Mark Your Calendar

If you’re going to be in Atlanta or close in late October, mark your calendar for October 22-26, 2008.
The 2008 Touch the Future/Transition and SERID will be on those dates.

From the website:

Touch the Future/Transition and SERID (Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness) embody the spirit of cooperation and collaboration in presenting this conference. At its heart, the joint venture acknowledges that all people are unique individuals, and encourages them to celebrate their similarities and differences. While the conference will focus on the needs and priorities of people with disabilities, it aims to inspire all attendees to become a catalyst for positive long-term change in their communities.

For further information, visit 2008 Touch the Future/Transition and SERID

See you there – Look for us in the AT Solutions Lab

Word Is Broken

Not really, but in one aspect, it might as well be if you’re using Office 2003. Previous versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint could open and work with the newest versions of these programs. You could save a file in Word 2003 and use it in Word 97. With the release of Office 2007, Microsoft broke the compatibility with previous releases. You can’t open Word 2007, Excel 2007 and PowerPoint files using earlier versions of Office.

Since the only version of Office now available is Office 2007, you’ll begin to notice this problem when you receive Office files you can’t open.

You have three options:

1. Upgrade to Office 2007 – Student Home edition is only $149 retail

2. Ask the person sending you the file to save it in the Office 97 – 2003 format

3. Download the Microsoft Compatibility Pack to allow older versions of Office to work With Office 2007.

Bioptics

Going beyond corrective lenses for those of us with low vision, are bioptic telescopes. These are designed to help the visually impaired see things further away. Among the drawbacks, they have been very conspicuous and a narrow field of view.

Dr. Eli Peli of Schepens Eye Research Institute has developed a bioptic telescope which is embedded in the lens itself, which makes it less conspicuous, easier to focus and the potential for mass production. More information can be found at Schepens Eye Research Institute.

Bioptic telescopes can be used to meet the driving vision requirements in a number of states. You should check with your state’s DMV since the requirements vary by state.

More information for some states can be found here:

http://www.lowvisioncare.com/visionlaws.htm