National Eye Health Week

Despite the fact that over half of all blindness and visual impairment could be prevented, with early diagnosis, only 66% of UK adults have taken an eye test in the past 10 years, according to the RNIB.

So the RNIB are running National Eye Health Week, to raise awareness of how to look after your vision and avoid sight loss.

As well as possibly preventing blindness, regular eye examinations can also lead to the discovery of the early stages of other illnesses, such as diabetes, so can be useful for general all-round well being, not just seeing if you need glasses.

The RNIB point out a number of simple ways of avoiding sight loss, such as stopping smoking, wearing sunglasses, wearing safety goggles when doing DIY and eating a balanced diet, all of which could reduce the figure of 100 people in the UK losing their sight every day.

Sight loss can happen to anyone so looking after your eyes is very important and something most people don’t think about until it’s too late.

Visit the RNIB web site for more information on Eye Health Week.

London 2012 Paralympics : Guide to sports for the blind

The London 2012 Paralympics was launched tonight with the opening ceremony.  After the huge success of the Olympics this is the chance for the biggest Paralympics ever to shine.  To the athletes their disability is almost incidental: it;s not about their disability but about their ABILTY, what they CAN do.
This is a guide to the main sports to be competed by blind and visually impaired athletes.  There may be some level of sight loss in other sports but these are the sports where visual impairment categorizes them for these events:

Athletics

Athletes must trust guides that shouting or giving other acoustic instructions as they run, throw or jump.  Some athlet6es have sighted guides that run with them whilst others are visually impaired with limited vision.  Each different level of impairment runs/throws.jumps in different categories.

Cycling

Visually impaired cyclists ride tandem with a sighted pilot up front steering them around the track.

Football – five-a-side

Four outfield players - wearing blindfolds to give everyone the same level of visual impairment - and a sighted goalkeeper compete two halves of 25 minutes.  The ball has ball bearings inside, so players can hear where the balls is and the pitch is surround by acoustic boards so sounds reflect – the crowd is asked to be quiet during play.

Goalball

Two teams of three blindfolded players play two halves of 12 minutes.  Teams must get a medicine ball full of bells beyond the opposing team to score.  The defending team uses any part of their body to prevent the attack.

Judo

In the Paralympics Judo is reserved purely for the visually impaired.  Although graded on levels of visual impairment competitors fight in weight categories, rather than disability level.

Rowingg

Skulls are adapted with additional stabilising "pontoons", buoyancy devices to aid balance.

Swimming

A number of events based on severity of disability. For the visually impaired a taper is placed across each lane which prompts swimmers of the approach of the wall.

My guide dog and I

I’ve had my guide dog for a couple of months now and getting him was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Jet is a wonderful black labrador, two years old at the end of next month. Not only is he good at his job, enjoying his work, he also has a lovely temperament, is very social and is absolutely no trouble whatsoever. He fits into my life perfectly. This is testament to the brilliant work by the guide dogs Association, their trainers and their puppy walkers.

Guide dogs is a wonderful organisation. The dedication, training, advice and help that the charity gives is superb and can't be faulted.

The process started with a visit from a member of the team who came to my home to discuss whether getting a dog would be right for me. We talked about my condition, my lifestyle and how the guide dog might benefit my life. Once the decision was taken that a dog would be good for me, it was arranged that I would have some test walks to see what kind of dog would suit.

The first walk was around my local area within member of the team holding a harness, no dog involved. This was test my mobility, how I got around with my white cane, speed etc. This was followed a few weeks later with another walk, this time with the kind of dog they thought would suit me. All the time I was being assessed so they can actually with a suitable dog.

Then I was put on the waiting list. As I had not specified the type, breed or sex of dog the process of finding the right dog from me would probably be quicker. Some people are quite particular about the kind of dog they want. The charity has a set of criteria so people are matched to the right dog. People have different needs, such as how much exercise the dog will need, it's size overspeed it walks for example.

Once they found an animal that they thought was right for me it was time for my training. Training can take place residentially at a number of hotels around the country or within the home. As I am quite active and used to dogs, my training was from home. So for three weeks Jet moved in and everyday we went out with a trainer learning all the commands, techniques and everything I needed to know about working with a guide dog. A health visitor also came to see me to talk about the care and welfare for jet.

Once been given a lot of information and qualifying, I was handed over the reins and for a nominal fee of 50p, Jet became mine. The backup support by the organisation is brilliant, any problems I have with jet, they are only at the end of the phone. Regular visits to see how he is getting along mean he will always be in good condition. As well as his training, vets bills and after-care, they even offered to pay for his food, which I declined as they had done so much already.

Guide dog ownership is wonderful. It has made so much difference getting around. It has helped my confidence moving around in a visual world with sight loss. As well as a working dog he's also become a great buddy. He's got a great temperament, he so well-behaved (most of the time!) And makes me laugh every day. Guide dogs answer everybody but personally it's been fantastic.

If you would like more information on guide dogs like to donate please visit this link:

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/?gclid=COH_gtvN_68CFWwntAodJzWIEA

Voice recognition software – using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5

I haven't written anything for a while. There are number of reasons (or excuses), one of them is that my vision has been deteriorating stop. To help me continue using the computer I have purchased some voice recognition software.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses voice recognition to type in what I say into a microphone) VGA rather than using the keyboard. It wasn't long ago that voice recognition software was a hit and miss affair. But as you can see from this blog post, which I am dictating not typing, the technology has improved immeasurably.

This is so much easier than touch typing. I can use natural speech patterns and talk quite normally and the program understands and inputs what I want. In the past this type of software  required you to speak each word in a robotic manner but now you can just speak that this it normally, albeit adding punctuation as you go.

It is early days of me using Dragon NaturallySpeaking and the software learns your speech patterns and pronunciation the more you use it. I will come back to the subject after I've been using it for a while but so far I'm extremely impressed.

My biggest criticism of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking is, that for a program so obviously useful to the blind and visually impaired community, the menus, dialogue boxes, and activation are all very small, and it would probably need a sighted person to help initial setup. Many other programs these days, designed for people with sight problems, have setups with speech, that talk you through the installation. It would have been nice for Dragon to have included this.

Still, I can see how useful this piece of software could be to people with sight loss.

Katie: The Science of Seeing Again - Channel 4 Tues 7 Feb

With all the recent news about stem cell research into restoring vision in some sight conditions, (includng this story on VWS), Channel 4 are showing a programme tomorrow night following Katier Piper, a model who lost the sight in her left eye after an acid attack.  She has injections of embryonic stem cells into her eye,  which could potential restore her sight.  The programme also deals with the ethics issues in the procedure, which some think is morally wrong as it uses cells from human embryos.

The programme airs tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4 and will be available on 4oD online a day later.

Click here to view online from Feb 8

Assistive technology software 3: Combined speech and magnification software

Combined speech and magnification software can benefit people with some useful vision who are able to use magnification. The additional speech support can take the strain from the eyes when reading longer text and for a back-up when reading is difficult.

• Lightning Plus with Speech £199
• Supernova Reader Magnifier £395
• ZoomText Magnifier Reader £495
• Supernova Access Suite £835

Easy to use and learn for simple computer use

• Azabat Write £30 + £20 for email
• Guide £495

iZoom £250 ex VAT

Buy from http://pamtrad.co.uk/izoom

Pros:

• 1.5x to 36x magnification
• Selection of zooming modes
• Colour enhancements
• Font smoothing
• Smart align to ensure that magnified text fits on the screen
• Zoom scroll bars to help to identify where you are on the page
• Curser and pointer enhancements
• Human sounding voices
• Dual monitor option

Cons:

• Adjustments can be slow
• Screen layout can be incorrect due to magnification
• Some pixilation at higher magnification
• Zoom scroll bars are red
• Can be slow to follow the focus
• Reading limited

Supernova reader magnifier £395 ex VAT

Buy from www.rnib.org.uk/shop
Also available from www.dolphinuk.co.uk

Pros:

• Up to 60x magnification
• Selection of zooming modes
• Colour enhancements
• Font smoothing
• Curser and pointer enhancements
• Reads or spells out any text on the screen
• Human sounding voices
• Multiple monitor support

Cons:

• Reading options can be limited compared to more complex screen readers
• Large software file which can use more computer memory

ZoomText magnifier reader £495 ex VAT

Buy from: www.rnib.org.uk/shop

Pros:

• 1.5x to 36x magnification
• Selection of zooming modes
• Colour enhancements
• Font smoothing with xfont technology so very clear even at high levels of magnification
• Smart align to ensure that magnified text fits on the screen
• Zoom scroll bars to help to identify where you are on the page
• Curser and pointer enhancements
• Dual monitor option
• Human sounding voices
• Reads or spells out any text on the screen
• Reliable and stable in various environments
• Web finder, lets you find links and controls in any web page for faster browsing

Cons:

• Reading options can limited compared to more complex screen readers

Supernova access suite £835 ex VAT

Buy from: www.rnib.org.uk/shop
Also available from www.dolphinuk.co.uk

Pros:

• Up to 60x magnification
• Selection of zooming modes
• Colour enhancements
• Font smoothing
• Curser and pointer enhancements
• Reads or spells out any text on the screen
• Human sounding voices
• Multiple monitor support
• Speech navigation keys which allow enable faster web browsing
• Verbosity schemes so you can control how much information you are given
• Supports Braille output and input

Cons:

• Large software file which can use more computer memory

Azabat Write £30 (£50 incl. email)

Buy from: www.rnib.org.uk/shop
Also available from www.dolphinuk.co.uk

Pros:

• Easy to use list operated system
• · Magnified text as well as speech
• Price

Cons:

• Unable to make changes to font
• Internet use is not supported

Guide £495 ex VAT

Buy from: www.rnib.org.uk/shop
Also available from www.dolphinuk.co.uk

Pros:

• Easy to use as you are guided step by step
• Human sounding voice
• Scan and read included
• Enables simple use of communication, entertainment, organization and internet
• Magnified text as well as speech

Cons:

• Can be restricting if you require more advanced functions
• Price

Other Assistive Technology information

• Screen reader software
• Screen magnifiers

The prices shown are approximate,
`October 2011. All prices are excluding VAT. Those registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired will not have to pay VAT on these products. Links to trial software that can be downloaded from the internet mean you can test the different products before you buy, to see if they suit your needs.
This information is intended as an introduction to the subject for blind and partially sighted people and their supporters. It is not intended as a complete list of all products and services available, nor should it be inferred that products and services mentioned in this information is recommended or endorsed by Vision Web Sight.

Assistive technology software 2: Screen magnifiers

Screen magnification software enlarges the contents of the screen to make it easier to see. Magnification can pixelate text which makes it blocky and unclear. The more expensive software overcomes this by smoothing the fonts to make them clearer when enlarged.
There are various magnification styles. Some software has a limited choice of magnification style, while others provide a range. The styles available include a magnifying glass style zoom, magnifying the whole screen or just part of it, usually half screen vertically, horizontally or in a bar across the screen.
Other features such as colour and contrast options and cursor changes are available with some software and can help improve what you see on screen.

Software listed:

• Windows Magnifier - free
• Apple Zoom - free
• Lightning Express – free
• Desktop Zoom - free
• Magnifying Glass Pro - $25 USD
• ZoomText Express - £79.95
• Lightning Plus - £149
• MAGic - £175
• ZoomText Magnifier - £375
• SuperNova Magnifier - £354

Microsoft Windows operating system Magnifier - free

This is already available as part of Microsoft Windows

Pros:

• Built in accessibility feature (free with Windows)
• Simple
• Part or full screen magnification
• Windows 7 version has smoother text at high levels of magnification

Cons:

• No text smoothing so text pixelates (gets blocky) as magnification is increased
• Lack of colour modes

Apple operating system Zoom - free

This is already available as part of Apple operating systems

Pros:

• Built in accessibility feature (free with Apple computers and mobile devices)
• Gesture control, using the touchpad, on latest operating system

Cons:

• Still blocky at higher magnification
• Not possible to use at the same time as VoiceOver

Lightning Express – free (web-based)

Run the program from the web site: http://www.itzooms.com

Pros:

• Lens and full screen mode
• · Pre-set colour schemes
• Changeable cursor colours

Cons:

• Delivered over the internet so needs a web connection.
• Doesn’t automatically start on Windows start-up
• (Making a desktop shortcut with associated keyboard shortcut, helps to start the program without having to navigate to web page without magnification)

Desktop Zoom – free

Web site: http://users.telenet.be/littlegems/MySoft/DesktopZoom/Index.html
Download trial version: http://users.telenet.be/littlegems/MySoft/Index.html

Pros:

• Alternative zoom styles
• Magnifier follows the focus of what you are doing
• Shows the original screen with a transparency value between 0 and 100%
• Bigger mouse and/or a crosshair option

Cons:

• Limits magnification on the internet to three times.

Magnifying Glass Pro – approx. $25 USD

Web site with free trial download: http://www.workerscollection.com/wcollect/english/html/mg_pro.html

Pros:

• Modify contrast, smoothing, magnification glass size, shape and position
• Adjust screen position, such as fixed, under the cursor and angular
• Configurations can be saved
• Switch magnifier on and off by shaking the mouse

Cons:

• Does not magnify whole the screen
• Turns off Windows “Aero” desktop theme
• Does not turn off mouse cursor which can get in the way

ZoomText Express – approx. £79.95

Web site: http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtextexpress
Download trial version: http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtextexpress/more/download_zoomtextexpress_trial/

Pros:

• Gentle boost of magnification
• Can add a shade to white areas and reverse colours

Cons:

• Only zooms up to two times magnification
• Download only

Lightning Plus – approx. £149

Web site: http://www.clarosoftware.com/index.php?cPath=262
Download trial version: http://www.shareit.com/demoreg.html?productid=300077896

Pros:

• Portable, runs directly from a USB memory stick
• Lens, strip or full screen magnification or an area you choose
• Changeable colours and other visual properties
• Vertical or horizontal split screen
• Changeable colours and brightness

MAGic – approx. £175

Web site: http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/lv/magic-bl-product-page.asp
Download trial version: http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/demo/FS-demo-downloads.asp

Pros:

• Zooms up to 36 times magnification
• Font smoothing
• Colour and brightness setting
• More than five hours of basic training in accessible DAISY text and audio
• Fully compatible with JAWS screen reader

Cons:

• Font smoothing not as effective as ZoomText

ZoomText Magnifier – approx. £375

Web site:  http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext
Download trial version: http://www.aisquared.com/zoomtext/more/download_zoomtext_trial/

Pros:

• Zooms between 1.2 and 32 times magnification
• Image smoothing
• 8 different zoom windows and full screen
• Separate adjustment of horizontal and vertical magnification
• Pre-set and custom colour schemes
• Cursor and pointer size and colour enhancements
• Text Finder
• Available as a USB version
• Configurations can be saved to load with separate applications

Cons:

• Price

Supernova Magnifier – approx. £354

Web site:   http://www.yourdolphin.com/productdetail.asp?id=3
Download trial version: http://www.yourdolphin.com/tryit.asp?id=3

Pros:

• Zooms between 1.25 and 36 times magnification
• Font smoothing and condensing
• Pointer and cursor enhancement and location
• Colour setting options

Cons:

• Price
• Can use a lot of computer memory

Other Assistive Technology fact sheets

• Screen reader software
• Combined magnifier and screen reader software

The prices shown are approximate, October 2011. All prices are excluding VAT. Those registered as sight impaired or severely sight impaired will not have to pay VAT on these products. Links to trial software that can be downloaded from the internet mean you can test the different products before you buy, to see if they suit your needs.
This information is intended as an introduction to the subject for blind and partially sighted people and their supporters. It is not intended as a complete list of all products and services available, nor should it be inferred that products and services mentioned in this information is recommended or endorsed by Vision Web Sight.