This emessage is divided into five parts:
Part 1: About VICUG NYC's June 2000 General Membership Meeting
Part 2: About VICUG NYC's General Membership Meetings
Part 3: Upcoming Meeting Dates for 2000
Part 4: Report on the First Annual NYC Adaptive Technology Fair
Part 5: Planning An August Excursion to the Pequot Nation/Foxwoods
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PART 1: About VICUG NYC's June 2000 General Membership Meeting
VICUG NYC's next General Membership Meeting will be held in the
Auditorium of Selis Manor (135 West Twenty-Third Street, halfway
between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) TODAY, June Thirteenth, from
6 to 7:30 pm.
The main focus of the June Thirteenth meeting will be a presentation by
VICUG NYC's president, Jay Leventhal, who (in real life) is Senior
Resource Specialist at American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).
Amongst Jay's many responsibilities is the Careers & Technology
Information Bank (CTIB)--a database of information based on interviews
with 2,000 blind or visually impaired people about their jobs and the
technology they use. The information about job experience and
technology contained in the CTIB is available, free of charge, to
people who are blind or visually impaired and their family members,
teachers, counselors, rehabilitation professionals, and employers. Jay
will discuss how you can contribute to, and utilize, the CTIB. So, if
you're interested in learning how you can contribute to the CTIB and
how you can learn from a blind/visually impaired mentor, or are simply
interested in the types of technology used by blind and visually
impaired people in the pursuit of their daily bread in a wide variety
of careers, come to the June Thirteenth meeting, and be sure to bring
a friend!
If you'd like more information about the CTIB, please visit:
<http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/ctib1.html>
if you would like to request information from the CTIB or would like
to volunteer to be interviewed for the CTIB, please fill out the form
located at:
<http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/ctib1.html#form>
Note: A copy of the form and the CTIB brochure are available upon
request from the listowner, <[log in to unmask]>, or you can
email Jay at his CTIB email address: <[log in to unmask]>
Time permitting, Jay's presentation will be followed by an "open
floor", which is YOUR opportunity to ask--and answer--any question
about computers, with a special focus on the night's topic--what
careers do blind and visually impaired individuals pursue, and what
technologies and strategies do they use in pursuance of their chosen
career?
Membership dues for Y2K will be collected by VICUG NYC's Treasurer,
Vita Zavoli, at the June Thirteenth meeting. Dues are a mere twelve
dollars, and endow you with the right to hold office, the right to
vote, and a clear conscience. If you plan on paying in cash, please
bring exact change! Thanks to all who paid at the December, January,
February, March, April, and May meetings.
_________________________________________________________________
PART TWO: About VICUG NYC's General Membership Meetings
VICUG NYC meets on the second Tuesday of every month (except August)
in the Auditorium of the TAB/Selis Manor building, which is located at
135 West Twenty-third Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, in
New York City. If you have any questions about subway lines and bus
stops in the vicinity of Selis Manor, please either consult the
hypertextualized directions located at:
http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/directions.html
or call the VICUG NYC Hotline at (212) 714-4967 and leave a message
requesting directions from a specific location or via a specific
means of transportation, and someone will return your call.
For more information about VICUG NYC and its activities, please
bookmark the VICUG NYC web site:
http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/
or call the VICUG NYC Hotline at (212) 714-4967.
_________________________________________________________________
PART THREE: Upcoming Meeting Dates for 2000
July Eleventh
August (trip to Pequot Museum/Foxwoods?)
September Twelfth
October Tenth
November Fourteenth
December Eleventh
_________________________________________________________________
PART FOUR: The First Annual NYC Adaptive Technology Fair
On Saturday, June 11, VICUG NYC, in association with the Selis Tenants'
Association sponsored what both organizations hope will become an
annual event--a technology fair with an emphasis on computer products
for use by the blind and visually impaired.
Exhibitors included (in alphabetic order): Baruch College's Computer
Center for Visually Impaired People; C-Tech; CrissCross Technologies;
DeWitt & Associates; Henter-Joyce; Maxi-Aids; VisAbility; former
VICUG NYC Vice-President and founding member Janina Sajka, who
demonstrated a self-voicing Linux box and 2 new digital talking book
players; to name but a few.
The fair was an unmitigated success. Estimates are that at least 150
to 175 people attended the fair, and thanks to a legion of volunteers,
everything ran smoothly and professionally.
Special thanks are due to the organizing committee: Joyce Carrico and
Mindy Fliegelman of the Selis Manor Tenants' Association, and Jay
Leventhal and Vita Zavoli from VICUG NYC. Finally, without the
invaluable contribution of the many volunteers--especially those who
helped set-up and break-down the exhibition hall; those who worked the
kitchen and staffed the welcome desk; and those who served as sighted
guides--the fair would not have been possible, so to everyone who
assisted and attended THANK YOU! And to those who missed this year's
fair, "see" you at next year's Technology Fair!
_________________________________________________________________
PART 5: Planning An August Excursion to the Pequot Nation/Foxwoods
Wondering what you'll do in August without a VICUG NYC meeting to
attend? Well, wonder no more!
VICUG NYC is organizing a weekend trip to the Pequot Indian Nation,
which not only features a museum completely fitted with talking signs,
but the world-famous Foxwoods casino. So, join us and hear what it's
like to navigate a museum on your own, courtesy of talking signs and
audio descriptions, and maybe even win enough wampum to buy yourself
the computer system of your dreams!
Depending upon demand, the excursion will be held on the weekend of
August 12/13 or on the weekend of August 19/20. This could either be
a day or an overnight trip, depending on the group's desire. There is
direct bus service from Port Authority (8th Avenue between Fortieth &
Forty-Second), via Greyhound, which means that this route may be
eligible for the 3-day advance purchase companion-travels-free fares.
It may also be possible to get Greyhound's standard "sighted assistant
travels free" fare. The regular round-trip fare is $24, which includes
a $25-coupon-package with certificates for food, match play, and
pull-tab games at the casino. Travel time from Port Authority to the
Pequot Nation is approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes.
If you are interested, have a date preference, or want more
information, please contact Gregory J. Rosmaita at
<[log in to unmask]> or call (201) 521 0527
that's quite enough for now--sorry for the eleventh hour reminder!
gregory
------------------------------------------------
The optimist thinks that this is the best of all
possible worlds; the pessimist knows it is.
------------------------------------------------
Gregory J. Rosmaita <[log in to unmask]>
Webmaster & Minister of Propaganda
The Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group of
the New York City Metropolitan Area (VICUG NYC)
<http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/vicug/>
------------------------------------------------
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