Any phone ringing at the DuPage Center for Independent Living could be for Mary Kozy, the center’s Information and Referral Coordinator for persons with visual impairments. For the past six years, Mary puts consumers in touch with the appropriate resources. She finds the best life tools, the correct Fair Housing or ADA-related information, and matching agencies to serve each consumer’s needs. Mary provides peer support and counsels people with disabilities, then goes out into the field with co-workers who provide outreach to the communities of DuPage County, Illinois. Mary is the first person one speaks to if he or she experiences a sudden vision loss.

Mary’s day may start out assisting a family from Honduras locate housing and establish a working household budget; the family’s goal is to become financially self-sufficient. Mary and staff also work with Catholic Charities to aid impoverished and homeless families.

Later on, Mary and guide dog, Margie, lead a support group for people with blindness and visual impairments. The group gathers with their guide dogs, takes walks, talks, then stops for a good lunch.

Mary gradually lost her sight at the end of high school due to hemorrhages caused by retinopathy of prematurity. Like many people with obstacles in her path, Mary built an extremely productive life. Mary first worked as a medical transcriber—a job often performed by persons with blindness. Then after earning a master’s degree in social work, she worked for fifteen years as a social worker for the acclaimed Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

A full, productive life like Mary’s always benefits from assistive devices. Throughout her life, Mary has always made full use of assistive technology to help her get her work done. Assistive devices facilitate her dynamic career and can help you get your work done too. Here’s a look at Mary’s toolbox:

Technology Throughout the Workday
During the workday, some of the most helpful devices Mary uses are actually on the “low-tech” side, such as the Perkins Brailler™, a semi-portable, mechanical note-taker that prints words in six-dot Braille cells. The Perkins Brailler™ has been around for a long time and is very useful, but its weight (about 16 pounds) often prohibits portability. However, the Slate ‘n Stylus™ by the American Printing House for the Blind is a lightweight note-taker Mary carries with her in the field.
A labeler is essential for persons with vision loss so Mary uses a Dymotape for Braille™, a labeler that’s good for work or home use. A Smart Label Printer™ by Seiko also works well for labeling mail.

On the high-tech side, Mary uses Jaws for Windows™—a very popular screen reader with a synthetic voice to read data aloud in most computer programs. DOS-Vocal-Eyes™ reads text from Mary’s WordPerfect™ word-processing files. Mary can also read text with an Alva Refreshable Braille display, a 40-cell display that sits under a standard keyboard. She uses an Index Braille Embosser for printing documents in Braille.

Mary then accesses the Internet to send electronic mail—an invention that has liberated everyone—particularly persons with mobility, speech, and hearing impairments.

Technology at Home
At home, Mary’s Sony talking alarm clock wakes her up each morning and her talking caller I.D. tells her who’s calling. Mary listens to the daily news via Newsline, an automated news service accessed over the telephone. Newsline is cooperatively sponsored through the Illinois State Library and the National Federation for the Blind. Callers use their dialpads to skip to articles of interest.

Mary follows a busy schedule with her Braille wristwatch. There are many Braille and talking watches available, sold in the LS&S catalog and Lighthouse catalog, listed below.

In the kitchen, small appliances simplify cooking because they’re easy to handle and don’t heat up as much as conventional ovens. Because they are self-contained, small appliances are generally safer for use by anyone with a disability. Mary uses a crock-pot and microwave oven the most, along with the new George Foreman grille, a self-contained broiling unit that drains grease from food and is easy to clean. Mary uses her Braille labeler to identify spices, ingredients and prescription medicines—an essential practice in the home. (See also Infinitec’s Adaptive Cooking page with lots of cooking tips for persons with vision loss.)

When it snows, Mary goes cross-country skiing with Ski for Light, an organization based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota for persons with visual impairments. Ski for Light provides sighted volunteers to work as guides. Mary’s favorite places for skiing include Wisconsin and Colorado, but she’s skied as far away as Norway and Sweden. Mary and husband Ken (who is sighted) love to travel and dine out, especially in Hawaii, where they’ve been five times!

When relaxing, Mary loves books, particularly modern fiction, mysteries, and self-improvement topics. She belongs to the free National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a division of the United States Library of Congress, which lends Braille books, talking books, and tape recorders. For entertainment, Mary also buys commercially sold audio books.

Mary likes to share her assistive technology tips with everyone. That’s part of her job! Please see the resources listed below to enhance your own life and help it run smoothly.

Resources
American Printing House for the Blind
www.aph.org
APH manufactures Braille, large type, recorded, computer disk, and tactile graphic publications, as well as a wide assortment of educational and daily living products, such as the Slate n' Stylus.

Catholic Guild for the Blind
www.guildfortheblind.org
180 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: (312) 236-8569
Fax: (312)236-8128
E-mail: guild@guildfortheblind.org
Magnifiers, computer training, support and resources. Subscribe to free newsletter.

DuPage Center for Independent Living
739 Roosevelt Road
Building B, Suite 109
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 469-2300

George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-grilling Machine
www.salton-maxim.com/salton/default2.asp
Find it at all small appliance and cooking shops/departments

G.W. Micro
www.gwmicro.com
World distributors of assistive technology devices for persons with blindness or visual impairment.

Hitec Group International
www.hitec.com/hitec.html
Distributors of assistive communication devices.

Infinitec's Adaptive Cooking Guide
www.infinitec.org/kitchens/cooktips
Lots of cooking tips for persons with vision loss

The Lighthouse Catalog-Visionary Solutions
www.lighthouse.org
111 East 59th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY 10022-1202
Contemporary magnifying devices, telephones, talking caller I.D., talking watches, lighting, office and kitchen tools.

L S & S catalog (Braille wristwatches)
(800) 468-4789

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
(a division of the U.S. Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/nls
NLS administers a free library program of Braille and recorded materials circulated to eligible borrowers by postage-free mail through a network of cooperating libraries.

Pulse Data
Innovations for People with Visual Disabilities
http://www.pulsedata.com
Video magnifiers and software, note-takers, scanners, Braille writers, display, embossers, learning disabilities software, customer support. Pulse data also took over Humanware.

Ski for Light Inc.
http://www.sfl.org
1455 W Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408-0264
(612) 827-3232
For twenty-five years, Ski for Light has been offering blind, visually impaired, and mobility-impaired adults the chance to experience the sport of cross-country skiing. Skiing is an activity that gives the blind/visually-impaired person a unique feeling of freedom, independence and accomplishment.

Smart Label Printer by Seiko
www.seikosmart.com/products/printers.html

Society for the Blind
http://www.societyfortheblind.org/HomePage.htm
Dymotape® labeler for Braille and many other labelers.

Note: Infinitec Inc. does not endorse or recommend the above-mentioned products and has no liability for the results of their use. Infinitec Inc. has received no consideration of any type for featuring this product on this Web site. The information offered herein is a summary; it is not comprehensive and should be carefully evaluated by consumers with the assistance of qualified professionals. The intention of Infinitec Inc. is to offer consumers a brief overview of various assistive technology devices and their applications.