Podcasts about optelec

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 49:41

Egal ob beim Lesen der Post, dem Auseinanderhalten von Tetrapacks oder dem Sortieren von Kassenzetteln - nahezu täglich muss man auch als blinder oder sehbehinderter Mensch dinge Lesen können. Es gibt heute vielfältige Möglichkeiten, gedrucktes zu Erfassen und Vorlesen zu lassen - vom Scanner unter Windows bis hin zur App auf dem Smartphone. Das erfordert aber ein gewisses Kno-How bei der Bedienung. Geschlossene Vorlesegeräte konzentrieren sich dagegen auf das Wesentliche und setzen folglich auf einfachste Bedienung. Sie eignen sich besonders für Menschen, die sich nicht lange in ein kompliziertes System einarbeiten möchten oder mit der Technik eher auf Kriegsfuß stehen. Sightviews testet in den nächsten Monaten gleich vier solcher Vorlesegeräte, wobei wir uns auf solche konzentrieren, die den Text mittels einer Kamera und nicht über einen Flachbettscanner erfassen. Erfassen und Vorlesen können die meisten mehr oder weniger gleich gut. Aber schon die Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit variiert je nach Gerät enorm. Sehr große Unterschiede gibt es auch bei der Ausstattung (mit oder ohne Akku, Tragetasche enthalten etc.), bei den Funktionen (zum Beispiel Abspeichern und wieder Aufrufen von Dokumenten möglich) und der Handhabung (wenige Tasten und absolute Reduzierung auf Grundfunktionen versus detaillierte Navigations- und Einstellungsmöglichkeiten). Manche eignen sich eher für das Lesen von Büchern, ein Test-Kandidat bringt eine KI-basierte moderne Handschrift-Erkennung mit. Im ersten Test in dieser Serie stellt Christian den Clearreader von Optelec vor - wegen der internationalen Ausrichtung des Herstellers, der vielen Händler in Deutschland, der Verzahnung mit Optiker-Geschäften und weil das Gerät in der ersten Version schon 2010 auf den Markt kam sicher eines der am meisten verkauftesten Vorlesesysteme. Ob das Gerät noch up to Date ist, zeigt sich insbesondere im Vergleich mit den in weiteren Episoden folgenden Tests der Konkurrenten.

system app deutschland tests windows ob smartphones serie mensch monaten egal technik markt unterschiede vergleich kamera manche lesen funktionen ausrichtung scanner wesentliche konkurrenten ausstattung akku reduzierung tasten vorlesen dokumenten handhabung bedienung sortieren herstellers verzahnung erfassen kriegsfu aufrufen einstellungsm grundfunktionen optelec

Optelec, Babbbage en Slechtziend.nl op oogbeurs

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2024 55:20

Op 1 en 2 November vind de oogbeurs in het Beatrixgebouw van de Jaarbeurs in Utrecht plaats. Daar zullen diverse organisaties dan hun actuele aanbod en de ontwikkelingen op het gebied van het leven met minder zicht presenteren. In de komende 4 weken spreekt Bas met een groot aantal bedrijven en organisaties die je op de beurs kunt vinden. Vandaag ga je langs bij Optelec en Babbbage. Maar Bas Barendregt begint bij Han de Waard die hij al meer dan 50 jaar kent. Han was tot voor kort directeur van slechtziend.nl en de online winkel Lowvision shop. Zijn zoon heeft het inmiddels grotendeels van hem overgenomen. Natuurlijk zijn ze met het bedrijf ook te vinden op de Oogbeurs.

zijn bas daar vandaag utrecht natuurlijk waard low vision jaarbeurs optelec

Iris Huys en Sensotec op Ziezobeurs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2024 53:20

Ook dit jaar is er weer een ZieZo-beurs. Deze wordt georganiseerd op 11,12 en 13 april in hal 3 van de Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. De ziezo-beurs is dit jaar geïntegreerd in de Viene beurs en makkelijk toegankelijk direct na de entree aan de linkerkant de ziezo hoek. Vanaf dit jaar heet de beurs daarom ZieZo-beurs en VeineDAGEN. De komende 5 kwartieren staan we hierbij stil en houden we je, in deze podcast, op de hoogte wat er allemaal op de beurs te vinden is. Vandaag komen vertegenwoordigers van de bedrijven Iris Huys, Sensotec en hoor je nog een verkorte versie van een bedrijf dat je vorige week in de live uitzending had moeten horen. De firma Optelec. We beginnen met één van de twee organisatoren van de beurs.

deze viene vandaag utrecht vanaf jaarbeurs optelec ziezo

Babbage en Optelec op Ziezo beurs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2024 47:54

Ook dit jaar is er weer een ZieZo-beurs. Deze wordt georganiseerd op 11,12 en 13 april in hal 3 van de Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. Gelijktijdig vinden dan de VeineDAGEN plaats in de hallen 3 en 4, naast de ZieZo-beurs. Vanaf dit jaar heet de beurs daarom ZieZo-beurs en VeineDAGEN De komende 5 kwartieren staan we hierbij stil en houden we je op de hoogte wat er allemaal op de beurs te vinden is. In deze podcast beginnen we met Babbage. Hun doel is een samenleving waarin iedereen succesvol kan leren, studeren, werken en kan deelnemen aan de maatschappij. Babbage streeft dit doel na door het optimaliseren van de toegankelijkheid van informatie en compensatievaardigheden aan personen met een visuele-, motorische- of leesbeperking. Dit doen ze door de inzet van ondersteunende technologie en specialistische dienstverlening zoals training vanuit de Babbage Academy en technische maatwerkoplossingen. Een organisatie die je, naast Babbage, ook op de ziezo-beurs kunt vinden is Optelec. Dit Nederlandse bedrijf is ‘s werelds grootste ontwikkelaar en fabrikant van optische en elektronische hulpmiddelen voor slechtziende en blinde mensen en mensen met dyslexie, waarmee hen toegang tot informatie wordt verschaft. Bas Barendregt spreekt met Ben Kofflaar en Bart Zwager van Optelec en Mario de Nijs van Babbage.

dit deze hun utrecht vanaf babbage beurs nijs jaarbeurs optelec ziezo

Sightcity 2023 - die scharfen kompakten Amigos

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2023 14:03

EV Optron und Optelec gehören zum gleichen Konzern. Der gemeinsame Geschäftsführer erklärt im Interview die unterschiedliche Ausrichtung der beiden Marken. Schließlich werden die sehr ähnlichen neuen elektronischen Lupen Amigo 8 und Compact 8 vorgestellt. Während die eine auf herkömmliche Tasten für die Bedienung setzt, nutzt die andere einen Touchscreen. Alleinstellungsmerkmale gegenüber anderen Produkten sind vier spezielle Farbfilter, die das Sehen bei gewissen Farbblindheiten verbessern. Ebenso gibt es Kantenfilter, die den Kontrast z. B. bei Vorlagen mit blauer Schrift auf grauem Papier erhöhen. Mit einer Kantenanhebung werden Umrisse von Buchstaben verstärkt. Filter helfen auch, eine scharfe Darstellung von Schrift auf bunten Hintergründen wie z. B. Prospekten oder Verpackungen zu ermöglichen. Mit dem Finger kann am Compact 8 der Ausschnitt des Live-Bilds verschoben werden. Compact 8 und Amigo 8 - zwei Lupen mit aktueller Technik und einem gewissen Extra.

Sightcity 2023 - Texterkennung fix mit Optelix

Vision forward's Tech Connect Live

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2023 9:00

Optelix ist das Firmen-Maskottchen von Optelec. Das weltweit agierende Unternehmen hat als eines der ersten in Deutschland die in der Hand gehaltene Orcam Read ins Sortiment aufgenommen. Wodurch sie sich sonst noch von der Brillen-Version unterscheidet und welche mobilen Lösungen zum Lesen und Vorlesen lassen es sonst noch gibt, klärt das Interview.

interview deutschland unternehmen lesen sortiment vorlesen wodurch texterkennung optelec sightcity

Tech Connect Live! Magnifier Extravaganza w/ Optelec 10 and Snow 12

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2023 58:49

Episode Notes Notes go here 0:00 Start 13:00 End of Jokes and intro 20:00 Price Context, General Features 30:00 Demo the Optelec 10 36:00 OCR, Color and Volume 40:00 New Device, Snow 12in 45:00 Controls, joystick and touchscreen vs buttons 55:00 Considerations for students with whiteboards 57:00 Wrap Up Review 59:00 Youtube and LMS Find out more at https://techconnectlive.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

tech color snow jokes extravaganza considerations demo controls pinecast ocr magnifier connect live optelec

S2E5: Cassidy Collins - My Dad has MacD

MyMacDLife - Macular Degeneration Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 39:55

In this episode, Marcela Salmon speaks with Cassidy about growing up with a father, uncle and aunt with macular degeneration. Cassidy has lived around MacD for her entire life. She became aware of her father's condition during a trip to Colorado when she realized her father couldn't read things easily and she would help. Her father first worked for Vispero, then for LVI, a company based in Sweden that sells products to help legally blind people. When LVI expanded to the United States, her father became the chief marketing sales director for the United States division. Her father never viewed himself as having a handicap. In fact, his disability made him even more successful in life and opened the door to helping others find success as well. One of the inspiring things Cassidy's father did was write a book called Tripping Into The Light about his journey growing up with Stargardt's juvenile macular degeneration and how he has been successful in life. As the story goes, Cassidy's grandmother took her father and his three siblings to a hospital in Massachusetts to get tested for their eyesight. The doctor proclaimed their eyesight would get progressively worse and proceeded to write a list of all the things they could and could not do in life, including skiing and snowboarding. Leaving the office, his grandmother threw the notes in the trash and the rest is history - Cassidy's uncle became a ski instructor in Colorado and her father became an entrepreneurial success. Her grandmother made sure the disease would not hold her children back from pursuing whatever they wanted in life. Cassidy explains that her father uses a CCTV that reads to him or magnifies things for him as he only has peripheral vision. Cassidy tells Marcela that her father has learned how to train his eyes to look straight at you when he's talking rather than peering from the side of his eye. Cassidy explains that this adaptability and entrepreneurial spirit is one of the driving factors to his father's success, and an inspiration to her. Marcela As a caregiver Cassidy says learned when to step in and help and when to back off, and that she thinks patience is the key to aiding people with MacD. She stresses how important this is for independent people like her father, who get easily frustrated when they want to do things on their own, but can't. They also don't like to be approached by strangers and assisted without first knowing what is going on. Cassidy references an example of the time two people lifted up Cassidy's father to help him cross a street. This episode focuses on what it's like to be a caregiver and how you tend to notice everyday things differently, like restaurant lighting, going to the movies; even the monotone colors of carpeted stairs, which can be tricky to navigate for a person with macular degeneration. Luckily Cassidy's father is very open and even lighthearted about having MacD. He has accepted his eye disease and often speaks out, making suggestions that would improve his surroundings. He can laugh about his shortcomings and puts his energy into reading “how to” informational and nutritional books for self-actualization. Cassidy's father now runs a nonprofit called “The Thriving Blind Academy,” where he teaches the principles of success. Bill Kilroy of Vispero shares information on the Freedom Scientific Topaz line of desktop video magnifiers. These devices sit on a desk with a video magnification system that includes a camera monitor and an X Y table. The monitor sizes range from 20, 22 or 24 inches. It's versatile, with the ability to swing left or right, raise or lower depending on your height. It allows for someone with notes to be able to move those notes around and be able to magnify what they need. Because these devices have a bigger monitor, they can magnify more information on a page at a time. There's less mental processing to put the characters into words, the words into sentences, the sentences into paragraphs, and you can use these devices for longer periods of time than a handheld magnifier. It also allows the user who might want to pause on reading a chapter to start scanning pages so that they can sit back and listen to what's being read. The Topaz OCR is a great choice to have and goes above and beyond the OCR capability. To learn more about The Topaz or The Merlin or The Optelec, there are two ways to get in touch. Go online and type in www.vispero.com or call our toll free number at 1-800-444-4443 and speak to one of our customer service representatives. You can tell them what you're interested in, they can guide you through some of the products and can connect you with a local resource that can help you in your home or schedule an appointment to potentially come to their showroom and learn more about these products and test drive one for yourself. Full Disclosure: Cassidy Collins is the eldest daughter and a caregiver to her father Charlie Collins. Charlie Collins is a member of The SupportSight Foundation board of directors. In compliance with TSSF governance policies, members of his immediate family (daughter) did not receive any direct financial benefit for her guest appearance on this podcast. Recommended Resources https://amdcentral.org https://www.evokekyne.com https://www.brightfocus.org http://www.mdsupport.org https://preventblindness.org https://www.macular.org/ http://www.supportsight.org http://www.mymacdlife.org https://vispero.com/mds https://www.thrivingblindacademy.org https://lviamerica.com https://charliecollinsonline.com/product/tripping-into-the-light Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mymacdlife-macular-degeneration-podcast/donations

united states colorado leaving massachusetts sweden merlin cctv ocr xy topaz macd stargardt lvi charlie collins vispero optelec tssf

Pre Ziezo Beurs bezoek aan drietal leveranciers

MyMacDLife - Macular Degeneration Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2022 58:04

Dit jaar vind de ZieZo-beurs plaats op vrijdag 30 september en zaterdag 1 oktober in het Beatrixgebouw van de Jaarbeurs Utrecht. De ZieZo-beurs is voor iedereen die te maken heeft met een visuele beperking. Voor slecht- en minderzienden, maar ook voor hun familie, vrienden en zorgverleners. Daar kom je er achter Wat de (nieuwe) mogelijkheden en hulpmiddelen zijn voor het leven en werken met een visuele beperking. Voor deze podcast ging Bas Barendregt alvast op bezoek bij een drietal bedrijven die zichzelf en hun producten op de beurs zullen presenteren. Dit keer hoor je wat je zoal kunt verwachten van bedrijven als Babbage, Optelec en IrisHuys

dit voor daar bezoek babbage beurs optelec jaarbeurs utrecht ziezo

S2E4: Jamika Porter - Navigating Life with Low Vision

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 46:55

In this episode, Hilary Stunda speaks with Jamika Porter. Jamika shares her personal story, realizing as a child of 6 that she couldn't see as well as her peers, to adjusting to life as a school-aged young girl, to a college student and then graduate student, who received her Masters degree in communications. What she discovered along the way, after numerous doctors, was that the conditions she had ran in her family, which is interesting as RP is a rare genetic disorder, affecting only between 82,000 and 110,000 people in the United States. Her mother was one of nine children and four of her uncles also had some form of an eye condition as well as her grandfather and many of her cousins. Jamika was diagnosed when she was about 15 when she saw a retina specialist. Before, she just kept getting new eyeglasses with a new prescription every year, or every six months or so. When she was 30, she started to seek treatment on her own just outside of regular eyeglasses. Jamika says that growing up with relatives who also had eye conditions helped to prepare Jamika. Since her mother was almost totally blind, she learned how to do certain things that made life easier, like placing furniture in certain configurations. Jamika tells Hilary how difficult it was growing up with Stargardt's and RP and that she mainly kept it to herself as staying silent about the condition was easier than telling people what was wrong. An eye specialist told her when she was 15 that she would probably be blind by the time she was 40. The turning point was when, in her late 20s, she worked for a law firm that offered very good insurance. That's when she started going back to the eye doctor. After seeing a number of physicians, Jamika eventually found a doctor that treated her well and did not consider her a case study. Jamika explains that she is learning to accept the Assistive Technology around her. She says that she uses her Kindle to read ebooks, and a Ruby device for everyday use. She continues, saying that to get around she uses Lyft and Uber and relies on a few friends and a sister who will come and take her places. But mostly, she takes care of herself. What has served her the most is reaching out to friends for support when she comes up against people who don't understand what she has and what she is going through. Learning that “everybody has some story.” Jamika learned is that maternal grandfather probably had Macular Degeneration but considering he was born in 1890, no one knew. Recently Jamika had an aunt pass away who was 101. She recalls how she lived independently with her husband for years and that she managed because of the way she set up her house, the lighting and furniture and kitchen. She cooked and was able to take care of herself. Jamika hopes to live that way. In the final part of this episode founder and executive director of The Support Sight Foundation, Dawn Prall speaks with Mike Wood from Vispero for the Product Spotlight. For the past 15 years, Mike has been working with schools as well as with the senior market. Mike talks to Dawn about the Assistive Technology devices that Vispero makes for people who have low vision. Visperohas been around since 1975. The name is the combination of two Latin words, one being Visio and the other being Spiro. Visio means the vision, and Spiro means hope. Mike tells Dawn how this is appropriate as their mission is to provide hope, determination and independence through all of their different products, whether it be hardware or software that support those with low vision. Mike and Dawn talk about what some of the warning signs for those who think they might have low vision. Mike says it's often something that can't be corrected with lenses, glasses, or eye drops. If you have trouble reading even after you've had corrective lenses or have trouble recognizing faces or doing basic things around the house like cooking, sewing, fixing and repairing things. Or, if you start to notice that you might need more light, or are having a hard time matching colors of your clothing, feeling like the lights are dimmer in the room. Sometimes, if you're still driving, you start noticing the problem with traffic signs or reading the signs of stores, as you driving by. These are all signs that you may have low vision and might want to go and see a low vision specialist. Mike explains to Dawn that Vispero offers many different pieces of technology to help those with low vision get through the day. There's the handheld video magnifier, The Ruby, that is great for reading tags at the grocery store or menus at a restaurant. But, if you're at home, and you're reading the newspaper, you might want a desktop magnifier like the Optelec ClearView See. Dawn and Mike discuss some of the tools that people might benefit from when they have MacD: a handheld video magnifier, a handheld optical magnifier, a desktop video magnifier, or something that provides OCR capability which is optimal character recognition, which is basically scanning and reading so you can take text and then have it read back to you. There are also other tools out there - software-based tools for your computer. Mike tells Dawn that for those who need to magnify what's on their computer, or have the computer read things back to you, there is technology that can do that. All of these different products fall under different brands within the VISPERO company. There's Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision Optelec and the Paciello Group known as TPGI. Each one of these brands offer different products. Freedom Scientific, a computer software, is best known for JAWS ZoomText. They're also known for their world-renowned handheld video magnifier called The Ruby. The Ruby comes in a couple of different sizes and functionality. Some products also offer TTS - which is Text To Speech, which is like reading out loud. These products are good for helping people with low vision so they don't have to strain their eyes. This, as Dawn says, is important because it's important to remember that ‘You don't see with your eyes, you see with your brain.' Mike tells Dawn all one has to do to find the product differences, functionalities and price points is go to the Vispero site. From there, people can find what they need. For example, Mile says, Optelec is good if you need optical magnifiers, which are a glass lens-type of magnifier. It's usually where people start out using a 5x, 6x, or 7x optical magnifier. The newer ones even have LED lights in them. Mike explains that with optical magnifiers, the larger magnification you need, the smaller the lens gets. So if you have a 5x, it's a larger lens. But then if you get up to 10 and 12x, it becomes a much smaller lens. At that point, Mike tells people that's when you go over to those handheld video magnifiers until you graduate over to The Ruby. Wrapping up the episode, Dawn and Mike concur that it's all about helping people with low vision invest in devices that will help them. It's not about regaining your sight, but performing tasks better. You see better because you're using the device, and you're regaining independence. It's about developing and delivering innovative solutions that will enable individuals with low vision to reach their full potential. **** What We Discuss in this Episode …Most people think it's night blindness. I have trouble with shadows. Even if I'm outside and I walk under a platform and it's dark, it completely changes. It temporarily blinds me for a second. 5:46 …My mom was one of nine kids. My mom, two, three, and four, of my uncles all had some form of an eye condition. My grandfather also had an eye condition and many of my cousins. 7:01 …When I was probably about 30, I started to seek treatment on my own just outside of regular eyeglasses. I can feel changes in the way I saw things. 09:04 …I did just enough to get by. Because I never wanted to explain to anybody why I just let people assume that I was lazy or didn't care about school, which wasn't true at all. But it was easier than trying to explain to people what was wrong. …Some things just become a way of life, because like I said, my mother was almost totally blind. So, as far as household, I function as a person that couldn't see, because that's the way I was taught. Like furniture is placed in a certain way, you open up all the curtains. 10:53 …I'm now in my 40s. When I was about 28. I got a really good job. I worked for a law firm with excellent insurance. That's when I decided to go back to the eye doctor. 13:32 …I'll be honest, I'm still working on this technology part. Some things are difficult because I do get embarrassed when I'm in the store and I can't see a barcode and I have to take out the magnifier. I have an app on my phone… but it's embarrassing. So I faked my way through some things but I'm getting much better. 14:48 …I have two really large televisions. I have some friends that, to this day, do not realize there's anything wrong with me. Because to look at me you would never know. 15:00 …With the Stargardt's and then with the RP, it's more internal. You'll never be able to look at me and say that I can't see. …People can be cruel. So, I made the decision I would never have to depend on anyone at a very young age. Now that I think about it, I think I did suffer from some depression. And I still do sometimes. There are little things that I miss that I could do even just five years ago, but I have trouble doing now. So I just try to move on. 16:40 …I decided that for myself I wanted to finish my bachelor's degree. So I did. Shortly thereafter, I got a master's degree. Not for anyone else. But it's mine. I worked for it. I struggled for it. I had to study twice as long and twice as hard. But I graduated with a 3.9 grade average. I was like, ‘This is mine and no one can take it. 20:40 I am one of the only ones with Stargardt's because, through research, I found it skips a generation. And what my mother realized as she got older was that her maternal grandfather probably had Stargardt's but considering he was born in like, 1890, they didn't know and thought it was just bad eyes. 21:54 …Once I was old enough to understand that it was a genetic condition and not just something that I got when I was younger. The first doctor told me because I was probably staring at the sun. 22:38 …I needed to have answers for myself. And I'm like that with most things. You can't just tell me something and I believe you. I need to know. Talking to my mom and then talking to my dad, because I had a doctor who told me that my parents are probably related. That's how I got Stargardt's. That was a little traumatic. You just told me my parents were related. So that was another factor. 23:23 …Stargardt's is an adolescent version of macular degeneration. …I use a Kindle with very large font and contrast. I have since I've been working with Sage, I use the device, The Ruby, you can put it on and read it. 25:16 …I do Lyft and Uber a lot. I do have a couple of friends…but I don't really like to ask people unless I absolutely have to. I go out during the day, every week I go do my grocery shopping, I get on the bus. I don't take the subway anymore. I stopped within the past two to three years because it's really dark under there. If somebody approached me, I wouldn't be able to see them. …That's what made me stop riding. I tripped coming up the steps. …I want to be more of a mentor. A couple of years ago, I worked for a program and we worked with underserved and under-resourced students. I absolutely want to be able help them going forward. It can be economically, socially or because of a disability. I want to work with children to help them move forward. But I've also found that I like working with adults I can share with. I can answer questions. 30:37 …I have one cousin, and we discovered we see the same retina specialist. We both have given him permission to discuss this in the exam. 32:57 …Oh, I hope so. That will be great. It hasn't been very long since I've been here. Still a learning and training process. But I would love to be a resource for other people or just a sounding board. 34:28 …My mother was in her 30s when she was diagnosed with Stargardt's. She went through the same thing I did where they just kept changing their glasses. So you know, he'll make the comparison. And you know, it was like he personally called me when my genetic testing came back and they realized that I wouldn't go completely blind and I thought that was so sweet. It wasn't a nurse. It wasn't an email. I was like, this is this is really nice. 35:00 …I'm in good hands…When you get people that care and they state, I don't see the way that you see, but I want to help you, it makes a difference, as opposed to someone just saying we'll do this or do that. 39:17 …A few of the different things that I find are signs that you're starting to have low vision. Often, it's something that can't be corrected with lenses, whether it be contact lenses, glasses, something like eye drops. It might be difficulty reading a book, newspaper or magazine even after you've had corrective lenses. 40:00 … Finding that it's difficult to do basic things around the house like cooking, sewing, fixing and repairing things. 40:05 …Another key factor is if you start to notice that you might need more light, or you're having a hard time matching colors of your clothing, feeling like the lights are dimmer in the room. Then, if you're still driving, noticing traffic signs or reading the signs of stores, as you're driving by. These are all signs that you may have low vision and might want to go and see a low vision specialist. … It's not going to be a one tool fixes all types of situation when you have MACD. Many times people I'm working with that have MACD might have multiple different pieces of technology to get through the day. 41:28 …One of the best selling in the industry, The Ruby, is going to be really beneficial for reading the menu. But, if you're at home, and you're reading the newspaper, you might want a desktop magnifier like the Optelec ClearView See. 42:01 …Assistive Technology devices that are out there that VISPERO makes. This is the technology that, if you have low vision, you can do things like reading; tasks that you may not be able to do as well now that you have low vision. …Some of the tools that people might benefit from when they have MACD: a handheld video magnifier, a handheld optical magnifier, a desktop video magnifier, or something that provides OCR capability which is optimal character recognition, which is basically scanning and reading so you can take text and then have it read back to you. …When you have low vision, you need Assistive Technology. Under the VISPERO umbrella there are a couple of different brands. There's Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision Optelec and the Paciello Group known as TPGI. … Three of the key things that you should focus when you have low vision are going to be magnification. Often you need magnification support. Things need to be enlarged. Lighting, you often need more lighting, so it might be as simple as having a desk lamp… 44:48 …Or changing the light bulbs to be a different brightness and contrast. 45:00 …Text to speech? So TTS is basically the exact same thing. The product offers you text to speech using the character recognition technology. …The button placement might be in a different area, the handles shaped differently, you might have a touchscreen device instead of having tactile buttons. …The text to speech helps because it lets you sit back and have something else read the text to you. So you can close your eyes, relax, and listen to the text out loud. …Because with optical magnifiers, the stronger you get, the higher you need, the larger magnification that you need, the stronger the magnifier, the smaller the lens gets. So if you have a 5x, it's a larger lens. But then if you get up to 10 and 12x, it becomes a much smaller lens 50:00 …They're investing in devices that will help to perform tasks better. And then you do see better because you're using the device… ……and you're regaining independence. There are so many people that need something as simple as wanting to read the mail…on their own. 51:18 …Our key is to develop and deliver innovative solutions that will enable individuals that are low vision to reach their full potential. …We have people using these to play bingo, do crossword puzzles. I've met people that use them to knit. Recommended Resources https://amdcentral.org/ https://www.evokekyne.com/ https://www.brightfocus.org/ http://www.mdsupport.org/ https://preventblindness.org/ https://www.macular.org/ http://www.supportsight.org/ http://www.mymacdlife.org/ https://vispero.com/mds * Note: All listed transcript timings and wording are approximations.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mymacdlife-macular-degeneration-podcast/donations

Optelec & Blind Golf

Blind Guy Talks Tech

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2022 26:45

There's two quite different topics on today's episode - it's all about magnification... and golf! We hear from Mark Statham from Optelec to tell us all about the company and the products they produce, and we also hear from Ron Tomlinson who was at Sight Village promoting blind golf experiences. Listen out for more from Sight Village in the coming days but in the meantime if you'd like to comment on a show or topic don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing hello@blindguytalkstech.com or call 0204 571 3354 and leave us a voicemail.

blind golf optelec sight village

416: Tech Talk 416: Optelec, Accessible Washing Machines And Your Experiences

RNIB Tech Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2022 53:15

This week Dave has been speaking to Mark Statham from Optelec about video magnification, we look at smart washing machines and a listener fills us in on a low tech location method. You can listen to the show live in the UK every Tuesday at 1pm on Freeview Channel 730, online at www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk , or on your smart speaker. You'll hear new episodes of the Tech Talk Podcast every Friday so make sure you're subscribed to never miss an episode We'd love to hear your thoughts on accessible technology, drop us an email at techtalk@rnib.org.uk or tweet us @RNIBRadio with the hashtag #RNIBTechTalk

uk experiences accessible tech talk washing machines optelec

Optelec in coronatijd Ben Kofflard 1 jun 2022

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 8:20

Directeur Ben Kofflard van Optelec verhaalt over de corona periode. Het viel samen met het begin van de ZieZo beurs, die prompt werd afgelast. Er werd voor gezorgd dat alle werknemers een laptop hadden om thuis te werken. Met veel improvisatie konden klanten bijvoorbeeld in de tuin instructie krijgen. We hebben redelijk door kunnen werken. Enkele werknemers hebben corona gehad. Alle nieuwe ontwikkelingen lagen stil. Er was wel meer vraag naar training voor thuiswerken.

er enkele coronatijd optelec ziezo

Vispero Goes To CSUN

Blind Guy Talks Tech

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 30:33

The annual CSUN Technology event for disabled people runs from 14-18 March in person this year and assistive tech companies and users are going to flock there once again. Big name companies in the access tech world attend the conference from around the globe and this year will be no different. One such company is Vispero, the company that owns and operates brands including Freedom Scientific and Optelec. At this year's exhibit the company aims to showcase many existing and new products, and will even host a fully accessible Escape Room experience. Blind Guy Steven Scott has been talking to Matt Ater from the company on the podcast to find out more about what's coming up.

escape rooms csun freedom scientific vispero optelec matt ater

Sightcity 2021 - Speech-Module mobil und zu Hause

MyMacDLife - Macular Degeneration Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 29:01

Im Bereich Hardware hat sich bei Optelec bedingt durch die Pandemie in den letzten Monaten nicht viel getan. Das gibt uns die Gelegenheit, einmal vertieft über diverse Themen rund um Optelec und Vispero zu sprechen. Wo liegt die Zukunft von JAWS, wenn es doch inzwischen kostenlose Alternativen gibt? Verschwinden die traditionsreichen Alva-Braillezeilen bald völlig aus dem Sortiment? Für wen empfiehlt sich das schon lange auf dem Markt befindliche Bildschirmlesegerät Viva? Und schließlich sprechen wir dann noch über mobile und stationäre Geräte, die nicht nur Texte vergrößert anzeigen, sondern auch vorlesen können und wann welche Krankenkasse etwas bezahlt.

speech zukunft wo jaws monaten pandemie markt zuhause gelegenheit texte alternativen module mobil verschwinden sortiment krankenkasse sehbehinderte vispero optelec sightcity

The Energy Required to Live With MacD

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2021 57:58

On This Episode Hosts Dawn Prall and Shawn Doyle begin the episode with a conversation about energy. They discuss how much energy people end up having to expend after being diagnosed with macular degeneration—from determining next steps; to discovering available resources; to asking the doctor follow-up questions; or even simply to sort it all out. Dawn also talks about the added challenges when having to access the computer, internet or written materials they need and why—for these reasons among others—experts say that macular degeneration affects not just the individual, but the entire family. Likewise, Dawn mentions that in addition to energy used in educating oneself about the disease, there is also a lot spent in navigating ordinary life tasks with MacD, such as researching insurance or buying a household item online. Shawn shares two strategies for tackling difficult tasks while living with MacD, as author of a book on productivity. He offers tips on identifying one's maximum productivity zone, or MPZ. He refers to it as the time of the day when you have the most energy. The second strategy he conveys is about finding an advocate to assist in the tasks rather than going it alone. In the next segment, Dawn interviews special guest Richard Tapping, Vice President of Vispero, about assistive technology; Vispero's history, philosophy and its three brands: Freedom Scientific, Optelec and Enhanced Vision; and the benefits of using magnification devices. Richard talks in detail about how these tools enhance quality of life for people living with MacD and low vision, as well as Vispero's two-step approach to addressing individual needs. He shares a personal story about his grandfather with MacD and how taking small steps with easing him into magnification technology positively impacted his life by allowing his grandfather to participation in a regular hobby he had given up on. They cover how and where to find ease-of-use devices to assist people with MacD or low vision, concluding with a discussion on their affordability. Actress, singer, voiceover artist and SiriusXM radio show host Christine Pedi stops by to offer her thoughts in the following regular segment, where she navigates life through diminished vision and transitions into the world of visual challenges. In this episode, Christine shares her inspiration from reading Norman Lear's memoirs, Even I Get to Experience This. She offers her positive takeaways from the legendary television writer-producer's experiences in the book. She relates how his words remind her to see what she is going through, such as a new downturn in her vision, in a slightly different and positive way—that even with the highs-and-lows and ups-and-downs in life, there is room for gratitude and wonder. She also relates how his story conveys that one single moment in life does not have to define anyone's entire life, as with vision loss for her. Shawn then takes a moment to talk about how to maintain hope when living with macular degeneration. He offers insight into using technology, orientation, practice, plans, engagement and education as key strategies to preserve hope for a brighter, productive future even when struggling with MacD and vision loss. Dawn and Shawn introduce the closing regular segment on new assistive technology, featuring Vispero's Bill Kilroy, Senior Sales Director for the Northeast, and Mike Woods, Strategic Accounts Manager for Education. In this episode, Bill and Mike provide details and highlights about the ClearReader, a portable scanning and reading unit and Optelec product. They describe how this versatile all-in-one unit is popular with customers, offering 59 high-quality reading voices that can read in 31 different languages, which are easy to change. Mike outlines top ClearReader features, which include its built-in stereo speakers, headphone connector, HDMI port to output, USB port and SD memory card slot, with a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Mike adds that is it foldable, lightweight and has adjustable volume and the speed of the text being read back. Bill and Mike conclude with information on how to learn more about the ClearReader unit and how it has helped people they know remain independent. Co-hosts Dawn and Shawn close out the podcast episode with additional links and resources for those living with macular degeneration. What We Discuss in this Episode This fourth episode covers the following featured topics: “We're happy you've joined us, we're excited to bring you some great information, education and inspiration. We really want to make a difference in the life of people who are suffering with MacD, and we call it MyMacDLife.” (00:53) “Our expert today is president of Vispero, who by the way is the leading manufacturer of all the assistive technology devices out there to help people with everyday tasks.” (1:32) “[Richard Tapping] is really an expert on the whole spectrum of what's out there for people to use and help them read, watch TV, see pictures of the grandkids—all the things that are important to people that are really challenging when you have MacD.” (1:50) “That's what we call our maximum productivity zone, MPZ—so what's your maximum productivity zone?” (5:52) "Some of those brands include Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and Enhanced Vision.... These companies have products and tools that can help provide access for folks that still want to read their mail or read a book, read the newspaper, do their own banking, use a computer have access to email, things of that nature.” (9:49) “These tools are incredibly important to daily functioning, as people get diagnosed and start to experience some vision loss.” (10:54) “The RUBY handheld magnifier is one of the simplest video magnifiers. The contrast, the design, the buttons, and the controls are designed really effectively. They're very simple to use, they're very intuitive.” (22:07) “Freedom Scientific, for example, is very much focused as a priority on kind of total blindness and tools for total blindness, so they have screen readers for a computer.” (26:04) “It reminded me that whenever I get a new downturn in my vision, a new little portion of my field of vision that doesn't look right…. to allow me to think about what I'm going through in a slightly different way.” (39:53) “I'd like to talk about some ways of maintaining hope and it actually spells out the letters hope, H-O-P-E.” (45:57) “Today we're going to be talking about the ClearReader, which is an Optelec product, and this product is a portable scanning and reading unit.” (51:32) “I've got a lot of friends of mine that are totally blind that actually use this because it's very simple and easy to use, just has a few buttons so it's not very complex to learn.” (53:19) Quotables “I think I would just tie it up in a nice tidy bow and say this: Don't be afraid to ask for help.” – Dawn Prall “The technology has really come a long way, and people should really perhaps think about these tools as a way to accommodate or provide the visual enhancements that they may have lost through their vision loss.” – Richard Tapping “People have no idea that there are tools that absolutely do help and reinstate, reinstall the independence that someone may have lost over the vision loss.” – Richard Tapping “The message people I hope get from a lot of this conversation is that when you can't see, investing in a tool, investing in the technology that's out there and accessible for you to improve your life, help yourself, be able to read, be able to do crafts, be able to do the things you enjoy, look at the pictures of your grandkids.” – Dawn Prall “I should make the point that this is all Vispero does, and all we've ever done. We don't have other interests and different business segments or anything of that nature; we are entirely dedicated to providing greater access for those with vision loss. – Richard Tapping “We get the highs, we get the lows. These are the things that give us texture, that give our life and the tapestry of our life, the depth and give it fiber. And I just think that it might be helpful to look at it that way. Because life is full of wonderful highs, but boy, is it full of difficult lows. And yes, it's also full of boring stuff—we get to experience it all.” – Christine Pedi “And if you're going through a negative circumstance with your eyes, see if there isn't a moment, a part of it, a portion of it, an instant of it that you can't say, ‘Even this I get to experience.'” – Christine Pedi “Why am I living in a moment and saying this moment is informing the rest of my life, period? Yes, all our previous moments do inform the rest of our life, but they are not each of them solely responsible for the rest of our life. They work together. And I found it very helpful.” – Christine Pedi “Even though this is a devastating diagnosis with macular degeneration—and losing your vision can be devastating—it doesn't mean you can't lead a great life. It doesn't mean you can't find joy. It doesn't mean that you can't live with the disability. It may be your new normal, but you can live an amazing, beautiful life just by addressing hope.” – Shawn Doyle Recommended Resources - https://www.healthyvisionassociation.com/ - https://www.novartis.com/ - https://vispero.com/ - https://www.centricbank.com/ - https://hinklestein.com/ - https://www.freedomscientific.com/ - https://us.optelec.com/ - https://www.enhancedvision.com/ - https://www.freedomscientific.com/products/lowvision/rubyproductfamily/ - https://www.christinepedi.com/ - https://us.optelec.com/products/cr-ba-g2-us-13m-optelec-clearreader.html - http://www.supportsight.org/ - http://www.mymacdlife.org/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mymacdlife-macular-degeneration-podcast/donations

tv education energy vice president actress required northeast sirius xm sd usb hdmi norman lear macd mike woods senior sales director freedom scientific vispero shawn doyle christine pedi optelec

Jeff Bazer from Vispero Gives Us an Overview of the Freedom Scientific ElBraille and Optelec Compact 10. Special Prices Through July!

Blind Abilities

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 9:30

Jeff Bazer returned to the Blind Abilities studio to share with us the latest news out of Vispero Freedom Scientific. Jeff gives us a quick look at the Optelec Compact 10 and the L-Braille with all the specs, bells and whistles. And since it is summer and Vispero always has some summer specials, go to Vispero.com/events/NFB or Vispero.com/events/ACB and find out all the summer specials available through July 2020. You can contact Jeff Bazer by email at jBazer@Vispero.com or give him a call at 727-244-3726. You can always find out more about Vispero and all of their services and products on the web at Vispero.com and by calling 1-800-444-4443 Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

state minnesota blind prices compact acb visually impaired nfb afb transition services freedom scientific vispero state services optelec elbraille blindabilities on

Sightcity 2020 - Nähe, Ferne und Vorlesen – eine mobile Lupe mit gleich drei Kameras

Blind Bargains Audio: Featuring the BB Qast, Technology news, Interviews, and more

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2020 20:42

Neu bei Optelec der Compact 10 HD, eine elektronische Lupe mit 10 Zoll und Vorlesefunktion. Wir vergleichen dazu den Traveller HD. Hintergründe gibt es zudem zu den Braillezeilen Alva 640 und Focus Blue sowie den Lesegeräten Clearview+, C und Go.

mobile lupe drei hintergr gleich neu compact kameras zoll clearview vorlesen leseger optelec sightcity focus blue

#CSUNATC20 Audio: Master Your Modes With vispero's Optelec Compact 10 HD

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2020 8:31

The Optelec Compact brand has come a long way from its flip out handle days of a decade ago or its original touch screen display option. Shelly got a chance to view the newest iteration and get a guided tour of the units features with vispero's Educational Specialist Michael Wood. The pair cover the differences between Easy and Advanced Modes, they discuss the Speech features as well as the OCR functionality of the new 10 inch display model. To learn more about this specific unit, and the two configurations offered, visit the Optelec Compact 10 HD website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

amazon google master apple microsoft blind speech modes compact ocr american foundation csun optelec accessworld

AM358 – ClearView GO Video Magnifier

Accessibility Minute with Laura Medcalf

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2020 1:41

Hey there! Welcome to Accessibility Minute, your weekly look at Assistive Technology, those clever tools and devices designed to help people who have difficulties with vision, mobility, hearing or other special needs! Optelec is a company offering a wide variety of products and resources for individuals with visual impairments. One of the company’s newest additions […] The post AM358 – ClearView GO Video Magnifier appeared first on Assistive Technology at Easter Seals Crossroads.

technology blind disability crossroads accessibility deaf seals handicap cerebral palsy assistive technologies clearview assistive medcalf magnifier optelec indata easter seals crossroads

Back to School with Vispero: Jeff Bazer Tells Us All About Freedom Scientific, Jaws, Optelec and Enhanced Vision. From Low-Vision and Screen Readers to Braille Displays, Vispero Has Got You Covered!

Blind Abilities

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2019 10:42

As Back to School once again comes around we have to consider being prepared technology-wise and make sure our Toolbox is well stocked and Vispero has the tools built for success. Vispero is the parent company of Freedom Scientific, Optelec and Enhanced Vision. Jeff Bazer from Vispero joined Simon Bonenfant in Las Vegas to talk about all the solutions and opportunities Vispero brands have to offer. You can find out more about all the products and services from Vispero on the web at www.Vispero.com. You can also call Vispero direct at 1-800-444-4443. ***** Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

school las vegas state minnesota blind back to school jaws covered enhanced toolbox displays braille visually impaired low vision afb screen readers transition services freedom scientific vispero state services optelec blindabilities on

ACB Advocacy Update for June 20, 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2019

On this episode Matt explains that Clark and Matt conclude To learn more about To register for And, please share Transcript of the Automated: 00:02 Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Matt Ater: 01:14 Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Matt Ater: 01:19 Clark Rachfal: 01:28 Matt Ater: 01:49 Matt Ater: 02:36 Matt Ater: 03:41 Matt Ater: 04:34 Clark Rachfal: 05:29 Matt Ater: 05:40 Matt Ater: 06:24 Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Matt Ater: 07:48 Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Matt Ater: 08:17 Matt Ater: 08:56 Matt Ater: 09:42 Matt Ater: 10:27 Matt Ater: 11:09 Matt Ater: 12:00 Matt Ater: 12:38 Clark Rachfal: 13:36 Matt Ater: 14:04 Matt Ater: 14:43 Matt Ater: 15:43 Matt Ater: 16:27 Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Matt Ater: 17:48 Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Matt Ater: 18:05 Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Matt Ater: 18:36 Matt Ater: 19:03 Matt Ater: 19:59 Matt Ater: 20:26 Clark Rachfal: 20:58 Matt Ater: 21:55 Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Clark Rachfal: 22:41 Matt Ater: 23:19 Clark Rachfal: 24:12 Matt Ater: 24:56 Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Matt Ater: 25:10 Matt Ater: 26:04 Matt Ater: 26:39 Matt Ater: 27:14 Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Matt Ater: 27:53 Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt Ater: 29:07 Clark Rachfal: 29:42 Matt Ater: 30:14 of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Advocacy Update Podcast: You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Doing well. And yourself? I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Sure. Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Mm-hmm (affirmative). Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Oh, wow. It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Yeah, you're correct. Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Take care.

united states new york director university california community texas canada europe washington dc ny dc alabama iphone blind minneapolis boy traditional windows advocacy compliance jaws medicare centers rochester fusion ux medicaid mm blindness automated aerosmith cadillac merlin vas cctv ict sma pebble compact huntington beach ocr american council leber acb social security administration san rafael guide dogs medicaid services clearview windows pcs tpg eloquence governmental affairs annual convention seeing ai exhibit hall freedom scientific steve tyler optical character recognition vispero cctvs advocacy update zoomtext leonard cheshire optelec vocalizer acb convention matt ater interactive accessibility

ACB Advocacy Update for June 20, 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2019

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

united states new york director university california community texas canada europe washington dc ny dc alabama iphone blind minneapolis boy traditional windows advocacy compliance jaws medicare centers rochester fusion ux medicaid mm blindness automated aerosmith cadillac merlin vas cctv ict sma pebble compact huntington beach ocr american council leber acb social security administration san rafael guide dogs medicaid services clearview windows pcs tpg eloquence governmental affairs annual convention seeing ai exhibit hall freedom scientific steve tyler optical character recognition vispero cctvs advocacy update zoomtext leonard cheshire optelec vocalizer acb convention matt ater interactive accessibility

ACB Advocacy Update for June 20, 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2019

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

united states new york director university california community texas canada europe washington dc ny dc alabama iphone blind minneapolis boy traditional windows advocacy compliance jaws medicare centers rochester fusion ux medicaid mm blindness automated aerosmith cadillac merlin vas cctv ict sma pebble compact huntington beach ocr american council leber acb social security administration san rafael guide dogs medicaid services clearview windows pcs tpg eloquence governmental affairs annual convention seeing ai exhibit hall freedom scientific steve tyler optical character recognition vispero cctvs advocacy update zoomtext leonard cheshire optelec vocalizer acb convention matt ater interactive accessibility

ACB Advocacy Update for June 20, 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2019 30:44

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

united states new york director university california texas canada europe washington dc ny dc alabama iphone blind minneapolis boy traditional windows advocacy compliance jaws medicare centers rochester fusion ux medicaid mm aerosmith cadillac merlin vas cctv ict sma pebble compact huntington beach ocr american council leber acb social security administration san rafael guide dogs medicaid services clearview windows pcs tpg eloquence governmental affairs annual convention seeing ai exhibit hall freedom scientific steve tyler optical character recognition vispero cctvs advocacy update zoomtext optelec leonard cheshire vocalizer acb convention matt ater interactive accessibility

Neues von Familie Vispero

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2019 14:33

Die Übernahme der Firma Enhanced Vision, der neue OmniReader (Vorlesesystem), Clearview Go (klappbares Lesegerät und Alternative zum Visiobook), mögliche künftige Funktionen und JAWS zur Miete? Das im Gespräch mit Optelec.

familie neues jaws funktionen vispero leseger optelec

Vispero - Helping Blind and Low Vision Individuals Reach Their Full Potential. Meet Douglas Gerry and Hear What’s Coming Up for the ElBraille and New Low Vision Solutions

Blind Abilities

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2019 6:13

Show Summary: In this Tech Abilities podcast we are talking to VisperoRepresentative Douglas Gerry. Douglas gives us an over view of the Low Vision and Braille devices as well as some breaking news on the ElBraillecoming out this summer. Join Douglas as he talks about the importance of learning the tools that will bring you success in the workplace and how starting to learn these devices early may help you succeed. Vispero is the world’s leading assistive technology provider for the visually impaired. We have a long history of developing and providing innovative solutions for blind and low vision individuals that help them reach their full potential. Vispero combines two Latin words: visio and spero. Visio means “the vision”; and spero means “hope”. At Vispero, we inspire hope, determination, and independence through our family of brands: Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision, Optelec, and The Paciello Group. the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB)held their Spring conference in Washington D.C., This is a conference attended by Directors and Administrators from the State Agencies and Vocational Rehab Centers across the United States. The attendees share successes and discuss the challenges with leaders from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education and the Consumer Organizations including the American Foundation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind and the National Foundation of the Blind. Be sure to check with your State Services for the Blind, your Voc. Rehabilitation Services and find out what they can do for you. Blind abilities NCSAB coverage is sponsored in part by Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Download for iOS Download for Android Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

united states director education spring washington dc reach blind latin voc individuals app store administrators coming up national council full potential braille american council american foundation new low national foundation low vision be my eyes state agencies rehabilitation services freedom scientific vispero state services optelec elbraille ios download blindabilities on

Brailletech 2018, de Foxlinq: hoor de ondertitels van alle tv-programma’s

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2018 4:12

Met de Foxlinq kan je ondertitels van tv-programma’s horen. Zowel van liveprogramma’s als van opgenomen programma’s. En zelfs van dvd’s. Je sluit het toestel simpelweg aan tussen je tv en je decoder. Je hoort er meer over in dit gesprekje dat we hadden met iemand van de firma Optelec op Brailletech 2018. Indien je verdere […] Het bericht Brailletech 2018, de Foxlinq: hoor de ondertitels van alle tv-programma’s verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

indien zowel programma hoor optelec

Brailletech 2018: de Compact 6HD speech Handloep van Optelec

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2018 3:26

De Compact hd 6 speech is een elektronische handloep in zakformaat. Handig om mee te nemen om onderweg teksten te fotograferen en te laten voorlezen. Wij hadden hierover een gesprekje met Optelec op Brailletech 2018. Je hoort in deze podcast ook nog een stukje over een verbetering aan een andere loep: de Clearview. Indien je […] Het bericht Brailletech 2018: de Compact 6HD speech Handloep van Optelec verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

speech indien wij compact clearview handig optelec

Ben Kofflard Optelec 1 aug 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2018 44:38

Ben Kofflard is als directeur van Optelec al jaren lang nauw betrokken bij de wereld van blinden en slechtzienden. Het was een zeker toeval dat hij hier terecht kwam. Ben is een echte Rotterdammer en dreef als kind al allerlei handeltjes. Als jongen kon hij redelijk voetballen bij Sparta. Het ging hem gemakkelijk af op […]

als sparta rotterdammers optelec

Brailletech 2017, deel 3: vernieuwingen in schermuitleessoftware

INCOBS - Audioinformationen

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2017 1:36

In het kader van zijn podcastreeks over Brailletech 2017 had Geert ook een gesprekje met Tom van de firma Optelec. Dit deel behandelt schermuitleessoftware. er zijn enkele opvallende nieuwigheden te melden over Jaws en Fusion. Indien je verdere vragen hebt over deze podcast, dan kan je die zoals steeds hieronder kwijt. Het bericht Brailletech 2017, deel 3: vernieuwingen in schermuitleessoftware verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

jaws fusion dit deel indien geert optelec

#C2SV17. Optelec, With Mark Hill

VI Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2017 7:13

mark hill optelec

SightCity 2017: Optelec präsentiert ElBraille, den Windows-PC im Braille-Zeilenformat

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2017 1:55

Interview mit Werner Schwegler (Optelec) zum ElBraille aus dem Hause Freedom Scientific. Die kleine Hardware-Komponente bietet volle Windows-10-Funktionalität inklusive üblicher Schnittstellen - und enthält einen Andockschacht für die Focus Blue Braille-Zeilen, 14- und 40-Stellig.

interview windows schnittstellen windows pcs funktionalit optelec elbraille sightcity

Zoomtext: interessante vernieuwingen

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2017 5:08

Op Ziezo Vlaanderen 2017 hadden we het met de firma Optelec over de nieuwste update van Zoomtext, een programma dat geschikt is voor vergroting. Voor gebruikers die Zoomtext samen met Jaws willen gebruiken is er goed nieuws. En er viel ook nog veel te vertellen over nieuwe sneltoetsen. Indien je verdere vragen hebt over deze […] Het bericht Zoomtext: interessante vernieuwingen verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

jaws voor indien interessante zoomtext optelec

Voorleesloep #3 Clear View 4 jan 2017

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2017 13:11

Uitgebreide uiteenzetting in zes delen over het relatief nieuwe hulpmiddel de voorleesloep. Deel 3. Een interview met Bart Zwager van Optelec over de voorleesloep Clear View.

deel clearview uitgebreide optelec

Traveler Optelec 4 jan 2017

Freedom Scientific FSCast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2017 2:30

Een interview met Bart Zwager van Optelec over de handzame Traveler.

travelers optelec

Blackscreen Magazine – Edição 6

Podcast – Black Screen

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2016

Olá. nesta edição do Blackscreen Magazine comentamos todas as novidades apresentadas na WWDC: Novas funcionalidades do VoiceOver, IOS 10, Watchos3, TV OS e o novo MACOS sierra. Falamos ainda de um assunto muito importante que é a junção de gigantes da tiflotecnologia mundial como são os casos da: Ai Squared, Freedom Scientific, Optelec e GW […]

magazine ios jaws falamos macos voiceover gw nvda acessibilidade freedom scientific black screen optelec ai squared

FSCast Episode 126 - US summer convention offers, Maarten Bosch - Chief Commercial Officer of VFO Group, Brian Hargen talks about J-Say, J-Dictate and more

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2016 56:06

We begin by summarizing some of the exceptional offers available to those attending the US consumer conventions. We meet Maarten Bosch, former CEO of Optelec, now the Chief Commercial officer at VFO Group™, the company that operates the Freedom Scientific® and Optelec brands. Brian Hartgen from Hartgen Consultancy joins us to talk about what's new with J-Say, J-Dictate and more. Show Host: Jonathan Mosen Episode 126 - US summer convention offers, Maarten Bosch - Chief Commercial Officer of VFO Group, Brian Hargen talks about J-Say, J-Dictate and more

ceo offers bosch chief commercial officer maarten chief commercial freedom scientific optelec summer convention j say brian hartgen fscast hartgen consultancy j dictate

CBT Live From #CSUN16: Freedom Scientific Makes Historic Announcements

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2016 7:30

Grand Hyatt Hotel Exhibition Hall Entrance at CSUN 2016 Eric Damery from Freedom Scientific talks to us about the mergers and partnerships announced at CSUN with Optelec, American Printing House (APH) and Wells Fargo. He also gives us details on the new Ruby 7 HD handheld video magnifier and a sneak peek at the exciting new ElBraille, which has everyone who tries it out buzzing. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

historic wells fargo csun freedom scientific esight optelec elbraille

CBT Live From #CSUN16: Freedom Scientific Makes Historic Announcements

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2016 7:30

Grand Hyatt Hotel Exhibition Hall Entrance at CSUN 2016 Eric Damery from Freedom Scientific talks to us about the mergers and partnerships announced at CSUN with Optelec, American Printing House (APH) and Wells Fargo. He also gives us details on the new Ruby 7 HD handheld video magnifier and a sneak peek at the exciting new ElBraille, which has everyone who tries it out buzzing. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

historic wells fargo csun freedom scientific esight optelec elbraille

CBT Live From #CSUN16: Freedom Scientific And Optelec Join Forces

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2016 4:38

Tyler Donnelly from Optelec shows us the new Traveller HD and just how portable and easy it is to use. He also discusses the recent merger with Freedom Scientific and how, combined, the two companies are now providing low vision products to a much wider audience. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

forces freedom scientific esight optelec

CBT Live From #CSUN16: Freedom Scientific And Optelec Join Forces

Freedom Scientific FSCast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2016 4:38

Tyler Donnelly from Optelec shows us the new Traveller HD and just how portable and easy it is to use. He also discusses the recent merger with Freedom Scientific and how, combined, the two companies are now providing low vision products to a much wider audience. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

forces freedom scientific esight optelec

FSCast Episode 121 - JAWS keeps you up to date with FSCast, CSUN 2016, Bill Kilroy - Regional Sales Director

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2016 26:06

Eric Damery joins Jonathan Mosen to preview a forthcoming feature in our JAWS® 17 screen reading software that will make it easier to keep up-to-date with FSCast. We also look ahead to the CSUN Conference in March. Bill Kilroy is Freedom Scientific's Director of Eastern Regional Sales. He joins Jonathan to talk about his long history with Freedom Scientific, and his visit to St Petersburg Florida to learn about Optelec products. Show Host: Jonathan Mosen Episode 121 - JAWS keeps you up to date with FSCast, CSUN 2016, Bill Kilroy - Regional Sales Director

jaws uptodate kilroy csun regional sales director st petersburg florida freedom scientific jonathan mosen optelec csun conference eric damery fscast

Talking Tech 01st December 15

Talking Tech - Vision Australia Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2015 13:25

In this week's episode of Talking Tech Stephen Jolley and David Woodbridge discuss the subject of web accessibility and making documents accessible with Neil King, the National Manger for digital access at Vision Australia. They also talk about the ‘Summer of Reading' webinar that is coming up, the introduction of Apple Pay to Australia and the merger between Freedom Scientific and Optelec.

australia reading apple pay talking tech vision australia david woodbridge optelec

FSCast Episode 117 - Jonathan Mosen and John Blake discuss the merger of Freedom Scientific and Optelec

Freedom Scientific FSCast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2015 18:02

Jonathan Mosen speaks with Freedom Scientific CEO, John Blake, about the recently announced merger of FreedomScientific and Optelec. Show Host: Jonathan Mosen Episode 117 - Jonathan Mosen and John Blake discuss the merger of Freedom Scientific and Optelec

merger john blake freedom scientific jonathan mosen optelec fscast

Ziezo vlaanderen 2015: neem kleine notities met de Easylink

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2015 4:43

Op Ziezo Vlaanderen 2015 hadden we ook een gesprekje met Eric van de firma Optelec over de Easylink Touch. Dit toestelletje kan je onder andere gebruiken om kleine notities te maken. Je kan deze eventueel ook via bluethoot doorsturen naar je Iphone. Meer uitleg vind je hieronder. Indien je verdere vragen hebt over deze podcast, […] Het bericht Ziezo vlaanderen 2015: neem kleine notities met de Easylink verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

iphone meer dit kleine indien neem vlaanderen optelec ziezo

Demodagenreeks: de Alfa 640 comfort

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2014 18:19

In het volgende gedeelte in onze demodagenreeks hebben we de Alfa 640 comfort aan de beurt. Je kan hem zowel op pc, tablet of smartphone gebruiken. De ergonomische toetsen laten het toe om niet per se het toetsenbord van je pc of je smartphone te gebruiken. Eric van Optelec vertelt ons er meer over. Verdere […] Het bericht Demodagenreeks: de Alfa 640 comfort verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

comfort alfa verdere optelec

Demodagenreeks, Guide: het ideale hulpmiddel om met een pc te beginnen werken

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2014 9:11

Voor mensen die moeilijk met een pc kunnen werken is Guide misschien wel de ideale oplossing. Het programma gidst je door alle procedures om bijvoorbeeld op internet te surfen of om een e-mail te versturen. Tom van Optelec geeft er meer informatie over in onze al een tijdje lopende demodagenreeks. Indien je verdere vragen hebt […] Het bericht Demodagenreeks, Guide: het ideale hulpmiddel om met een pc te beginnen werken verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

guide voor indien werken ideale beginnen optelec

Demodagenreeks: Zoomtext

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2014 6:24

In onze demodagenreeks staan we stil bij een programma op leeftijd dat zeer geschikt is voor slechtzienden, namelijk Zoomtext. Deze spraak- en vergrotingssoftware laat het toe om alles op je beeldscherm toegankelijk te maken. Zoomtext heeft sinds kort een nieuwe versie en daar gaf Tom van Optelec ons meer uitleg over. Indien je verdere vragen […] Het bericht Demodagenreeks: Zoomtext verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

deze indien zoomtext optelec

Demodagenreeks: de Plextalk, een multifunctionele Daisyspeler

CCLVI: Let's Talk Low Vision

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2014 10:18

De firma Optelec stelt ons in deze podcast in verband met de demodagen in Brussel een Daisyspeler voor, namelijk de Plextalk Lineo Pocket. Deze compacte speler bevat uiteraard alle standaardfuncties die een Daisyspeler hoort te hebben. Je kan er echter ook onder andere in Daisyformaat mee opnemen en ook streamen en downloaden via het internet […] Het bericht Demodagenreeks: de Plextalk, een multifunctionele Daisyspeler verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

deze brussel optelec

What's new in assistive technology 2014 CSUN conference- 04/16/2014

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2014 56:07

Discusses products from Enhanced Vision, Optelec, Freedom Scientific, Humanware, Hims and others.

technology hims assistive technologies humanware freedom scientific optelec csun conference

Demodagenreeks: de Voxbox van Sensotec

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2014 7:07

Hotel Ibiz aan het Brusselse Zuidstation was de voorbije weken the place to be voor de demodagen van Sensotec en Optelec. We trappen deze nieuwe reeks af met een voorleestoestel van Sensotec, namelijk de voxbox. Indien je verdere vragen hebt over deze podcast, dan kan je die zoals steeds hieronder kwijt. Het bericht Demodagenreeks: de Voxbox van Sensotec verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

indien optelec voxbox

Folge 046: Optelec ClearView Speech, zwei mobile Braillezeilen, neue Sprachausgaben und weitere Themen

merkst.de-Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2014 51:03

Stephans Welt Nr. 40: Neben dem Optelec ClearView Speech-Modul vergleiche ich die mobilen Braillezeilen Optelec EasyLink 12 Touch und Eurobraille ESYS 12 und stelle die Acapela-Stimmen Lea und Jonas für Android vor. Darüber hinaus demonstriere ich die Neuerungen in der aktuellen Firmware des sprechenden Handys ALTO II und zeige, warum der Messenger Threema eine Alternative zu WhatsApp sein kann.

touch whatsapp speech android mobile dar neben zwei neuerungen weitere themen firmware clearview optelec sprachausgaben

Smartconnect: de nieuwe smartphone van Kapsys

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2013 9:17

Kapsys, de producent van de Kapten Mobility, heeft een nieuwe smartphone uitgebracht. Hij draagt de naam “smartconnect”. Je kan zowel kiezen voor de invoer met een touchscreen als voor de invoer met gewone toetsen en hij is gebaseerd op Android. We hadden er een gesprekje over met Tim van Optelec en Werner van Integra. Hiermee […] Het bericht Smartconnect: de nieuwe smartphone van Kapsys verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

android smartphones hij werner nieuwe integra hiermee optelec kapsys

BrailleTech 2013: Optelec – Clearreader

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2013 9:44

Nogmaals een podcast in onze lange reeks van de BrailleTech beurs. Elke leverancier heeft wel zijn eigen vorm van een voorleestoestel. In deze podcast bekijken we de Clearreader van de firma Optelec. We kregen op hun stand een korte uitleg en demonstratie van het toestel. Indien je opmerkingen of vragen hebt over de inhoud van […] Het bericht BrailleTech 2013: Optelec – Clearreader verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

indien nogmaals optelec

BrailleTech 2013: Optelec – Alva BC640

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2013 8:57

De diverse standhouders hadden op de BrailleTech beurs 2013 uiteraard ook hun eigen gamma aan brailleleesregels mee. Vandaag laten we een interview horen dat we hadden bij de stand van Optelec. We bespraken er de Alva BC640 en de audiomodule die je er aan kan koppelen. Indien je opmerkingen hebt over de inhoud van de […] Het bericht BrailleTech 2013: Optelec – Alva BC640 verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

indien vandaag alva optelec

Ziezo Vlaanderen: Optelec Alto

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2013 5:24

Gisteren mocht de mobiele telefoon 40 kaarsjes uitblazen. In die 40 jaar is het toestel enorm geëvolueerd. Wat begon met een toestel dat zo’n 1,2 KG woog en zo groot was als een baksteen, is nu omgevormd tot een technologisch zwitsers zakmes. Om deze verjaardag te vieren kijken we in onze Ziezo Vlaanderen reeks naar […] Het bericht Ziezo Vlaanderen: Optelec Alto verscheen eerst op Tech Touch Podcast.

alto kg vlaanderen gisteren optelec ziezo

ClearView + Speech From Optelec.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2013 8:44

In this episode Tyler from Optelec gives us a sneak peek at the Optelec ClearView+Speech. This innovative product uniquely magnifies any printed document than allows the user to have sections of the document read aloud.

speech clearview optelec

ClearView + Speech From Optelec.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2013 8:44

In this episode Tyler from Optelec gives us a sneak peek at the Optelec ClearView+Speech. This innovative product uniquely magnifies any printed document than allows the user to have sections of the document read aloud.

speech clearview optelec

Compact 4 HD From Optelec.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2013 2:21

In this episode Tyler from Optelec introduces the new Compact 4 HD. Combining High Definition auto-focus camera technology, innovative lighting and a generous size 4.3-inch widescreen, the Compact 4 HD offers superior quality images. Using the high contrast semi-colours, text characters appear smoother whilst reading and images appear clearer thanks to the high brightness screen.

compact optelec

Compact 4 HD From Optelec.