No Limits to Life Blog

I have been on  hiatus awhile with this blog and I apologize. I need to call this blog “The one that got away” because it kind of did here for awhile. I wanted to keep at least one post a week going, but my time has been spent on my other blog on education and assistive technology (No Limits to Learning) and the Blog Talk Radio show I do every week or so. I have also been working on some online web site content so it has been busy.

I want to focus more on diabilities and ways to create an income if home and out of the work force. There are many for hire type enterprises that anyone with the assistive technology and time can do. I would like to share my ideas, report on others that are doing it as well as the usual equipment reviews and news stories.

I have so appreciated the folks I have met here and the blog writers I have built friendships with too. I had some nice comments and emails awaiting me when I got back into cleaning out the spam comments and spam emails from ythe past month - yes, I REALLY ignored things - sorry…

Please expect to see more here in the future as school approaches and I get back into the normal swing of things.

All the best to you!

Lon

Creature Discomforts is a UK-based site which has developed its’ second wave of ad campaigns. The sponsor, Leonard Cheshire Disabiity, has taken real audio interviews of folks sharing about their disability and then matched the voice with a “claymation” type critter who tells the story. Their site states that they support over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries.

“We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way.”

The videos are an entertaining and effective way to spread the message of how society impacts folks with disabilities through real stories with real voices of the actual storyteller. The goal is to create more awareness and educate folks on the feelings, dreams and struggles of those with a disability.

The Creature Discomfort site also has a blog and a forum as well as links to see behind the scenes on how they made the videos, etc.

All the best to you!

Lon

It’s Graduation Time and Four Students with Mental Disabilities are Walking

I am so happy to see that Bellevue Community College in Bellevue, Washington - in the Seattle area, has developed an associate degree program for students with mental diabilities to be sense the accomplishment and pride that comes with earing a degree. An article in the Seattle P.I. Newspaper (link here) stated:

“To earn the degree, students must complete 90 credits over four years — twice as long as traditional associate degrees. But unlike transitional programs at high schools and expensive private academies, the degree pushes students to flex their academic muscles while also developing life skills.”

The director of the program, Mary Allason, said that the goal is to see everyone become self-sufficient and advocate for themselves. The program is the first of it’s kind and the cost is approx. $300 a credit. The program involves 90 credits over a four year period, and students must have an IQ of 70 or above and a minimum of fourth-grade reading, writing and math skills.

 Check out more on the article at the link above.

All the best to you!

Lon

I read this post by Susabelle, on ATHENS blog today. I thought it would be a great topic for this blog…

“Eitan Glinert, an MIT graduate student in computer science, has developed a prototype game called AudiOdyssey. AudiOdyssey is a game strictly for visually impaired players, along the lines of Guitar Hero, or Rock Band, whose premise is that of a DJ who must layer up sounds to create music. The DJ keeps “alive” in the game by keeping his players on the dance floor with his riffing tunage.A short and tutorial introduces the player to the functions of the game, and can be played with either the arrow keys on a regular desktop keyboard or blue-tooth-enabled Nintendo Wii remote controller for motion play. All of the cues for the game are in audio, and no visual acuity is required to play the game.”

Go to the Gambit download area for Audiodyssey to check it out.

All the best to you!

Lon

T.Reid, of the Reid My Mind blog, sent my a kind email today, recognizing that we have steered away from using the blog carnival service to publicize or receive submissions for our blog carnival on assistive technology. You can read his post on this here.

I really didn’t mean to get in the middle of a heated issue - but ever since I got caught up in the blog carnival captcha it has made me more sensitive to what is going on. I spent a good deal of time this past week working with a boy on getting his Braillenote to get on the Internet. He is blind and was wanting to access his own email and get online to download and upload documents. I helped him set up his gmail account and Google docs and calendar so he can work online anywhere - he goes to the Oregon School for the Blind in the summer and does work experience, etc.

He was thrilled. I was glad I could walk him through it because in some step of a process, there was the captcha again. Tonight I went on several blogs and commented and …there it was again - without a disability access alternative. This isn’t only a speed bump but a brick wall and I recognize that now. From now on, every time I see a captcha required, I think, “There’s another place shutting folks out.”

Will you help us and send an email to the blog carnival service (on my sidebar) or any other site you come across that doesn’t provide an alternative and ask them to do something about it?

Thanks…All the best to you,

Lon

While at a state meeting this past month, I heard that Microsoft was adding the DAISY format as an option in their “SAVE AS…” pull-down menu in MS Word. This means that the digital talking book standard is finally coming to the consumer in a widely used computer application. I am glad to hear that they are adding this option. It is much overdue. I did some research and found the actual release date to be May 7. It looks to be a plug-in that you can download to add this feature.

You can get the entire scoop at Microsoft at their release article and more in this article by NISO, “NISO Standard at the Heart of Microsoft Plug-in.” These articles share how this feature will convert Open XML-based word processed documents into DAISY formatted XML. This means that word processed XML files can be saved in the DAISY XML format and now opened on any device that reads a DAISY file. These files can also be read and converted into braille and large-print. Imagine what the impact will be on the visually impaired to have this tool more readily available.

The plug-in tool can be downloaded at this Open XML Community link. They are calling it the Open XML to DAISY XML Translator.

If you are someone that uses this format regularly and has been using the plug-in, your input and comments on this would be appreciated.

All the best to you!

Lon

There are approximately 30 million people in the United States who are disabled, unemployed and under 65 years of age. These statistics came from CODI “Cornucopia of Disability Information” by CAT (Center for Assistive Technology)  at University at Buffalo, New York  State. I bring up this issue, because I had a wonderful conversation this morning with a new friend, Ofer Chermesh. Ofer is the CEO and creator of “Ghotit“, pronounced “got it!” which is a spell checker designed to pick up dyslexic-specific spelling errors. 

As we talked and planned for an upcoming interview on No Limits to Learning Live on Blog Talk Radio next Tuesday, May 2o at 10:00 am pacific time, (check out the schedule here) we got to discussing the expectations of employers and the issues facing professionals who struggle to keep their jobs. Ofer explained that his years in management and marketing were stressful with dyslexia. “We are expected to be as efficient and error-free as everyone else.” He was willing to work twice as hard as everyone else to succeed. He will be sharing his philosophy on success vs. limitation when we talk next week.

“I wanted to design a tool that would help people like me be able to have a level playing field to work from along with everyone else.” shared Ofer. He has succeeded in delivering a unique tool that works online with a browser for Internet typing and access. He is working on new versions to expand use to other applications on the computer.

If you will humor me, I would like to share a recent example of the expectations put on folks with disabilities. I am not saying it is a bad thing - actually there are probably a lot of independent folks out there that appreciate being treated like everyone else, but I thought it illustrated the point I am trying to make:

 My wife likes to watch “Dancing with the Stars”. This last series featured Marlee Matlin, the hearing- impaired award winning actress. She was amazing as she followed her partner and danced to music she could not hear. They practiced the dances til they could do each move with or without the music. Now…my point. The judges judged her just as strict as anyone else. They held Marlee to the same standard as everyone else. When they docked her points and critiqued her, they always started with or finished with a statement praising her for the amazing feat she was accomplishing on the show and how they were inspired by it…but shoot, by golly, we still have to give you a lower score.

When this happens to you, it is all up to you to decide what you are going to do. Ofer will be sharing his opinions on that. You can too by calling in or posting a comment next Tuesday. For all pertinent information, call-in number and more information check it out at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nolimits2learninglive

Reminder:the AT Blog Carnival deadline is a next Friday, May 23. You can submit a blog post on synthesized speech to: lonthornburg@nolimits2learning.com

All the best to you!

Lon

All the best to you!

The AT Blog Carnival Theme for May is “Synthesized Speech”.
We are now taking post submissions from blog authors on the topic “Synthesized Speech”. Send in your permalink of a post off your blog that you have already written or one you write especially for this edition. Share a story about using synthesized speech, a site or software review, your list of uses for it, humor, gripes and complaints, etc. Let us hear what you have to say about it! If you know someone that has a blog that could contribute, pass this along to them. Because I am not officially using the Blog Carnival service to invite and receive posts, your help in networking the topic, link and getting it to bloggers is crucial. Help us spread the word and build a great network of shared knowledge.

If you want to know why I have discontinued using the main blog carnival home service for our AT Blog Carnival, read Ron Graham’s post from his AccessAbility Blog on it HERE. Also, if you have an idea you would like to see for a future topic, email it or post a comment telling us. Your ideas will help!
Send the permalink of the post you want to submit to me at lonthornburg@nolimits2learning.com by Friday, May 23. The edition will go live on Monday, May 26.
The Assistive Technology Blog Carnival can be found at http://atblogcarnival.blogspot.com
where you can read past issues and read about this months theme.
I hope we hear from you!
Lon

Craig Phillip’s blog, Second Chance to Live, was brought to my attention when Craig emailed me awhile ago. He shared his story with me and I found it amazing. He shared how at 10 years of age, he had a traumatic brain injury that caused him to have to re-teach himself how to walk, talk, read, etc.

His parents were told that the diagnosis didn’t look good. Craig might finish high school, but any hopes of education beyond that would be cognitively and physically impossible. Craig’s parents chose not to tell him about the diagnosis and he went on to earn his masters degree in counseling and vocational rehabilitation. He shares his philosophy on life and steps to healing through his blog and articles that have been published in journals and publications in print and online.

I have asked Craig to visit with us on No Limits to Learning Live, this Friday, May 9 from 10:30 to 11:30. Listen in as Craig shares his story about his injury, his experiences in rehabilitation and the message and mission of his blog. Craig will share how technology has helped him, his published articles and why he calls his condition the “invisible disability”.

The link to the blog talk radio show is:   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nolimits2learninglive

Listen and call in live, or catch the archive after the show.

All the best to you!

Lon

It’s Friday and I am looking at the weekend coming. I have put lots of work into my No Limits to Learning Blog this week with links to resources. I have had an online talk show segment and put up this past months AT Blog Carnival along with all my regular work duties as an AT specialist. I am going to ask you to indulge me a little and let me ramble about something I am passionate about, but don’t know how to talk about sometimes. It comes from a conversaation yesterday…

I had a wonderful conversation yesterday with a friend whose disability has created an inability to maintain a regular job. Being on disability and reduced to “no-brainer” jobs can be really depressing for someone who is really a genius but can’t use it within the parameters of regular social and vocational expectations.

This is where the World Wide Web becomes a “God-send” for avenues of expressions and employment. For folks like my friend above, it allows an opportunity to work at one’s own pace, be your own boss and do as much or as little as you can handle at a sitting. The ability to choose the amount of time spent and when it is spent puts the disabled person in control.

There is a common viewpoint out there that information for the disabled should always be free. If it isn’t, it is taking advantage of them when they have few resources already. I agree with that to a certain extent (I may be stirring up a hornet’s nest here - but I am going to go with it anyway), but lets not carry that over into the disabled creating an income for themselves online. I think there are plenty of disabled people that have an expertise in writing and are an authority in one field or another to be able to produce reports, ebooks, guides, audio tutorials, etc. on all sorts of things to folks that AREN’T disabled. If you are home and have nothing but time, what could you take 3 or 4 months researching and compiling to offer folks that don’t have that time to find it? I bet the convenience of collecting  all those resources would be worth something that folks would pay for. Having a dependable and cost-effective transcribing ghost-writing service for people to send audio files to be transcribed is a great online service for someone who has nothing but time at home and needs an extra income. Think outside the box a little.

I have wanted to compile a guide to help folks do this, complete with tutorials and videos and guides on how to get something up and going - and integrate it with AT solutions. BUT…I don’t want to put a lot of time into something and have folks think I am just trying to take advantage of them by selling it.

Think about yourself. How often do you download a free report or article or Mp3 file, etc. to listen or read something that interests you? How often do you shop online and find interesting and helpful things that make your world easier and better? I do. I subscribe to one online ezine I get every month that is great and I love it. I right-click and “save target as…” all the time for free downloadable files from safe and respected sites and people I know and trust. There is alot of information out there online for free. I buy audio books now and then from itunes that are self help and motivational books that I listen to over and over to encourage, inspire and train me. I know I am not alone.

All I am saying is that there should be room for folks to be providing positive, constructive material that contributes and adds to society for a fee to create an income for home-bound folks that are disabled. We don’t think anything about ordering a book from Amazon, but if someone has their own website where they are selling a product, we look for the scam that has to be there some where. I know we do that because there are plenty of give money and get nothing offers out there and we need to be cautious and check things out, but, this type of thought prevents many disabled folks from venturing out and learning how to create an income online because they don’t want to be viewed that way. We need to change that opinion.

I shared some of these thoughts with my friend yesterday and gave him some ideas to think about as far as what kind of information marketing he could create. I think he was challenged and inspired to think outside the box a little bit. I will challenge you too. If you have an interest or knowledge base in an area, think about sharing it with others. Develop your ideas. Give some away as well as offer more detailed versions for sale.

Instead of thinking you don’t want to take advantage of someone, think about how maybe you have the perfect information that others want and you would be offering a service to them. When people say “Thank you for providing that,” you realize that you can sell something for a fair price, support yourself and help others too. It can be a win-win situation, but first you have to get over the hump of that initial mental block.

This blog was originally developed with the idea in mind that I wanted to offer free and for-purchase information to the disabled on success principles and ways to create an income in the information market. I am not there yet, and I have gotten side-tracked a little. I have been enjoying the posts and building my blogs and sharing with folks. That will continue, but the conversation I had yesterday made me realize that I have a responsibility to share my ideas and make them accessible to motivate, educate and encourage others. I plan on developing a lot of information available for free and any hard work I spend  and develop into valuable information and materials, I will make available for reasonable and affordable prices. I don’t have any plans to do this soon, (time is a killer isn’t it?) but as I listen to the needs of folks out there, it breaks my heart to hear that they are approaching retirement or that health care costs are high, they are alone, they were in an accident and left without a vocation, etc. I want to help them get a source of their own income and their self esteem back again.

I know of several disabled folks with thriving online enterprises. It can be done and be fun too. If you are in the position where you are wanting to do something or know someone who does, challenge them to look at the great resource the Internet is and how it could just be the right place to start creating a resource that can be a blessing. That’s all I have to contribute on the subject today - no hard sell - I don’t have a course to buy today. I just have these thoughts going on in my head and needed to express them.

All the best to you!

Lon