@Freedom Scientific Newsletter




Sign up for our e-mail newsletter

September – October 2011

In This Issue

(Select links to jump to articles)

Past Newsletters

Contact Us:

11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805
1-800-444-4443
or 727-803-8000
e-mail us about general issues
Contact Technical Support:
1-727-803-8600
Technical Support e-mail: Support at FreedomScientific.com

JAWS 13 is Released


We’re proud to announce the official release of our JAWS® 13 screen reading software. This release offers innovative functionality that enables you to work on your PC more independently and efficiently than ever before.

A new feature called Convenient OCR performs Optical Character Recognition on text that is displayed as an image to allow you to read screens that were previously inaccessible. If you’ve ever tried to play a DVD only to find that the graphical menu was totally unusable with a screen reader, or tried to install software where the Next and Back buttons were graphics that a screen reader couldn’t detect, or needed to look at a document on a Web page or in a PDF file only to find that it’s a graphical image, then you’ll find JAWS 13 to be a real game changer.

JAWS 13 also includes Results Viewer, a new HTML interface that displays the results of features like Research It. The new interface enables faster navigation with Navigation Quick Keys and switching to other windows without losing the results of your lookup. Sports scores have returned to Research It and are easier to navigate than ever before. The INSERT+V keystroke now opens the new Quick Settings, which replaces Adjust JAWS Options and matches the easy-to-use Settings Center style interface introduced last year in JAWS 12.

JAWS 13 is also packed with other features and enhancements that have been selected and designed to improve access and ease of use for all users.

We have already begun shipping the DVD for JAWS 13 to SMA holders, but why wait? Download JAWS 13 today and enjoy the latest breakthroughs in screen reading technology.



New RUBY Features Faster Reading Plus Image Storage


Our popular RUBY® handheld video magnifier has become an indispensable tool for people with low vision. With its 4.3 inch, full color, high brightness screen, tasks that were once difficult are a breeze. Read a restaurant menu with small print in a poorly lit environment, locate an object you’ve dropped, or ensure you’re correctly following the instructions on a prescription bottle. These are just some of the tasks that our customers tell us RUBY has made possible again.

Now, the RUBY has been improved to support fast reading. Move it across your page and you’ll notice that it doesn’t blur like other magnifiers. The text stays sharp and readable, even in high contrast modes.

We’ve added an onscreen battery status icon, so you know how much juice you have left every time you turn on the RUBY. However, if you do run low while away from your charger, the RUBY can still operate on disposable AAA batteries.

People have reported they are finding all kinds of uses for the RUBY Freeze Frame feature, from reading prices on high shelves to looking at a scratch on the back of their neck. Now the RUBY can save up to 15 images, so you can refer to them or show others later.

RUBY is available for the low price of $545.

Find out more about RUBY, and order yours today.

 RUBY magnifying a menu


Lower Prices on PAC Mate Omni and PAC Mate Braille Displays


We have reduced prices on our PAC Mate Omni™ accessible Pocket PCs and portable Braille displays by $500 to $1,005.

The new PAC Mate Omni prices are:

The new Braille display prices are:

These new low price points make the PAC Mate Omni an unprecedented value in accessible mobile computing for the blind. A speech only PAC Mate is less than half the price charged by competitors, and Freedom Scientific is now offering 40 cells of Braille for about 40% less than what competitors charge for a notetaker with just 32 cells.

The PAC Mate is based on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system and is the only notetaker that supports the Microsoft Office suite of applications, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. These applications are widely used in schools and at work, and the PAC Mate enables the blind user to share documents and fully collaborate with sighted colleagues.

“A notetaker is a huge productivity tool for a blind person – one that is critical in leveling the playing field for educational and employment opportunities, “states Dr. Lee Hamilton, President and CEO of Freedom Scientific. “Unfortunately, notetakers and Braille displays have always been expensive, which has meant that not everyone could get one. Freedom Scientific wants to provide opportunity to as many blind people as possible by making this key assistive technology more widely available.”

A PAC Mate with a Braille display makes learning and using Braille easy. The PAC Mate can translate almost any electronic document or Web page into Braille and then display them on a 20- or 40-cell Braille display. The PAC Mate also has a built-in Braille tutor that provides immediate spoken help when the reader encounters an unfamiliar Braille symbol. This makes independent Braille study easier because it can be used with any document of interest to the student. With a PAC Mate and a Braille display, you can carry hundreds of books on a single memory card or USB thumb drive.

“Our Braille cells are constructed without seams between characters, so the user experience is like reading Braille on paper,” says Jonathan Mosen, Vice President of Blindness Hardware. “Freedom Scientific first drastically reduced the cost of Braille displays in 2004, when we introduced models 40% below the average price of currently available Braille displays. Since then efficiencies in design and manufacturing have continued to make it possible for us to reduce prices and we hope this will make Braille accessible to many more people."

Freedom Scientific’s Braille displays are the most reliable in the industry and are backed by technical support and service teams based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

For complete specifications, visit www.FreedomScientific.com or contact Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000.



Promotional Pricing Extended


With the holiday season approaching, why not treat someone special to some life-changing technology? Or treat yourself - you deserve it. Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the promotional pricing on some of our most popular products.

The SARA™ CE is normally priced at $2,395, with a two-year warranty. However, we’ve extended our introductory price until December 31, 2011. Purchase SARA CE for $1,895.

Our PEARL® portable reading camera has made reading documents fast and effortless. The PEARL comes with a two-year warranty and is available at the special introductory price of $600 until December 31, 2011. That’s 50% off the regular price.

The PLEXTALK™ Pocket accessible DAISY player/recorder is the most powerful product in its class, so much so that it took two FSCasts to demonstrate the true power of this device. Be sure to check out FSCast for July and August.

The PLEXTALK Pocket lists for $349, but we’ve extended the introductory price of just $275 through January 31, 2012. This includes not only the PLEXTALK Pocket, but also the PRS DAISY recording and editing software for your PC. This combination is only available if you purchase the PLEXTALK Pocket through Freedom Scientific.

 White PLEXTALK Pocket


Join Freedom Scientific at ATIA Chicago for Presentations, Prizes, and More


The Assistive Technology Industry Association will hold its 2011 Chicago conference from November 3-5 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel. Freedom Scientific will be showing our latest technology at the exhibit hall, as well as offering informative presentations at the conference.

Topics and Times of Freedom Scientific Sessions

Free Exhibit Hall Pass

Experience all that Freedom Scientific has to offer in the exhibit hall at booth #’s 207 and 208. Attendees can visit us for free by completing the online registration form, or by registering onsite.

Prize Drawing

While visiting our booth, we encourage you to sign up for a chance to win one of three PLEXTALK Pocket Accessible DAISY Player/Recorders, valued at $275 each.



New Low Pricing on Webinars; JAWS 13 Basic Training is Released

Training Webinars Reduced 85 Percent

Freedom Scientific has slashed the prices of its popular assistive technology Webinars by up to 85 percent, putting top quality training within reach of more customers across the globe.

“Our commitment to providing equal access to information and computing for those with vision impairments doesn’t end with the delivery of our technology,” says Dr. Lee Hamilton, President and CEO of Freedom Scientific. “Our full-time training staff produces material of a quality and depth that is second to none, ensuring that our customers are fully supported in making the most of the products they purchase from us.

“Since we’ve introduced our interactive Webinars, customers have appreciated the opportunity to receive training at home or at work from experts in the field. Using their Internet connection, participants can experience the training live and ask questions of the trainers. The Webinars are archived for those who desire review or are unable to attend the live sessions.”

“We realize that training is important to everyone's success, whether at work, home, or school," says Dan Clark, Senior Technical Trainer. "We hope many more people will take advantage of these new low prices to enhance their productivity and widen their opportunities. We’ve even made some of the introductory Webinars free, so it is easy to get a sense for what the training offers before spending anything at all. This is not a promotion. It is a permanent price reduction.”

The new pricing follows:

New training courses are always being developed. For a full schedule, visit Freedom Scientific’s Training Headquarters.

Paid Webinar Schedule

We are beginning the Office 2010 training again starting in November and continuing through the first part of 2012. Now is a great time to sign up and join us as we repeat this series using JAWS 13.

Visit the paid Webinar page for more information or to register for the Webinars listed above.

Also don't forget to take advantage of our growing collection of FREE Webinar training and recorded archives.

Hands-on Workshops

Please also consider attending one of our hands-on workshops in Saint Petersburg, Florida. This is a great opportunity to get up to speed with the newest version of JAWS 13, including new features such as Quick Settings and Convenient OCR.

Visit the Training Workshops page for more information or to register for the hands-on workshops listed above.

JAWS 13 Basic Training Released

The Basic Training for JAWS 13 has been revised and updated to include the latest in new JAWS 13 features. The newly-revised training is available in text and audio DAISY format as well as individual MP3 modules.

Updated items include:

Use Check for Updates to Download Training Materials

The new JAWS 13 Basic Training is included on the JAWS program DVD. It is also available now on the Training Downloads page. JAWS 13 users can also use the JAWS Check for Updates feature to find it. Here's how to use the Check for Updates feature:

  1. Go to the JAWS Help menu and press P to choose Check for Updates. A dialog box appears that contains a list of check boxes for all updates that are available, including any DAISY training materials.
  2. Press UP or DOWN ARROW to move through the list.
  3. Press SPACEBAR to check any items you want to download and install.
  4. Then press ENTER to activate the Install button. The download begins and when finished, a new dialog box appears that asks if you want to install the files, with a Yes and No button.
  5. Choose Yes. After the installation is complete, the final dialog box appears that tells you that the updates were successfully installed.
  6. Choose the OK button, and the dialog box closes. Now you can use FSReader DAISY player to read the newly installed book. In FSReader, just choose CTRL+O to reopen the File Open dialog box and choose the new book.

NOTE: All of the books for the JAWS Basic Training were updated for JAWS 13 except for book 4. It will not appear in the check for updates dialog box.

Tips from the Training Department

New in JAWS 13, you can have JAWS speak a help message with all of the layered commands. Layered commands are performed by pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by another letter or number. For example, to activate the Research It tool press INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by R. Using JAWS 13 you can press INSERT+SPACEBAR followed by H to hear a list of all of the available layered command options. When you are in a layer such as the table layer or the OCR layer, press H again to hear the available commands in that layer.



Acadia University WYNNS with Literacy Software and Universal Design for Learning


Acadia University continues to take the lead in promoting the use of educational technology in a post-secondary setting. Lynn Aylward, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Ph.D. Coordinator, School of Education Acadia University, is the lead faculty member for the University's Inclusive Education Program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

"We were the first laptop university in Canada in 1995. It seemed fitting that pre-service teachers in our B. Ed Program would learn about how technology can help them meet the diverse learning needs of their students," proudly states Dr. Aylward.

In Nova Scotia, Canada, public schools follow a provincial policy of Inclusive Schooling. This means that assistance for any students who may require special education is provided at the local school and most often in the regular classroom. Dr. Aylward feels, "Therefore, every classroom teacher needs to have a plethora of teaching approaches and strategies to draw upon."

This is where Acadia excels. The School of Education recognizes that in order for their graduates to become inclusive teachers, they need to be equipped with the skills and attitudes necessary for recognizing that students learn in different ways and may require different tools to complete the same task. Therefore B. Ed program students and graduate students are required to take coursework that involves a technology component. The University will continue to support this philosophy when they launch a new elective, Assistive Technology into their B. Ed program next year. The course will highlight how programs such as WYNN™ will provide the tools necessary for students to reach their full learning potential.

Dr. Gregory MacKinnon, a colleague who teaches Science and Technology education, was introduced to WYNN by Bill Baker, Canadian dealer for Freedom Scientific, LSG. Dr. MacKinnon immediately took the CD demo to Dr. Aylward, as he recognized WYNN's literacy tools would be of interest to her.

After having a chance to review WYNN, Dr. Aylward feels this software would fit into the Universal Design for Learning framework. "I know some people would say that WYNN is a terrific program for special needs students, which is absolutely true, but I think WYNN is a rich literacy support program that works for all students! It should not be thought of only for Learning Disabled students. It is a perfect addition to the Hi Tech Toolkit for my School of Education students that fits into every student's learning plan."

Why WYNN?

In today's economy the cost of a program is extremely important. We all want the biggest bang for our buck. We want our money to be well spent. Dr. Aylward reacts to this consideration as it applies to WYNN:

"These are significant factors to be considered when deciding which software program should be included in your toolkit. But, as research shows, in order to ensure a successful adoption of a particular software program by teachers as well as students, it must be user-friendly. WYNN meets this extremely important criterion. It has an easy learning curve right out of the box."



FSCast Features JAWS 13, BlindTunes, Rhapsody Blind


The September edition of FSCast features Eric Damery discussing and demonstrating the exciting new features in JAWS 13. This is now also available as the What’s New in JAWS 13 presentation.

In the October edition, we meet John Martin, who despite being blind only three years, has become extremely competent with the JAWS scripting language. We’ll hear his remarkable story, and learn about his free scripts, Rhapsody Blind for the Rhapsody® music service, and BlindTunes, providing enhanced access to the iTunes® software.

You won’t want to miss an episode, and you won’t if you subscribe to FSCast. The subscription is free, and delivers notification right to your computer when new FSCasts are released. If you did miss a previous FSCast, catch up by visiting the FSCast archives to download FSCast episodes in MP3.

Remember, with JAWS now providing excellent support for iTunes, you can subscribe to FSCast through the iTunes Store.



Freedom Scientific's Mission


To develop, manufacture, and market technology-based products that provide equal access to information and computing for those with vision impairments or learning disabilities.