APH representative Michael McCarty plans to describe and demonstrate as many of the most popular and newest ones as time permits.

(Contact: The American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky.
Phone: 800-223-1839 Web: http://www.aph.org Email: mmcc@aph.org)

Session 2:
Would you like to buy an entire library for the price of a single print book? Believe it or not, it is possible. Richard Seltzer , owner of B&R Samizdat Express, will provide an overview of his more than 200 different collections that include classics and out-of-print gems, organized by author, genre, time period, theme/subject, and geographic region. He publishes the books on CDs and DVDs. They are in text format and can be read on a PC (Windows XP or higher), a Linux computer, recent Macs, and/or transferred to HumanWare's Victor Reader Stream, an IPOD or other portable
player. Since they are in text format, they are searchable, printable, and editable.

We guarantee you will be fascinated by this valuable source of quality reading material at just pennies per book. (Contact: Richard Seltzer, B&R Samizdat Express. Phone: 617-469-2269
Web: http://samizdat.stores.yahoo.net/ Email: seltzer@samizdat.com)

Session 3:
Sight Connection in Seattle, Washington specializes in products for living well with sight loss. Both their walk-in store and their online shopping website are filled with many useful products and great gift ideas. Joyce Shoemaker, Retail Operations Manager, has promised to highlight products that will be great stocking stuffers. For example, you will learn about gift cards, batteries, books & reading accessories, Braille tools, calendars, writing & recordkeeping, canes, cassette players & audio accessories, clocks, watches, cooking & kitchen, eyewear and eye patches, fall prevention products, games and playing cards, health & personal care, home & office items, jewelry, lighting, magnifiers, Spanish talking products, telephones and more.

(Contact: Joyce Shoemaker, Retail Operations Manager, Sight Connection.
Phone: 800-458-4888 Web: http://www.sightconnection.com Email:
jshoemaker@csbps.com)

Date: Monday, November 10, 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: Tek Talk 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.

How to make text larger on your computer screen (2 free and easy ways!)

Okay, some of you probably already know these quick tips already, but I'm willing to bet there are some of you out there who do not... there are a couple of quick and easy ways to make the text larger on your computer, so it is bigger and easier to read. In other words, yes, you can increase the text size, or "magnify" the text size on your computer.... without increasing the actual font size!

And you don't need to have vision problems to benefit from enlarging the text on your computer. Bigger text helps prevent eye strain, so I encourage everyone to give enlarged text a try, even if you never have before.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, these tips are already listed and explained on AFB's Senior Site, so I'm going to point you to that article. It's at http://www.afb.org/seniorsite.asp?SectionID=68&TopicID=321

Taken from the article:

• Hold down the CTRL key and press the plus key until the print is the size you want it.
• If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, hold down the CTRL key and roll the wheel away from you to make the print larger.

***On a side note, the AFB site mentions that the tips work in Internet Explorer (IE), but these same tips also work in Firefox.

Get the Washington Post newspaper for free!

Get the Washington Post for free.... if you own an Amazon Kindle!

That's right, the The Washington Post is being offered free to all Amazon Kindle owners from November 2 - 5, to help ensure Kindle owners get the latest election news and election coverage from The Washington Post. (Gosh, who will win?? McCain or Obama???) So, I guess if you've been thinking about a Kindle, now is the time! Especially with the coupon code I blogged about earlier.

And if you missed the post covering where the Amazon Kindle works, you can check out a map of the Amazon Kindle coverage (reception) area by clicking here.

You can find out more about the Amazon Kindle below:

Article: Software firm lets disabled get their game on

Have you read the article Software firm lets disabled get their game on? We already know that many online games are not accessible for everyone, but it seems a software company and the Perkins School for the Blind are trying to change that....

Taken from the article:

It wasn't easy for Steve Dresser to play Super Mario Brothers with his son. Dresser is blind, and like most other video and computer games, Super Mario was not designed for players with disabilities.

A Salem company, 7128 Software, hopes to change that... Now it's working with the Perkins School for the Blind, of Watertown, to develop and test educational computer games that can be downloaded from the firm's website and played by visually impaired preschoolers.