Because I am blind and also have arthritis that is caused by autoimmune disease, I am faced with some unusual challenges. I often need to use multiple pieces of technology to meet my blindness-related needs. Carrying various pieces of technology can place strain on my body, aggravating my arthritis. Since 2006, when I enrolled in a Master of Divinity program and needed to walk from home to school, and later as a mobile professional, I have searched for the most usable solutions to this dilemma. On this page, I provide recommendations for ultramobile technology and other items that have been useful to me as a student and professional. For pictures of the items, please follow the links to the pages at Amazon.com. I have described items where appropriate so that readers who are blind can evaluate the items.
In 2006, I began my study using a laptop that weighed six pounds and a braille display that weighed four pounds. Combining these items with other items such as books, medications, and other miscellaneous items that I often needed to carry, my backpack often weighed twenty pounds or more! Needless to say, I was often in significant pain after walking the mile and a half to school every day.
Many small laptops are available now. I am using the Asus 1005HA-PU1X. This laptop weighs under three pounds and runs for eight to ten hours on its batteries depending on configuration settings. A newer model, the 1005-PE17, runs Windows 7 and claims up to 14 hours of battery life.
As I moved to a smaller laptop, I also looked for a smaller braille display. For sighted readers, some background will be important here. Braille displays allow for reading a limited amount of characters at a time; and access to additional areas of the screen is available through use of command combinations on the computer keyboard or braille display. I had been using a display that provided access to 40 characters. In 2007, I purchased a new display which was smaller and provided access to 24 characters. This lightened my load considerably.
Several options are available for carrying the laptop. I am not above putting it in a purse at times; however, this does not generally provide good padding. The Case Crown memory foam case with shoulder strap fits 8.9" and 10.1" Netbooks and has a front compartment for accessories. I have carried my 24-cell braille display, external hard drive, and a pair of earbuds in this compartment without overloading it. This configuration puts about 4.5 pounds of weight on my shoulder, which is a good amount for me to carry on one side, and balances the weight well. The case has reinforcement bands to hold the laptop in place while it is open, so it can be sent through airline checks. Often when using this bag, I also carry a small purse on my other shoulder for the feminine professional appearance. This means I am managing more bags, but it sometimes helps with pain management.
For carrying numerous items throughout a busy day or lengthy trip in which I need access to more of my belongings, I really like the messenger bag by Geno. It has a zipper pocket at the back witha mesh outside lining. Inside this pocket are backpack straps for optional use--the standard configuration is a shoulder strap. In front of the strap pocket is a large zipper pocket with padding. There is a small pocket inside this padded pocket that will hold a few things--it is a long, thin pocket. In front of this padded pocket is another padded pocket which is covered by a flap. There are small pockets on both sides of the flap. In the very front is an organizer section with various small pockets (a wide one that is about the right size for a glasses case--or my 24-cell braille display, a small upper pocket about 2" wide and high, pen loops, and a key clip. On one side of the bag is a phone compartment about ideal size for a cell phone--I've put a Motorola Q in it on one occasion and an HTC Fuze with an extended battery in it on another occasion; and on the other side is a water bottle holder. This back can hold as much as ten pounds when I fill it up; and carrying this much weight around can be quite taxing for me. However, I can do it in a pinch for a brief period of time. As my arthritis has progressed, this bag has gotten less use. It is now kept around for long trips.Rolling bags were useful in the past, but I have rejected them lately due to the pain that occurs with extended trips in which my arm is held behind my back to pull the bag behind me. Since I cannot see the path in front of me, pushing the bag doesn't work.
Since I often read on the go using books I have scanned or audio material, I carry a high-capacity external hard drive with me. I link here to the Western Digital My Passport 320GB drive. These drives come in capacities as high as 1TB. The higher capacity drives come with automatic back-up software which can be removed using a utility provided by Western Digital. All external drives, regardless of manufacturer, come with similar software. It is not necessarily accessible to people who are blind; and I do not recommend it--use it at your own risk. I use these drives as storage, not back-up units, though I keep copies of my material in multiple locations.
I use an Olympus Digital Voice Recorder to record lectures, meetings, and other important events when I may need to refer to information later. I am a good note-taker, but there are times when I need to participate actively and not divide my attention with note-taking. Also, recording provides me a failsafe mechanism in the event that technology fails me--and it has done so at times. This link is for the Olympus DM-520. These recorders come in various capacities, each with a different amount of memory. The DM-520 is the most current version and allows a person to use a micro SDHC care as well as record on 4GB of internal memory. Before purchasing this recorder, I also had experience with the DS-30, DS-40, DS-50, and DS-71 recorders. These recorders are identical except for the memory, which differs in each unit. The recorders all have voice guidance available in the menus. The DS-71 DM-420, and DM-520 also announces the status of the battery level when first turned on. For more about the DM-520, listen to my podcast.
For scanning books, I use the Plustek Opticbook 3600 Scanner. This is a book-edge scanner, which means that the glass goes all the way to the edge of the scanner and the book can hang over the edge. This allows for scanning of the text near the margin without breaking the spine in many cases. The scanner is intended for use in library archival of books and apparently is made for reasonably high-volume work, though it requires manual page turning. I have probably scanned close to a million pages on this unit without need for servicing.
These are my personal tools. Your personal selections may be quite different. I make most of my purchases through Amazon.com. They often provide deep discounts; and their Prime program provides free two-day shipping for an annual fee. As a frequent shopper, this has been an invaluable service to me.
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Sarah Blake is a minister with the Church of God (Anderson, IN) and provides biblical teaching and music ministry to churches around the country. She writes her own music and has a modest home studio. She previously worked as a technical writer for Freedom Scientific. Inc. To schedule Sarah to speak at your church or community event, visit her services page.