Insight Magazine
March 2006
Since the last issue of Insight a number of things have changed. The builders have been in at John Street and they have been beavering away with repairs to the ceiling. When all the decorating has been completed some of the staff will be moving offices.
More importantly, you have been getting used to our new phone number and since February, some of you will have paid for shopping using the new chip and pin system. You will find information on both of these topics in this issue. Neil Skene also has plenty of dates for your diary.
GSB Phone Number
The Society’s phone number changed earlier this year. The new number is 0845 2712345. This is the only number you will need if you want to contact us, irrespective of where you live.
When you dial the number the phone will ring at the reception desk in the Aberdeen office. Our receptionists, Kelly, Andrew and Dorothy, will answer calls and put you through to all members of staff, including those who work in Elgin.
If you are phoning someone in Elgin you will be put through to the Moray office during its opening hours of 10.30-2.30 Tuesday-Thursday and at all other times you can leave a message on the Moray voicemail and Mary will deal with it as before. If Kelly, Andrew or Dorothy cannot answer the phone, please leave a message and someone will phone you back as soon as possible.
Saturday Opening by Graham Findlay
We would like to find out if there is any demand for Saturday opening at John Street.
Initially this would be for one Saturday morning per month, which would give more people an opportunity to use the Fitness Room. If this is a success the scheme could be extended to cover other services provided in John Street.
Please let us know what you think.
Fundraising News by Neil Skene MInstF
Before even wishing you all a happy new year, I must start by updating you on the Christmas Raffle. In the end the Society made £4,961.50 clear profit. A very special and sincere thank you to all who participated!
As you know, the draw was made by Cameron Stout on 16th December and the first three prizewinners were:
Christmas Hamper I. Birrell Oldmeldrum
£100 K. Young Aberdeen
£50 A. Haywood Aberdeen
If anyone requires the full list of winners, this is available from the Society.
Although we are not long into 2006, the events diary is already filling up and some notable dates for your diaries are as follows:
Friday 14 April – Snail Race Night followed by Karaoke, This will take place in the Inverurie Loco Works Social Club on Harlaw Road in Inverurie and tickets are priced at £2.50 (this includes stovies) and are available from GSB Reception or the Locos Social Club.
Thursday 4 May - GSB Quiz at the Cloverleaf Hotel starts at 7pm, if you are interested in entering a team, of four, the cost is £20, this includes refreshments.
Wednesday 17 May – is the date for the annual Afternoon Lunch or Evening Supper Dance hosted by Aberdeen City Council at the Beach Ballroom. Unfortunately this event is only open to residents of Aberdeen and letters of invitation will be sent out soon.
Saturday 3 June – It’s back! Drive of Your Life! Yes, after having to cancel last year’s event and by popular demand we’re again offering you the chance to drive dual control cars around the track adjoining the Transport Museum at Alford! This event has to be prebooked, so please let me know ASAP if you would like to take part and experience the thrill of driving again. Please don’t worry if you have taken part before, you’re always welcome back; why not come back and see if you can beat your previous speed? If there are sufficient numbers transport from around the area will be laid on. Encourage your family and friends to come along and see you driving round the track and remember there will be the BBQ, which is always popular!
Sunday 18 June – a chance for those in Moray to get on their bikes. The 7th Great Moray Bike Ride will be taking place and nice weather has already been ordered! This is a 25-mile cycle through the Morayshire countryside and whilst 25 miles may sound a lot, it is a relatively flat route and there are refreshment stops to help you on your way.
Skydivers – No, don’t panic, I’m not looking for volunteers (well unless you really want to) for this, I’ve already got two volunteers. Andrea Bryant, Reader/Driver to Graham and William Fleming, Lindsey’s husband have both offered to do this for the Society. Both are looking for sponsors and I have forms available. If you would like to support either of them, to make a donation or if you would like a sponsorship form, then simply give me a call on 0845 2712345.
If you want further information on any of the above events or if you have a fundraising idea please don’t hesitate to call me on 0845 2712345.
Friends of GSB
Some of you may be aware that the Society operates a “Friends of GSB” scheme. This is a separate venture from the membership, which is a legal requirement placed on the Society to have members with voting rights. The “Friends of GSB” scheme is purely a fundraising tool and only costs £10 per year; Friends receive a twice-yearly newsletter and may get discounts to some of the Society events.
If you would like to support the Society by becoming a Friend please fill in the enclosed slip and return it to me at 21 John Street. If you are already a Friend, why not encourage your own friends and family to join; all fully paid up Friends on 1st May will be entered into a special May Day draw.
Hello to you all from the Hi Tech Room by Charles Clark
Since my last contribution we have had a few new products to the Hi Tech room in John Street. I was happy to receive a new scanner from Santa Claus!
At this time of year I always look forward to the Sight and Sound Exhibition held in Glasgow. This year’s event will take place on 4 and 5 May. This is a must for anyone interested in any types of magnifying or computer related equipment. It is held over two days in the Quality Central Hotel in Glasgow Central railway station.
The Exhibition usually opens around lunchtime on Thursday and goes on until around 7pm that evening and is open from 10am Friday until around 3pm.
The train from Aberdeen goes into Queen Street station and here you get a shuttle bus to take you to Central station.
On my past experience I would go down on Thursday because on Friday the event closes early.
If you go let me know how you got on and what you thought of the Exhibition.
You can book assistance for sighted guides at this event by contacting Visibility on 0141 332 4632.
Humanware Viewing Aids
Since the last issue of the magazine the Society has kindly been loaned a few magnifying aids. A company called Humanware has an agent called Lucy Nasmith who contacted us and offered us three models of different types. Firstly we have two pocket viewers, a black and white model and a colour version. They are both hand held portable devices, which can magnify up to seven times. They both come with re-chargeable batteries and an adaptor.
They are priced at around £380 for black and white and £480 for colour. They can be used anywhere and are lightweight for carrying around.
Please ring the Society on 0845 2712345 to book a session to view this equipment
Smartview CCTV
Humanware also kindly gave us the loan of a CCTV. This is a black and white model but also has a colour scheme inbuilt. The unit has the capability of letting you choose the colours you use. For example, you can change the foreground and background colours to choice regardless of the initial colour of the document. It can invert these colours too.
This model is priced at around £1400 depending on the choice of screen you purchase. The magnification goes up to 60 times and the unit has very clear and easy to use controls on the front panel.
I have also splashed out this Christmas and must thank Santa for a lovely stand-alone scanner.
This machine scans documents and then uses an inbuilt speech program to read them back. It is very easy to use and allows you to save your scanned documents in a friendly manner. You record your document names with your own voice and when retrieving them you can hear yourself talking them back to you. This unit costs £1750 and is also available from Humanware.
Remember if you have any queries or suggestions for the Hi Tech room please give me a call on 008452712345
Chip and Pin
Disabled people who cannot use a pin number for their card due to their disability will be able to continue using a signature. They will be required to obtain a chip and signature card from their card supplier which will give
the necessary authorisation for them to use the signature.
The deadline for the introduction of chip and pin was 14 February, so if you have not applied for your chip and signature card, you need to do this now.
For further information on chip and pin, please phone the RNIB Helpline on 0845 7669999 or consult their website on
http://rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups /public/documents/PublicWebsite /public_chipandsignature.hcsp
Let us Have a Great Census!
I am a blind Hungarian. I work for the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). I am helping to develop the enumeration strategy for the 2011 Census, particularly for blind and partially sighted people, i.e. how you wish to be counted. We would like to ensure that as many people as possible are enumerated in the way that suits them and respects their privacy. To achieve this, we need to find out the best way for you to complete a Census questionnaire and ensure your participation in the Census.
What do I mean by participation? I want to cover the issues of Census promotion material, information leaflets and how to get help completing the Census questionnaire. Basically these are questions about which media you prefer to use, e.g. Braille, tape/CD, large print, E-mail, accessing a website or calling a free number.
I understand that some people may find it useful to use more than one format to complete the Census. For example you may want to read the Census Questionnaire in Braille but complete using E-mail or a website.
I think it is never too early to prepare for a great Census. In 2006, GROS is trialling a new health question, developed with organisations which represent the needs of disabled people, which allows people who have problems with their sight to identify themselves. I hope this question will be used in the full Census in 2011. With this question, the more forms that blind and partially sighted people return, the more our needs are known and taken into account by the government, public and private sectors. The Census is a good way to make our voice heard.
If you are willing to participate in the project, please feel free to contact me and tell me which formats you would like used in a Census, both to receive information about the Census questionnaire and how you would like to complete the Questionnaire:
On tape
Braille
Large print
E-mail and on the Internet
Sighted assistance
Please feel free to express yourself in any formats and time! Again if you need help responding please contact me. My contact details are: Gabor Kovats, General Register Office for Scotland, Ladywell House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7TF. Telephone: 0131 314-4283 E-mail: gabor.kovats@gro-scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Notice Board
Partnership Club
The Society will be closed on Tuesday 18th April. There will therefore be no meeting on that day.
Can You Help? by Linda Fachie
We are sometimes asked by local groups such as WRVS, church and community groups, etc to provide a speaker who can give a short talk on the services the Society provides. We are looking to recruit a small team of clients, who will undergo training to enable them to assist with such requests. If you would like to find out more, please contact me on 0845 2712345.
Wooden Bowls Wanted by Norman McKay
The Scottish Association for Blind Bowlers is running a programme to encourage pupils at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh to take up the game of bowls. The successful taster sessions outdoors culminated in the Scottish Junior Pairs Championships at Balgreen, Edinburgh last September.
The children’s hands are small so they play the game with bowls which have been specially reduced in size on a lathe. It is only possible to do this with the old fashioned wooden bowls because modern ones are made of moulded heavy duty plastic.
The association has already received generous donations of bowls from people in the GSB area. However, we need many more sets of bowls because the first ever World Youth Championships will be held in Scotland next year. For further information please contact Norman McKay on 01224 324109.
Braille Books
John Hendry has a couple of Braille books in excellent condition that he would like to give to a good home. The stories are on a wartime theme. If you would like more information or would like the books, please phone John on 01224 494195.
Braille Writing Frames Wanted
A lady who lives in Canada is trying to teach children Braille and is looking for Braille writing frames which are apparently no longer available. If you have one which you no longer use, would you be prepared to donate this? If so, please contact Maureen Strachan on 0845 2712345.
Feedback by Morag Morrison
We are trying to give Insight a new look to introduce a little more variety.
Would you like to have pictures, for example, or regular features or a quiz?
Insight is your magazine and we would value your comments on how we might improve it.
Please contact me, Morag Morrison, on 0845 2712345
To contact the Society please phone 0845 2712345; or write to: Grampian Society for the Blind, 21 John Street, Aberdeen, AB25 1BT, or send an e-mail to info@grampianblind.org