All About Access

One of the things I really like about JAWS 6.1 is Unicode support. Uni-who? Unicode. If you want to learn all there is to know about Unicode, stroll on over to the [Unicode Home Page](http://www.unicode.org/ “Visit the Unicode Home Page”) or [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode “Read the Unicode entry at Wikipedia”). If you don’t….

I found an article today at useless-knowledge.com which caused me to do a double-take. This person certainly means well…. But unless I’m totally misreading her article…. I’m at a loss. Read ”[Computers for the Blind]( http://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/apr/article232.html “Computers for the Blind”)” and let me know what you think. Better yet, let her know what you think as well. Her email address is at the bottom of her article.
—jd

You’ve filed your taxes. You want your refund. But the thought of wading through complex and potentially inaccessible government web sites to check on its status is just too daunting. You’ve come to the right place. (more…)

[Kim Christiansen](http://www.christiansendesigns.com/ “Visit the Christiansen Designs web site”), an artist who creates jewelry with braille on it, will be interviewed today on NHPR’s ”[Front Porch](http://www.nhpr.org/view_summary/1/ “Learn more about the Front Porch”).” Here’s the excerpt:

Braille as Art as Braille

John Walters

Jewelry artist Kim Christiansen answered his phone one day and heard Stevie Wonder on the other end, calling to commission some of his work. Christiansen’s jewelry is ornamented with designs in Braille; his other textured work is drawn from rubbings of manhole covers. He tells host John Walters how his work has evolved.

“Front Porch” airs at 6:30 PM, Eastern Time. You can listen live: [Windows Media stream](http://azul.streamguys.com/nhpr “Listen to NHPR live – requires Windows Media Player”) or [MP3 stream](http://live.str3am.com:2480/listen.pls “Listen to NHPR live – requires software that can play MP3 files”). Or you can listen to the archived show when it is posted (usually within 24 hours after air time): [Windows Media archive](http://www.nhpr.org/audio/audio/fp-2005-04-13.wax “Listen to the archived copy of the interview – requires Windows Media Player”) or [Real Audio archive](http://www.nhpr.org/audio/audio/fp-2005-04-13.ram “Listen to the archived copy of the interview – requires Real Player”).
—jd

There are only a few days left for you to get your taxes filed. If you’re like me, you’re probably looking for any opportunity you can to procrastinate just a little longer. Well, here’s something you can do: Take a few minutes to listen to a recent radio piece on NPR’s Day to Day (original broadcast date, Tuesday, April 12, 2005). Slate senior editor Andy Bowers explains the significance of federal tax exemptions for the blind. Windows Media Player required.

JAWS 6.1 is now available. [Read about what’s new and download it](http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/software_jaws610fea.asp “JAWS 6.1 Features Page”). This is a free upgrade for users of 6.0, and an upgrade I highly recommend. Sadly, I have been living a rather hermit-like existence lately in order to meet some deadlines, but as soon as I venture out, I promise to write about the new features.
—jd (aka the hermit queen)

Reflecting on my discussion of the audio card recorders in lesson 6 of the Information Management course, I wanted to get some other perspectives. Ellie, the Carroll Center’s esteemed Personal Management instructor, tells me that she prefers the Vox Com 3 to either of the other two I mentioned in the lesson. The Vox Com machine is much smaller than either the Can-do or the Card Master. Additionally, the cards themselves are much smaller. In fact, they are just like plastic credit cards as opposed to the longish paper cards of the other two machines.

Ellie says the Vox Com 3 cards are easier to manipulate because they are rigid and are more easily placed in the reader slot. She finds the smaller size to be a big advantage. A person can carry around the machine with him or her easily, and the smaller cards can be attached to more things unobtrusively. She also likes the fact that the Vox Com cards can get wet with out adverse consequences. This means that you could wash the cards if something spills on them.