Author Archive Robin

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

  One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out  “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, 

“It made a difference for that one.

Loren Eiseley

Who knew there was a whole month dedicated to mentoring? Yes, January was National Mentoring Month. This podcast will shed some light on how you can incorporate mentoring into your life as a seeker, or even as a mentor.

Being the champion in technological accessibility, Apple has opened many doors for people, including those with disabilities. No one is left out. I became a Mac user in elementary school. In fact, it was the first computer I had ever owned. I was re-introduced to the Apple line in 2010, when I was on the market for a new phone. This time around, I was a blind user, unlike my experience in elementary school, thus my needs were different. When I was in the market for a new cell phone, I had done research on the best accessible phones for those with visual impairments, and the iPhone came up as one of them. Although the accessibility feature for the iPhone was fairly new for the iPhone, Apple was generating buzz. Particularly, for their built in screen reader, VoiceOver.
 Initially the sales person, through my cell phone carrier, was hesitant in selling me the phone because of the touch screen. I told him about the positive reviews I have heard about it, to which I was told that if it didn't work out, I could bring it back. Let's just say that I did not take back the phone, and in fact, I have had several iPhone models since then. Here are 10 ways the iPhone is accessible.
1. Voiceover; text to speech program for those with visual impairments. Verbally speaks out loud what is on the screen. In addition, some people with dyslexia use this feature as well.
2. Zoom Text; Magnification capability for those with low vision.
3. Magnifying glass; A real magnifying glass, but on the phone. Point the iPhone to whatever needs to be magnified.
4. Camera; Allows independence for taking pictures. People have the option to set a timer for selfies, while telling how many people are in the frame. The camera also tells the position of the people in the frame.
5. FaceTime; Allows people the option to see each other when conversing, such as hearing impaired individuals. Sign language is at a person's fingertips.
6. Dictation; This feature is not only a time saver and convenient, but it helps those who my not be able to type for varying reasons, such as a disability.
7. Siri; The built in assistant that many have grown to love. You can ask Siri anything, to which she always has a clever response. Information gathering made easier.
8. Hearing Aids; Made for iPhone hearing aids allows a person to control what they hear through Bluetooth technology. A person can adjust volume, etc., making participation in conversations easier.
9. TTY Capability; Built in software allows a person to make TTY calls without added hardware.
10. Switch Control; Allows people to have access to their phone with no need to touch it. Good option for those with physical impairments that impact movements.
 These are just a few accessibility options that the iPhone has to offer. So, as a tribute to 10 years of my iPhone use, how about you take full advantage of this amazing device, by noticing all that it has to offer?