RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

You know something, I've only ever lived in NZ apart from a few holidays in 
austrailia   never really been anywhere else.

 But what I can say is 
We have no snakes except the ones we call polititians
We have a few spiders but nothing deadly just a couple that will make you sick 
for a while, although we do have one called the Avindale spider which was used 
in a movie called aracnophobia, looks mean but not a problem.
Redback spiders in central Otago but they sleep for the winter and do not much 
for summer.

We've got people with guns, but they are called farmers, or hunters or police  
sometimes a crim will get one and try something but they normally end up really 
unhappy or dead.
 This country is clean green and pretty bloody friendly to everyone except for 
aucklanders but that’s their fault no one likes them.

We're a great safe little world away from everyone.Sent: Monday, 18 July 2016 
2:41 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

You know, it’s interesting, all kidding aside I can’t imagine myself being a 
citizen of another country.  It’s funny how we attach to the places we’re born. 
I’ve also had America / Apple pie / Baseball / tea parties and liberty bells 
drilled in to my head since I can remember so it’s hard for me to imagine.  I 
could definitely see living somewhere else and working in another part of the 
world but I’m not sure about citizen.  Maybe my ideas are to outdated.


> On Jul 17, 2016, at 5:27 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Bloody government.
> 
> Oh well yor here now.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 9:33 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
> tech world at only 22
> 
> Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most 
> blind people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just 
> want to come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed 
> to match the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed 
> to prove I could live independently. It would have been been much easier had 
> I married a Kiwi.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters 
>> degree?
>> 
>> I can't believe that.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
>> tech world at only 22
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Scott Granados]

You know, it’s interesting, all kidding aside I can’t imagine myself being a 
citizen of another country.  It’s funny how we attach to the places we’re born. 
I’ve also had America / Apple pie / Baseball / tea parties and liberty bells 
drilled in to my head since I can remember so it’s hard for me to imagine.  I 
could definitely see living somewhere else and working in another part of the 
world but I’m not sure about citizen.  Maybe my ideas are to outdated.


> On Jul 17, 2016, at 5:27 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Bloody government.
> 
> Oh well yor here now.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 9:33 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
> tech world at only 22
> 
> Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most 
> blind people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just 
> want to come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed 
> to match the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed 
> to prove I could live independently. It would have been been much easier had 
> I married a Kiwi.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters 
>> degree?
>> 
>> I can't believe that.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
>> tech world at only 22
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>>> through and do well in college.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
 
 I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
 into a college life, meet new people.
 Vaughn
 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
> 
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
> other people from all walks of life.
> 
> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
> into a group living situation.
> 
> 
> 
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
> To: 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

Yeah we like to make things more difficult.

 Unless your Asian, austrailian  or pacific islander 
  NZ doesn't want you unless you've got truckloads of cash, can't speak English 
well enough to say hello, don't want to live anywhere but Auckland and or feel 
you can use the government welfare systems to yor gain rather than being able 
to work and earn money the hard way.

 Davids an  oddity or am I just bias to  Asians austrailians and pacific 
islanders.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Chris Meredith
Sent: Sunday, 17 July 2016 3:59 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Half a sec.  You lose points on the immigration scale for New Zealand if you’re 
blind?  The mind boggles just a bit.
> On Jul 16, 2016, at 5:32 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most 
> blind people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just 
> want to come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed 
> to match the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed 
> to prove I could live independently. It would have been been much easier had 
> I married a Kiwi.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters 
>> degree?
>> 
>> I can't believe that.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
>> tech world at only 22
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>>> through and do well in college.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
 
 I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
 into a college life, meet new people.
 Vaughn
 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
> 
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
> other people from all walks of life.
> 
> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
> into a group living situation.
> 
> 
> 
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Friday, 15 July 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

Bloody government.
 
Oh well yor here now.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 9:33 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most blind 
people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just want to 
come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed to match 
the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed to prove I 
could live independently. It would have been been much easier had I married a 
Kiwi.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters degree?
> 
> I can't believe that.
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
> tech world at only 22
> 
> Scott,
> 
> You always have time to go back and attend university.
> 
> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
> the C- GPA drag.
> 
> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
> which I graduated from when I was 27).
> 
> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am blind. 
> So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding of 
> business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US is 
> regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and entered 
> an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I graduated at the 
> top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate accreditation, 
> and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 40.
> 
> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so 
>> badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>> 
>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>> through and do well in college.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>>> into a college life, meet new people.
>>> Vaughn
>>> 
 On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
 Hi Donna and Devin,
 
 Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
 community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
 other people from all walks of life.
 
 I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
 into a group living situation.
 
 
 
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
 Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
 To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
 world at only 22
 
 Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
 since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
 
 Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
 facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
 to
 pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
 point.
 Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
 be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
 maybe 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[David Chittenden]

No, not officially. Blindness is not a reason to deny immigration. However, 
when one immigrates independently, one must prove that one is able to live 
independently. In other words, one needs to prove that one is not going to be a 
burden on society. Now, if one was a refugee, it is different, and different 
criteria apply. I can honestly say, NZ is easier than the US or Australia.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 17 Jul 2016, at 15:58, Chris Meredith  wrote:
> 
> Half a sec.  You lose points on the immigration scale for New Zealand if 
> you’re blind?  The mind boggles just a bit.
>> On Jul 16, 2016, at 5:32 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most 
>> blind people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just 
>> want to come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed 
>> to match the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed 
>> to prove I could live independently. It would have been been much easier had 
>> I married a Kiwi.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> 
>>> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters 
>>> degree?
>>> 
>>> I can't believe that.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>>> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
>>> tech world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Scott,
>>> 
>>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>>> 
>>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>>> the C- GPA drag.
>>> 
>>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month 
>>> program which I graduated from when I was 27).
>>> 
>>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I 
>>> looked into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I 
>>> am blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent 
>>> understanding of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest 
>>> accreditation in US is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), 
>>> and applied to and entered an online university which met the criteria. A 
>>> year later, I graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to 
>>> the appropriate accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters 
>>> program when I was 40.
>>> 
>>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I 
>>> had developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another 
>>> way, now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
 
 Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school 
 thing down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried 
 again, lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always 
 felt guilty about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college 
 with a degree so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
 
 Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
 made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
 through and do well in college.
 
 
> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
> 
> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
> into a college life, meet new people.
> Vaughn
> 
>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>> 
>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>> other people from all walks of life.
>> 
>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>> into a group living situation.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Chris Meredith]

Half a sec.  You lose points on the immigration scale for New Zealand if you’re 
blind?  The mind boggles just a bit.
> On Jul 16, 2016, at 5:32 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most 
> blind people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just 
> want to come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed 
> to match the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed 
> to prove I could live independently. It would have been been much easier had 
> I married a Kiwi.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters 
>> degree?
>> 
>> I can't believe that.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
>> tech world at only 22
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>>> through and do well in college.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
 
 I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
 into a college life, meet new people.
 Vaughn
 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
> 
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
> other people from all walks of life.
> 
> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
> into a group living situation.
> 
> 
> 
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
> world at only 22
> 
> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
> 
> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
> to
> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
> point.
> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
> maybe start by taking a couple of 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Devin Prater]

I have blindsquare, but yeah it's more of knowing nonvisual cues, although I 
can follow directions well.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 16, 2016, at 5:21 PM, Jonathan Cohn  wrote:
> 
> To bring this back on topic, you seem unconfident in your mobility skills. 
> Have you attempted using any of the GPS tools available or is it more related 
> to just understanding and appreciating non-visual feedback from the 
> environment to let you know when corners or obstacles are present? 
> 
> If there are electronic tools available to help your mobility, I know we 
> could help you learn to use them on this list. If it is more of the latter, 
> sometimes you just have to practice on your own and see what happens.
> 
> I was recently with a individual who was transitioning to using a wheelchair. 
> She didn't even take a day off from work to try and use her white cane with 
> the wheel chair. 
> 
>  
> Best wishes,
> 
> Jonathan
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 14, 2016, at 10:56 AM, Devin Prater  wrote:
>> 
>> Sorry y’all, I’ve not checked my email sense early last night. After 
>> graduating the Alabama school for the blind, I was sent there. I needed 
>> independent living training, and some mobility instruction, as there was 
>> only one mobility instructor at the school for the blind, at least for most 
>> of my days there.
>> Sent from my Mac.
>> 
>> Devin Prater
>> d.pra...@me.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 14, 2016, at 7:56 AM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
>>> to pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
>>> point.  Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is 
>>> going to be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of 
>>> options. Then maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would 
>>> be a good way to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is 
>>> for you.  If it's not, it will still help you come up with some better 
>>> options for yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
 
 I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because 
 on the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in 
 a group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem 
 like group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
  
 
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater  wrote:
> 
> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty 
> cool. I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a 
> lower-middle class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama 
> school for the blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do 
> much, or didn’t know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then 
> shuttled me off to the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I 
> attend now. I know more than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these 
> blindness organizations just aren’t all that organized, at least here in 
> the state of football and rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least 
> something to happen before my family decides a group home would indeed be 
> just the spot to plop down their poor blind boy that just can’t seem to 
> learn independence and advocacy skills no matter where the Alabama 
> Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
> Sent from my Mac.
> 
> Devin Prater
> d.pra...@me.com
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Katie,
>> 
>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice 
>> braille display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid 
>> I can't help you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the 
>> VarioUltra list?  It's a great list, with some very helpful and 
>> knowledgeable folks.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Donna.
>>> 
>>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! 
>>> :-) its the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you 
>>> can just connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works 
>>> once the pairing is successfully connected. I can also text or email 
>>> people with just my iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I 
>>> don’t always need to constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you 
>>> can just 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Jonathan Cohn]

To bring this back on topic, you seem unconfident in your mobility skills. Have 
you attempted using any of the GPS tools available or is it more related to 
just understanding and appreciating non-visual feedback from the environment to 
let you know when corners or obstacles are present? 

If there are electronic tools available to help your mobility, I know we could 
help you learn to use them on this list. If it is more of the latter, sometimes 
you just have to practice on your own and see what happens.

I was recently with a individual who was transitioning to using a wheelchair. 
She didn't even take a day off from work to try and use her white cane with the 
wheel chair. 

 
Best wishes,

Jonathan



> On Jul 14, 2016, at 10:56 AM, Devin Prater  wrote:
> 
> Sorry y’all, I’ve not checked my email sense early last night. After 
> graduating the Alabama school for the blind, I was sent there. I needed 
> independent living training, and some mobility instruction, as there was only 
> one mobility instructor at the school for the blind, at least for most of my 
> days there.
> Sent from my Mac.
> 
> Devin Prater
> d.pra...@me.com 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 14, 2016, at 7:56 AM, Donna Goodin > > wrote:
>> 
>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>> 
>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to 
>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point. 
>>  Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to 
>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then 
>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way 
>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If 
>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for 
>> yourself than what you currently have.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on 
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a 
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem 
>>> like group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>>  
>>> 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater > wrote:
 
 I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty 
 cool. I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a 
 lower-middle class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama 
 school for the blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do 
 much, or didn’t know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then 
 shuttled me off to the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I 
 attend now. I know more than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these 
 blindness organizations just aren’t all that organized, at least here in 
 the state of football and rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least 
 something to happen before my family decides a group home would indeed be 
 just the spot to plop down their poor blind boy that just can’t seem to 
 learn independence and advocacy skills no matter where the Alabama 
 Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
 Sent from my Mac.
 
 Devin Prater
 d.pra...@me.com 
 
 
 
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin  > wrote:
> 
> Hi Katie,
> 
> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice 
> braille display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I 
> can't help you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the 
> VarioUltra list?  It's a great list, with some very helpful and 
> knowledgeable folks.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow > > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi, Donna.
>> 
>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) 
>> its the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can 
>> just connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once 
>> the pairing is successfully connected. I can also text or email people 
>> with just my iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t 
>> always need to constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can 
>> just charge the device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 
>> 12 volt charger. The only problem I 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Donna Goodin]

Hey Scott,

Don't forget online options.  Most campuses offer a lot of their Gen Ed 
classes--and some other as well--online.  Obviously, you have the option of an 
online degree like David mentioned, but you also have the option of a more 
traditional degree with just completing your core requirements online.  There 
are tons of different possible configurations.  And I agree with David, by the 
way.  If this is important for you, go for it.  Like I said, you're quite 
obviously intelligent enough to do this, you just need to figure out the best 
option for you.
Cheers,
Donna
> On Jul 15, 2016, at 10:53 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> David, that’s a lot to think about there but all very true.  I actually did 
> attempt some college classes during period while I was floundering before I 
> started my first business and did very well with them.  I was lucky to live 
> near a small very high end liberal arts college and took some very 
> interesting music technology classes as well as an English class that I 
> absolutely loved.  I really hadn’t had a professor before that was very 
> inspired in literature and lucked out and took a class on World War II 
> literature taught by the dean of the department and the reading was demanding 
> but one of my favorite non technical classes of all time.
>   The school assigned a technologist to work with me in the music program 
> since screen reading wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now although from 
> what Katy was saying I probably should have looked at outspoken more.  I 
> think the big advantage for me was the class sizes were extremely small, most 
> of my classes in technology were 2 people including me and the English class 
> was large but much more fun that way do to the in class discussions.
>   If I stay up here in Massachusetts which is basically college central I 
> wonder if I should approach a school and see if they have any programs that 
> specialize in smaller sizes.  MIT has approached me several times to work for 
> them as an engineer and they offer free classes to employees.  I wouldn’t 
> object to throwing money at the problem (I’m good at that) and paying for 
> more personalized instruction since I don’t do well in a lot of large 
> lectures with white boards as we discussed earlier.
> 
> As always David, you’ve given me a lot to think about.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:02 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>>> through and do well in college.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
 
 I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
 into a college life, meet new people.
 Vaughn
 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
> 
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
> community college would 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[David Chittenden]

Yes, Simon, I could not immigrate here. I immigrated independently. Most blind 
people who immigrate do so as the partner of a Kiwi. I did not just want to 
come here to work. I wished to become a citizen. To do so, I needed to match 
the immigration skills list and have enough points. Also, I needed to prove I 
could live independently. It would have been been much easier had I married a 
Kiwi.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 16 Jul 2016, at 20:04, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters degree?
> 
> I can't believe that.
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the 
> tech world at only 22
> 
> Scott,
> 
> You always have time to go back and attend university.
> 
> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
> the C- GPA drag.
> 
> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
> which I graduated from when I was 27).
> 
> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am blind. 
> So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding of 
> business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US is 
> regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and entered 
> an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I graduated at the 
> top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate accreditation, 
> and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 40.
> 
> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so 
>> badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>> 
>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>> through and do well in college.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>>> into a college life, meet new people.
>>> Vaughn
>>> 
 On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
 Hi Donna and Devin,
 
 Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
 community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
 other people from all walks of life.
 
 I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
 into a group living situation.
 
 
 
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
 Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
 To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
 world at only 22
 
 Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
 since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
 
 Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
 facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
 to
 pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
 point.
 Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
 be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
 maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
 to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
 it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
 yourself than what you currently have.
 Cheers,
 Donna
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

You guys and girls talking about community college make me think about a USA tv 
show called Communitty, all about a community college and bloody funny


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 2:49 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Another thing I like about community college is that the general classes are a 
lot smaller, at least at my community college.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 15, 2016, at 2:57 PM, Katie Zodrow  wrote:
> 
> I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
> graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
> before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
> great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before 
> you attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a 
> community college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general 
> education classes at community college during the summer.
>> Katie
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>>> Sent from my Mac.
>>> 
>>> Devin Prater
>>> d.pra...@me.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Katie,
>>> 
>>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>>> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
>>> It's a great list, with some 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

David, do you mean you couldn't move over here until you got a masters degree?

 I can't believe that.



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 1:02 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Scott,

You always have time to go back and attend university.

I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped the 
C- GPA drag.

I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
which I graduated from when I was 27).

When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am blind. 
So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding of 
business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US is 
regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and entered 
an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I graduated at the 
top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate accreditation, and 
my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 40.

The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
now is as good a time as any to go back to university.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, lost 
> focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty about 
> it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so badly. 
>  Always felt like I let her down.
> 
> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
> through and do well in college.
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

Devin,

I’m not trying to be rude here but it’s not what your mum or dad like it’s what 
you like and want to do with your life.

If you want to work with adaptive tech then you do it if you want to be a 
lawyer then do that, it’s what you want that matters don’t’ let other people 
make your chhoices for you.

Be your own person independence will take you along way in life and show those 
out there that you are able to do things without assistance.

Don’t get me wrong we all need help along the way but then so do the able 
bodied of the world also.

Good luck with what choices you make.

From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Devin Prater
Sent: Saturday, 16 July 2016 7:43 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Cc: Katie Zodrow 
Subject: Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Wow, pretty cool. Well I finally got to talk to my counsellor, and she told me 
that the Lionsworld training is in October or somewhere around there, so I 
haven’t missed it. In the meantime, I’ll try to go through college prep, or at 
least some of it, to try and learn to study better and things like that, just 
in case I have to do that in training to be an assistive technology instructor. 
Also, though, if I wind up not liking the job, I can still go through college 
afterwards to get another job. I know that won’t be easy, and my mom won’t like 
my insistence to go through with the Lionsworld training, but I’ll give it a 
try, and see where things go.
Sent from my Mac.

Devin Prater
d.pra...@me.com



On Jul 15, 2016, at 1:57 PM, Katie Zodrow 
> wrote:

I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before you 
attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a community 
college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general education classes 
at community college during the summer.

Katie


On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown 
> wrote:

I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
into a college life, meet new people.
Vaughn

On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty > 
wrote:

Hi Donna and Devin,

Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
other people from all walks of life.

I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
into a group living situation.



From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
[mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
world at only 22

Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.

Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
yourself than what you currently have.
Cheers,
Donna

On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
> 
wrote:

I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?


On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
> wrote:

I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
the adult learning 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[David Chittenden]

Wow, I would definitely take that MIT position. My understanding is the MIT 
courses tend to be rather interesting. I recently applied for a position which 
would have put me into a PhD track. Unfortunately, I did not get the position. 
That said, I have finally figured out what my PhD research will be. Now, it is 
merely a matter of charting it out and writing up a proposal. I should be able 
to use my new position significantly toward the research, so I can kill 
multiple birds with one stone. Still a few years off whilst I set up and 
establish the new business.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 16 Jul 2016, at 15:53, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> David, that’s a lot to think about there but all very true.  I actually did 
> attempt some college classes during period while I was floundering before I 
> started my first business and did very well with them.  I was lucky to live 
> near a small very high end liberal arts college and took some very 
> interesting music technology classes as well as an English class that I 
> absolutely loved.  I really hadn’t had a professor before that was very 
> inspired in literature and lucked out and took a class on World War II 
> literature taught by the dean of the department and the reading was demanding 
> but one of my favorite non technical classes of all time.
>The school assigned a technologist to work with me in the music program 
> since screen reading wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now although from 
> what Katy was saying I probably should have looked at outspoken more.  I 
> think the big advantage for me was the class sizes were extremely small, most 
> of my classes in technology were 2 people including me and the English class 
> was large but much more fun that way do to the in class discussions.
>If I stay up here in Massachusetts which is basically college central I 
> wonder if I should approach a school and see if they have any programs that 
> specialize in smaller sizes.  MIT has approached me several times to work for 
> them as an engineer and they offer free classes to employees.  I wouldn’t 
> object to throwing money at the problem (I’m good at that) and paying for 
> more personalized instruction since I don’t do well in a lot of large 
> lectures with white boards as we discussed earlier.
> 
> As always David, you’ve given me a lot to think about.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:02 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> Scott,
>> 
>> You always have time to go back and attend university.
>> 
>> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
>> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
>> the C- GPA drag.
>> 
>> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
>> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
>> which I graduated from when I was 27).
>> 
>> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
>> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am 
>> blind. So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding 
>> of business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US 
>> is regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and 
>> entered an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I 
>> graduated at the top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate 
>> accreditation, and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 
>> 40.
>> 
>> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
>> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
>> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree 
>>> so badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>>> 
>>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>>> through and do well in college.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
 
 I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
 into a college life, meet new people.
 Vaughn
 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
> 
> Devin, if your as 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Scott Granados]

Hi Donna, you’re right of course.  It is something I would like to eventually 
succeed at though, I’m fairly good at looking at failure as just another data 
point and trying something else but that’s one that has personal significants.

On Jul 15, 2016, at 11:26 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Scott, you're plenty smart, and you've done quite well for yourself besides.  
> School just isn't for everyone.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 7:04 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so 
>> badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>> 
>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>> through and do well in college.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>>> into a college life, meet new people.
>>> Vaughn
>>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
 Hi Donna and Devin,
 
 Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
 community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
 other people from all walks of life.
 
 I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
 into a group living situation.
 
 
 
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
 Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
 To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
 world at only 22
 
 Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
 since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
 
 Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
 facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
 to
 pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
 point.
 Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
 be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
 maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
 to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
 it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
 yourself than what you currently have.
 Cheers,
 Donna
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
 > wrote:
 
 I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
 the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
 group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem 
 like
 group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
 
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
 > wrote:
 
 I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty 
 cool.
 I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
 class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
 blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
 know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
 the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
 than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
 aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
 rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
 family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down 
 their
 poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
 skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
 Sent from my Mac.
 
 Devin Prater
 d.pra...@me.com
 
 
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
 > wrote:
 
 Hi Katie,
 
 Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
 display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't 
 help
 you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
 It's a great list, with some very 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Scott Granados]

David, that’s a lot to think about there but all very true.  I actually did 
attempt some college classes during period while I was floundering before I 
started my first business and did very well with them.  I was lucky to live 
near a small very high end liberal arts college and took some very interesting 
music technology classes as well as an English class that I absolutely loved.  
I really hadn’t had a professor before that was very inspired in literature and 
lucked out and took a class on World War II literature taught by the dean of 
the department and the reading was demanding but one of my favorite non 
technical classes of all time.
The school assigned a technologist to work with me in the music program 
since screen reading wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now although from what 
Katy was saying I probably should have looked at outspoken more.  I think the 
big advantage for me was the class sizes were extremely small, most of my 
classes in technology were 2 people including me and the English class was 
large but much more fun that way do to the in class discussions.
If I stay up here in Massachusetts which is basically college central I 
wonder if I should approach a school and see if they have any programs that 
specialize in smaller sizes.  MIT has approached me several times to work for 
them as an engineer and they offer free classes to employees.  I wouldn’t 
object to throwing money at the problem (I’m good at that) and paying for more 
personalized instruction since I don’t do well in a lot of large lectures with 
white boards as we discussed earlier.

As always David, you’ve given me a lot to think about.




> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:02 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> Scott,
> 
> You always have time to go back and attend university.
> 
> I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
> reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped 
> the C- GPA drag.
> 
> I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
> classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
> which I graduated from when I was 27).
> 
> When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
> into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am blind. 
> So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding of 
> business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US is 
> regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and entered 
> an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I graduated at the 
> top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate accreditation, 
> and my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 40.
> 
> The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
> developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
> now is as good a time as any to go back to university.
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
>> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, 
>> lost focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty 
>> about it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so 
>> badly.  Always felt like I let her down.
>> 
>> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
>> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
>> through and do well in college.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>>> into a college life, meet new people.
>>> Vaughn
>>> 
 On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
 Hi Donna and Devin,
 
 Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
 community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
 other people from all walks of life.
 
 I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
 into a group living situation.
 
 
 
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
 Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
 To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
 Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
 world at only 22
 
 Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
 since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
 
 Devon, no, I can't imagine why 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Donna Goodin]

Scott, you're plenty smart, and you've done quite well for yourself besides.  
School just isn't for everyone.
Cheers,
Donna
> On Jul 15, 2016, at 7:04 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, lost 
> focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty about 
> it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so badly. 
>  Always felt like I let her down.
> 
> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
> through and do well in college.
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>>> Sent from my Mac.
>>> 
>>> Devin Prater
>>> d.pra...@me.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Katie,
>>> 
>>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>>> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
>>> It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Donna.
>>> 
>>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its
>>> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just
>>> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing
>>> is successfully 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Ryan Mann]

Another thing I like about community college is that the general classes are a 
lot smaller, at least at my community college.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 15, 2016, at 2:57 PM, Katie Zodrow  wrote:
> 
> I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
> graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
> before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
> great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before 
> you attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a 
> community college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general 
> education classes at community college during the summer.
>> Katie
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>>> Sent from my Mac.
>>> 
>>> Devin Prater
>>> d.pra...@me.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Katie,
>>> 
>>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>>> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
>>> It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Donna.
>>> 
>>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its
>>> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just
>>> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing
>>> is successfully 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[David Chittenden]

Scott,

You always have time to go back and attend university.

I went to a university directly after high school and flunked out. I never 
reported that year to any other education institution. This way, I escaped the 
C- GPA drag.

I then attended community college for a few years part-time, only taking 
classes that interested me. I then went to massage school (a 9 month program 
which I graduated from when I was 27).

When I was 38, I decided I wanted to x-patriate myself from the US. I looked 
into it and discovered that I would need a masters degree because I am blind. 
So, I looked at my skills and realised I have excellent understanding of 
business. So, I located a fully accredited (highest accreditation in US is 
regional which is the only one accepted overseas), and applied to and entered 
an online university which met the criteria. A year later, I graduated at the 
top of my class with a bachelors. Thanks to the appropriate accreditation, and 
my grades, I easily entered a masters program when I was 40.

The truth is, university was much easier for me when I returned at 38. I had 
developed the drive and focus which I lacked when I was 18. Put another way, 
now is as good a time as any to go back to university.

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone

> On 16 Jul 2016, at 12:04, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
> down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, lost 
> focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty about 
> it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so badly. 
>  Always felt like I let her down.
> 
> Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have 
> made up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get 
> through and do well in college.
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Scott Granados]

Wow, I wish I was smart, I could never get the whole education school thing 
down.  I tried college, dropped out and started a business, tried again, lost 
focus, started another business and moved on.  I’ve always felt guilty about 
it.  My poor mother wanted to see me graduate college with a degree so badly.  
Always felt like I let her down.

Oh well I went the long way but my positions more recently and career have made 
up for a lot but I always wished I had the focus and stuff to get through and 
do well in college.


> On Jul 15, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
> 
> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
> into a college life, meet new people.
> Vaughn
> 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>> 
>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>> other people from all walks of life.
>> 
>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>> into a group living situation.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>> world at only 22
>> 
>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>> 
>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>> yourself than what you currently have.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>> 
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>> Sent from my Mac.
>> 
>> Devin Prater
>> d.pra...@me.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Katie,
>> 
>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
>> It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi, Donna.
>> 
>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its
>> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just
>> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing
>> is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with just my
>> iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always need to
>> constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge the
>> device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 volt charger.
>> The only problem I have sometimes 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Donna Goodin]

Good luck, Devin.
Best,
Donna
> On Jul 15, 2016, at 2:42 PM, Devin Prater  wrote:
> 
> Wow, pretty cool. Well I finally got to talk to my counsellor, and she told 
> me that the Lionsworld training is in October or somewhere around there, so I 
> haven’t missed it. In the meantime, I’ll try to go through college prep, or 
> at least some of it, to try and learn to study better and things like that, 
> just in case I have to do that in training to be an assistive technology 
> instructor. Also, though, if I wind up not liking the job, I can still go 
> through college afterwards to get another job. I know that won’t be easy, and 
> my mom won’t like my insistence to go through with the Lionsworld training, 
> but I’ll give it a try, and see where things go.
> Sent from my Mac.
> 
> Devin Prater
> d.pra...@me.com 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 1:57 PM, Katie Zodrow > > wrote:
>> 
>> I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
>> graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
>> before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
>> great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before 
>> you attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a 
>> community college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general 
>> education classes at community college during the summer.
>>> Katie
>> 
>>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>>> into a college life, meet new people.
>>> Vaughn
>>> 
>>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty >> > wrote:
 Hi Donna and Devin,
 
 Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
 community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
 other people from all walks of life.
 
 I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
 into a group living situation.
 
 
 
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 ] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
 Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
 To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 
 Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
 world at only 22
 
 Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
 since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
 
 Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
 facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like 
 to
 pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting 
 point.
 Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
 be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
 maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
 to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
 it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
 yourself than what you currently have.
 Cheers,
 Donna
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
 >> wrote:
 
 I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
 the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
 group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem 
 like
 group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
 
 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
 >> wrote:
 
 I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty 
 cool.
 I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
 class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
 blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
 know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
 the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
 than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
 aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
 rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Devin Prater]

Wow, pretty cool. Well I finally got to talk to my counsellor, and she told me 
that the Lionsworld training is in October or somewhere around there, so I 
haven’t missed it. In the meantime, I’ll try to go through college prep, or at 
least some of it, to try and learn to study better and things like that, just 
in case I have to do that in training to be an assistive technology instructor. 
Also, though, if I wind up not liking the job, I can still go through college 
afterwards to get another job. I know that won’t be easy, and my mom won’t like 
my insistence to go through with the Lionsworld training, but I’ll give it a 
try, and see where things go.
Sent from my Mac.

Devin Prater
d.pra...@me.com



> On Jul 15, 2016, at 1:57 PM, Katie Zodrow  wrote:
> 
> I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
> graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
> before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
> great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before 
> you attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a 
> community college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general 
> education classes at community college during the summer.
>> Katie
> 
>> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
>> 
>> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
>> into a college life, meet new people.
>> Vaughn
>> 
>> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>>> 
>>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>>> other people from all walks of life.
>>> 
>>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>>> into a group living situation.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>>> world at only 22
>>> 
>>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>>> 
>>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>>> yourself than what you currently have.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>>> Sent from my Mac.
>>> 
>>> Devin Prater
>>> d.pra...@me.com
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>>> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Katie,
>>> 
>>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>>> 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Katie Zodrow]

I went to a community college too for my first semester of college after I 
graduated high school. I took a couple classes   during the fall semester 
before I started attending Berklee in Boston for the spring semester. Its a 
great way to transition from high school to college life and classes before you 
attend a four year college.  Taking your general ed classes at a community 
college  is much cheaper anyway. I took a lot of my general education classes 
at community college during the summer.
> Katie

> On Jul 15, 2016, at 9:53 AM, Vaughn Brown  wrote:
> 
> I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
> into a college life, meet new people.
> Vaughn
> 
> On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> Hi Donna and Devin,
>> 
>> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
>> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
>> other people from all walks of life.
>> 
>> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>> I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
>> into a group living situation.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
>> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
>> world at only 22
>> 
>> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
>> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>> 
>> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
>> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
>> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
>> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
>> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
>> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
>> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
>> yourself than what you currently have.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>> 
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>> Sent from my Mac.
>> 
>> Devin Prater
>> d.pra...@me.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Katie,
>> 
>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
>> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
>> It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow
>> > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi, Donna.
>> 
>> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its
>> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just
>> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing
>> is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with just my
>> iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always need to
>> constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge the
>> device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 volt charger.
>> The only problem I have sometimes is opening 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Devin Prater]

There is a dual enrollment program at the adult learning center I go to. I’ll 
talk with my rehab counsellor about it soon, assuming she’s in today.
Sent from my Mac.

Devin Prater
d.pra...@me.com



> On Jul 15, 2016, at 3:51 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Hi Donna and Devin,
>  
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a 
> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many 
> other people from all walks of life.
>  
> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>  I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me 
> into a group living situation.
>  
>  
>  
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
> world at only 22
>  
> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>  
> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to 
> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.  
> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to be 
> much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then maybe 
> start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way to get 
> your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If it's not, 
> it will still help you come up with some better options for yourself than 
> what you currently have.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>  
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados  > wrote:
>  
> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on 
> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a 
> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like 
> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>  
>  
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater  > wrote:
>  
> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool. 
> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle 
> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the 
> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t 
> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to 
> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more 
> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just 
> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and 
> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my 
> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their 
> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy skills 
> no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
> Sent from my Mac.
>  
> Devin Prater
> d.pra...@me.com 
>  
>  
>  
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin  > wrote:
>  
> Hi Katie,
> 
> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille 
> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help 
> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?  
> It's a great list, with some very  helpful and knowledgeable folks.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow  > wrote:
> 
> Hi, Donna.
> 
> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its 
> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just 
> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing 
> is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with just my 
> iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always need to 
> constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge the device 
> with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 volt charger. The only 
> problem I have sometimes is opening documents. Yesterday, I tried opening a 
> couple files with the USB stick connected to the device. They were in .docx 
> format, an every time I’d press the navistick to open the file, I would get a 
> warning that said the file could not be opened. Really strange. The VU is the 
> lightest and smallest display I’ve ever seen compared to my old Braille Lite 
> 40 and the BrailleNote MPower. Those were the 2 previous notetakers I used 
> with braille displays. I’ll be getting some more training again with the VU 
> in 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Vaughn Brown]

I loved attending my community college. It was a great way to ease
into a college life, meet new people.
Vaughn

On 7/15/16, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> Hi Donna and Devin,
>
> Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a
> community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many
> other people from all walks of life.
>
> I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
>  I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me
> into a group living situation.
>
>
>
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech
> world at only 22
>
> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message
> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
>
> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning
> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to
> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.
>  Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to
> be much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then
> maybe start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way
> to get your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If
> it's not, it will still help you come up with some better options for
> yourself than what you currently have.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados
> > wrote:
>
> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on
> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a
> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like
> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>
>
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater
> > wrote:
>
> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool.
> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle
> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the
> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t
> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to
> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more
> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just
> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and
> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my
> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their
> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy
> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
> Sent from my Mac.
>
> Devin Prater
> d.pra...@me.com
>
>
>
> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin
> > wrote:
>
> Hi Katie,
>
> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille
> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help
> you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?
> It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>
> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow
> > wrote:
>
> Hi, Donna.
>
> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its
> the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just
> connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing
> is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with just my
> iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always need to
> constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge the
> device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 volt charger.
> The only problem I have sometimes is opening documents. Yesterday, I tried
> opening a couple files with the USB stick connected to the device. They were
> in .docx format, an every time I’d press the navistick to open the file, I
> would get a warning that said the file could not be opened. Really strange.
> The VU is the lightest and smallest display I’ve ever seen compared to my
> old Braille Lite 40 and the BrailleNote MPower. Those were the 2 previous
> notetakers I used with braille displays. I’ll be getting some more training
> again with the VU in a couple days, so hopefully I can find out why the
> documents were not opening from my flash drive.
>
> Katie
>
>
> On Jul 12, 2016, at 8:05 PM, Donna Goodin
> 

RE: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Donna and Devin,

Devin, if your as sheltered as you make it sound, Donnas suggestion of a 
community college would be a great idea, you would also get to meet many other 
people from all walks of life.

I’ve met truckloads of people from my studies at University
 I would tell my family where to get off if my parents had tried to put me into 
a group living situation.



From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Friday, 15 July 2016 12:56 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech 
world at only 22

Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.

Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to 
pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.  
Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to be 
much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then maybe 
start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way to get 
your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If it's not, 
it will still help you come up with some better options for yourself than what 
you currently have.
Cheers,
Donna

On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados 
> wrote:

I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on the 
surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a group 
home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like group 
home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?


On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater 
> wrote:

I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool. I 
guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle class 
home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the blind, where 
teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t know what to do, 
exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to the adult learning 
facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more than I did when I left 
ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just aren’t all that organized, at 
least here in the state of football and rednecks. I just hope that I can get at 
least something to happen before my family decides a group home would indeed be 
just the spot to plop down their poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn 
independence and advocacy skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends 
him. Oh discordia.
Sent from my Mac.

Devin Prater
d.pra...@me.com



On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin 
> wrote:

Hi Katie,

Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille 
display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't help 
you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra list?  It's 
a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
Cheers,
Donna

On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow 
> wrote:

Hi, Donna.

Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) its 
the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just connect 
a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the pairing is 
successfully connected. I can also text or email people with just my iphone and 
the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always need to constantly use 
dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge the device with a USB cable 
too instead of carrying around a 12 volt charger. The only problem I have 
sometimes is opening documents. Yesterday, I tried opening a couple files with 
the USB stick connected to the device. They were in .docx format, an every time 
I’d press the navistick to open the file, I would get a warning that said the 
file could not be opened. Really strange. The VU is the lightest and smallest 
display I’ve ever seen compared to my old Braille Lite 40 and the BrailleNote 
MPower. Those were the 2 previous notetakers I used with braille displays. I’ll 
be getting some more training again with the VU in a couple days, so hopefully 
I can find out why the documents were not opening from my flash drive.

Katie


On Jul 12, 2016, at 8:05 PM, Donna Goodin 
> wrote:

Hi Katie,

Isn't the VarioUltra the best?  Earlier tonight I was thinking about how bulky 
things used to be.  My first braille display was a TSI Navigator.  The thing 
was huge.  I used to carry around what was basically a large briefcase, just to 
carry around my PC laptop and my 

Re: To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Devin Prater]

Sorry y’all, I’ve not checked my email sense early last night. After graduating 
the Alabama school for the blind, I was sent there. I needed independent living 
training, and some mobility instruction, as there was only one mobility 
instructor at the school for the blind, at least for most of my days there.
Sent from my Mac.

Devin Prater
d.pra...@me.com



> On Jul 14, 2016, at 7:56 AM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
> since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.
> 
> Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
> facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to 
> pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.  
> Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to be 
> much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then maybe 
> start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way to get 
> your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If it's not, 
> it will still help you come up with some better options for yourself than 
> what you currently have.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados > > wrote:
>> 
>> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on 
>> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a 
>> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like 
>> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>>  
>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty 
>>> cool. I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a 
>>> lower-middle class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama 
>>> school for the blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do 
>>> much, or didn’t know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then 
>>> shuttled me off to the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend 
>>> now. I know more than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness 
>>> organizations just aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of 
>>> football and rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to 
>>> happen before my family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot 
>>> to plop down their poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn 
>>> independence and advocacy skills no matter where the Alabama Institute 
>>> sends him. Oh discordia.
>>> Sent from my Mac.
>>> 
>>> Devin Prater
>>> d.pra...@me.com 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
 On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin > wrote:
 
 Hi Katie,
 
 Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille 
 display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't 
 help you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra 
 list?  It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
 Cheers,
 Donna
> On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow  > wrote:
> 
> Hi, Donna.
> 
> Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) 
> its the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can 
> just connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the 
> pairing is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with 
> just my iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always 
> need to constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just 
> charge the device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 
> volt charger. The only problem I have sometimes is opening documents. 
> Yesterday, I tried opening a couple files with the USB stick connected to 
> the device. They were in .docx format, an every time I’d press the 
> navistick to open the file, I would get a warning that said the file 
> could not be opened. Really strange. The VU is the lightest and smallest 
> display I’ve ever seen compared to my old Braille Lite 40 and the 
> BrailleNote MPower. Those were the 2 previous notetakers I used with 
> braille displays. I’ll be getting some more training again with the VU in 
> a couple days, so hopefully I can find out why the documents were not 
> opening from my flash drive.
>> Katie
> 
>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 8:05 PM, Donna Goodin > > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Katie,
>> 
>> Isn't the VarioUltra the best?  Earlier tonight I was thinking about how 
>> bulky things 

To Devon, (was This blind Apple engineer is transforming the tech world at only 22

[Donna Goodin]

Thank you, Scott.  I've been thinking about how to respond to this message 
since last night.  You hit the nail on the head.

Devon, no, I can't imagine why on earth you would be at an adult learning 
facility.  Do you have any ideas about what kind of career you might like to 
pursue?  I would suggest a visit to a community college as a starting point.  
Meet with a career counselor there, a regular career counselor is going to be 
much more likely to help you generate a broader list of options. Then maybe 
start by taking a couple of classes there.  That would be a good way to get 
your feet wet and figure out if a four-year college is for you.  If it's not, 
it will still help you come up with some better options for yourself than what 
you currently have.
Cheers,
Donna

> On Jul 13, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> I’m hoping there’s some hyperbole or excess here to make a point because on 
> the surface your message disturbs me.  You’re far to smart to end up in a 
> group home.  I’ve seen your posts here and other places, you don’t seem like 
> group home material to me. How can we help avoid such a thing?
>  
> 
>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 4:55 PM, Devin Prater > > wrote:
>> 
>> I talked to her years ago, before she joined Apple. Yeah, she’s pretty cool. 
>> I guess I’m the blindie here. I grew up a pampered kid in a lower-middle 
>> class home. I went and somehow graduated from the Alabama school for the 
>> blind, where teachers seemed to care but just couldn’t do much, or didn’t 
>> know what to do, exactly. As you can imagine, they then shuttled me off to 
>> the adult learning facility, E.H. Gentry, where I attend now. I know more 
>> than I did when I left ASB, sure, but these blindness organizations just 
>> aren’t all that organized, at least here in the state of football and 
>> rednecks. I just hope that I can get at least something to happen before my 
>> family decides a group home would indeed be just the spot to plop down their 
>> poor blind boy that just can’t seem to learn independence and advocacy 
>> skills no matter where the Alabama Institute sends him. Oh discordia.
>> Sent from my Mac.
>> 
>> Devin Prater
>> d.pra...@me.com 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jul 13, 2016, at 6:38 AM, Donna Goodin >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Katie,
>>> 
>>> Yep, I agree with everything you pointed out.  It really is a nice braille 
>>> display.  I haven't had the problem you describe, so I'm afraid I can't 
>>> help you.  Have you tried calling tech support or posting the VarioUltra 
>>> list?  It's a great list, with some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
 On Jul 12, 2016, at 10:52 PM, Katie Zodrow > wrote:
 
 Hi, Donna.
 
 Yes, I’ve been learning to use the VarioUltra since May and love it! :-) 
 its the best braille display for me so far. I think its great you can just 
 connect a device like your phone via bluetooth and it works once the 
 pairing is successfully connected. I can also text or email people with 
 just my iphone and the braille display, so that’s awesome I don’t always 
 need to constantly use dictation. Its really cool that you can just charge 
 the device with a USB cable too instead of carrying around a 12 volt 
 charger. The only problem I have sometimes is opening documents. 
 Yesterday, I tried opening a couple files with the USB stick connected to 
 the device. They were in .docx format, an every time I’d press the 
 navistick to open the file, I would get a warning that said the file could 
 not be opened. Really strange. The VU is the lightest and smallest display 
 I’ve ever seen compared to my old Braille Lite 40 and the BrailleNote 
 MPower. Those were the 2 previous notetakers I used with braille displays. 
 I’ll be getting some more training again with the VU in a couple days, so 
 hopefully I can find out why the documents were not opening from my flash 
 drive.
> Katie
 
> On Jul 12, 2016, at 8:05 PM, Donna Goodin  > wrote:
> 
> Hi Katie,
> 
> Isn't the VarioUltra the best?  Earlier tonight I was thinking about how 
> bulky things used to be.  My first braille display was a TSI Navigator.  
> The thing was huge.  I used to carry around what was basically a large 
> briefcase, just to carry around my PC laptop and my braille display, and 
> of course, all the accompanying cables and chargers..  When I compare 
> that with now carrying around my MBA and VU,, not to mention having the 
> option of pairing the VU with the iPhone, the difference between then and 
> now is really striking.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>> On Jul 12, 2016, at 9:38 PM, Katie Zodrow