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Welcome to the February 2009 issue of ZoomNews In this Issue
Who is that on American Idol? There's a contestant this year on American Idol who is visually impaired. Scott MacIntyre, 23, a gifted singer/songwriter from Scottsdale, AZ, is competing for the top prize. Scott made it through to Hollywood week and is rumored to be in the Top 36. For more information on Scott, go to:
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February ZoomNews Contest First off, congratulations are in order for Hy Cohen whose name was chosen in our December raffle to win a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate! In that issue, we asked you to provide information about your local library and if they had any computers that you could access. This month, we have a new contest in store for you. We heard from one of our ZoomText customers and she had a great question - "Do you know which on line dictionary is considered the easiest to work with, when using ZoomText?" We weren't sure and wanted to ask YOU, those who would know the answer best! Send your answers to Becca at by February 28th to be entered into this month's raffle for a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate! As an added bonus, if you also send in a question you'd like to see appear in a future ZoomNews issue, I'll put your name in the drawing twice - oh and one more thing, if your question is chosen to appear in a future ZoomNews, you'll receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card, so send in a good one! ZoomText at the Slopes 
Mark Davis, an avid skier from a young age, lost his sight due to a rare symptom of Multiple Sclerosis and was devastated at the prospect of no longer being able to do what he loved the most - ski. Soon after losing his sight, and with the assistance of the Colorado Ski School for the Blind, he returned to the mountain and instantly overcame his sense of deep depression. The strength and confidence he gained from this life changing experience compelled him to offer this same opportunity to others. In 2001, along with a team of dedicated volunteers, Mark formed Foresight Ski Guides, a Colorado based company that provides trained ski guides to assist individuals who are visually impaired or blind on the ski slopes. ForeSight provides safe and affordable skiing and ski guides to visually impaired skiers at Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado. We featured Mark in a ZoomNews profile a few years ago and we thought it was time to check in and see what's new! We were pleased to hear that even in this recession, the program continues to grow. When the company first started up, they had to turn away 30-40% of the skiers because they just could not handle the volume. The program now boasts 25 trained guides who are put through a rigorous training program. There are five more guides who will graduate from the program in just a few weeks! Foresight is the biggest program of its kind in the country and the only program in North America run by someone who's visually-impaired. This year, they will have around 60 blind skiers pass through the slopes. Foresight Ski Guides have been expanding their role with the Colorado School for the Blind who they have been working with for three years now. With this partnership, they provide everything the students need for 3 fabulous days at Vail - including guides, equipment rental, lodging, and meals. There are 45 kids attending this school and Mark hopes to work with 25-30 of them this season. Many of these kids are in foster care and one child this year had never even seen snow being from the Philippines! In addition to the three ski trips this year for the school, Foresight put in a physical fitness program right there at the school that conditions the kids for the slopes. It's now part of their daily routine in gym class, so the kids that have skied with the program this year have been in better shape, so they enjoyed skiing more and no injuries were had! "This is the best group of kids we've ever had come through the program," says Mark. "It's an amazing opportunity for the guides as well as the kids - it's a life changing event for everyone involved." And ZoomText is right there in the thick of things! Mark uses it every day to run the program seamlessly, and it's on display in the computers at the Vail lodge where the program is headquartered. We're teaming up with Mark and Foresight to provide trials right there on site so any skier who participates will have a chance to try out ZoomText at their home, workplace or school. As Mark said, "ZoomText is a lifesaver for me." Foresight delivers more than just making an expensive sport affordable. "It's about challenge recreation - we take people who are visually impaired and put them in a challenging situation and do something scary safely," says Mark. "We push people outside the boundaries that have been set for them. Most of the people that come through for the first time never envisioned that they can ski, never mind succeed at it. They walk away from here having learned lessons that they can then apply to other parts of their lives." Hundreds of skiers that have come through the program and Mark couldn't think of a one whose life hadn't been changed in some way from their participation. When Mark's not busy with running Foresight Ski guides, he's off hiking, running, traveling, or staying active in politics - in fact, he attended the Democratic National Convention this past August in Denver and he's very excited about all the new changes happening in Washington. If you'd like to learn more about Foresight, visit them online at www.foresightskiguides.org or send an email to Mark at . All of us at Ai Squared wish Mark and Foresight the best of luck for many, many winters to come! ZoomText for 64-Bit Windows Vista We are pleased to announce the beta release of ZoomText 9.18 with support for 64-bit Windows Vista. If you need 64-bit support, send an e-mail to and we'll send you instructions on downloading this release. We pride ourselves in offering cutting edge solutions and staying on top of the technology in the market today.
Upcoming Train the Trainer Opportunities 
Ai Squared has three near future events that will help assistive technologies professionals learn more about ZoomText and how to more effectively train end-users of ZoomText. Free ZoomText Webinar! Join us for a free webinar titled "Improving Screen Colors and Contrast with ZoomText and Windows." 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 option s in Windows and in common Windows applications. The webinar takes place February 24th from 2pm to 3pm and will be presented by Maurie Hill, a ZoomText user and Ai Squared technical support veteran. Space is limited, so sign up right away. Send email to . Train the Trainer Workshops at CSUN 2009 At this year's CSUN 2009 Conference being held March 18th through the 21st in Los Angeles, California, Ai Squared will offer two training workshops that cover the full range of ZoomText features. Both workshops will be presented by Maurie Hill. Here's a description of each of these important workshops…
The ZoomText Train the Trainer Workshops will take place at the Embassy Suites LAX-North, directly across the street from the Los Angeles Airport Marriott where the CSUN conference takes place. Each workshop is priced at $150, which includes one brand new ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard. For more information and to sign up for these workshops please email . Seating is limited, so sign up right away! Oak Hill Summer Program
Oak Hill, also known as the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, is an accredited educational facility and the largest non-profit private provider of services for people with disabilities in the state of Connecticut. Their fourth annual "LEEP" (Low Vision/Blind Education Employment Program) will take place this summer from July 19th to July 25th. LEEP is a week long, fully funded program for students aged 15 to 21 with low vision or blindness. There is no cost to the student, however space is limited During LEEP, students will live on a college campus with Oak Hill staff. Students will have the opportunity to experience many new and exciting challenges and obtain skills that will enable them to make a successful transition to adulthood. Some of the program's objectives are to increase knowledge via the use of assistive technology, enhance daily living skills, gain exposure to college life, participate in recreational activities, learn job interviewing techniques and increase self advocacy skills. If you are interested, or know someone who would be, contact:
Steven Famiglietti You'll need to return the completed forms to Oak Hill no later than April 1st, and selection will be determined by a committee by May 1st. In The News 
GPS helps visually impaired find their way - GPS devices are being used to help people with visual impairments get around better. The devices can plot a walking course to various points of interest, and give spoken directions. Seeing machine helps blind see pictures- After more than 20 years of work, Elizabeth Goldring, a senior fellow at MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies and her colleagues have designed a portable device that allows people with visual impairments to watch videos, access the internet, view photographs, or just see the face of a friend. Watch a video of the machine in action here. Blind army captain and guide finish half marathon - Ivan Castro, 41, started running marathons just over a year ago, about a year after he was injured in Iraq. The wounds resulted in the loss of his sight as well as a good percentage of muscle mass. While he was in the hospital, he decided that within a year he would run a marathon. Blindness is the next target for stem-cell therapy - British scientists will apply this year to start patient trials of an embryonic stem-cell therapy for the commonest cause of blindness – age-related macular degeneration. DURATEQ scores assistive technology touchdown at the Hall at Patriot Place - Handheld devices open The Hall to Patriots fans that need audio or visual assistance. Deerfield man's board game assists people with low vision - Charles Schwartz, a trainer who works with elderly people with low vision, created a game that helps teach them how to live independently.
99...and still skiing - Ogden's Dr. Vernal Johnson isn't going to let a little thing like age or macular degeneration keep him off the slopes
Ai Squared 2009 Tradeshow schedule 
The year is just beginning and our tradeshow schedule just keeps growing! If you're attending any of these shows, be sure you stop by and see what's new with us. CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference Baruch College's Conference on Policy and Practice - "Changing Vision, Changing Lives"
Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Tech Fair
SightCity Assistive Technology Industry Association Chicago Conference (ATIA)
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