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Plano Lions are ‘knights of the blind’
Submitted Photo - Vicki Dill receives instructions from Plano Lion Howard Harkness.
By Kim Williams, kwilliams@acnpapers.com
Howard Harkness, webmaster for Plano Early Lions Club, is teaching a local woman who lost her sight how to use a computer.
“Vicki needs assistance obtaining software for her personal computer to allow her to read email and web-based information, something most people take for granted,” said Jack Durnin, a Lions Club member. “Just imagine trying to navigate the Internet or your email with the monitor shut off, because that is what Vicki and other sight-impaired individuals face.”
Vicki Dill’s situation came to the attention of Plano Early Lions Club members who decided to help her through the organization's "SightFirst" program.
Harkness researched programs available and found a free, 4-year-old open-source program called NonVisual Desktop Access. NVDA is a screen reader for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The system provides feedback through synthetic speech and Braille by enabling blind or vision-impaired people to access computers by running Windows for the same cost as a sighted person.
“It is not quite as good as JAWS [another screen reader for people who are blind or vision impaired], but the price made it very attractive, since the Plano Early Lions Club’s finances are suffering in the current economic situation,” Durnin said. “Some of the NVDA developers are themselves blind, so they have great knowledge of what is needed.”
A programmer by trade, Howard joined the NVDA programming group and hopes to get a chance to contribute to the development of the software, since it is open-source.
“An important element in this situation is the email software itself,” Durnin said. “Although Gmail is free and adequate, Howard chose another free email product, Thunderbird, which is a bit easier to use because of its accessibility enhancements that came from collaboration with NVDA developers.”
Both NVDA and Thunderbird software programs are currently installed on Dill’s personal computer.
“There is a steep learning curve to be able to successfully use NVDA and Thunderbird, but Vicki is catching on,” Durnin said. “In a recent training session, she listened as the software read her email. Then she composed an email and sent it to her daughter -- a real milestone for Vicki.”
Dill made a voice recording of Howard’s instructions for opening emails and navigating around her emails to make an easy reference.
“She also has those instructions in an email, which she can listen to for more complex actions,” Durnin said. “As she gets more competent with the software, she will be able to handle more email and Internet functions.”
Dill appreciates all the help the Lions Club is giving to her.
“They’re giving unlimited number of hours of volunteer work,” Dill said. “I paid a vision company to come out a couple times, but they wanted $50 an hour, and that was just too much.”
Dill was not always blind, although her problem was detected almost 40 years ago. Diagnosed in 1972 with retinitis pigmentosa, her sight slowly dwindled. RP starts debilitating the center of the vision field instead of the peripheral. It is the inverse of macular degeneration.
“I stopped driving in 1989, and in 1997, I couldn’t read a pencil or printed word in magazines, so I went to Books on Tape, which is free through Texas State Library for the Blind. In 2006, I could not use my computer anymore.”
Dill is classified legally blind and only sees shapes, light-dark contrasts, movement and sometimes prints like stripes.
“It’s like looking out of a foggy window,” Dill said.
She is thankful for the Plano Early Lions Club, because the group has made it possible for her to stay connected with the world.
“Because of Howard’s time and his research, he has made all of this possible,” Dill said. “I can never put into words my appreciation for what he has done for me and what the Lions Club has done. They love to help people.”
Harkness has been tutoring Dill for more than two months.
“I first heard from Vicki nearly two years ago, and at that time, I referred her to Blind Ambitions Inc., which is run by a fellow Lion, Mark Marvel, who is totally blind,” Harkness said. “This summer, Mark called me to ask if my club could help with the expense of getting a commercial screen reader program with a $1,200 price tag.”
Harkness contacted Vicki to get more information on her situation and began looking for a more affordable solution.
“Our treasury is pretty much tapped out with our existing charity support,” Harkness said. “I started with looking for competition, discounts or easier payment plans, but in the process, I discovered the existence of NVDA, which is totally free.”
Harkness believes NVDA has some limitations compared to the commercial screen readers but can still help Dill with her needs.
“Most of those shortcomings have to do with jobs or commercial use,” Harkness said. “Since Vicki is retired and is using her computer only for personal things, those shortcomings don’t matter.”
Harkness wants to coordinate efforts to provide affordable computer access to others in Vicki’s situation.
“I have contacted a group that puts together computers for the blind at very low cost, and I think that we could,” Harkness said. “Helping people is rewarding. Generous people are generally happier, healthier, and live longer, so I guess you could say that I help other people for the most selfish of reasons.”
This has been a learning experience for Harkness, since he is not blind.
“I had to learn about the details of the difficulties Vicki faces, and I had to basically invent teaching methods as I went along,” Harkness said. “Fortunately, I have many years of teaching experience, so I have both the skill and patience required. I have taught technical short courses for several national training companies, programming courses for Collin College, and I teach private violin lessons.”
Lions Clubs worldwide host ongoing projects such as SightFirst, which includes eye exams and glasses for those who otherwise could not obtain them and summer camps for sight-impaired children.
“SightFirst strives to eliminate blindness and vision loss, especially in developing countries,” Durnin said. “This program has helped save or restore sight in over 30 million individuals since its inception in 1990.”
For information about the Plano Early Lions Club, visit planolions.org. For information about SightFirst, visit lionsclubs.org/EN/lci-foundation/our-programs/sightfirst/index.php. For information about NVDA, visit nvda-project.org. For information about Thunderbird, visit mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/. For information about the Texas State Library's Talking Books program, visit http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/tbp/.
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