I am currently serving on a technology subcommittee of the Consumer Advisory
Committee for my local blindness rehab agency.  We would like to know if
anyone has some type of help desk program for people using assistive
technology in your area.
After receiving equipment, we are almost always given at least a couple
weeks of basic training on its use and, if necessary, assistance in setting
it up at a job site.  For at least some time afterward, we may call the
training center with questions.  There is also a computer-users group in my
area, along with tech support from the companies themselves.  However, some
of us still find it difficult to get timely and effective help when problems
arise on the job or when we want to do something new with our equipment at
home, where rehab is often reluctant to help.  This situation is made worse
by the wide variety of technology that may be interacting with a single
computer, i.e. speech, Braille, scanning software, the Internet, etc.  This
causes company tech support professionals to have difficulty knowing where
to begin when software conflicts arise or when, for example, "the speech
just stops working".
One of our most coherent proposals for addressing this problem was a help
desk program sponsored by our VR agency.  There, interns might gain work
experience by helping us solve tech problems as they arise or, if necessary,
referring us to the most likely source of effective help.  If anyone has
this type of a program or another possible solution to the challenges I've
outlined here, I would greatly appreciate reading about your experiences or
ideas.  Here is your chance to help us create a shiny, new solution to a
computer-age-old problem!
Thanks for bearing with me through this long message, and thanks in advance
for your input.  I look forward to hearing from you.


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