Eyeing the computers

MDS hosted its first computer tutorial last week as it tries to bring technology closer to its members and make independent living as smooth as possible for the visually-impaired.

Helmed by Exco member Steven Lo, the tutorial group was deliberately kept small so as to provide more hands-on training and sharing. There were two main lessons: to enlarge font sizes on the computer for easier reading; and to use text-to-speech software.

For the text-to-speech software, Steven demonstrated how user friendly NaturalReader was. It reads aloud text from documents in MS Word, Adobe pdf files, e-mail and webpages. It also automatically compresses the audio files into mp3 format, allowing online materials and even e-books to be enjoyed while on the move.

To enlarge the font size, members were taught how to customise settings. Other computer adjustments/tips were also shown, such as system restore, hibernate your computer, re-size mouse pointer, change windows background colour to reduce eye strain, etc.

To help the participants remember all the detailed steps to customise their computer settings, each was given a hardcopy for future reference. They were also encouraged to practice on Steven's computer first before customising their own computers.

Said Steven: "Feedback from the participants was good. They agreed that a computer novice would find a small group size more conducive to learning. Another participant, an IT professional, told us that she also found this tutorial useful and will customise her computer too."

Before the tutorial, there was also a 30-minute sharing session on macular degeneration, with another spontaneous 30 minutes of sharing after the tutorial.

Similar tutorials will be held later this year. Members who are interested can register with MDS secretary Sharon at alleyes@singnet.com.sg.