Where: MIT, 77 Mass. Ave., Building 5, Room 134, Cambridge, MA,br> When: March 8, 2014
Prior to the regular meeting, guest speaker John Panarese conducted a 2-hour Mac training class from 10:00 to 12:00 via Skype. The class was very well attended.
President Amy Ruell called the regular meeting to order at 1:00 PM. All present introduced themselves.
Clerk Jerry Berrier read the minutes, which were approved by the membership.
* Amy said she will be unable to attend the April meeting, so Nora Nagle will preside.
* There is a research group seeking blind folks who do not use iOS devices. Details are on the MCB tape. The group will be working at 179 Lincoln Street in Boston, service road entrance. They had initially had an age requirement, but that has been removed.
* There is a new accessible phone option with contracts starting at $10.00 per month. E-mail Amy if interested in more information.
* We will have a demo of WindowEyes and Office at our April meeting.
* There are updates available for NVDA and JFW.
* Amy said the NFB has been using Square, an iOS app that can process credit card payments. It requires a splitter and a card reader. Mikka Pyyhkala will bring some free splitters to a VIBUG meeting in the near future.
Following the computer question and answer period, there were two presentations.
MIT students demonstrated their latest updates to the prototype of “Finger Reader”, a hand-worn OCR device. They will be seeking additional testers. Amy will send out contact information to the VIBUG membership. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact the students to volunteer.
Mani Iyer, Sanjay Shenoy, and Jerry Berrier are involved in a project to identify and solve one or more technology challenges faced by people who are blind. They gave a brief presentation and conducted a brainstorming session on what potential software solutions, apps, or other technology solutions might make the most difference in our lives. They will recruit interested VIBUG members as the project moves forward.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 PM.
Respectfully,
Jerry Berrier, Secretary