Re: Training Centers
Well put. Regarding those liquid-level indicators, I have one. My mom ordered it when I was still living with my parents, and it is very good although I think it needs a new battery one of these years. I honestly don't use it much anymore though, since I have good sensitivity in my fingers and can just judge liquids that way when pouring them or getting water directly from the sink. With regards to technology training, I did have a little bit of formal training several years ago and it was very good. But I have since just taught myself various things. I just got a Mac Book Air with Voiceover, and have been utilizing the online resources that are out there such as Apple Vis and the Serotalk Podcast Network. Blind Cool Tech was a very good one too, but it doesn't seem to be active anymore. In addition, I've been helping a sister out with her Mac Book Air. She is also a Voiceover user. Our local Apple store has been great too, but it is obviously crowded with shoppers and therefore the training offered is probably not ideal. But aside from that, there is nothing. The Hadley School for the Blind is an excellent resource, but they currently don't have any Apple training available.
Wel Cae, specialist schools as you know I have experiences ofand while theoretically I suppose there could be some good ones, both my own experiences and the after effects I've noticed on others I know have been pretty dire, so I agree with you on those.
while I don't like the sound of the Nfb's attitude or methodology, I equally can't say anything concrete beyond that having had no direct experience of the organization itself, ditto with the wsb people you mention.
Regarding training however, I personally would recommend not planning on being entirely dependent upon sighted minians sinse A, as you said it's hard to find people, and B, unless your directly paying people for the the job you have no reasonable control over their working schedule or format without being a git.
It's sort of the difference between ordering a taxi to come at a time you! want, and getting a lift from a friend with a car, who is on their own schedule, might turn up whenever etc. Plus of course, I personally always feel if I am asking someone to do things for me out of the goodness of their heart simply because I have disfunctional eyeballs, I am being a bad friend and presuming upon their good will.
this is why even if I need a job doing by a sighted person and I employ a friend to do it, I will always pay them, indeed this weekend having just bought the Ds9 box set, I will ask my friend who I have regularly employed as a research assistant to read the dvds for me so I can label them with my penfriend. We will have a chat, and it'll be really nice to see her, she has even stated she wouldn't mind doing the job for nothing, but in order that A, I feel I can ask her without being a git, and B, that I can ask her precisely how I want things doing on my terms, I insist upon paying her slightly over minimum wage rate.
I totally agree trying things is the best way, however Regarding cooking, kevla gloves are a good thing to have. Being gloves you lose no manual dexterity, but being kevla there is literally no chance of you burning your hands even if you directly touch the sides of the hot oven or the top rings, which is very handy for confidence.
I would also suggest you get a liquid level indicator if you don't have one already to get used to pouring hot liquids and using the kettle even if you decide you can live without it later on.
Your suggestion of getting a basic intro to things then trying to expand yourself is a good one. Just this week I had my mum stand behind me while I experimented with a wok, sinse I'd like to start doing stir fry. I don't know about the Us, but in the Uk there are various local blind organizations for each county, and usually these have a person (usually a blind person), working for them who's express job is to show basic skills or technology to people.
Obviously these vary according to the individual and how good their personal teaching skills and ability to be flexible are, but still if your looking for a basic intro to something I wonder if something like that is available.
When I was looking into getting an Iphone, I very much wanted to try one first, and to have some hands on advice from someone who used vo. I'd heard various stories, both from people who loved Vo and from people who couldn't live with the touch screen, and because buying an Iphone would require a big sack of cash, I wanted to be certain I knew what I was getting and could be sure I'd be able to use the thing.
I arranged a demo from the local soceity for the blind in Nottingham, and got a guy who was actually very good, who basically just sat with me for an hour while I played with his Iphone, answering my questions, which helped a lot.
As I said, I don't know if that sort of basic, individual, one off stuff is available in the us, but if it is perhaps that would help, getting a one time intro to a george or using the oven, sinse while practice and getting used to things is the key, at the same time a basic foundation helps.
If there isn't a way you can get an intro, I remember ACb radio and blind cool tech used to have some podcasts about cooking and the like, I don't know if there are any of those still kicking around.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=167735#p167735
_______________________________________________ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com http://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
