New Adventure
December 6, 2010 Posted by
Hello again every one. Just wanted to pass on to you my latest adventure. As you see in my link, “My poetry”. Well I have been published in both the United States and Europe for the past 33 yrs. But, even though I love to create poetry and express my feelings, there is no money in Poetry. Now I am taking on a new adventure, writing a book. As before, I have to use speach recognition which allows me to type when being almost blind. I need a lot of support items to do this, some I recommended to you in other catagories. But with the technologies of today, even a blind person can still do his or her thing. For years, as we all watch the Miss America Pagent, One thing in common with the ladies for years, is the answer they give on “If you had a chance, what would you do to change the World”. The answer, most of the time is “Peace on Earth”. Well, my new adventure is writing a book, a Science Fiction Called “Tony Deaton and the Quest of the Luyers”. As we all know, our congress can not accomplish this along with other nations. So, in my book, Aliens, the Luyers step in and help us to create a new world that can co-exist with other planets of peace. Hopefully, my plans are to make this a trilogy. I am currently about half way completed with the first book. Right now, I am waiting because I am excited about a new advancement in my speach recognition programs. I use Dragon Naturally speaking Version 10. Now they have a way better program with a lot more vocabulary and more compatible with todays advance computers and much more. This day is December 6th, 2010 and the delivery date is scheduled for today. I am patiently waiting for the door bell to ring, UPS.
Point being with all this, is not only my new excitement, but also to let each and every one of you know your goals can still be met, what ever they may be. Ask your doctor, Friends, or go on the computer if you have that capability and search items of use for you. Here is a web site for what I use in writing. It does not have to be for a book, but just to help navigate and reuse the computer you have more effectively.
http://bl151w.blu151.mail.live.com/default.aspx?rru=getmsg
Good luck to all, and remember, never give up on your goals in life, but continue forward in a positive direction, thanks for your viewing and hope it will increase your desires.
way to Type and Write
August 8, 2009 Posted by
I am really excited about sharing with you my latest toy. It is a speech recognition program that allows you to type as fast as you can talk. The name of this program is called “Dragon Natural Speaking”. In fact, I am utilizing this program in writing this comment. This is one of the greatest programs on the market for speech recognition which can be used by people that are disabled, or just can’t type fast enough. The program is a little on the spendy side around $200. I bought mine through Best Buy of which I paid that price. Later I was scanning through Amazon.com and found the same program for $129 plus it had a $50 rebate, so you’re only looking at $79 which is one great deal for which you get, and what you can do with this program. As I stated in one of my comments, I have been a writer for 30 years with poetry and creative writing in both the US and Europe. I was not able to type with low vision. Now, I am back to writing and currently writing a science fiction novel and hopefully a trilogy called “Tony Deaton and the quest of the Luyers”. Look for it on the bookshelf in the coming months as I am about three quarters from finishing my first book. Here is the link to where you can find out more about this program. I strongly suggest and recommend this to anyone who wants to type whether it be letters, books or e-mails.
This program does take a little time and work on your part to get it to work properly for you. But this process is quite easy and does not take long to do. In doing research, what makes the operation of this program more functional is the microphone and headset that you use with the program. What I found out is that the microphone should be a powered microphone and even better yet, a USB port microphone and headset. I obtained mine through Amazon.com but you can also find it at other places like Best Buy, or other computer related sites. This is important for the quality of your microphone means everything. I chose a microphone and headset combination with a USB port hookup. As I promised earlier here is the website to gain further information http://www.nuance.com/talk/ The program does come with it’s own headset, but not powered, so it was an additional expense to by the one I chose to use.
As requested….
April 11, 2009 Posted by
What not to do
August 2, 2008 Posted by
I would like to share some information. A few months ago I received a disability pension from the Veterans administration, which couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time, as I was broke. With the help of the law firm representing me the Social Security disability followed a few months later. Having legal representation go to bat for me was a wise choice after I was denied the first time. The Social Security pension is about $500 a month more (than I received fro the VA) so of course I will take it. There are certain obligations in doing so. My VA pension was not war related so it is not one I can keep once I receive the Social Security disability. So I must contact the VA and report the SS pension to them. They will then cancel the VA pension since I am going to receive the SS disability funding. If this is applicable to your situation you should report to the VA immediately after the SS income starts. After qualifying/receiving SS Disability, delaying reporting it will cost you a payback (sometimes with penalty or interest) to the VA or any other gov. institution that had been supplying financial assistance.
The other thing that is a “not to do” involves the Social Security disability. You will qualify for Medicare in two years from the date they start your payments, otherwise from the date you appealed their denial. In my case it will be in April of 2010 even though I will only be 61 at that time. According to my law firm’s paralegal assistant, Dawn, who has 20 years plus experience, you will have the opportunity to take this Medicare program or choose not to take it. Dawn cited one such case, a lady who was a Veteran and had a 100% coverage on medical from the VA. She chose not to go with Medicare and stay with the VA medical plan. Made sense to me as I have the same deal with me from the VA. But the bottom line was that once the VA found out she had the opportunity to go on Medicare and she chose not to go with it, they disqualified her from further VA medical assistance. So she immediately called the Social Security back to let them know she made a mistake and wanted to go on Medicare. She was told that once she turned it down it would be another two years before she would qualify for Medicare again. So there she was with two years of no medical coverage. So the question is, can it happen to you? The answer is “maybe”. Do not take that chance even if you have a private medical insurance company. When the time is there for you to make the decision, check with your medical supplier first to see where you stand. Do not get caught in that trap. Be diligent, do your research and be on the safe side……Any questions, post it to me and I will try to get back with an answer.
Low vision browser to for fonts
May 24, 2008 Posted by
Hi there. Just thought I would pass a tip on to you that can increase a web pages’ font size easily. The trick is the browser that you use. The tool is already on your keyboard in the form of a plus and minus sign. (I got this tip from a friend who knows a lot about computers). If you use the browser called OPERA, which is a free browser, you will be able to quickly increase the font size for easier reading. Opera is a great browser as it has lots of options that make it easy for you to click on your favorite sites. Each new tab loads with a page called “Speed Dial” which has a menu of your top nine web destinations. You pick the nine sites on the Speed Dial page – for instance your home page, MSN, Google, etc.When you go to any web page the trick with the instant font change is to click on a clear spot on the page that is “not” a text box (for instance don’t click in a seach box) and then hit the plus sign (in the numbers section on the right side of the keyboard) to increase the font size – or minus sign to decrease the font size. So go to www.opera.com and download the browser to try out. It allows you to easily control the font size on any web page! I also tried it with Internet Explorer but I couldn’t get this tip to work with it.
“PS”
Experiment with this – try it first with the browser you normally use and if it doesn’t work in that browser give Opera a try. You can always use more than one browser on your computer to access the internet.
Other aids and computer equipment
May 15, 2008 Posted by
http://www.acb.org/resources/computer-products.html
The web site above has some interesting links for aids
for computers. If you’re like me, my computer was, and still is, a very important part of my life. Being a writer for some years it’s a blessing to have access to computer aids to keep the hobby I embrace most… See my poetry to see what I can do and express with some of these aids.
Computer aid for Low Vision
Posted by
Here is a neat little device that can assist in making your computer easier to use. This is just one of many helpful items out there to aid using your computer more effectively.
https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.asp
Attention Veterans: The web site above can be of assistance to you to obtain medical records and for information. Medical records need to be checked over with a fine tooth comb – I explained why in a post listed below, also in other categories. Be sure to read those before applying for any medical financial assistance… Good Luck!
Financial help and Frustrations
May 14, 2008 Posted by
Most individuals with low vision deal with a lot of frustration. Starting with not being able to drive or get around as they use to. Finding work is one of the hardest obstructions. This may lead to the question – where can one get financial help?
If you’re a Veteran, Veterans Administration Disability can give assistance to the tune of about $984.00 or more depending on your service connection. But most of us have Social Security Disability that we look at first. We paid into it all our working lives, right? Well, it’s not good news there. The Social Security Administration turns down about 95% of all applications. You have to be iron-clad blind, bumping into walls, before they will accept you for benefits. The other thing you should know is it takes 5 to 6 months for them to process your application. So don’t spend your savings. There are attorneys who will appeal your case for about 25% of any back benefits you may get – and none if you don’t receive any. That is a good thing, believe me, as our system right now is screwed up! Your other alternative is the State Department of Health and Social Services. They have a disability program that will get you a little assistance like food stamps, medical card, and financial assistance depending on your disability status. Check with your Phone company and Utilities companies as they sometimes have programs for the disabled to lessen your bills.
Now here’s what I want to caution you on, because it will mean how much of a fight you may have obtaining help from financial assistance programs. “CHECK YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS”. I can not emphasize this more. Every agency out there will obtain your medical records to make their decision. If there is one word that can be used to disqualify you, even an obvious error, they will use it to turn you down. So go to your doctor, look or get copies of your medical records and make sure all the “i”s are dotted and the “t”s crossed. Do this before you file for assistance. It will save a lot of agonizing time and frustration. I know, this is what I am going through. And they will literally go back years to find that one word or type-o to make an argument against your eligibliity
If you are able to use a computer, or have someone do it for you, look up Social Security or Vetrans and Department of Health and Social Services. Search for their definitions of blindness or any other disability you may apply for. It’s all there, and make yourself aware of what the law is. The all have web pages and are available to the public.
Welcome…
May 9, 2008 Posted by
| Welcome to Low Vision Territory. All individuals with low vision are welcome here for comradery – to share stories, tips, advice, coping strategies and anything else that is part and parcel of having low vision. Tell us about yourself, how low vision has affected your life, what your day to day adjustments have been, how your relationships have been affected, what helpful resources or assistance you utilize, and any other low vision topic you want to talk about. If you have low vision or are close to someone with low vision we welcome your participation at the Low Vision blog. DLK (More about me here.) |