[Mt-blind] GPS for the Blind

Thu May 8 11:15:40 CDT 2008

Heather, I really like your point about the lower cost technology and the
weather exposure.  Gary Wunder told the MAB Convention when he was its NFB
representative a few years ago that while the Braille Note and the Book-Port
did the same thing, which would you rather drop in the dirty dish water, the
$5,000 note taker or the $400 book reader?  People do have to make choices.
The other reason why the lower cost Trekker might be a better option than
the Braille Note PK and Sendero GPS that I use is that it takes quite a bit
to strap on all the equipment.  Yes, all one needs is a tiny GPS receiver
and the Braille Note, but it somehow seems cumbersome to me when walking.
Use in a car is no problem, though.

One function that I really like with the Braille Note PK and Sendero system
is that I can look around places in a virtual mode.  For example, I wanted
to look around for a hotel near the Seattle-Tacoma airport for my step
daughter.  She was visiting colleges in the area as she decides where to go
to school.  With my system, I could find all the hotels in the area as well
as their phone numbers and other information.  In essence, my system serves
as a gigantic phone book and map.

-------
Jim Marks
blind.grizzly at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces+blind.grizzly=gmail.com at nfbnet.org
[mailto:mt-blind-bounces+blind.grizzly=gmail.com at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Heather Stone
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:14 AM
To: Montana Association for the Blind List
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] GPS for the Blind

I have been using the Trekker for a year & love it!
Many of its features are easy to use & the more time consuming ones are
still worth it in the long run. I mainly use Trekker in pedestrian mode. I
will use it while on the bus if I am wanting to get off at a stop that is
new to me or if it is a substitute driver. I have used Trekker's free-mode
to find an outhouse that I have marked as a point of interest when I go
hiking in the Rattlesnake. I can also mark points along a hiking trail &
find my way back. I could mark the buildings my classes were in if I was on
a college campus or had a destination for a particular store in a large
outdoor strip mall. Trekker does not work indoors, so you can not use it to
locate store entrances in indoor malls or a gate entrance in an airport.
Since no street information is available on hiking trails, campuses, or
large parking lots, parks, etc, I found for myself that learning to
interpret the information by degrees & feet does take a lot of practice &
patience. I am not familiar with the GW Micro & since I do not use a Braille
Note, Sendero was not an option for me to consider. However, since I did get
caught in a very heavy rainfall & other times when you are traveling, your
GPS is exposed to your surroundings, I like the fact that if damage was to
occur, only the Trekker would be damaged & not a $5000 Braille Note,
Pacmate, etc. I discovered that if my Trekker was purchased from Leader Dogs
for the Blind instead of from a vendor (it was the same price), however,
since Leader Dogs is a non-profit, they paid for my round-trip airplane
ticket, meals & lodging during the 5 intense days of the free outstanding
training that they provide for Trekker. I highly recommend that if anyone
chooses the Trekker to go to Leader Dogs for their training. Here is their
webpage link for the Trekker training;
http://www.leaderdog.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TrekkerFAQ
They also now offer training for Sendero & Pacmate.
Also, if you are a guide dog user, your dog does not have to had come from
their school to partake in this extended services program. I have been to a
Trekker Breeze demonstration & it mainly just announces the street that you
are on, the upcoming intersection & some stores that where programed in at
the time the area was mapped. It is not capable of letting you do a search
for a particular location or creating a route from one point to another. I
feel the original Trekker is a much more functional GPS for anyone who does
a lot of independent travel.
--- Jim Marks <blind.grizzly at gmail.com> wrote:

> Are you talking about the Sendero GPS with the Voice Sense?  I hear 
> it's nearly as good as what I have.  Just kidding.
> Sendero consists of a GPS
> receiver and the software maps.  It can be run on either the Braille 
> Note family from Humanware or the Voice Sense from GW Micro.  The 
> Braille Sense will be able to do the same soon.  Freedom Scientific's 
> PacMate has its own GPS, but I understand it is not nearly as 
> developed as the Sendero system is.  The Trekker comes in a couple of 
> flavors, too, but I'm told it does less things than the Sendero system 
> can, too.  The cell phone stuff is very interesting, but it won't work 
> outside of cell phone service.  I realize that being off the grid 
> might not be a huge problem for many blind people, but I'm one of 
> those who wouldn't mind being able to use the technology to find the 
> out house if necessary.  Really, this GPS technology is a huge amount 
> of fun.  I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary for getting around 
> though.  I would not think of it as a savior, but rather as something 
> that enriches one's life.  We get more information, and more 
> information is power.  So, I will never go without it from here on 
> out.
> 
> 
> 
> -------
> Jim Marks
> blind.grizzly at gmail.com
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dmgina [mailto:dmgina at qwest.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 8:17 PM
> To: blind.grizzly at gmail.com; Montana Association for the Blind List
> Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] GPS for the Blind
> 
> Hi there,
> I know I wanted to walk with many who have one, and I got blown off.
> I want one from GW Micro.
> I like that better than the Trekker.
> 
> Some day I will get my pretty hands on one.
> 
> 
> --Dar
> www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/5779
> Every Saint has a past
> Every Sinner has a future
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Marks" <blind.grizzly at gmail.com>
> To: "Montana Association for the Blind List"
> <mt-blind at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 7:33 PM
> Subject: [Mt-blind] GPS for the Blind
> 
> 
> >I use the Sendero GPS for the blind with my
> Humanware Braille Note PK.
> > Thought others might be interested in how it
> works.
> >
> > For more information, go to this link:
> >
> > http://www.senderogroup.com/
> >
> > The system tells me where I am.  For instance, it
> will tell me if I am
> > standing outside a favorite restaurant or on a
> certain road.  Accuracy
> > varies a bit since the technology is using GPS
> satellites and maps.  When
> > it's working well, it's accurate to within just a
> few feet, say five to
> > thirty feet.  When it's off, it can be off by a
> hundred feet or so. 
> > Mostly,
> > it's spot on.
> >
> > There are other types of GPS, which, BTW, stands
> for Global Positioning
> > System.  The Sendero product is widely regarded as
> the most feature rich,
> > but there are others that are far less complicated
> that do most of the
> > same
> > things.  For example, the new Trekker Breeze is a
> low cost GPS system that
> > is very simple to operate.  And there are more and
> more talking GPS
> > options
> > for cell phones these days.
> >
> > The thing I like about my system is that I can
> serve as the family car
> > navigator.  The system permits me to set a route,
> tell the driver when and
> > where to turn, and such.  It helps me become a
> full partner in the car
> > travel experience.  As a former driver, I hate
> being passive in the car.
> > This GPS lets me participate once again on equal
> footing with others.  I
> > can
> > also point out landmarks to my family.  The GPS
> might tell me about a
> > ghost
> > town a few miles off the beaten path.  Or it might
> tell me about a famous
> > mountain peak.  In addition, I can pick a place to
> eat.  In some
> > instances,
> > I can not only find the phone number of the
> restaurant to set
> > reservations,
> > I can also read the menu.
> >
> > There's much more to say about this stuff, and
> I've only begun to tap the
> > possibilities of the technology.  One thing I have
> not done a lot of is
> > using the device for pedestrian travel.  It works
> very well for this, but
> > I
> > tend to rely on more traditional orientation and
> mobility techniques to
> > get
> > around.  Even so, I keep the machine handy to help
> learn more about what's
> > around me.  And I have used it to get... How do
> you say this?... Un-lost?
> >
> > I can say more if folks are interested.  The
> Missoula Chapter is going to
> > demo this technology at our next meeting this
> month.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> >
> > -------
> > Jim Marks
> > blind.grizzly at gmail.com
> >
> >
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> >
> > --
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> 
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