Hi Gerry, You ask an interesting question in the second part of your email and I will attempt to answer it here. All NCBI trainers have a very broad knowledge of computer applications, not just in the assistive technology field. As people come from different backgrounds they have strengths in different areas, for example, some of our trainers are qualified computer teachers, but others are from a more technical background, and this mix of skill set, we find, can be really good. Because of the ever changing status in technology and indeed assistive technology, our trainers are expected, in the main, to update themselves and some on-the-job training is also provided. In addition, staff commencing employment with NCBI as technology trainers would have some initial training in the area of screen reading, magnification, OCR, Braille translation etc. Where necessary, a trainer with certain expertise may be called in for a specific job. So, for example, if someone needs to use a complex excel chart with jaws and is having difficulty, the trainer may, as a once-off, call in a colleague who might have more experience in this area, to provide the necessary expertise. Finally for now, NCBI's Rehabilitation Training centre on Whitworth Road has recently become an accredited ECDL training and testing facility. We are already running an ECDL course in the centre one evening per week and it is my hope to expand on this (funding permitting) in the Autumn. I hope that might have gone some way to answer your question, but please do contact me either privately or via the list, if you require any further clarification. Regards, Stuart. -----Original Message----- From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of GERARD SHANAHAN Sent: 19 June 2010 19:31 To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [vicsireland] Re: How to customize the start menu in Windows 7 Hi Joanne, Yeah, Very interesting, it is totally different to X.P. Two points from your post I would like to make. Firstly I had an opportunity to use a p.c. with Windows 7 and it is somewhat quirky until you get used to it although the idea of writing in documents/control panel etc is quite handy. I wen on to use outlook on the same pc and found it somewhat difficult to get used to it as the menu options were placed differently toa point. besides the usual menues of file, edit view, etc a lot of the options which were normally found on the usual menus were now found in a menu called office such as send option which was normally under the tools menu. I think that this would deserve a lesson such as you hve done in the start menu of windows 7 as it would help the less p.c. knowledgable person. Secondly, with regard to this, do vics have any liaison with the computer instructors in N.C.B.I. ? I might be over stepping the mark here and Stewart might wish to repremand me as it would be more his area. Do you know if there is an actual training module for computer trainers that gives them an insight into using jaws with the different operating systems without visually reading the screen to instruct students. Also is there a base level enterance test for instructors to check their ability to teach effectively how to use computers. This is not a criticism but a query. The technology is changing so quickly that if we have problems at times geting our heads around new operating systems etc, Instructors will have even greater tasks to translate everything into a easy learning curve for students.. * Is it possible to turn off the ribbon menu option in outlook and revert to the old menu type options? Gerryin ----- Original Message ----- From: Joan Ann Brosnan <mailto:kerrygirl18@xxxxxxxxx> To: VICS <mailto:vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:42 PM Subject: [vicsireland] How to customize the start menu in Windows 7 Hi all I have recently started using windows 7. It is quite different from windows XP which I have changed from. One of the big differences is the layout of the start menu so, I have written up instructions about how you can customize the start menu to make it a little easier to navigate with jaws. 1. Press the windows key. You will be placed in a search box. Type "taskb" and windows will auto-complete the rest of the words "taskbar and start menu". 2. Press control and tab once to get to the start menu page. You are now on the customize button. To confirm this, you can press insert and tab. Press enter. 3. You are now in a tree view. There are a list of items that you can choose to have displayed on the start menu. You can also choose how you want them to be displayed. Some items have the sub-options Display As A Link, Display As A Menu, and Don't Display This Item. Display As A Link specifies that an item, such as Control Panel, will appear as a link that opens a window when selected. Display As A Menu specifies that an item will provide access to a submenu that allows you to choose from its related options. Don't Display This Item removes the item from the Start menu. The first option is the computer. You can choose to have it displayed as a link or as a menu meaning that, when you go to the start menu, computer will either be shown as a link that you can enter on to get access to drives or a sub-menu giving you easy access to drives by pressing the right arrow. You can also do this with: The control panel Documents downloads games music the personal folder pictures recorded TV search other files and libraries You can navigate through this list using the down arrow keys and, when you come to the option you want to use, press space to check it. There is also an option to turn on/off the run command and the favourites menu. 4. When you have finished, tab to ok and press enter. Then, tab to apply to save all changes. Joan Ann. =========================================================== The vicsireland mailing list To unsubscribe at any time send a mail to: vicsireland-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe", without the quotes in the subject of the message. To contact the moderator send mail to: tim.j.culhane@xxxxxxxxx For mor information on the Visually Impaired Computer Society visit: http://www.vicsireland.org