One of the biggest barriers faced by people experiencing vision loss is access to reliable transportation. Lack of transportation has kept some people from coming to the Council for technology help. In recent years, we have been working to overcome this barrier by offering technology instruction using remote access. Remote access means a staff member can securely access your computer from our offices without you having to leave home.
While you can still receive technology instruction in person at the Council offices, new remote training tools make it easier than ever for Council staff to teach critical skills and provide assistance remotely, with no travel involved for either the client or the instructor.
Council staff recently started using a tool called Remote Incident Manager (RIM), which allows us to connect more easily to a client’s computer. Once connected, both the trainer and client can monitor and control the computer. RIM is independent from any access technology product, so we can assist with a variety of products, including JAWS, Zoomtext and NVDA. If software becomes corrupt and things just don’t seem to be working right, RIM allows Council staff to connect remotely to diagnose and resolve the issue.
While giving somebody else access to their computer might make some people nervous, there’s no need to worry in this case. RIM is a secure application, which means both the client and the trainer must specifically grant permission before a connection can be established. If at any point during the session either party wishes to disconnect, they can do so using a single keystroke.
So if you are interested in improving your skills with a particular kind of technology, such as a screen reader, but were worried about getting to the Council, consider remote instruction. If you have questions or want to learn more about Access Technology instruction, contact Jim Denham at (608) 237-8104 or email JDenham@WCBlind.org.
