Lois’s answer to “I'm 66 and have been diagnosed with macula degeneration. I've begun listening to audiobooks to allo…” > Likes and Comments
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Depending on where you are there should be an organisation near you that supports people with visual impairment. Here in New Zealand I would recommend you contact the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind. If you are in the US then it would be American Foundation for the Blind (http://www.afb.org). The RNZFB has specialists that support people with tools and skills for work and that includes people who are not blind but have impairments to their vision. I would imagine it would be the same for the AFB.
I work in a disability services center, and I work with low-vision students, among others. For starters, there is software available that will read your writing back to you. If you can touch type, you can write things, and then have the software read back. There is a free screenreader called NVDA (stands for "non-visual desktop access," I believe). https://www.nvaccess.org/. It's Windows only (and I don't know your computer system) but I know Macs have a built-in feature called "voiceover" that does something similar.
I'd also recommend enabling high-contrast mode on your computer (if you have Windows that's what it's called -- I know Mac has something similar although I don't remember what they call it -- check the Accessibility settings menu). You can also increase the font size of everything on your computer, to make it easier to read.
For non-computer reading, I HIGHLY recommend getting an ebook reader and turning the font size up. The e-ink screens (Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, or Nook Simple Touch, for example) are easier on the eyes than the regular tablet screens -- more like reading on paper, but you can still adjust the font settings. They go quite large, so even with limited vision you may find them readable. You can also use screen reader programs on your computer or mobile devices to have books read to you in a computer voice. They aren't totally human sounding, but some are quite good, so if you have a book you really want to read that isn't available in audio, it could be a workable alternative. The one we recommend the most to students is called Capti Narrator. (https://www.captivoice.com/capti-site/).
I'm disabled with a bad neck and chronic pain, and can't wean myself off a keyboard. I've tried Dragon, and I think I formulate stories with the part of my brain I'd be using to dictate, because when I try to dictate my brain locks up and I can't get ideas to flow. If I type, I can get into the flow very easily. At one time I used to take dictation from tape for Arthur Andersen in their instructional materials department, and my typing is very fast. I learned to type while LISTENING to input at a fairly young age, and changing that wiring is really hard for me.
But being a very accurate touch-typist (I used to use a SafeType keyboard, split in the middle and both halves vertical, keys facing out. It was really comfortable to type on, even for long periods, but you HAD to be an accurate touch typist because you could NOT see the keys at all. That said, I'm still very visually oriented in terms of seeing what I'm doing...and my eyes aren't getting any younger either. I've had one bout of laser eye surgery for glaucoma, and the surgeon said I'd eventually have to deal with cataracts, as she could see them just beginning already. So that has me a little concerned. But I get checked VERY thoroughly annually, so they'll catch anything serious.
My sister was having a major problem with vitamin D deficiency and was having major joint pain. We run a business together, so she's done both the Dragon software and dictating to me. I have a hearing loss, so sometimes I don't hear a word correctly. She said that using the software was much the same.
Good luck!
Try reefing up the font size to OMG if you haven't done that already on your word processing program. I am experimenting with Dragon (two grandmas with crappy hands as they aged), and it does take some work getting used to, but it's worth trying. Terry Pratchett was a very late convert to dictating, but managed DODGER out of it.
David Weber writes all his books using the dragon software - could be worthwhile talking to him.
the native dictation software on the iphone or mac is very good. a note on macular degeneration. although it probably won't be available for another 10-15 years, there has been recent success in transplanting iPS cell-derived RPG cells into damaged retinas. In monkeys, and there in one human trial so far. (my bias is that I work at this institute, but I think the science is slowly becoming a reality)
http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2016/...
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Fergus
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May 29, 2017 05:40PM
Depending on where you are there should be an organisation near you that supports people with visual impairment. Here in New Zealand I would recommend you contact the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind. If you are in the US then it would be American Foundation for the Blind (http://www.afb.org). The RNZFB has specialists that support people with tools and skills for work and that includes people who are not blind but have impairments to their vision. I would imagine it would be the same for the AFB.
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I work in a disability services center, and I work with low-vision students, among others. For starters, there is software available that will read your writing back to you. If you can touch type, you can write things, and then have the software read back. There is a free screenreader called NVDA (stands for "non-visual desktop access," I believe). https://www.nvaccess.org/. It's Windows only (and I don't know your computer system) but I know Macs have a built-in feature called "voiceover" that does something similar.I'd also recommend enabling high-contrast mode on your computer (if you have Windows that's what it's called -- I know Mac has something similar although I don't remember what they call it -- check the Accessibility settings menu). You can also increase the font size of everything on your computer, to make it easier to read.
For non-computer reading, I HIGHLY recommend getting an ebook reader and turning the font size up. The e-ink screens (Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, or Nook Simple Touch, for example) are easier on the eyes than the regular tablet screens -- more like reading on paper, but you can still adjust the font settings. They go quite large, so even with limited vision you may find them readable. You can also use screen reader programs on your computer or mobile devices to have books read to you in a computer voice. They aren't totally human sounding, but some are quite good, so if you have a book you really want to read that isn't available in audio, it could be a workable alternative. The one we recommend the most to students is called Capti Narrator. (https://www.captivoice.com/capti-site/).
I'm disabled with a bad neck and chronic pain, and can't wean myself off a keyboard. I've tried Dragon, and I think I formulate stories with the part of my brain I'd be using to dictate, because when I try to dictate my brain locks up and I can't get ideas to flow. If I type, I can get into the flow very easily. At one time I used to take dictation from tape for Arthur Andersen in their instructional materials department, and my typing is very fast. I learned to type while LISTENING to input at a fairly young age, and changing that wiring is really hard for me. But being a very accurate touch-typist (I used to use a SafeType keyboard, split in the middle and both halves vertical, keys facing out. It was really comfortable to type on, even for long periods, but you HAD to be an accurate touch typist because you could NOT see the keys at all. That said, I'm still very visually oriented in terms of seeing what I'm doing...and my eyes aren't getting any younger either. I've had one bout of laser eye surgery for glaucoma, and the surgeon said I'd eventually have to deal with cataracts, as she could see them just beginning already. So that has me a little concerned. But I get checked VERY thoroughly annually, so they'll catch anything serious.
My sister was having a major problem with vitamin D deficiency and was having major joint pain. We run a business together, so she's done both the Dragon software and dictating to me. I have a hearing loss, so sometimes I don't hear a word correctly. She said that using the software was much the same. Good luck!
Try reefing up the font size to OMG if you haven't done that already on your word processing program. I am experimenting with Dragon (two grandmas with crappy hands as they aged), and it does take some work getting used to, but it's worth trying. Terry Pratchett was a very late convert to dictating, but managed DODGER out of it.
David Weber writes all his books using the dragon software - could be worthwhile talking to him.
the native dictation software on the iphone or mac is very good. a note on macular degeneration. although it probably won't be available for another 10-15 years, there has been recent success in transplanting iPS cell-derived RPG cells into damaged retinas. In monkeys, and there in one human trial so far. (my bias is that I work at this institute, but I think the science is slowly becoming a reality) http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2016/...
