Meet Richard - Using SuperNova Magnifier & Speech

Try a 30 day trail free, by visiting: http://www.yourdolphin.com/supernova Meet Richard, a retired social worker and author who has lost his sight. Richard explains how he uses SuperNova to read, write, and surf the internet with magnification, and speech.

Transcript

Richard: My name is Richard Bernard. Four years after I qualified as a social worker, I lost my sight in my one good eye. That was fifteen years ago. I've got about 10% vision, and I thought as far as I was concerned, that was the end of my future. 

And I was introduced to SuperNova by the RNIB. I remember the first time SuperNova was demonstrated to me; I couldn't believe it, I could read again.

SuperNova: SuperNova Control Panel. Page. Magnifier on…

Richard: SuperNova is my source of writing and reading. I use what you know as a split-screen, with magnification at the bottom and normal screen at the top. 

If I was using a Jamie Oliver recipe, and I wanted to say, get the ingredients, I get the cursor into the spot where I can just about see the ingredients, so I then move round to the magnification, and I zoom in on what I want. 

Because of the techniques I was using, which is two first fingers typing and my eyesight to locate the letters and numbers, I couldn't do that anymore. I'm much quicker now that I can touch type.

I can set it up so that when I type a word, if I type Dave, it'll wait until I've moved on and it will say Dave. 

SuperNova: Hope. To. Set.

Richard: Using the spell checker, it gives me the alternatives. If it's a word I know, I add it to dictionary. I tend to read at about two-hundred and twenty words per minute, which is faster than I use to read when I was sited. 

SuperNova: Heading 1, a Snowdonia Childhood (Paperback). Richard J. Bernard. 

Richard: Well I wrote about 12,000 words, and I thought I've got to show this to somebody to see if it's any good.  And I emailed it to three or four friends, using SuperNova, and everyone was really excited about what I've written. 

The Welsh Books Council suggested a couple of publishers. The publisher himself got back to me and said they'll go ahead and publish it. That was a real thrill, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without SuperNova. 

I have found the people at Dolphin are absolutely excellent.  If they can't answer the phone, I leave a message and they get straight back to me, as soon as they can. 

I can write, I can read. I can use wikipedia, I can use email. It just works. 

Dave: Find out more about how SuperNova can help you be independent, by calling 01905 754 577, or download a free thirty day trail from www.yourdolphin.com/supernova. 

Richard: SuperNova saved my life. It gave me back my freedom.