The Braille
Monitor – November, 2000 Edition
Monitor
Miniatures
New
Music Translation Software:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Opus Technologies announces OpusDots
Lite, a new software system for transcribing
printed sheet music into music Braille. The product is for use
by parents, teachers, aides, and transcribers who
know basic print music notation but may not know Braille. The software uses
new proprietary Scan and Click technology, which lets the user scan the printed
sheet music with a scanner, then enter the musical elements by clicking
over them in the scanned image.
The entered music is then translated automatically
into music Braille.
A low-cost, entry-level product, OpusDots
Lite translates only single-line music for band and orchestral instruments, individual
chorus voices (not lyrics), and sight-reading or music theory exercises.
These are the types of music most often needed in Braille by blind
musicians in school music programs. A more powerful, non-Lite version of OpusDots
that can translate keyboard and multi-stave music with chords and lyrics is
planned for the future.
OpusDots Lite requires a PC with Windows
98 or later, a scanner, and an optional embosser or refreshable Braille device
for Braille output. The software consists of a music-notation editor, a music-to-Braille
translator, and a Braille editor--all integrated into one self-contained,
easy-to-use package. There is no need to learn or use third-party
music-entry or music-notation software.
OpusDots Lite currently supports entry
and translation of the following musical elements: clefs, key and time signatures,
notes and rests with time values from whole to 128th with up to two dots,
multi-measure rests, accidentals, irregular groupings, ties and slurs,
metronome markings, fingerings, text for tempo, expression and dynamics,
note expressions, and barlines. The program can translate most of
the examples and exercises in chapters 1 through 15 of Mary Turner De Garmo's
Introduction to Braille Music Transcription, the instruction manual for those
studying to become certified music Braille transcribers in the U.S.
The translated music Braille is displayed
in a separate Braille editor window, so the user can view both the entered
music notation and the translated Braille at the same time. The Braille editor
is a full-featured editor with standard or six-key input. It can display and print out in simulated
Braille
or ASCII, send output to an embosser or refreshable
Braille device, or export Braille to other Braille programs.
OpusDots Lite is now available at a special
introductory price of $299 through December 31, 2000. Shipping and handling
is $5 per U.S. order ($10 for Canada and Mexico, inquire for other countries).
Program updates will be provided free until the next major release.
Contact Opus Technologies at 13333 Thunderhead St., San Diego, California 92129,
USA, Phone/Fax: (858) 538-9401,
e- mail: <opus@opustec.com , website: <www.opustec.com
.
Low
Phone Rates:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Zero cents per minute long distance.
Pay by the month, not by the minute. Flat rate, $57 per month for residential and
$99 per month for businesses. Call Lloyd Drennan at (915) 592-1758 for more information,
and I'll call you right back on the service. Join me for an opportunity
to make money.
Cassette
Holders for Sale:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
There is no better testament to the value
of a thing than the comments
of a satisfied customer: "It is so much easier
to find a tape I am looking for when they are organized rather than having to grope
around for it in a box of mixed tapes, rattling around willy-nilly."
The NFB of Illinois once again has the
perfect solution to groping "willy- nilly" in stacks or boxes of mixed tapes.
For a mere $3 each you can have your very own attractive, compact white vinyl cassette
holder that accommodates a dozen cassettes. Our cassette holders come complete
with clear sleeves front
and back for print labels and ample space on the
spine for Braille labels.
Avoid the dreaded cassette avalanche
by sending a check or money order made payable to the NFB of Illinois, in the
amount of $3 for each cassette holder, to Stephen O. Benson, NFB of Illinois,
7020 N. Tahoma, Chicago, Illinois
60646.
Elected:
The Blackhawk Chapter of the NFB of Illinois
conducted its election of officers on September 16, 2000. The officers
are Lois Montgomery, President; Allen Schaefer, Vice President; Julia Hedrick,
Secretary; Ruth Schaefer, Treasurer; and Bob Gardner, Jay Miller, and
Rick Olson, Board Members.
For
Sale:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Outlook Color CCTV from Xerox that magnifies
text and objects up to forty times their original size, line marker for easier
reading, and large yellow controls, which are easy to identify and operate,
and many other features. If interested, contact Phillip Brake, 9100 Bree
Road, Damascus, Maryland 20872, (301) 253-3136.
 |
|
Don
Capps
|
Retiring:
After serving over forty-four years on the
State Board, thirty of those
as State
President, Don Capps has recently retired from the presidency of the
NFB
of
South Carolina. Replacing him is young attorney and family man Parnell
Diggs.
At the request of the affiliate, Don assumed
the title of President Emeritus
of the
state affiliate. "I am stepping back, not stepping away," Don
says. At the NFB of South Carolina's state convention in
August the following officers were
elected:
Parnell Diggs, President; Frank Coppel, First Vice President;
Lenora
Robertson,
Second Vice President; Dorothy Barksdale, Secretary; David Houck,
Treasurer;
and Sheila Compton, Nancy Hines, Phil Patterson, Marty McKenzie,
and David
Bundy, Board Members.
For Sale:
We
have been asked to carry the following announcement:
I have a new video-eye for sale. It magnifies
print or any small work
and displays
it on a large, high-resolution RCA monitor, included. Asking $1,500.
Contact
Chuck Eigen (414) 962-7701, or e-mail <chuckeigen@aol.com .
Game
Coupon:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Personal Computer Systems produces audio
games for the blind
community.
The Windows
games are audio only, so everything is spoken by a human voice,
which
means
that you need no screen reader. If you request a list of games for
DOS
and Windows,
you will receive a coupon for $10 off any game. This offer expires
December
31, 2000. Check out games on the Internet Web site at
<www.pcsgames.com
, where demos may be downloaded.
Contact Personal Computer Systems, 551
Compton Ave., Perth Amboy, New
Jersey
08861, Phone (732) 826-1917, e-mail <pvlasak@monmouth.com .
Elected:
At its September meeting the Suburban West Chapter of the NFB of Massachusetts elected the following officers:
Mary Ann Lareau, President; Thomas
Duffy,
Vice President; Lucille Burkhardt, Secretary, and George Blake,Treasurer.
Math
Teacher Needed:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
I am looking for a special education
teacher willing and able toteach
basic math from first grade through the seventh
grade level. The teachermust know how to teach blind people with special
needs such as retentionproblems
in math. You may contact Robert Groff, Jr., 487
P.C. Circle, Quitman,Arkansas 72131.
Great
Results:
Judy Jones reports with pleasure that,
as a result of advertising inthe Braille Monitor, she has received fifty orders
for Final Touch Braillebooklets.
We
would say that it pays to advertise in the Braille Monitor, except, of course, that we do not carry advertising, only
announcements of interestto
our readers.
Changing Hands:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
As of August 1, 2000, Peggy and Jerry
Howell purchased the mobility products business formerly owned by Mariano
Pacini of Detroit, Michigan. The business will operate under the name of Howell
Mobility Products. They carry
a line of aluminum folding and straight canes
and several specialized cane tips. For a product list or more information call
(248) 548-1788, email: <jhowell@michiganconnect.com or visit the Web site <www.michiganconnect.com/whitecanes .
Elected:
The Greater Springfield, Massachusetts,
Chapter elected new officers at
its June meeting. Elected were Walter Woitasek,
President; Bob Baron, Vice President; Cindy Hess, Recording Secretary;
Basil Maurice, Treasurer; Rita Shea, First Member at Large; Wanda Stebbins, Second
Member at Large, and Horace Edwards, Sergeant at Arms.
New
Chapter
On Saturday, May 20, 2000, the Panhandle
Chapter of the NFB of Idaho met
to adopt a constitution and elect officers. The
new officers are Al Spooner, President; Mike Mello, Vice President; DeLaine
Exley, Secretary; and Bill Lambert, Treasurer.
Two
New Videos Available on International Exchange and Disability:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
The National Clearinghouse on Disability
and Exchange (NCDE) announces
the release of two new videos related to the inclusion
of participants with disabilities in international exchange programs.
All Abroad! NCDE's new informational video for disability audiences
showcases the major benefits of international exchange and the wide range of
opportunities available. It answers frequently asked questions about funding, accommodations
abroad, and how to
be involved hosting international exchange participants
from other countries.
NCDE's new Building Bridges Training
Video is aimed at international educators and exchange professionals as a companion
guide to the NCDE publication, Building Bridges: A Manual on Including
People with Disabilities
in International Exchange Programs. The video provides
practical how-to information on topics such as recruiting, homestays, accommodations
abroad, and where to obtain disability-related information. This
video can be used as a tool to train both new and experienced staff at international
exchange organizations.
NCDE is managed by Mobility International
USA (MIUSA) and sponsored by
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of
the United States Department of State. Both videos are available with audio
description and captions. To purchase either video, please specify the video
you are ordering and mail $49
to Mobility International USA, PO Box 10767, Eugene,
Oregon 97440.
For
Sale:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
A TeleSensory CCTV system (a Versicolor
camera, an M19 monitor, stand, including all cables, and user's manual) for
sale at $800, as is (originally cost $3,195). If shipping is necessary, buyer
will need to pay for it. The system is in good working order. It will magnify
materials up to sixty times
theoriginal
size. Inquiries can be e-mailed to <jstutler@rcn.com
or call (410) 848-6684.
Portset
Reader for Sale:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Listed price for this Portset Reader--$2,895.
Its condition is perfect (never used). Asking $2,000 or best offer. This
reader is a one-box, stand-alone scanner with built-in speech. Will read aloud
all of your text documents from newspapers to books to personal letters. Easy
to use, has instruction packet. Portable, 47 cm by 26 cm by 14 cm. Light weight. Contact (609) 986-9406 and ask for David concerning
the reading machine.
Braille
Jewelry for the Holidays:
We have been asked to carry the following
announcement:
Check <www.braillejewelry.com for new products, new services, and
new brochure--all from Christiansen Designs.
Braillejewelry.com features new products
from our popular Braille jewelry line--ground-breaking designs in cuff bracelets,
rings with standard phrases,
or special orders. We have more new designs, including
cards in the pipeline for the holiday season--plus the extensive 2000
collection of exclusive jewelry.
We can also now support your fund-raising
initiatives with substantial discounts on bulk orders of several items--our
Braille key chains or our Read- for-Fun Book Pins for example. We will be happy
to quote you favorably on your choice. A brochure showing our newest collection
is available uponrequest. Phone or e-mail for yours. Don't forget to send
your address!
To order, e-mail us at <kim.christiansen@valley.net
; call us at (802)
649- 2925; or write to us at Christiansen Designs,
P.O. Box 583, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755. You can use your Visa or MasterCard
or pay with a check.
NFB
PLEDGE
I pledge to participate actively in the
effort of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity,
and security for the blind; to
support
the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.
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