Category: accessible Devices
If you don't have a huge amount of money to spend on the amazing ID Mate,
http://www.lighthouse.org/accessibility/accessible-technology/other-technology-products/talking/
you might just wanna open up command.com or get out a machine with my favourite os on it and grab this.
http://www.compusult.at/h_scantell.html
True, this is not as compact and probably not as easy to use as the ID Mate, but I'm sure that by now, it's alot cheaper. Definitely worth considering, especially since it lets you add your own stuff. I honestly have no clue why they still sell only models for Windows 95 and for DOS but they're definitely still being sold. That, or someone forgot to put this under the archives section. lol Unfortunately, the pricing page doesn't work, so I've gotta contact them on this. If it's not available, does anyone know of other bar code readers or know where I can get the ID Mate at a cheaper price? That's ultimately the one I want for it's nice compact design.
I know a couple of places, but need to double check links. The link you listed above might be the one that produces that particular model, but I doubt it and I may be able to find it cheaper for you. The other one I know nothing about, but sounds interesting.
I found the pack mate to be bulky and very cumbursome. Even if it had the item you were trying to scan, I spent more time scannign items, then I did actually putting things a way. I found that some basic organization was very helpful. This is what I do.
First, I plan my shopping list.
then, when I go to the store, I take a friend with me.
the only thing I really have problems with are canned foods. I found two ways around that. One: if its canned vegetables, find them frozen, its much easier to identify them that way, just squeeze the bag. two:, if its canned soup or something like that, I take a pocket knife, and I make scratches on the lids, I just make one in the shape of the first letter of whatever it is, and that suits me, but you could make whatever you wanted. If you can't make scratches in the lid, make them in the label, labels are easy to slice, and it is easy to find afterwards.
for boxes, its pretty easy, I just buy whatever it is thats in the box, lets say its cereal, take it home, and only open the box, not the bag inside, then you can just squeeze the bag. Also, you can buy plastic containers for your boxed goods, that you can label as you like, then you just open the box, find out what it is, and pour it into the proper container.
Also, when your at the cash register, ask the person to put all the like items in one bag. Put all the corn in one bag, the green beans in another, and the toothpaste and dental floss in another. That way, when you get home, you can look in a bag, see the scratches on the can, and know that everything in this bag is corn, or whatever.
Hope that helped, and made sense, and you can do it without an expensive electronic device.
Thanks. I'll try some of that. It would definitely work for things like rice and maccaroni and cheese, which I can put in separate containers and of course, there are some things that I immediately know what they are based on the bottle/box etc. The problem is that I also buy tv dinners, cups of pudding, different fruit cups, precooked canned food, ramon noodles, regular noodles, a huge variety of tea and coffee, many different types of seasoning and there's probably more that's just not coming to mind at the moment. All of these have boxes/cans/bottles that look exactly the same as the others in their respective groups. So I really do need alot of my stuff labeled. lol That, or a whole bunch of cabinets. I love food shopping but many times, I'll just give Mom a list and she'll pick it up when she goes for the family, along with any extras she finds for me. Even when I do go with her or my bf, I usually have a list and then get new or interesting things.
I've also got well over 100 albums, a decent collection of 45s, an insane amount of audio cassettes, bags of floppies and a few cds that I need to sort. lol Some of them are immediately accessible and some are put away, but I really need to be able to sort them at some point. While brailling is fine for the occasional food item, it is no match for that mountain of stuff. lol
Neither will a bar code reader, unless you buy bar code stickers, which I'm not sure even that would work. Unless the albums still have the plastic wrap on them, and the fourty fives I don't even know where the bar code is on those. Basically, when you open an album, you destroy the bar code, so a bar code reader wouldn't help you there. Braille, while slower, would probably be a better idea. But to each there own.
Yeah, you're probably right. I was thinking I might use something like the Pen Friend, but then I'd have to pull everything out and wait to hear what it is. Still a definite option, but braille probably would work the best. lol But don't tell my family that. I reeeeally want that Pen Friend. haha
That pen friend looks really cool and it actually isn't as expensive as I thought it would be. As for labeling spices and canned foods, I use braille for the spices and keep cans separate: like all vegies together and all fruit, but then you still have an interesting experience when oppening one as you don't know if you're getting peas or green beans.
As for the bar code scanners I've found, most are quite expensive and there aren't that many portable ones. Most need to be connected to the computer or something like that. There is one out there for $79, but that a computer one again, not portable. Otherwise, most run $450 and up as far as I can find, but if you want the links, let me know and I can post them here.
What? $79? No way! Is it really accessible and cnd can I add stuff to it if it's not in the database? Sure, I'd love a portable one. Who wouldn't? It's the ultimate in ease of use. But if you told me that all I had to do was bring the stupid can or box to my computer and I'd instantly know what it was, you'd better believe I'd take it. Links please!
what is the pen friend? yes more info on the $80 model!
The Nokia n95 does have a bar code reader, but it itsn't accessible with talks. I don't really label much at home because with most of the things you can tell by the shape. For tins, I try and put them in order of size, but then sometimes that can be hard if you end up getting a different sized tin of peas than you normally would. I have heard about the pen friend labeller, but probably wouldn't find it very useful as I normally throw the packaging away when I've finished with it, so the labels would just be wasted.
The labels for the Pen Friend, I've heard, are very cheap. So even if you threw them away, you could always get more.
I was just told the other day of a way to sort cans so you won't forget them. It involves two parts.
One: for cans that you get on a regular basis, get several tubs or containers, large enough to hold several cans, a cardboard box would work as well. Put all like cans in one container, so the peas are with the peas, the carrots with the carrots, and the russian caviar with the russian caviar. then, label only the box. this way, you can sort your cans, without having to relabel them every time. You only need the help of a sighted person, which you probably needed in the first place.
the second step, for cans that you don't often buy, and thus would not need a box for, say sweetened condensed milk or something, use the regular system of labelling the cans. However, if you have more than one of these cans, say four cans of sweetened condensed milk, lable one, and pile the rest on top of it, this way you don't use so much label tape. Keep the different kinds of random food products separate frm each other, and it should be esy to tell them apart.
I now use this system in my own house, and I even alphabetized them for easy memorization, it works like a dream for me, so I thaught I'd pass it on.
Thanks. Very cost-affective means of organising. Not sure how well it would work for me, since I don't have alot of space, but I'll definitely keep this in mind. For now, it just might be the best option.
I don't have a lot of space either, which is why I use shoeboxes, the cool thing aout them is, you can stack them on top of each other. It makes it a little more difficult to get a can from the bottom, but if you put the more common ones on top, its not a problem.