Laptop For The Blind

I am currently looking to donate some money (large amount) to a non-profit organisation. It must be in South Australia. We would prefer to buy organisations things, not give money. So far we have brought the blind laptops that do braille, toolshed for people with dementia, a few things for the Steamranger, amongst other things. I need a few more ideas to bring to my commitee.
So far we have agreed to:
$400k Flying Doctors (with $100k on hold)
$72k Lifesaving clubs- 18 x heart defibrillators
$100k Steam Ranger for train restoration
$32k Wildlife Warriors
$20k dementia hospital
$20k CanDo4Kids
plus a few amounts between $10-20k to local RSL's, country halls, braille laptops for blind school, paying for disadvantages kids to go to some circus.
We still have some more money left but its much much lower than we first had.

Novita Children's services

(formerly The Crippled Children's Association of SA) provides therapy, equipment and home support services to South Australian children and young people with physical disabilities.


http://www.novita.org.au/Default.aspx?p= 1

2007-05-11 22:19:01 by myself

A brief look at how laptops, refreshable braille displays, screen readers, and screen enlargement devices are being used by the blind and visually ...

He is going to college but the laptop he needs is too expensive with adaptive equipment, $1800. He is on a fixed income.

i live in chester county, pa. my aunt got a free laptop from This place called chester county disabilities. check with your county or something like that

2008-03-23 07:39:59 by tony c

Price: $122.94

Filter is reversible. Choose matte side for anti-glare or glossy side for increased clarity.
Provides 1.5 times more effective privacy than competitive models.
3M privacy technology darkens on-screen data when viewed from the side.

While researching for a laptop, I have decided:

1.) For my uses, I will be needing laptops only under $1000
2.) HP and Toshiba provide the best laptops for that price range
3.) HP has better computers for that price range, but....
4.) Toshiba doesn't have as many problems and HP support and computers can have many problems with them with little HP help, regardless of the store you bought it from (see links)

This is a link from a Costco page of a refurbished HP computer. Some have been lucky to get a good laptop; most others have problems. See page 3 of the user reviews:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.asp x?Prodid=11471349&whse=BC&topnav =&browse=&lang=en-US

Additionally, even if I do end up with a good laptop, HP support seems to be highly absent:

http://www.granneman.com/personal/journa ls/hpsterribleservice/index.htm

There was another website I found saying that a series of HP laptops gave several customers the same problems around the board, and despite having many of them write directly on the HP website's forum, HP lacked any support or response in those forums, nor through tech support. Sorry I don't have a cite to that website. I can't find it through Google

So the thing that scares me is the horrible HP reputation, but I am willing to buy an HP laptop for the sake of the potential quality. When I Google "hp horrible customer service," not only is it a suggested search on Google (from the drop down list), but there's pages of bad results. When I search "toshiba horrible customer service," I get a full page of "bad support," but not necessarily of Toshiba. There were perhaps four results of bad service from Toshiba, plus the fact that it seems Toshiba laptops don't seem to have many problems to begin with, and moreover the fact that it seemed Toshiba problems were from bad LCD panels for TVs from 07-08

So, based on your own intelligence and what I've told you, should I get a Toshiba or an HP?

Here are the laptops I am looking at:

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-pavil ion-dv5-1235dx/4505-3121_7-33496195.html ?tag=mncol;lst#cnetReview

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp? skuId=9027714&type=product&id=12 18010176167

http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp ?id=pcmcat161100050036&type=category

Thank you
-_-" Can you elaborate on your response?

Oh, and those aren't the only laptops I'm looking at

Both companies make good laptops however the biggest issue I have had is getting parts that are Toshiba compatible when doing major repairs. The HP computers seem to have fewer major hardware problems and most of the support problems are not associated with hardware but rather the software drivers that run the hardware...which requires going to the maker of the hardwares web site for the latest driver updates and repairs.
So go with the HP I have had several over the years with no problems.

2009-06-21 09:57:59 by tennisguy

Price: $106.10 $49.99

Filter is reversible;Choose glossy or matte side
Provides 1.5 times more effective privacy than competitive models.
Helps protect your fragile LCD screen from damage

I REALLY NEED HELP, I know I am asking for a lot of thought and work to help with this; and I want you to know it will make a big difference for a very wonderful person.

I want to purchase a laptop (laptop because of weight, limited space requirement, ability to move it from place to place easily) for a very elderly intelligent (beginner level computer understanding) person, who INSISTS (pigheaded independence) on living alone...but who is almost blind with macular degeneration, and very very hard of hearing.

They are very lonely, and frail: and I am hoping that if I get a speech recognition program, and they get familiar with it before they finally lose ALL sight...AND, if I have some sort of earphones that can make the audio clear and loud enough, that I can take some of the terror out of, and loss of control away from, what is happening to them.

Additionally I hope to be able to check in on them visually, and provide some security for them, when they have workmen in the house.

They can't sit in one place for long, due to severe arthritis, so have to be able to move freely in the house with the laptop, from table, to sofa, to bed.

I have very limited computer savy, so please be simple. Sadly my funds are not much either.

With this in mind, please help me understand:

What I need to purchase in the computer (memory, ports, screen, audio, wi fi, camera, battery, ...)

AND what might be the best, easiest, and most reliable:

programs (to convert text to speech, read mail, handle finances...),

equipment (earphones, routers...)

AND which computers, and companies do you recommend; especially for ease of use, and reliability?

AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF to make a system for this person work best.

Plus, where to buy this stuff from...and who to set it up? I looked at some of the big chains, and to set it up costs as much as the systems I saw in the store. Is this normal, and will they know what they are doing? ALSO, some of the big stores have " G''k squads" that are supposed to come out to the home (if the person calls them for a problem) as part of the package purchased. Is this service good? safe?

Any suggestions of other devices...are appreciated here. This person has had to be a real tough cookie to survive in their life, and they just can't trust others enough to live with or rely on others. I've been worried and I am getting more so.

Thank you to everyone who responds, I'll try to pick a best answer, but most of the computer people that have responded in the past are very good; so it will, I know be hard to pick.
OK, so I have been studying, and will do more if someone will guide me

I need at least 64bit for a bus width
and how much Megahertz?_____ I know it's at least 133MHz

I need as much RAM as possible, but how much ______ ? I want to be able to store tons of info, videos, pics.... I am not clear how much KB or Mb, or MB is needed.

with DDR SDRAM (again how much?)__

and primary and secondary caches, how much?______

I am NOT clear on the best systems for the money, and why?___________

...I also would like to know the worst systems and why?_____

I think Apple is OUT of my price range, and I have had a gateway before and DISLIKE the support and wasn't thrilled about the computer.

HP's sound card flaked out on me in the 2nd year which I don't like.

What should I look for in a sound card, that will be able to do very clear, and loud in treble and bass ranges?_________

VRAM should be at least 32MB right?____
Should it be more?_________
Who else?

Pls lok @ original msg + go intoDETAIL
What kind of head phones, and what kind of port for them?

Best router?

And if not geeks, who? What questions should I ask, what do I want to hear?

Is Vista home edition as good as Vista business for the screen reader?

Anybody know of a better screen reader that can navigate the screen, open programs, do all the stuff on the bar by voice commands?

What do screen readers don't do that a blind person will need them to do?

Is a screen reader all I need, or do I need a voice recognition program also?

Most posts to Yah Answers are OLD about VR programs. Any advances?

What are best office suite programs to use with above.

What should I watch out for with batteries?

Do I need to get a temperature dissipation pad for under the laptop if she is going to use it on her lap?___

PLEASE go into detail, I will look it all up if I don't understand.

Thanks again for the links, and suggestions so far.

Any other site I can post this that will get heavy duty computer people to reply????

you can connect to many "Blind/Deaf' sites that are able to help you with the more serious questions, here are a couple sites:
www.ndu.com/speakeasy.html
www.ucandoit.org.uk/student_zone/.../disabilities.php
www.ncwd-youth.info/accessibility-resources
www.thefreelibrary.com/Research+and+technological+aids+for+people+who+are+deaf-blind-a08200965

Also I know DRAGON has several tools for impaired computing.

I am sorry, I have had to help several people who tried to use the GEEK Squads & they are not all they are portrayed to be & are rather pricey & snitty.

2009-07-25 15:17:00 by x

blinds...My laptop battery is running dead and it's getting dark. Plus i'm hungry and freezing! *cries* I need hot cocoa! you guys!

Plus the half-starved rabid cats are starting to surround me. I've taken shelter under my trampoline for now but I can't stay here forever! IT'S SCARY! *sniffle sniffle*

What should I do? HURRY BEFORE SOMEONE KIDKNAPS ME OR I GET EATEN BY HOBOS OR SOMETHING!

throw the laptop at the cats and make a run for it.

2008-10-18 19:28:33 by auirhksdjfgajsdfh