Creating a blog post in JAWS screen reader

I'm currently in an IT lecture at RNCB and using the JAW screen reader. THis program allows blind readers to navigate their way around a computer without the vision.  JAWS reads whatever is on screen and allows the user to find their way around the screen without using a mouse.

So I am writing this post without looking at screen, something very unnatural whilst I have some sight left but good training in case my vision continues to deteriorate.It takes a lot longer and can sometimes be very frustratingg for someone who is used to using computers with vision and correcting mistakes in typing can be awkward but screenreaders like JAWS opens up the world of computers to those who could otherwise not use a monitor screen and .mouse

Learning Braille

Yesterday was the anniversary of Louis  Braille's birth (b. 4 Jan 1809) and on my first day back at the RNCB I had my first Braille lesson.

Braille is the worldwide system used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing using raised dots signifying the alphabet and numbers.  Originally developed by Braille in 1821 as a replacement of a system of communiation devised for Napolionic troops so they could communicate silently and in the dark.  The original method developed by Charles Barbier was deemed to complex as it used a system of 12 dot which could not be feel by a finger all in one go.

The Royal National Institute for the Blind in France was approached and the teenage Louis Braille (blind himslef) created the system.  Braille letters are made up of raised dots within retangular cells, in a six dot positions (two rows of three).  The configuration of the raised dots and blank positions can be felt with a single finger, making it quick and easy to read and not confuse each letter.

You can read more about Braille and it's history and different form on the About website by clicking here.

So today I learnt how to position myself to make reading Braille easier, and how to read four letters, A, D, L and T.  Well, it's a start.  It wasn't too difficult as the configuration in those letters are very different.  It'll become more tricky as other letter and numbers are added.  I also learned how to type them using a Braille machine, similar to the old fashined typewriters but with three keys representing the appropriate dots, which imprint the page when depressed.

By the end of the course I will have a qualification in Level 1 Braille and possibly, depending how quick I pick it up, Level 2.  Levek 2 is more advanced, using a form of shorthand for certain letter sounds or words, such as CH or ST.  I'll keep you posted.

VWS - winner of 2010 Vision Impaired Blog Award

Happy New Year!

So it's 2011 and I'm back at the Royal National College for the Blind (and am back at the computer!).

Well it seems Vision Web Sight has been named one of the top 20 blogs for the vision impaired by Medical Assistant Schools! 

And nominations for 2011 are being taken now, so if you like VWS please click here to vote.

"This award highlights the very best blogs about being vision impaired on the internet as determined by the internet community. With the growing prominence of the internet in today's society, allowing for more people to have more access to information, the medical field is a very important niche. More and more people are trying to diagnose themselves, and although this tendency cannot be helped, the information they are using can definitely be ensured to be top notch. And so Medical Assistant Schools has provided the Top Blog Awards, not only to recognize those bloggers who are blogging with great content, but because we want to provide any information seeker with the best resources possible."

Quote from Medical Assistant Schools