Tax Relief Promotion!

It's April and you know what that means - tax time.

As much fun as the ol' IRS is, we're giving you 15% off any ZoomText purchase you make during the rest of the month of April!

If you're already running the latest and greatest ZoomText (version 9.1) you can still take advantage of this deal - maybe you'd like a ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard, an Enhanced Support Plan, or maybe you want to upgrade to the ZoomText USB version for that extra portability. This also applies to new purchases and regular upgrades too.

So give a call to 800-859-0270 or 802-362-3612 option #2 or go online to and be sure to use the code TAXES to get your discount!

**End users only, dealers are not eligible**

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Survey Results

In the February issue of ZoomNews, we asked you the following questions: "What was the best development for visually impaired in the last 20 years? What would you most ideally like to see developed in the next 10 years?" First off, congratulations to Steven Kessler whose name was chosen in the raffle from all the participants - he won a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate!

So many great ideas were presented! Here's a list of the top 5 best developments in the last 20 years:

• ZoomText - cheers! Thanks for making us #1 on your list!
• CCTV magnifiers
• Screen readers
• Computer accessibility
• iPhone

As for your wishes for the future, here are the top five most requested developments:

• Voice controlled, auto-running car (driverless car)/car that the blind can drive
• More voice controlled products
• Better cell phone accessibility
• Independent travel
• More talking electrical appliances

If you want to take a peek at all the results, here's the entire list of the best developments in the past 20 years and here's the entire list of the developments you'd like to see in the next 10. Or you can check out the Excel sheet summary.

Read on for this month's contest and another chance to win!

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New Contest

This time around, we're conducting a very brief survey about ZoomReader, our new iPhone app! It will take you no more than 5 minutes to complete and if you fill it out by May 15th, you'll be entered in the drawing to win a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate!

No better time than the present to fill out the survey! Good luck in the drawing :-)

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ZoomReader Is Here!!

Just what you have all been waiting to hear: ZoomReader is available for purchase in the iTunes App Store for $19.99!

We have been giving you little glimpses of our new app along the way, but for those of you who haven't had the chance to check it out, here is a quick overview of what ZoomReader does:

In combination with your iPhone's built-in camera, ZoomReader lets you magnify and read printed text by first taking a picture of an object like a book or menu, then converts the image into text using state-of-the-art Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. ZoomReader will then read the text back to you using a natural-sounding voice.

ZoomReader isn't just for books - it can be used to read small print on a receipt, box, menu or pill bottle - wherever there's small text you can't read yourself. Use it anywhere - on the go or in the comfort of your home - this quick and powerful program does everything a dedicated video magnifier can do - from the convenience of your iPhone and at a much lower price.

We have put together some videos to give you a first-hand tour of ZoomReader in action, and we hope that it gets you all as excited as we are.

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Tech Support Profile: Lloyd Georgeson

I'd like to introduce you to our newest hire in technical support: Lloyd Georgeson. He's been with us since December and has 20 years of tech support experience under his belt, which means he's ready for all of your ZoomText questions!

Lloyd has been working with computers since "the dark days of DOS 3.3" back when he received his degree at the Computer Processing Institute of Hartford, CT. More recently, he worked for CompuWorks, Southwestern VT Medical Center's helpdesk and Orvis - three other companies located in Vermont. He's thrilled to be working for a small company again.

Before Lloyd started at Ai Squared, he had never heard of ZoomText. To prep for his interview, he read everything he could about us and was absolutely amazed that a product like this was being created right in his home state of Vermont.

"ZoomText is an amazing product," said Lloyd. "And it's great for everyone, not just those who are visually impaired."

Lloyd himself uses ZoomText! He's diagnosed with dyslexia and finds the reading tools immensely helpful. In fact, a lot of times when he's at home with his wife, Rima, and their two kids, Blake and Tessa, he'll turn on ZoomText and have it read aloud news stories to the whole room.

"It's like having the radio on," explained Lloyd. "I love how the whole family can hear something read at the same time and then we can talk about it. Not to mention that it really helps you become a better reader."

When I asked Lloyd how he has been enjoying his job so far, he couldn't say enough good things about working at Ai Squared, but also how much he enjoys the interactions with all of you!

"The ZoomText customer is absolutely outstanding," he gushed. "I've learned a lot from them - they're patient, and they actually do what I tell them to do over the phone! You don't know how rare that is in a tech support position. Not to mention the satisfaction that comes from working for a company whose product actually changes people's lives."

Lloyd has talked to folks who, through the help of ZoomText, are completing their college degree, writing a textbook, starting and running their own online businesses, managing their retirement, and just staying connected to the world.

"ZoomText allows people to move about the cyber world in ways that they cannot do in the physical world because of their eye conditions," said Lloyd. "I just enjoy getting to talk with people all over the world and from all walks of life."

When Lloyd isn't hard at work solving your ZoomText issues, you'll find him at home tinkering with one of their many computers, listening to some Grateful Dead (he saw over 35 of their shows over the years!), operating his ham radio, or spending time with his family. Next time you give us a call and get Lloyd on the other end, give him a warm welcome to the Ai Squared family.

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Upcoming Training Opportunities

As always, we are running new user online training sessions every week. These are free, but you do have to register for the session you'd like to attend. Head on over to our training page to sign up today!

In addition, we have two other free webinars coming up - these are more in depth than the new user trainings. The first one will be on April 26th from 11 AM to 12 PM EST and is called "ZoomText Application Settings". This is meant for beginner and intermediate ZoomText users and will concentrate on how to create, manage and use Application Settings. Support Specialists James and Michael will give you some tips for some basic everyday usage. Sign up today!

The next one will be on May 24th from 11 AM to 12 PM EST and is called "Understanding ZoomText's Reading Features". This is perfect for beginner and intermediate ZoomText users. It will concentrate on how to use and configure the reading features within ZoomText. Support Specialists Tony and Lloyd will demonstrate the AppReader and DocReader, as well as go over the typing and program echo configurations. Go online to sign up!

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Boston Science Museum Looking for Accessibility Feedback

Ever go to a museum and leave dissatisfied with the level of accessibility they offer in not only the building itself, but in its exhibits? Perhaps you've always wanted to share your perspective as a person with low vision and have your voice be heard. Well, now's your chance.

Nora Nagle emailed us and not only is she a long-time ZoomText user but also the ADA and 504 Accessibility Coordinator at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA! The Museum of Science is committed to making its exhibits and facilities as accessible as possible. As part of that effort, they are seeking volunteers with low vision who are willing to occasionally participate in a focus group to evaluate the usability of various aspects of the Museum of Science for visitors with low vision.

Some examples of things you may be asked to evaluate are the readability of text-based exhibit elements, signage, lighting, and way-finding. Volunteers will be compensated with passes to the Museum of Science. Anyone who is interested in volunteering, or would like further information, should contact Nora at (617) 589-3102 or via email at NNagle@mos.org.

If you'd like to read more about Nora or her job at the Museum of Science, check out her interview that appeared in the Winchester Star. It's really encouraging to see more and more museums stepping up to the accessibility challenge!

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100th Blog Post

Our Zoomed In blog just hit a milestone recently with it's 100th post! If you haven't had a chance to check out the blog, it's full of really great and interesting information.

Whether you are interested in watching ZoomText tips and tricks on video, learning about blind yoga, maybe you want to know what brand of wine comes complete with Braille labels, or you just are learning how to parent with low vision, we have something on there for you. You can even apply to be in a BBC documentary!

If you'd like to subscribe to the blog and receive an email every time we put up a new post, just reply to this email and tell Becca you'd like to be added to the blog list.

Happy reading!

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Cool Websites

ZoomText user Kathy Kalaluhi sent in a bunch of websites that she thought other ZoomText users would find interesting and helpful. We liked the idea so much that it's become a regular "column" in ZoomNews! Below are her suggestions and if you'd like to submit any websites for the next issue, please email them to Becca at rproskin@aisquared.com!

• Social Security - I know this may sound odd. Here is the story. My cousin's brother in law was recently diagnosed with cancer. My cousin's husband surfed the net and government sites looking for some finacial help for his brother as no doubt he will eventually lose his home from the medical expenses and no income. Under the Social Security website, he found a program called Compassion. Here's the direct link. It provides disability payments of up to $3,200 a month to offer financial help for those with certain types of cancer. Breast cancer is listed along with several others. There is also an application on the site. Not very many people know this exists and it is not well publicized. My cousin works for a lawyer who works for the attorney general for NY State and she never heard of this either. It is the best kept secret. I thought readers might want to know of this as so many family and/or friends are afflicted with cancer at one time or another.


• Elance - This is a great site if you're looking for some work you can do at home. They talked about it recently on one of the morning shows like the CBS Early Show. You send in a proposal to do, for example, administrative work like creating a PowerPoint presentation for someone.


• Jango - Looking for new music? Jango is a free radio on the web that allows you to insert the artist that you currently have listed on your play lists and then searches for other artists with the same sound. You can create multiple stations for different kinds of music. The site also has a social networking aspect where you can create a profile and then look at other users' radio stations for their play lists for "new" music selections.


• thredUP - A swap site for used children's clothing. Free membership is available but there is an upgrade that can be purchased. You need to list a box of used children's clothing in order to purchase a box of clothing. The boxes sell for $5 and a flat rate shipping fee applies in the amount of $10.75. If you pay for a membership, you gain access to buying new clothing from different retailers for the same amounts.


• I Can't Find My Phone - At first I thought this was so stupid as if you have no phone to which you can call it so you can follow the ring, then why would you have a computer and the web laying around? But then realized that many people do not have a land line in their homes anymore and rely solely on cell phones. Well, here you go. You can go to this site and click on the "hello" button. Enter your cell phone number and someone will dial it for you so that you can follow the sound to where your phone is hiding. Editorial note: I am loving this - I cannot tell you how many times I can't find my phone! However, this won't help me if it's on silent...


• Screencast-O-Matic - This site allows you to create an on-screen video that captures steps you are taking to perform a task on the computer. Good for those computer illiterate relatives who bug you from around the country with questions on how to do something on the computer. Well, now you can go to this site, click on the create button and it captures your mouse movements so that they can follow along. The site will navigate you through selecting which part of the screen you want captured etc. Once you create the video, you can upload it to YouTube or save it to your desktop and email it to those annoying non-nerds. Or, show it to your friends saying "can you believe my didn't know how to do this"?

Thanks to Kathy for these great suggestions!

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In the News

How a blind gamer plays Zelda by ear - Terry Garrett can play games like Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Legend of Zelda using sound alone.

A journey into the world of darkness - "Invisible Exhibition" offers visitors the chance to explore that very question with a guide through pitch-darkness in a unique exhibition that approximates the world of the blind.

Visually impaired students get unique art experience - Dale Chihuly's hot shop Seattle studio team churns out some of the most whimsical and inspiring glass shapes in the world and a new program at the MFA in Boston allowed the children to feel his artwork. Chihuly has a visual impairment himself, having lost an eye in a car accident several years ago.

Boy George opens music workshops for people who are visually impaired - Boy George brought his mom along to officially open music workshops for people who are visually impaired in Abbey Wood.

Blind group launches new fitness sessions - The Warrington and Widnes Society for the Blind has teamed up with an organization which runs cycle groups for disabled people to offer people who are visually impaired the chance to get on their bike and get fit.

McKeever skis to gold at IPC world championships - In his first Paralympic test in over a year, Brian McKeever captured gold at the IPC world championships in the 10-kilometre visually impaired skate-ski race.

A visually-impaired ultramarathoner's tale in the desert - In 1982, Song Gyeong-tae of South Korea lost his eyesight in a freak grenade explosion that occurred when he was a new army recruit. However, things turned around for Song when he ran his first marathon in 1998.

Blind golfers out to master the course at Dan Nicholas - The NC state putt putt tournament for the blind and visually impaired at Dan Nicholas Park was held recently and drew 68 competitors.

NJ jazz prodigy's musical talents an inspiration to younger generations - 10-year-old Matthew Whitaker eats, sleeps and breathes jazz...he's also visually impaired.

First annual blind/low vision basketball challenge - A town in Georgia is hosting the first annual blind/low vision basketball challenge next month - maybe there's a similar event near you!

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Tradeshow Schedule

Our tradeshow schedule is growing much faster than the spring crocuses here in Vermont! If you're planning on attending any of these shows, be sure to stop by and see what's new with us.

SightCity Frankfurt
May 4th - May 6th, 2011
Frankfurt, Germany
Booth D14

NYC 5 Boro Employers Forum and Technology Fair
May 18, 2011
Bronx, NY

The Texas Assistive Technology Regional Conference
June 14th - June 16th, 2011
Houston, TX

VISIONS Conference
June 23rd - June 26th, 2011
Baltimore, MD

National Federation of the Blind (NFB) National Convention
July 3rd - July 8th, 2011
Orlando, FL

American Council of the Blind (ACB) Conference
July 8th - July 16th, 2011
Reno, NV

QAC Sight Village Birmingham
July 12th - July 14th, 2011
Birmingham, UK

Envision Conference
September 21st - September 24th, 2011
St. Louis, MO

New England Library Association (NELA) Conference
October 2nd - October 4th, 2011
Burlington, VT
Booth #309

Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Chicago Conference
November 3rd - November 5th, 2011
Schaumburg, IL
Booth #418

National Ergonomics Conference & Exposition (NECE)
November 29th - December 2nd, 2011
Las Vegas, NV
Booth #608

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