Questions and answers

I received an email from a friend, Kelli, who commented about my blog and had a few questions for me. I'll answer those questions here as I'm sure you will find that they pertain to my blog.

First question, "How do I operate the oven?" Well the controls all have Braille labels next to them and I try to read them, but really have memorized which controls are where. To regulate the temperature the oven always starts at 350 and every time you push the button it beeps and increases or decreases by 5 degrees. You have to pay at least a little attention to the beeps to know what degree your oven is at.

Next question. "Do I plan to have any adaptions in my house?" Yes. I plan on labeling some things in Braille, especially in the kitchen. I already have puffy, brightly colored stickers on the microwave and stove. Chris marked the washer and dryer too, with markings to help me know the controls on those appliances. Having the Braille labels will help me remember the Braille code and reinforce what I have learned at the center.

Last question. "To read emails, is there a computer audio function that reads it aloud or how does that work?" Yes, there is a function, both at home and the center. Those programs are called screen readers. I use a Mac at home and there is a program called VoiceOver that reads the text on the screen. I also use Zoom which magnifies the screen image. At school I use the PC program JAWS which is the only way I can read email or for that matter do anything at all on the computer. Listening to the computer is much quicker than reading magnified text. The larger the text the slower you read.

Both programs, JAWS and VoiceOver are nice. JAWS is more powerful, but not by too much anymore, and one important thing to remember, VoiceOver comes FREE with the Mac. JAWS costs about a thousand bucks.

Thanks Kelli for the email and continue to have fun working in Colorado. Since I was the one usually falling off my bike, it's much safer having one of my friends piloting the tandem than me riding solo.

More later.