February Special
 Did you know that February is Low Vision Awareness Month? To celebrate, we're offering 20% off any ZoomText purchase for the entire month of February! This deal is only available for direct sales, so agencies and dealers are not eligible.
To take advantage of this special, mention the code "FEBRUARY" when you call us up at 1-800-859-0270 or enter it online at checkout at www.aisquared.com.
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Survey Results
 The December issue of ZoomNews polled our readers for the feature in ZoomText that they feel needs the most work. First off, congratulations to Becca Hauck whose name was chosen in the raffle from all the participants - she won a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate!
Here's a list of the top five features, or you can download a complete list in PDF format:
- Screen reading
- Better tracking
- AppReader
- Hotkeys
- Smooth panning
Thanks to everyone who participated - not only did you have a chance to win a prize, but this information is really helpful to us to know what to work on in future releases of the product! Thanks again to Mark Wedgle for a great topic.
Read on for this month's contest and another chance to win!
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New Contest
 The next survey topic comes to us from Jim Hendrickson: What is voting like for the visually impaired in your area? He was awarded a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate for his suggestion.
Some questions to think about in your answers are:
- Do you have to get someone to read the ballot to you?
- Can you vote by mail and use your CCTV?
- Is there a voter machine that is accessible? If so, where is it located? Is there one in every polling-place?
We think this is a very interesting topic and can't wait to hear your feedback. Send your answers to Becca at rproskin@aisquared.com by February 28th to be entered into this month's raffle for a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate!
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Vault Man Succeeds with ZoomText!
 Don Livasy is 77 years old and suffers from the genetic disorder rod and cone dystrophy, but that doesn't keep him grounded. Don is an avid pole vaulter who also enjoys cooking. He even created his own cookbook for his family using ZoomText!
Read the rest of Don's story!
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Ai Squared Sponsors Skiing Event at Pico
 The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) partnered with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports to hold their Third Annual Winter Ski Festival at Pico Mountain in Killington, VT back in January. Athletes with visual impairment were given the opportunity to learn to ski or learn to race in the sports of alpine and Nordic skiing, while spending a weekend in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Ai Squared was a proud sponsor of the event! You can read more about the festival or learn more about USABA by watching this great short video.
Another cool tidbit is the Development Coordinator who works for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, Mac Janney, is a proud 15 year ZoomText user. We were thrilled to sponsor this wonderful event!
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Online Learning
 For many people who are visually impaired, completing classwork at any level of education can be difficult, especially if you don't always have the right equipment or accommodations met. ZoomText user Kathy Kalaluhi sent in a great suggestion that she wanted to share with you:
"I just went on the web and surfed AARP's Bulletin where they list their free learning classes on the web. There is a list of about 15 sites that offer free online learning classes. They even have classes from MIT, Berkley, and Harvard. They are classes to audit and are not for credit. I checked out MIT's classes and they even have undergrad and grad classes. HP has free online classes for learning how to create a website to office 2007 plus a learning video on Vista and Windows 7 and tons on Adobe and digital photography. I think a lot of ZoomText users might find this very interesting."
You can find all the details right here on the AARP site.
Ironically, that same day, I came across an article about Sidney Crouch, a ZoomText user who is working toward his bachelor's degree online through Ashford University. As Sidney states in the article, "Online higher education equals the playing field among all students, regardless of whether or not they have a disability. Nobody has an advantage...or a disadvantage."
Read onward for Sidney's full story about how he suceeded in the online learning world using ZoomText!
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
 We have a couple training opportunities later on this month that you are welcome to take part of - the best part is, they're both free!
First, we have a webinar on February 9th from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST called "Improving Screen Colors and Contrast with ZoomText and Windows 7".This one-hour webinar will focus on leveraging ZoomText's color and contrast features based on an individual's particular needs. We will also explore the color options in Windows and in common Windows applications.
If you'd like to attend, simply send an email to training@aisquared.com with "Windows 7 color scheme" in the subject field along with your name and email address. Space is limited to 15 people so sign up today!
The second webinar will take place on February 23rd from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST called "Questions and Answers with Maurie Hill and Gary Walker". This one-hour webinar will be an open forum for users to ask questions, exchange tips and discuss ZoomText with other ZoomText users along with members of our technical support staff.
If you'd like to attend, simply send an email to training@aisquared.com with "Q&A" in the subject field along with your name and email address. Space is limited to 15 people so sign up today!
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In the News
 McKeever set to carve his name in history - Brian McKeever, who has Stargardt's disease, will be selected to Canada's Olympic cross-country ski team on Friday, making him the first athlete to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
LaundryView makes doing laundry more convenient for the visually impaired - Enhancements to industry-leading system from Mac-Gray provide more accessibility and flexibility.
Tips and resources for the blind or visually impaired traveler - This blog offers some great suggestions to
make your trip smooth and your stay stress-free. You can also read this other article that specifically addresses tips for traveling with a visually impaired child.
Stem cell therapy restores British man's eyesight - Russell Turnbull became one of the first recipients of a new stem cell grafting procedure, whereby healthy tissue from his left eye was implanted into his right which restored his vision to normal.
Broward visually impaired teens get hands-on tour of "Phantom of the Opera" - Children from Lighthouse for the Blind of Broward County experienced the arts by touching props, costumes and more from The Phantom of the Opera. In a related note, the Denver Center for Performing Arts offered a touch tour for "Little House on the Prairie" and Boston recently offered an audio-described performance of Fiddler on the Roof at the Opera House.
Basement artist, 84, turns scraps into detailed models - Although one of his eyes is half blind and the other has a disorder that makes it hard to see detail, Anthony Adamovicz is all about detail.
Chevrolet Volt gets driver-activated warning system for the blind - Chevy has implemented a driver-activated system that emits a sound whenever you want to warn people you're approaching. In other automotive news, Volvo offers a first-ever blind reveal of their new S60: painter Esref Armagan who is also visually impaired provided a unique glimpse of mysterious sedan through his able hands.
Obama sides with blind in copyright-treaty debate - A move was made recently to loosen international copyright protections to enable cross-border distribution of special-format reading materials for the blind.
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Tradeshow Schedule
 2010 is just beginning but our tradeshow schedule is already packed! If you're planning on attending any of these shows, be sure to stop by and see what's new with us.
Center on Disabilities at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference
March 22nd - March 27th, 2010
San Diego, CA
Booth #719/818
Baruch College Conference on Employment and Visual Impairment
April 9th, 2010
New York, NY
Vermont Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI) Tech Fair
April 22nd, 2010
Hartford, CT
SightCity Frankfurt
April 28th - April 30th, 2010
Frankfurt, Germany
Texas Assistive Technology Network (TATN) Statewide Conference
June 15th - June 18th, 2010
San Antonio, TX
Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Chicago Conference
October 27th - October 30th, 2010
Schaumburg, IL
Booth #309
National Ergonomics Conference & Exposition (NECE)
December 1st - December 3rd, 2010
Las Vegas, NV
Booth #241
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