A Keyboard

I was recently at Bellevue Elementary in Bellevue, MI talking to 4th and 5th graders about my book.  While I had some free time, I looked around the computer lab where I was speaking and found this keyboard.

Now, while this keyboard is meant for children learning how to type, it struck me how beneficial this keyboard could also be for someone who is visually impaired or losing their sight.  All of the numbers are red, all of the function keys are green, all of the punctuation/symbol keys are orange, all of the consonants are dark blue, and all of the vowels are light blue.  For someone who cannot see the letters on the keys, they may still be able to see the color; and if they are familiar with the typical QWERTY keyboard, they might just be able to figure out where the keys are based on this color coding.  Also, even if the person cannot differentiate between colors, the size of the letters and numbers on these keys are much larger than that of a standard keyboard, making them easier to see.  Plus this keyboard is Mac and Windows compatible, so it does not matter which operating system the visually impaired person has, this keyboard would work for them!

Just a thought!

Canine Companions for Independence

Back in January, after hearing from Cain and Ellie about Canine Companions for Independence while in Denton, I had an epiphany.  I decided that I should apply for a canine companion.  It is something me and my family have been considering for many years now, and I decided that now was the right time.

I have been living on my own for about 5 years, now.  But even though I've been able to live independently for so long it has not been without its difficulties.  I guess things started to change when I had some falling episodes back during the Fall semester, one of which caused me to have a black eye.  Of course, having balance issues as a result of Cerebral Palsy, falling, for me, isn't uncommon.  It happens from time to time.  But living by myself, I'm worried that one of these times I am going to fall and seriously injure myself, and be unable to get myself back up.  My thinking was that a canine companion could help with this.  Cain said that Ellie went and got help for him when he fell one time, and if I could get a dog to at least open my apartment door so that I can call for help, that would give me a piece of mind.

On top of this, it is difficult for me to independently open doors that do not have an automatic door push button.  Also, I have difficulty picking things up off the floor (and I'm constantly dropping things).  I think a Canine Companion would be helpful for these reasons, as well.

I sent in my completed application back in February to the Canine Companion for Independence midwest regional center in Ohio.  I was told that after they review my application it will be decided whether or not I'm a qualified enough candidate to go onto the next step, which is the phone interview.  I have not heard anything from them, as of yet, but I have not given up hope.  They are very busy people over there.  And if it is determined that a Canine Companion is not right for me, though I will be disappointed, I will understand.  There are many people out there whose disabilities are more severe than my own who could probably use a Canine Companion more than I could, though I do think I would benefit from the program.

I'll be sure to update the blog if I hear anything from them in the near future. :)

*UPDATE - 3/26* I made it to the phone interview part of the application process!  I have an interview scheduled for this coming Thursday, so I will let you know how it goes!

*UPDATE - 4/7* My phone interview went well.  Now I have to send in a medical history form filled out by my physician.  If that goes through, and everything is good, then I go on to the personal interview stage!