Hello list readers
Just a brief? introduction in case I can be a resource for any of you.
I am Tom Fowle, a rehab engineer and "Embedded systems developer" at the
Smith-Kettlewell Rehab engineering research center. We are one of
about 25 RERCs afunded by the National Institute for Disability
and Rehabilitation Research, an arm of the federal department of
education.

Our goal is to assist in using "Off the shelf" technology to
improve access for blind, low vision, and deaf blind  folks.
Although most of our focus is on work related areas, we also
do projects related to recreation and daily living.

Although we use computers as tools, computer access is not one of
our major areas of work.

Our main area of experteese is simple adaptations
mostly for  electronic and other measuring equipment.  We have
designed many talking audible and tactile output devices ofer the
last 20 years.  documentation for most of them can be found in
"The Smith-Ketlewell Technical File" a technical journal produced
in braille, tape and IBM disk 4 times each 2 years.

We have trained many blind people in soldering and other basic
labratory techniques including building simple electronic test
equipment.

Our "Compendium of projects can be found on our web site at:
http://www.skeri.org/rerc/

Copies of the compendium and back isues of the technical file can
be had by writing to
Bill Gerrey at the address below.

Personally I develope projects containing microcontrollers,
mostly 8 bit, and almost always programmed in assembly language.

I am a very! reluctant windows beginner.

Other interests include ham radio, wa6ivgt (relatively inactive)
and sailing with BAADS, the Bay Area Association of Disabled
sailors.

We are always happy to consult about access problems which aren't
otherwise solved by the industry, and on occasion we can design
and build specific equipment for a particular problem.

Thanks for putting up with this overly long message.

Tom Fowle
Embedded systems developer
The Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
2318 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
415 345-2123
Internet: [log in to unmask]


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