[Athen] Portable CCTV

[Gaeir Dietrich]

Funny, it must be CCTV time. This just came up on DSSHE, as well. I will
reprint below my comments there about the Ergo. You can roll it from place
to place, and with the extra large wheels that you can buy it with, it rolls
easily even over cobbled tiles and asphalt. Since the Ergo has its "stand"
built-in, you do not have to worry about where to put the machine.

 

It does not solve your board problem, however. We've used the Clarity for
that but haven't liked it too much. Maybe someone else has a good solution
for that one.

 

*******************

I *love* the Ergo. I've looked at a lot of large CCTV's, and frankly,

it's a pretty mature technology. The different brands are not terribly

different from one another. 

 

And the Ergo is not particularly different in what it does. It is,

however, terrifically different in how it does it. The Ergo CCTV is

designed to be ergonomic, and it is adjustable. 

 

It is one of the great ironies of CCTVs that everyone focuses on the

screen...but not on the reader's body position while viewing the screen.

The Ergo does both.

 

The ERGO can be positioned so that people do not have neck and back

strain from using it. (Try it some time; most CCTVs put your neck in a

very uncomfortable position.) Also, the tray on which the book/paper

rests is very smooth. There are never complaints about the "sea

sickness" that some CCTVs can give you.

 

I have been told by a number of people that using the Ergo is the most

comfortable reading experience they have ever had with a CCTV.

 

Low vision participants at our trainings all rave about it, and in a

number of cases, folks have gone back to their campuses and ordered one

for their workstations.

 

You can buy it with extra large wheels, which make it very easy to wheel

from place to place as needed--even over cobblestone-type tiles.

 

It can be a tad hard to find a U.S. distributor for the Ergo, as the

manufacturer (Rehan) is in Ireland, but here is one:

http://www.atkratter.com/mags/ergo/ergo.htm

 

And, no, they do not pay me. It's just rare that I find a product of

this type that I can so whole-heartedly recommend! ;-)

 

 

****************************************************** 
Gaeir (rhymes with "fire") Dietrich 
High Tech Center Training Unit of the 
California Community Colleges 
De Anza College, Cupertino, CA 
www.htctu.net 
408-996-6043 

  _____  

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of Larry Kiser
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 11:50 AM
To: athen at athenpro.org
Subject: [Athen] Portable CCTV

 

To the Athen Community:

 

I am interested in how you all provide CCTV access in multiple classrooms
throughout the day for an individual student with low vision.  A student I
currently work with has no vision in one eye and limited vision in the
other.  The student uses a magnifier at times but relies on a desktop CCTV
in the classroom for textbook viewing.  The student registered for two
classes and we were able to arrange for them to meet in the same classroom.
We anticipate in the future scheduling two or more classes for the same room
may not be possible.  Another issue is the type of CCTV the student wants to
use.  Initially a MyReader unit was placed on an adjustable table in the
classroom.  The student did not like the fact this unit did not have an X-Y
table and we therefore replaced it with an Optelec ClearView unit that does
have an X-Y table.  So far the student had not complained about this setup.
However, the student indicated a desire to have a closer view of boardwork.


 

The Optelec ClearView is not easily transportable.  Even the MyReader is
relatively heavy for a portable.  We may be able to have our AV department
move units from classroom to classroom on a schedule but they typically roll
units (TVs, computers, etc) into a classroom on a cart and plug them in.  I
would think that for optimal viewing of a CCTV it should be on the student's
desk.  Should we expect AV to lift units for a cart to a desk and visa versa
several times a day?  Is there a special desk cart that would provide
sufficient work space beyond the CCTV?  It would be ideal if the student
could carry a unit into the classroom and set it up on an adjustable table.
Do any of you have experience with any of the Clarity products that have
near, intermediate and distance viewing?  Any other suggestions would be
welcomed.    

 

Larry Kiser, Counselor

Disabilities Resource Center

Santa Fe Community College

Gainesville, FL 

 

 

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