Talking computer helps blind student
John Rudy
Capital Times Staff
Those using the computer lab in
Room W-305 of the Olmstead Building
may have noticed a computer sitting just
inside the door that is reserved for
"handicapped" users. That machine is
fitted with special equipment which
allows it to speak to visually impaired
operators. It was installed to meet the
needs of one Penn State Harrisburg
student
Harry Long, 45, a humanities/
communications major, suffers from
impaired vision and access to the talking
computer has made his on-campus life
much easier.
Long was born with cataracts,
which were successfully removed, and
his vision remained fairly good until he
was almost 40. He suffered a severe loss
of sight five years ago through detached
retinas. Laser surgery restored some
vision to his left eye, but his right eye
no longer functions. He can see the
computer, but "it's just a blue patch. I
can't tell if there's anything on it," he
said.
Long is currently the only Penn
State Harrisburg student requiring this
specialized equipment
"It was originally put in just for
me," Long said, "but with the hopes that
other people who might need it would
have access to it, too. It is available to
anyone with a vision problem."
Long helped college administrators
acquire the appropriate equipment by
doing most of the research into what was
available to users with vision problems.
"Funding for the special equipment
was acquired through University Park's
Center for Disabled Students," said
Donald Holtzman, associate director of
student affairs for student assistance.
"The proposal went through the whole
university bureaucracy before it finally
got signed. Funds for these programs
are limited, but we were able to make a
case and get it funded."
"Penn State was very helpful in
working with me to get the equipment,”
Long said. "All I did was tell them who
to go through - PC Partners in Maryland
- and the college set it up. The package
included a speech board and special
software."
SGA elects new officers
Victoria Phillips
and Angelique C. West
Capital Times Staff
The new president of the Student
Government Association says he wants
to "make SGA a household name."
Mike Hermick, who ran unopposed,
said he wants to make sure the students
know that SGA exists for them.
"One of my major objectives is to
open communications lines between the
senators and their respective divisions,
and the students in those divisions."
Hermick said he also wants to
increase contact between SGA and other
student organizations, such as the Black
Student Union.
PSH NEWS
Harry Long, a huraanities/communications major, works at a talking computer installed to help visually impaired students
''A demonstration of the equipment
was set up with PC Partners," Holtzman
said, "and we decided to go ahead with
the proposal and the purchase. The
package cost just over $l,lOO.
"Once we got the OK to purchase
the package, Terry Majzlik, manager and
operations coordinator of the computer
center, got involved with getting it.
Mark Lukens installed the package,"
Holtzman said.
Holtzman said that since the
package was purchased with university
wide funds, die package is university
wide equipment. Once Long has gradu
ated, there may be another student at
another Penn State campus that will
need it and it will be shipped to them.
Long has a similar setup at his
Camp Hill home with equipment that is
Other officers chosen in the elections
April 9 and 10 were:
- Annie Buyofiski, vice president
- James Mullane, treasurer
- Brenda Wishnefsky, board secretary
- Krista Fuller, committee secretary
- Joseph Silver, business administra
tion senior senator
- Terry Wolf, humanities senior
senator
- Roselea Russo, public affairs senior
senator
- David Frist, science, engineering &
technology senator
- Dan Smels, senior senator at large
- Angelique West, junior senator at
large.
PP'", < <wk
perfecdy compatible with that in the lab.
"I could do all my work at home,
but I spend most of my time here on
campus," Long said. "I'm a full-time
student, taking five courses. I'm here
six to eight hours a day and sometimes
have two or three hours between classes,
so I go to the lab to do my work. It's
convenient.
"Without the on-campus equipment,
my equipment at home would not be as
useful. I do a lot of my work here on
campus; writing term papers and
working with material like professors'
handouts. I put them on disk, bring
them in here, and do my reading that
way. All of my research is done this
way.
"l can also contact LIAS from the
computer lab and it talks. I can then
Campus honors retirees
Stanley Miller, professor of social
science and education, who joined Penn
State Harrisburg the year it began, is
among a group of retiring faculty and
staff to be honored at a reception April
29 .
Miller served as provost form July 1,
1983 to June 30,1984.
Others to be honored in a reception
from 3-4 p.m. in the Gallery Lounge
are:
Robert J. Brown, associate professor
of finance, who joined the university in
1969.
April 26, 1991, CAPITAL TIMES
take a printout down to the library, and
say 'this is what I need.'
"I'm very happy with the system.
The equipment allows me to use my
optical character recognizer [scanner] at
home, so I can bring it into school to
use it. I have my entire philosophy
textbook scanned and stored on one
disk," Long said.
The scanner was provided by the
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
in Harrisburg and Long has access to it
as long as he has a use for it.
Long will spend another year at
Penn State Harrisburg. He plans to
graduate in May 1992.
John W. Harman, assistant professor
of engineering, who joined the
university in 1971.
Samuel J. Lynch Sr., associate
professor of engineering, who joined the
university in 1984.
Peg O' Hara, director of student
affairs.
Also to be honored are:
George Atticks, John Joesph, Ruth
Melcher, Clyde Perkins and William
Walkinshaw.
Students and faculty are invited,