Hi Lactnetters, and especially Hi Betsy, This may take awhile and sound a bit personal, but as the "other" blind person on Lactnet, would you mind if I chime in and try to weave together a couple of recent discussion threads? First of all, Betsy, I want to thank you for your recent messages. While the content was interesting, the most valuable thing about your messages was that my desire to read them finally motivated me to take some time out of my schedule and learn a useful new skill. In the past my computer, an older Mac with its own quirky personality, had refused to read your fancy on-line oral onebox messages, just as it refused to do several other things. But my curiosity to hear your recent contributions got the better of me, and I spent a good two hours doing the necessary fact-finding, downloading and system tweaking to get onebox working. My reward was not simply hearing your voice and listening to what you had to say, though that reward would have been ample in itself. The offshoot of my efforts was that I got my whole computer audio system, which really needed some attention, working better. I've learned something I didn't know before and would not have made the effort to learn without a compelling reason. What is more, I managed to accomplish it myself, and once again savoured the thrill of achievement after an worthwhile investment of my time and effort. Now, for those of you who may be wondering, I operate my quirky old Mac with the help of a 20-inch monitor, a magnification program which enlarges the screen display, though all parts of the screen aren't visible at once, and catches the mouse in crosshairs. Fortunately, while I am legally blind and have no useful vision beyond a few inches, I can read both computer screens and inkprint within limitations. This, of course, takes me more time and creativity, and so I have to be selective about what I read and do, but a blind person soon learns that everything takes extra time and creativity. My ability to read makes it easier for me to use the Web than it is for those blind people who have to use speech screen reader programs. But even for me, those gorgeous graphics and fancy colours that most of you love so much are a real detriment. Give me a plain old textfile--please. Oh, Betsy, your comments about being able to meet other Lactnetters at the LLLI Conference brought to mind my own once-in-a-lifetime LLLI Conference experience in Chicago in 1995, where, incidentally, you and I met in person for the first and only time . At the Chicago Hilton, a huge conference of blind people had been held immediately before the LLLI conference, and many blind people were still in evidence at the hotel. When I arrived, cane in hand, to register for the LLLI World Assembly, the lady at the desk assured me that I was in the wrong room. But not to worry, she knew exactly where I belonged, and she had someone who would be happy to take me down the hall to the right conference. (smile) A few hours later, when I was part of a huge line-up to register for the main LLLI Conference, an angel appeared. "Over this way, Donna. I've got your registration packet right here." (We learn quickly in LLL.--smile again) Travelling with me at the 1995 Conference was my then 19-year-old daughter, Margaret. She spent much of her time seeing the sights of Chicago while I attended sessions and negotiated through the crowds. But when she was with me, I noticed that few people spoke directly to me. They would speak to Margaret instead--they could make eye contact with her. Sometimes they would even talk to her about me as though I were not there. Lactnetters, if you see Betsy at this year's Conference, I hope you'll make a point of introducing yourself. Remember, too, that we blind people can't read name tags and can't see the colour of your ribbons. It always helps if you give us your name, even if you've spoken with us before. Voices can be much harder to identify and recall than faces, and this is especially true at conferences and in crowds of any type where there are many strangers (prospective new friends) and much extraneous noise and confusion. When I am at conferences I want to meet people and talk with them as much as possible, but because I can't make that initial eye contact and don't know who to make contact with, my courage usually fails me. I wait till you approach me first. Betsy, I hope you won't mind if I point out that even here on Lactnet, we sometimes tend to speculate and ask questions about you, rather than make our comments and pose our questions directly to you. Even though your posts reach us in a different format, you are a fully participating member of Lactnet. You read the posts just like the rest of us, although you read them in a different format, and you can write posts just like the rest of us, although you write them in a different format. Now back to lurking, learning and loving it on Lactnet, Donna Cookson Martin, BA, BEd, Grad Dip (Ed Psych), LLLL, and most important of all, MUM and GRANNIE – weaving threads in Sedgewick, Alberta, Canada in June – wishing a miracle could put me in Chicago at the LLLI Conference in July *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html