ZoomText 10.1 for Windows 8 is now available
The new version of ZoomText offers:
- Full support for the Windows 8
- Support for touch screen devices
- Support for Microsoft Office 2013
- Support for Internet Explorer 10
- Faster performance when viewing videos or playing games
- Smooth mouse pointers
- Additional magnification levels
You can visit the Ai Squared website to learn more about all the new features in ZoomText 10.1 or download a free 60-day trial to give it a try yourself.
Upgrades start at $79 for Magnifier and $99 for Magnifier/Reader. Visit the upgrade page for complete information. You can also call Ai Squared at 800-859-0270 or 802-362-3612 option #2, or email Ai Squared with your current serial number to get a quote.
ZoomText 10.1 is for Windows8 only at this time
Perkins School for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, and FableVision will Lead the iCanConnect Campaign
Many thousands of Americans who have combined loss of hearing and vision may soon connect with family, friends, and community thanks to the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP). Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established this new program to provide support for the local distribution of a wide array of accessible communications technology.
The FCC is also funding a national outreach campaign to educate the public about this new program. The iCanConnect campaign will be conducted jointly by Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, the Helen Keller National Center in New York City, NY, and FableVision of Boston, MA. iCanConnect will seek to ensure that everyone knows about the free communications technology and training that is now available to low-income individuals with combined hearing and vision loss. From screen enlargement software and video phones to off-the-shelf products that are accessible or adaptable, this technology can vastly improve quality of life for this population.
iCanConnect seeks to increase awareness about the availability of communications technology for this underserved population, so people who are deaf-blind and have limited income can remain safe and healthy, hold jobs, manage their households, and contribute to the economy and the community.
Last month, the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the state funding allocations for the NDBEDP for the 2013-2014 Fund year. This program provides funding of up to $10 million annually.
For each year of the pilot program, the Commission sets aside $500,000 of the $10 million annually allocated for the NDBEDP for national outreach efforts. The remaining $9.5 million of annual funding is used to reimburse NDBEDP certified programs for the reasonable costs of operating their programs in compliance with the Commission's NDBEDP rules. Funding allocations for the 2012-2013 Fund year were calculated by allocating a minimum base amount of $50,000 for each jurisdiction plus a portion of the remaining available funding in an amount proportionate to the population of each jurisdiction. Allocations for the 2013–2014 Fund year were calculated by using the same formula with the most current census population estimates and appear below:
| State | NDBEDP Certified Program | Funding Allocation for 2013–2014 |
| Alabama | Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind | $153,973 |
| Alaska | Assistive Technology of Alaska | $65,772 |
| Arizona | Perkins School for the Blind | $191,302 |
| Arkansas | Perkins School for the Blind | $113,589 |
| California | Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired | $870,252 |
| Colorado | Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
$161,855 |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Tech Act Project | $127,415 |
| Delaware | University of Delaware — Center For Disabilities Studies |
$69,774 |
| Florida | Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. | $466,527 |
| Georgia | Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired | $263,895 |
| Hawaii | Island Skill Gathering | $80,021 |
| Idaho | University of Idaho — Idaho Assistive Technology Project |
$84,407 |
| Illinois | The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired |
$327,617 |
| Indiana | Indiana State University | $190,958 |
| Iowa | Iowa Utilities Board | $116,286 |
| Kansas | Assistive Technology for Kansans | $112,226 |
| Kentucky | Eastern Kentucky University Center on Deafness and Hearing Loss |
$144,451 |
| Louisiana | Affiliated Blind of Louisiana Training Center | $149,226 |
| Maine | Maine Center on Deafness | $78,660 |
| Maryland | Perkins School for the Blind | $176,883 |
| Massachusetts | Perkins School for the Blind | $193,305 |
| Michigan | Michigan Commission for the Blind | $263,106 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Division |
$165,985 |
| Mississippi | The Arc of Mississippi | $114,361 |
| Missouri | Missouri Assistive Technology | $179,847 |
| Montana | Perkins School for the Blind | $71,673 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
$90,009 |
| Nevada | Perkins School for the Blind (as of 7/16/13) | $109,488 |
| New Hampshire | Northeast Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, Inc. |
$78,477 |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired |
$241,139 |
| New Mexico | Perkins School for the Blind | $94,969 |
| New York | Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults |
$471,975 |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing |
$260,275 |
| North Dakota | Interagency Program for Assistive Technology | $65,085 |
| Ohio | Ohio Deaf-Blind Outreach Program | $298,917 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services |
$132,255 |
| Oregon | Access Technologies, Inc. | $134,078 |
| Pennsylvania | Institute on Disabilities — Temple University | $325,208 |
| Rhode Island | Perkins School for the Blind | $72,646 |
| South Carolina | Perkins School for the Blind | $151,853 |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Human Services | $67,969 |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Regulatory Authority | $189,210 |
| Texas | Perkins School for the Blind | $611,890 |
| Utah | Utah Public Service Commission | $111,566 |
| Vermont | Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
$63,498 |
| Virginia | Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
$226,504 |
| Washington | Department of Social and Health Services — Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
$198,714 |
| West Virginia | Perkins School for the Blind | $90,007 |
| Wisconsin | Public Service Commission of Wisconsin | $173,473 |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Institute for Disabilities — University of Wyoming |
$62,429 |
| Washington, DC | Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind | $63,634 |
| Puerto Rico | Perkins School for the Blind | $129,070 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Perkins School for the Blind | $52,294 |
To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, or audio format), send an e-mail to or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).
Information about the equipment distribution program is available online at the iCanConnect website or by phone at 800-825-4595. Additional information is available through the online FCC Encyclopedia.
Additional sources of Information Include: Jackie Ellington, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-1153 and Rosaline Crawford, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, 202-418-2075.
"With the right technology, people with disabilities can link to information, be productive, and move ahead," said Steven Rothstein, former President of Perkins. "Perkins' most famous student, Helen Keller, exemplified the potential of a person who is deaf-blind. We are proud to have a role in this transformational program."
The CVAA, championed in Washington, D.C. by Congressman Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, acknowledges that advances in technology can revolutionize lives. Nearly one million people in the United States have some combination of vision and hearing loss. People with combined loss of vision and hearing as defined by the Helen Keller National Center Act whose income does not exceed 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are eligible to participate in the new program.
"The mission of the Helen Keller National Center is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice," explains Executive Director Joe McNulty, adding, "This critical technology access program accelerates those efforts but only if people know about the resources. iCanConnect is poised to get the word out, coast to coast."
"FableVision's mission is to help ALL learners reach their full potential," said Paul Reynolds, CEO of FableVision Studios. "With this program we advance that mission, helping spread the word about equal access to tools that offer those with hearing and vision loss the transformational power of technology." Reynolds adds, "Now everyone is invited to the technology promise powering the human network."
