LiveWire March 2009

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LiveWire April 2009

A newsletter for people with Print Disability

“The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” - Helen Keller

Where to for 2009?

This year Quantum Technology has many goals. With the current changes and challenges in the world economy, Quantum Technology is working extra hard to remain the best provider of assistive technology in Australia and New Zealand.

Our focus in 2009 includes the following;

The belief that equal education for all students with a print disability is a priority. The idea that it should be a right, not a privilege, underlines our advocacy work in the education sector this coming year.

The launch of various exciting new products across all areas; education, employment and recreation.

Constant awareness building through community information events with health care professionals and industry partners such as the Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Scholarship programs to help and encourage our clients reach their full potential.

Providing a safe and productive workplace for our wonderful staff.

2009 is going to be a great year. Enjoy this edition of LiveWire and we look forward to another amazing year with your support.

Tim Connell

Eyes and Ears in Later Years.

Late in 2008 Quantum Technology embarked on an exciting awareness project partnering with Health Care Professionals. Research shows that 1 in 5 older Australians are living with dual sensory loss. Due to this worrying statistic, Quantum Technology and its Dealer Network have contacted over 600 Audiologists nationally.

Over the next twelve months we will endeavour to combine our services with some of these new contacts and host community information events.

If you are an Audiologist or know of an Audiologist who would like to get involved in this initiative, please contact Quantum Technology on either 02 8844 9888 or for more information.

Photo: Quantum Technology;World Wide
Finn Turner, 9 Years Old —A Future Leader, New Zealand says “ I am going to be an astronaut”
Finn will finish university in 2023. What technology skills will be important then?

New Products

In 2009 Quantum is bringing you some exciting new options for Low Vision.

FarView

This hand held device offers the user the best of both close up and distance magnification.

A central, auto focus camera makes for easy viewing. The FarView can capture and store images so that you can access them easily later with the magnification and scroll keys. The FarView is ideal in every environment; school, work, home and outdoors.

The FarView has six different reading modes providing un-paralled flexibility. The FarView is also computer connectable so you are able to store images and can access them later on your PC. Users can capture information from meetings, school classrooms and access this when they require it.

The unit has a 4.3” widescreen display, can store up to 100 images, has an easy to use integrated menu. Truly an innovative and exciting addition to our Low Vision range.

Clearnote

Based on the successful ClearNote+ this new model is light weight (1100grams), even more portable and ideal for the work or school environment. This latest version of the Clearnote has 4—40 times magnification, auto focus camera, full colour, high contrast positive and negative viewing modes, 9 colour combinations and an Optical zoom of 9 times.

ClearView+ - Generation 2

The ClearView video magnifiers are already recognised as the best available. Now Optelec have added some exciting new features to ensure they stay in the top position.

ClearView+ Generation 2 is innovative and smart technology that includes these exciting new options;

Zero Button functionality! That’s right, the new ClearView+ is available with a Zero Button mode, this means the Clearview will adjust its self to your requested colour and magnification size, even when the size on the printed page varies. For those who like buttons, the same one button simplicity is available.

New adjustable screen. The new ClearView+ has a screen that can move not only up and down and front to back but also side to side. The new ClearView+ can also be turned a full 90degrees to give the viewer a portrait screen view. Ideal for reading the newspaper, novels, recipes and many, many more!

High Definition (HD) Compatible. The Clearview+ offers users the highest quality image using the latest HQI® image processing technology. The TFT Screens that are supplied with all ClearView units provide 30% more light than standard screens making viewing easier and your text and images remain realistic. The new ClearView+ units are all High Definition (HD) Compatible, thus enabling excellent text view and smooth characters even at low magnification. This technology creates optimal reading environment with smooth images, resulting in decreased eye fatigue—faster reading for longer periods!

The design of the latest ClearView+ is consistent with its previous models; suitable in all environments, this design is sleek and durable.

If you would like more information or would like to see any of our new products please contact your local office today!

Professional Development Workshops and Guest Speakers

Quantum Technology has a highly qualified and experienced team of presenters available to talk at your function. The subjects can be very general in nature; about low vision, blindness or print disability, or can be focussed on the products and options available that assist people.

If you belong to a club, committee or retirement village and would be interested in having a guest speaker to come and talk to your group, school or staff team please contact your closest Quantum office and make a booking.

In Education

Are you having a Technology Day, an in-service day or conducting Professional Development? Quantum offers short workshops, free of charge, in a range of subjects including; early Braille education educating students who are blind or have low vision Educating students who have cognitive disabilities such as dyslexia

These workshops provide practical information on the types of assistive technology that may be suitable and how they can be incorporated into the classroom and the curriculum.

Our workshops are practical and hands-on, and have been very useful to QTVIs, classroom teachers, technical assistants and support people; we’re also happy to provide these workshops for parents and students.

Looking for a Bargain?

The cost of assistive technology has always been considered high and now with the added pressure of a low Australian dollar, there are many people who are seeking specials and lower cost items that can fit into their budgets.

One way to find such options is to look at our website where we keep a list of many items that are discounted as they are ex-demonstration units, or have been on long term loans in display rooms at some of the leading blindness agencies around Australia.

“We will only put items on our Specials page that have been cleaned, tested and represent good value” says Sales Manager, Rob Drummond.

Often they will also provide a good option for someone who may want a second unit as a back up or where a portable option is required.

Even if you don’t have access to the Web you can always ring us and our sales and customer service staff will be happy to advise what is available.

Quantum Technology: World Wide

Photo: “Here’s Camille doing her favorite thing; typing out the beginning of the alphabet".  She does this and just claps for herself and laughs”. - Jennifer O’Neil, Mother of Camille and winner of the Humanware US 2008 Braille Literacy Scholarship. Nebraska USA.

“And the Winner is…”

3 Months, 8 Judges and over 60 applications. Choosing final winners for the Scholarship programs for 2008—2009 was no easy task.

The scholarships on offer this year were; The Freedom Scientific/Quantum Technology Jaws Scholarship, open to blind individuals and for the first year this program was open to all age groups.

The Freedom Scientific/Quantum Technology WYNN Scholarship, again was open to all age groups, for those assessed as having a learning disability.

The Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy was held for its second year with a great response.

The applications we received this year showed just how much need is out there for adaptive technology. It was not easy for our selection panels to choose winners this year, with applications all being of an extremely high standard.

Congratulations to….

Freedom Scientific/Quantum Technology Jaws Scholarhip Winners:

Kim Ritchie VIC
Bradley Pinkett, VIC
Sara Fawcett QLD
Kate Arnott, QLD
Wahida Mohseni NSW
Dejsha Morris, NSW

Freedom Scientific/Quantum Technology WYNN Scholarship Winners:

Shawn Laing, QLD
John Cunneen, VIC
John Banks, VIC
Slade Rolls, NSW
Chanh Oai Lu, New Zealand

Gillian Gale Award for Braille Literacy:

Ethan Jackson, Australian Winner
Kyren Andrew, New Zealand Winner

Runner Ups:

Jessica Sheerin, Jasmine Crisp, Bennet Taylor, Quillan and Lance McIntyre, May Reilly, Jesse Hebbelwhite, Holly Gunn, Maide-Pearl Hoani and Logan Mennie.

A Time to Celebrate

The Scholarship prizes were awarded in three major events across Australia this year.

Friday 6th February 2009 Guide Dogs Queensland, Bald Hills Special Guest: Bonny Barry, MP, represented Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

Tuesday 10th February 2009 Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Special Guests; Hon Rev Dr. Gordon Moyes, Trish Hurley on behalf of Maxine McKew, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Shadow Minister for Disability Services and Aging, Andrew Constance, Professor Max Coltheart, Learning Disabilities Advocate, Jim Bond and Scholarship namesake, Gillian Gale.

Thursday 12th February 2010 State Library Conference Centre, Melbourne Special Guests; Councillor Jennifer Kanis, on behalf of the Deputy Lord Mayor, Susan Riley.

We would like to give special thanks to all of those clients, colleagues and industry friends and family members who attended to support the scholarship winners and the work of the scholarship program.

Missed out on a Scholarship opportunity?

Do not fret! The Quantum Technology Scholarship Program is highlight of our year, we encourage all those who were unsuccessful this year or missed out on getting their applications in on time, to apply for the 2010 programs.

Applications will be opened in August 2009, updates will be available on our website and in our newsletters through out the year.

Client Profile: Eddy Briggs ALVA BC640 Braille Display

“I have been using ALVA Braille displays for almost my whole life. But when I first tried the new ALVA BC640, I immediately fell in love with the device. I received my unit about 6 months ago and did not regret buying it ever since!

Writing is so convenient and easy thanks to the easy-to-operate 8-dot Braille keyboard; Alternatively, I can connect my ALVA to any PC. Thanks to the wireless connection I can even leave my PC for a while and still stay connected! And above all, the unit’s integrated speakers allow me to listen to speech output while away from my desktop.

I can even listen to mp3 music while sitting in my living room with my PC in another room.

While away from home, the ALVA BC640 makes me feel in charge of everything. I can perform all basic functions that I want to perform such as browsing my PC or mobile phone, writing documents, answering emails and scheduling appointments. I can even store my book in my ALVA’s integrated memory. That’s what I call portable communication!

I love my ALVA, it is simple, powerful and makes travelling as easy as it should be.”

Client Profile: Len Leone New York ClearView Video Magnifier

Len Leone depends on his vision, but the talented painter and illustrator of book covers for Jaws, The Exorcist, Catcher in the Rye and Valley of the Dolls ran into unfortunate problems.

First an embolism caused him to lose most of the vision in one eye, and then routine cataract surgery went terribly wrong. Instead of correcting his vision, it left Leone blind in his “good” eye. “I was so depressed,” recalls the 77-year-old New York state resident.

But at The Lighthouse, an organization in New York City dedicated to assisting individuals with impaired vision, Leone tried out the available technology, including the ClearView Spectrum video magnifier which he decided to purchase.

While the unit sat in his studio unused for some time, Leone realized he needed to go on painting. “The next thing I knew, I was using the machine to paint,” he says. “My wife thinks the new work is some of the best ever.”

A one-man show at the Society of Illustrators in New York followed, as have invitations for other exhibitions of his work. “This machine has become my eyes,” says Leone, whose early career included working on comics such as Captain Marvel and Captain Midnight and serving as graphic designer for True magazine. “Not only have I continued painting and illustrating, but I’ve written a novel. After the pages come out of the printer, I use the video magnifier to review the text.”

Leone showed his appreciation to Optelec (the manufacturer of the ClearView products) by donating several of his paintings, which are on display at the company’s corporate office. And he recently upgraded to a ClearView+ unit. “This technology is so important,” says Leone.

Tell Us Your Story

Interested in having a profile done on you and your Quantum Technology equipment? Please give us a call and we will be happy to assist. Often we can write the story for you after a brief interview.

Feedback from many clients tells us that the one thing they want to read about is how a particular product helped them. Using assistive technology can be a big step for some people and it really helps to hear from others that have already started that journey.

Send your story to us via email or simply call your local office.

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