This week I have found that I have more issues with technology I recently broke my left wrist and upper arm and cannot write any information with typing. Finding a dictation program has been cumbersome, finally the Voice Dream Rider program puts commas periods in the right spots. Hopefully this will help other people to do programs. It’s not perfect but it is better than trying to type one-handed. Often I have to repeat or have the spellcheck look to see if my dictation was correctly interpreted. Now by the time I get this perfect maybe I will go back to writing or if I get good at dictation maybe I’ll stay with dictation. Below is a copy of my blog from all technology and old brains from 2021
Tech versus an old brain
We live in a wonderful time when there are many assistive devises to help blind people with mobility, identifying, labeling and using computers and smart phones. All this technology can be confusing to an old brain.
The other day I was using my smart phone to participate in a blind teleconference. My phone lost the phone page just as I was asked a question. I had to hang up and redial. This took several minutes. When I finally returned to the conference, I told them that I had technical difficulties . The whole group understood. We all have had difficulties with assistive devises.
I have a blue tooth speaker that talks into my hearing aids. But I have found that if I an too close to my husband who is also using a blue tooth listening devise I will get a echo of his book. It sounds like gibberish because he plays his books very fast.
I have used my I-pad to look up recipes and information. Usually I ask the assistive helper Seri to find the information. Many times Seri misunderstands and can’t locate the information quickly. When I finally locate the correct web page, I find that I must sign up for access to a website.
I have not learned my limits. I have recently signed up for a virtual eyes program, digital tags to use in the kitchen and a recording devise that will help me with locating and storing my patterns for knitting . I can just see this happening , I go to find a yarn color that has been tagged. The tag tells me the yardage, weight and material but not the color, is’t a number rather that a color. I get the recorder to find a pattern and find I must listen to several hours because I forgot to insert titles and bookmarks for each pattern. I go to get the phone to find the printed pattern in the book. The apps reads part of the pattern but starts over when it thinks that it had a better angle for the document.When it finally reads the pattern it makes little sense because the knitting abbreviations make no sense to the program.
I find that it would be easier to get my husband to help me. But I am determined to be independent . Technology takes a lot of time and effort I hope that this old brain of mine can handle it
traveling up and down the blind highway 