EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES

eSight Careers Network is an excellent job search resource, including job listings.
Link to Esight.org

A new Book Published By Blindskills, Inc. In this world of fast-paced career changes and job insecurity, blind and visually impaired people need the latest tools and information to succeed in the job market. &Job Hunting Resources for People with Vision Impairments& is the definitive contemporary career guide for blind and visually impaired people because it focuses on topics other career books do not address. Not only does it include information on interviewing techniques in a post-ADA world and pointers on resume and cover letter writing, it also places emphasis on social and communications skills as they apply to visually impaired job hunters. The book is available for $10 per copy in large print, cassette, and computer diskette. The computer diskette edition includes Braille ready files for those who wish to emboss all or part of the book on their Braille embosser. The disk also includes an Internet directory that contains the entire book in HTML files. A Braille resource list is available on request for those who purchase the book. For full details, including ordering information, go to:

Blindskills.com or Contact Blindskills, Inc., toll free, 800 860-4224 or 503-581-4224; Fax, 503-581-0178. Make checks and money orders payable to Blindskills, Inc. and send to P.O. Box 5181, Salem, OR 97304-0181. Blindskills also accepts Master Card and Visa credit cards.

Diversity World: Disability and Employment Resources
Diversity World

DisabilityInfo.gov is a comprehensive online resource designed to provide people with disabilities with the information they need to know quickly and easily. With just a few clicks, the site provides access to disability-related information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects, including civil rights, community life, education, employment, housing, health, income support, technology and transportation, grants & funding.
Disability Information through the government

BLIND US VETERANS INFORMATION VIST INFORMATION

Vision Impairment Service Team Louisville VA Medical Center
Contact: Maurice W. Jeffries, MSW
VIST Coordinator (11C)
VA Medical Center
800 Zorn Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
(502)894-6883

I would like to introduce you to the Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Program at the Louisville VA Medical Center. As the coordinator, it is my responsibility to identify the legally blind veterans throughout the state of Kentucky and make referrals to community and VA programs.

VIST programs are part of the Blind Rehabilitation Services (BRS) Program which was started by the VA in 1947. The rehabilitation program model designed by BRS is regarded as one of the finest in the world. The Louisville VA Medical Center VIST program is a community-based service designed to identify legally blind veterans, provide **front-line** diagnosis and treatment services, as well as referrals to Blind Rehabilitation Centers who provide comprehensive training in adjustment to sight loss.

Services offered by the VIST program are available to both service connected and non-service connected veterans who are legally blind. Legal blindness is defined as best corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less in the better eye. VIST services include annual physical examinations (including lab, x-ray and EKG), ophthalmological and audiological evaluations, prosthetic and sensory aids reviews, Veterans Benefits Review and psychosocial assessments.

Blindness is a treatable condition and the VIST program provides an avenue for treatment. The Visual Impairment Services Team is composed of administrative and medical professionals who use a multi-disciplinary approach to assist legally blinded veterans in improving their quality of living and restoring normalcy to their lives.

By far, the biggest challenge ahead is identifying legally blinded veterans. Nationally it is estimated that there are over 93,000 legally blinded veterans, however only 27,000 have actually been identified. In Kentucky, only 387 legally blinded veterans have been identified when it is estimated that there are over 1,200 in the state.

We need your help in identifying and reaching the 900+, legally blinded veterans who do not know about our services. If you would like more information, write or call:

Maurice W. Jeffries, MSW
VIST Coordinator (11C)
VA Medical Center
800 Zorn Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206-1499
(502) 894-6883

OTHER LINKS FOR BLIND OR VI VETERANS

ACCESSIBLE GAMES

Here is a site that has some free games that work well:
Simply Connect

Here is a site with some inexpensive games that work well:
Games for the Blind

Here are some sites with games that work well:
BSC Games
GMA Games
ESP Softworks

ACB SITE

A to Z of Blindness and Vision Loss Now Online American Foundation for the Blind expands web site. ACB Web Site

April 5, 2004 (NEW YORK)-Whether you're hoping to find the latest information on accessible cell phones for people who are blind or have low vision, looking for resources to help teach a visually impaired student in your classroom, working for a corporation researching ADA compliance, or are experiencing vision loss and want to learn how to maintain your independence, AFB Web Site has the answer.

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) relaunched its web site today adding new information and resources for the 10 million Americans who are blind or have low vision. All the site's content is either new or updated to reflect the growing demand for current and reliable information for a population that is expected to grow dramatically as the baby boomers age.

"AFB has been delivering information through our web site for over a decade," said AFB president and CEO Carl R. Augusto. "By expanding our web presence, we've made AFB's vast expertise and resources available at the touch of a button, anytime of day."

New features on the site include a glossary of eye conditions, "etiquette tips" for interacting with a person who is blind, and a home page function called "Where can I find?," allowing visitors to locate organizations in their state that provide services- from dog guide training to newspaper reading services to education services-for people who are blind or visually impaired and their families.

AFB has also added an extensive searchable database of assistive technology products used by people who are blind or visually impaired. Visitors can browse by product, category, or manufacturer and find out everything from usage to price to the size and weight of the product.

The web site also retains popular features, such as the Helen Keller Archives and the Braille Bug® - a kids' section with games and activities to promote literacy and demystify braille. Visitors can read about the latest assistive technology in AccessWorld® -AFB's premier, online technology magazine-or search for a mentor through CareerConnect�, AFB's Internet-based employment resource center. In accordance with AFB's mission, the web site is a technologically advanced model of accessibility. The content has been organized so that all web site visitors can customize the pages to meet their viewing needs. For example, a person with low vision can change color, contrast, and text size to better view the site, while people using an audio screen reader can change the navigation of interior pages to better accommodate their needs.

FEDERAL STUDENT AID

The U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid (FSA) office has a variety of information resources available for blind and visually impaired students.

Student Aid Audio Guide

The Audio Guide contains a 56-minute overview of the Department's federal student
aid programs including:

- Eligibility criteria
- Application procedures
- Loan repayment options
- Deferment and cancellation provisions

The Audio Guide also provides information on nonfederal sources of aid. Students can listen to the Audio Guide online at the following site: Link to Audio Guide. The Audio Guide is also available on compact disc. To order copies, please call the Federal Student Aid Information Center toll-free at 1-800-433-3243.

The following FSA print publications are available online through the use of a screen reader. They are also available in Braille through the Federal Student Aid Information Center.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Students use the FAFSA to apply for the Department's federal student aid programs. Although the Braille FAFSA cannot be submitted, students may use it as a reference aid. Apply Here.

The Student Guide

This is the most comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education. Grants, loans, and work-study are the three major forms of student financial aid available. The guide explains the programs in detail, including how to apply, and also includes sources of nonfederal aid. The guide is available online at: Student Guide.

Funding Your Education

This is an introductory publication for students below the 12th grade. It provides general information about the federal student financial aid programs and how to apply for them. It is available online at: Funding Your Education Publication.

Repaying Your Student Loans

This publication, designed for borrowers about to enter repayment, explains loan repayment plans, offers tips on budgeting, and explains options such as loan consolidation so that borrowers can avoid repayment problems and successfully manage and repay their debts. It is available online at: Repaying Student Loans Publication

To order copies, please contact our Federal Student Aid Information Center toll-free at 1-800-433-3243. If you have any questions, please contact Dave Rives at 202-377-3226 or Email Dave Rives here

RESOURCES for the BLIND - GENERAL INTEREST LINKS

BLIND RELATED NEWS LINKS

For links to blindness & vision impairment related news from all around the world. Updated every day.

(Currently looking for home based part time volunteers)

"A first-rate collection of links to world media" (N Y State Braille & Talking Book Library)

You can also check out the U K Guide Dog picture gallery by following this direct link: World Wide Woof!

"For The People" provides this list as a service and does not necessarily endorse or vouch for the validity of information which list members may post to it.

Please Note: The standard "For The Peopl" policy for all e-mail lists prohibits personal attacks or inflammatory remarks.

Also neither Yahoo nor "For The People" Policy allows the use of profanity or vulgar language on this list.

To post material to this list send to: Post to Peeps-Talk List Here

You may subscribe to our other groups by clicking on the correct link:

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Peeps Accessible Devices Announce Only: Subscribe to Peeps Accessible Devices Announce

We hope you will enjoy all of our groups.

Sixty-nine years of advocacy, equality and friendship, we are the California Council of the Blind.

GUIDE DOGS

This is a list for people who are graduates, former graduates, puppy raisers, and anyone who is interested in the various guide dog schools.

Are you applying for a guide dog and don't know which program to attend? Do you have a question about a specific school? Would you like to talk to other graduates from a specific school?

This list is for you. To subscribe, go here to send an email: Guide Dog Schools



I know there are many guide dog users on this list, so this might be of interest to you.

Dear Friends,

I recently updated the guide dog news page on my website to bring it up to date & would like to let you know about it. It currently contains links to over 400 stories from the past year, & the changes I have made are: (1) The page has now been renamed to "The World Wide Woof! Page" (2) For the first time (& on a trial basis) it includes a U K Guide Dog picture gallery, with ALT TAG image labels. (3) The United Kingdom links are now sorted into regions, North East South & West England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. (3) All the U S A Guide Dog stories are now sorted by U S State, with a bookmarked table that lists all of the U S States by code, enabling U S visitors to find Guide Dog related news from their own region, or any U S region. (4) "Australia & New Zealand" and "Canada" have now got their own individual listings. (5) This page is now written in CSS, a more manageable and screen-reader accessible type of web page code. (and eventually the whole site archive of over 40 pages will be too.) (6) All U K links are verified, I hope to get the rest done too, as soon as I get some hours spare to do it. In the meantime, where possible non-working links are marked [DOWN]. (7) Now accepts voluntary secure donations, using PayPal. But is FREE to all visitors.

I hope you find it a useful resource! If you are a huge Guide Dog/Assistance Dog/Guide Horse fan like me, feel free to check out the WORLD WIDE WOOF! page at: World Wide Woof! page May God bless every human " guide dog partnership around the world, " keep every one of these extra special dogs in His Tender Loving Care. There's a good boy (or girl), pat pat pat. SMILE! I Hope you enjoy reading. All the best, Leon Gilbert Editor, VIP News

INTRO-DATE - EMAIL LIST FOR BLIND SINGLES

There is now a new e-mailing list called Intro-Date for blind single people where you can send in lengthy introduction messages in the hopes of meeting that special someone.

Please give your real name, age, city you are from, your interests and qualities you are seeking in that special person. Please remember to be honest and open so that others can get to know the real you.

This is not a discussion list and is only for introduction messages. If you decide to come and join this group to meet your soul mate, please do not lurk in the background. No one will be able to get to know you if you remain quiet.

This group is open to straight, gay and bisexual people. In your introduction messages, please give a way for others to cvoice mailu such as an email address, phone number, cell phone number or voicemail.

To join, send this blank email  Intro-Date Subscribe and you will receive an email to which you must reply in order to confirm your subscription.

Thank you and good luck to you in making new friends and starting new relationships.

ON-LINE CLASSES

Carroll Center for the Blind Launches New On-Line Classes

The Carroll Center for the Blind, located in Newton Massachusetts, is pleased to announce the launching of a new service: Carroll Tech. An expansion of its well-respected Computer Training Services program, Carroll Tech offers on-line classes in the use of popular applications with either the screen reader, JAWS for Windows from Freedom Scientific or the screen magnification program, ZoomText from AI Squared.

Each of the 24 classes currently scheduled to take place during 2004 are designed to take full advantage of the World Wide Web. Over the course of six weeks, students take twelve lessons consisting of on-line manuals, streamed videos, emailed exercises, auto-graded quizzes and audio chat sessions.

Offered at the introductory, intermediate and advanced level, classes cover the use of the Microsoft Office applications, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access and Excel.

Each lesson begins with carefully written instructions in one or more skills starting with configuring the application to work best with the access program to be used. Students then view a series of videos demonstrating each skill with the instructor talking the student through the process. They next perform a number of exercises that demonstrate the student's understanding of the lesson topic. All students participate in a one-hour audio chat session scheduled twice each week to answer any questions and to allow the students to learn from one another's experiences. The lesson ends with a short multiple-choice quiz to give the student an idea of how well they are doing.

To take one of the Carroll Tech classes, the prospective student needs to first pass a pre-qualifying quiz to assure that they have the necessary word processing, web browsing, emailing and file management skills necessary to successfully complete the course work. In addition, students are required to demonstrate that the computer system where they intend to do most of their work is capable of accessing the course content including accessing streamed videos, audio chat sessions and on-line quizzes.

Thanks to the generosity of the Gibney Family Foundation, Lions Club International and the Boston Foundation, the current cost to take each six-week class is only $50.00 and is payable through PayPal, by personal check, credit card or purchase order. Each class is offered on a first-come-first-serve basis and class size is limited to five students.

For additional information, to take the pre-qualifying quiz or to suggest additional topics for future classes, log on to Carroll Tech at: Carroll Tech

Please take the time to "Become A Member" of the site and help us make Carroll Tech the way smart people learn to use their PC effectively as a blind or visually impaired person or professional in the field of blindness.

Brian Charlson
Vice President, Computer Training Services
Carroll Center for the Blind
770 Centre St.
Newton, MA 02458
Email Brian Charlson

HINTS FOR JAWS USERS

Are you a Jaws user and would you like to learn some tips and tricks about making your operating system more accessible, how to download from the internet, hot keys in office programs like Outlook and Excel, using MSN Messenger, working with Adobe, Easy CD Creator, Ad Aware and many other programs? Well then, you should check out JFW Lite where you'll find these helpful hints and so much more.

To give you an idea of what you'll find, below is a list of the links on their "helpful hints" page. These are not links however. You'll have to go to the site to actually access the info.

Helpful Hints

Accessible Greeting Cards
Ad Aware
ADDRFile
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 - PDF files
Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 & 6 - PDF files
Agenda2004
Alarm 95
AM DeadLink
Annotator
Audyssey game and discussion group FAQ
AutoSizer
Blue Mountain Arts Greeting Cards
CDEx
CDFS
Clean It
ClipName
Convert
CopyURL
DBxTract
Dimension 4
DirList
Downloading - A Beginner's Guide
Easy CD Creator Helpful Hints
E-Backup
Ecleaner
eLibrary
End it All - Installing
End it All
Eudora Helpful Hints
Excel Helpful Hints
ExplorerNotes
FireFly
File Extensions
FS Recommended settings for IE and OE
FS Recommended Settings for Windows 98
FS Recommended Settings for Windows XP
Glossary for Windows 98.doc
Gnucleus
Group Wise - Creating a folder and mail rule for filtering email
messages
HandyBits VoiceMail
Hide OE
Highlighting text within an email or document
How to download and save a helpful hint
HTML - Making a JFWLite Home Page
Internet Explorer Helpful Hints
Jaws Helpful Hints
JFWLite - Searching the Archives
Karen's Replicator
KaZaA Lite
Mail Washer
McAfee - Configuring Download Scan & Email scan
McAfee - DAT files - Manual Update via the Internet
McAfee - DAT files - Using the Auto Update Feature
Microsoft Text to Speech Install
Microsoft Works Calendar
Mighty Fax
mIRC Speech
MP3 Clip
MP3Lyrix
MsConfig
MSN Messenger - A Users Guide
MSN Messenger 4.6
Nero
Noise Reduction User Manual
Norton SystemWorks - Live Updates
Office 2000 - Creating A Shortcut and HotKey
OpenBook 6.0 - Reading and Converting PDF files
Outlook Helpful Hints
Outlook Express Helpful Hints
Path Copy
Phone Converter
Phone Deck
PowerMenu
Print Folder
PureVoice
QuickMix
Real Jukebox - Uninstall problem with play.exe
Real Player - Keystrokes
Real Player - Removing from System Tray
Regclean
RegScrubXP
Script Files - Back up the settings enu folder
Scripts - Extracting and installing
Shoot The Messenger
ShortKeys Lite
Sound Forge 5.0 Manual
Sound Forge 6.0 Manual
Sound Forge 5
Sound Recorder to say Hi
Spybot Search & Destroy
Spyware Blaster
Spyware Guard
Start Up Manager
Starter
System Security Suite (3S)
TeraTerm - NER BBS
Tips and Tricks
TweakUi - Overview
Tweak UI for Windows XP
TWeather
UnClean
Volume Controls
Volume Tray
VoxChat - HotKeys and Instructions
WeatherAloud
Weather Pulse
Winamp Helpful Hints
Windows Helpful Hints
Word Helpful Hints
X-Setup
Xolox
Yankee Clipper
ZapNotes
Return to the JFWLite Homepage

MISCELLANEOUS

Where to get good Braille menus:

If anyone knows of a restaurant chain that needs Braille menus, a company that makes superb menus is Braille Works International at: Braille Works
Email is Email Braille Works Here
They are in Dover Florida, 800/258-7544.
They specialize in Braille menus and make them for many chain restaurants. They make them for Cracker Barrel for instance. Ask for Lou Fioritto, he is a great guy.

VisionWire

VisionWire, a new Internet site completely devoted to technologies for the blind and visually impaired.

VisionWire, a new Internet site entirely dedicated to visual disability technology, is now up and running. The site distributes news on leading-edge technologies for the blind (new products, research and development, accessibility, etc.) and offers discussion forums on current topics in the field.

VisionWire is a non-profit virtual community whose purpose is to distribute and further the exchange of information on the most recent technological advances designed to increase independence for persons who are blind or visually impaired. VisionWire is more than a simple information source. The site is designed to help visitors get their bearings -- in a sector where information is often diffuse and as rapidly evolving as the technology.

VisionWire is also a meeting place, a free and independent platform for all who are interested in these technologies. Visitors - whether from visual disability organizations, technological aid makers, workers with the blind and visually impaired, or users-can come together and exchange opinions while pursuing the common objective of contributing to increased independence for persons with visual disabilities, through leading-edge technologies.

An initiative of VisuAide (VisuAide), a company specializing in high technology solutions for visual disability, VisionWire wishes to develop a community whose members actively participate by sharing their news, experiences and visions of assistive technologies to the benefit of all. Email VisionWire Here

YouSearched.com

YouSearched.Com is proud to unveil the world's first search engine designed to be FULLY ACCESSIBLE for people with disabilities. Search is the second most used application on the Internet after Email, but people with disabilities have not been able to fully utilize the capabilities of search engines. YouSearched.Com changes that. Give it a try!

Link to: Kentucky Council of the Blind

Link to: American Council of the Blind