[Athen] Your opinion on Braille displays

[Wink Harner]

If he's a Braille reader and is proficient, and this is is communication of
choice, consider the purchase of a portable refreshable braille display
that can be checked out to him on loan for a semester (or term or academic
year) at a time. Suggest he follow through with VR ANYWAY, regardless of
how much of a PIA it is. It's a necessary tool to invest in his future and
worth every small PIA it takes to get the equipment.

You/he can also check with the state liaison for the AFB or school for the
blind and ask about AT resources for the student(s).

If your state has a TAP (technology access project) program, it's possible
they also offer low interest technology loans for students to purchase
their own tech.

If it were me, I'd push for VR's help. They are amazing, even with limited
resources, and any blind student going in has a great potential of being
funded for the technology. In my experience, anyway.

My thoughts...

Wink Harner
Wink Harner
Accessibility Consultant/Alternative Text Production
The Foreign Type

Portland OR
foreigntype at gmail.com
480-984-0034

This email was dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Please forgive
quirks, misrecognitions, or errata .


On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 2:02 PM Deborah Armstrong <armstrongdeborah at fhda.edu>
wrote:


> We got a new blind student whose high school IEP includes a Braille

> display as one of his requirements.

>

>

>

> He isn’t hard of hearing and he’s fairly good with technology.

>

>

>

> I love Braille displays but they are so expensive, so fragile and have

> such a steep learning curve, I hesitate to ask my dean for the funding to

> purchase one. I get a Braille reader maybe once every two years, if that.

> And our IT guys will have lots of fun figuring out how to configure it.

> Plus there’s the concern it could be stolen.

>

>

>

> The logical solution is to have rehab purchase it, but the student has

> already stated he doesn’t want to go through rehab because it’s a hassle.

> It really can be at least in California where you need long justifications

> and lots of tedious meetings to accomplish anything.

>

>

>

> I feel a little like a hypocrite as I use mine extensively every day. But

> I’m thinking about the college and the best ways to use limited funds.

>

>

>

> When I spoke with the student I was careful to talk only about speech; he

> may not know what it says in his IEP. Am I short-changing him, or is it

> wise to not try to get one unless he really needs it?

>

>

>

> --Debee

>

>

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