Yes, Sarah, optacon training indeed. One exercise to have a straight
tracking habit established is to find or print a paper with a horizontal
line on it. Then, place your finger on the display so that the sensitive
part of the finger tip covers as much of the array as possible, so likely
the tip of your finger will be near the top of the array of pins. Then,
move the camera so that your line is touching the top of your finger, and
then move the camera along that line keeping it in focus. It is an haptic
skill, one learned after time and effort, and well worth it.
I do have training material here, but not sure how I could get it to you,
and would it do you good in the absense of a good optacon trainer? Also, I
think Catherine Thomas archived optacon training material--not sure but you
can ask her--and this should be readily available to you.
There are mechanical tracking aids still floating around, but as one's
skills develop, tracking a straight line will no longer be essential using a
mechanical tracking aid. At any rate, would one be of use to you? I have
several here. You could use a T-square or an L-square. Either way, let me
know.
Charles
-----Original Message-----
From: Sarah Clark
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 12:02 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Training TipHi, Sarah,
Thank you all for your tips and suggestions so far.
I will get started with implementing them. But for now I have one question
to help me get the settings right. Someone mentioned that the bottom knob is
intensity (and therefore top is threshhold), and someone else said the
bottom knob is threshhold, so I am wondering which is which?
Thanks again for all the help, and please keep the suggestions coming if you
have any. :)
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "Catherine Thomas" <braille@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 7:18 AM
Subject: [optacon-l] Training TipHi, Sarah,
This may seem strange but you should begin your practice with material
where you aelready know exactly what is on the page. For instance, print
out a page conweettaing three lines of dashes spaced several lines apart.
Then practice with the page until you can:
1. locate all three lines of dashes:
2. follow each line across left to right and back again. Thesee tracking
skills will be a ong the most important you will have to master.
Using uch a page, you can also practice finding which is the blank side,
and the use of the thrdhhold knob and zoom lens to get the best
adjustments. so that you can read the lines of dashes clearly.
You can also make pages that contain a few different letteers spaced
widely apart cuch as c and o. The Optacon training material does contain
such pages but sometimes at the beginning you are best oof working with
things you designed yourself.
You'll be surprised at the number of variations possible in forming the
different letters and numbers. If you have address labels, try reading
your own address or even just your name. Eventually adjusting the
threshhold and the zoom lens will become second nature. The intensity
button can usually stay at one settting, however you find you like it.
Be sure to work for only short perionds at the beginning. Try hard not to
move the finger thatt is resting on the array. The tracking hand with the
camera is what moves.
Feel free to write to any of us off-list or to the list itself with any
questions. We will all be very interested to follow your progress.
Best of luck,
Catherine
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Catherine Thomas
braille@xxxxxxxxx /
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