Hello and happy Thursday. We’re so glad you could be with us today. Anita here with you this week, and I’m going to be talking about the importance of assistive technology and the ways it has changed over the years.
I can remember way back before the Internet was so accessible to me and I shopped only at a physical store. Many customer service personnel were friendly and helpful. I used to go to Walden Books. Someone would read the title, author, and a little description of the book for me. Or, I would go into an electronics store and get customer service to assist me in searching for what I hoped to acquire. Nowadays, I can do all of that on the Internet. Though I still love to go into a physical store as it allows me to tactually examine items, I am so thankful I can independently browse items as a way of "window" shopping and especially to purchase an item.
Last Sunday, I turned 40. And, though I'm still quite young, a lot of communication styles have changed during my lifetime. When I was a kid, I learned to type on a manual typewriter. Soon, I was introduced to the electric typewriter. I like a typewriter better because the way it feels as keys are pressed during typing helps me to keep rhythm. In seventh grade, I began to learn how to use a DOS computer. Windows came out before I graduated, but it was not accessible to me at the school for the blind at that time, though kids with usable vision could use it. The first braille embosser I used felt equivalent to a braillewriter. One sheet of paper was inserted, and commands from the computer caused it to emboss. The user had to physically change the paper if more than one page of braille was to be embossed. Next, I used the Juliet embosser. We always joked around in school because Romeo, another embosser, was also in our computer lab.
To step a little out of the computer lab and into my classroom, I used a Perkins brailler, still in use today. I also used a talking calculator. Braille textbooks were also available for me. However, unlike students today, I did not have a notetaker until I was a senior, and even then, I did not take it from class to class with me. I did use the skills I learned on it to operate the Braille 'n Speak that was purchased for me to use in college. Eventually, after trying out a couple of different colleges and learning as I worked and played, today's technology began to become more popular. I learned to use Windows and mastered the use of several different screenreaders. I taught technology and other blindness skills at a blindness rehabilitation center. Finally, I graduated from Frostburg State University with a degree in Elementary Education. Now, I teach braille and integrate the use of notetakers and refreshable braille displays into the lessons I teach my students. A lot has changed since I was a student, but I am thankful I had the opportunity To experience both worlds.
Questions or comments? Tell us below. We would love to hear from you.
Prayers for S.J. and I as we gear up for our presentation at the NFB Convention of WV on Saturday. We’re going to be talking about writing, teaching, books, homeschool, and much more. If you are in the area, come see us. The presentation starts at about 11:00 AM. We’ll be at the Holiday Inn and Suites 400 Second Avenue Charleston, WV in the Montgomery Room. The event is free, however, to attend the entire convention and have a room and meals, you will need to register, and there is a fee for that.
Thanks so much for being with us this week. We pray you have a blessed weekend and come back next Thursday.
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