Contacting Individual
VICUG NYC
Members
skip directly to the Alphabetic Index
This section allows you to contact the individuals who, collectively,
comprise VICUG NYC. Each paragraph contains some information
about the person. Links at the end of each entry allow you either to send
them email directly, or to link to their home page for more detailed
information.
This page also provides individual VICUG
NYC members with the opportunity to let the blind/vi community of the New York
Metropolitan Area know about their particular skills, knowledge, experience,
and fields of expertise. It is an effective means of establishing a network
of local blind and visually impaired computer users, since anyone accessing
this page can get in touch with anyone listed here simply by activating the
link(s) at the end of each entry. If you wish to be listed here, please
email your paragraph, including your email address, and/or the URL of your homepage,
to: <oedipus@hicom.net> AND <unagi69@concentric.net>,
so that your information can be added to the following
list.
Alphabetical Index of VICUG NYC Members
Descriptions and Contact Information for VICUG NYC Members
David Brandt
- David Brandt has been a
Member-at-Large of VICUG NYC's Executive Committee since
October 1998. Amongst David's interest are screen-magnification software, the
use of synthesized speech output in conjunction with screen-enlargement, and
the accessibility of mainframe computers.
- email address: davidbrandt@pipeline.com
- homepage: http://www.pipeline.com/davidbrandt/
Tom Dekker
- Tom Dekker, a.k.a. Cap'n Woof,
was VICUG NYC's founder and first president. He still is an
Adaptive Technology Consultant for the blind and print disabled, but he has
relocated to Toronto, Ontario, after a spell in Houston, Texas. Tom also hosts
a monthly world music program on ACB Radio
- email address: tdekker@consultant.com
- homepage: http://www.concentric.net/~dekker/
Jeffrey Dunn
- Jeffrey Dunn is a computer consultant with ten years' worth
of experience in making access technology work for him in school and on the job.
Lately, he has been developing a rather sophisticated voice-in/voice-out
interface for Windows. One of his objectives is to market hands-free computing
environments.
- email address: jdunn@cloud9.net
- home page: http://www.cloud9.net/~jdunn
Crista Earl
- Crista Earl is a resource specialist at the
American Foundation for the Blind's Technology Center. She is also the
author of a number or audio tutorials which guide blind users, step-by-step,
through the intricacies of the Windows environment and teach them how to use specific
Windows-based applications with adaptive equipment. Her tutorials are
available through her website, CrissCross Technologies
- email address: ivorycc@ix.netcom.com
- web page: http://www.crisscrosstech.com
Jay Leventhal
- Jay Leventhal is Senior Resource Specialist at the American
Foundation for the Blind's Technology Center. He is also the maintainer of the
Careers Technology Information Bank (CTIB), a database
which contains information about the computer and adaptive equipment used by
blind and visually impaired professionals. An active member of VICUG NYC since its inception, Jay has
been a member of the Executive Committee since 1997. From October 1998 to
October 1999, Jay served as the organization's Secretary. He is currently
President of VICUG NYC
- email address: jaylev@afb.net
Steve Matzura
- Steve Matzura is a long-time user of computers and access
technology. Currently working in tech support at one of the major banks, Steve
still finds time to teach the occasional Internet course at Baruch College. For several years,
he ran the BatCave BBS, which was a very important resource for
blind computer users in the NYC area
prior to the huge growth of the Internet over the last couple of years. Steve is
also one of the pioneers who has used Windows as a regular part of his job for
years, and what's more, he has enjoyed it, too!
- email address:
sm@dataguardian.com
Pete Mikochik
- Pete Mikochik is widely known by blind computer users
in the NYC area. Over the years, he
has done a lot of programming and training work with the New York State
Commission For The Blind and Baruch
College. Pete now operates an Internet service for Shelter Island, including
home page design. In addition, he and his wife run a bed and breakfast on the
island. So, if you wish, you can get away for a weekend and learn about the
Internet at the same time! Visit Pete's home page to find out more about the
services he offers.
- email address: mikochik@panix.com
- homepage: http://www.onisland.com
Terrea Mitchell
- Terrea Mitchell is a person who knows what she's doing with
a computer. And if she doesn't know, she'll make sure to find out by taking the
time to read the manual thoroughly before she begins. If it's a hardware problem,
she'll be right in there with her screwdriver, doing her best to get the problem
solved. She's the type that really enjoys helping others in their exploration of
computers and CyberSpace.
- email address: terrea@gramercy.ios.com
Gregory J. Rosmaita
- Gregory J. Rosmaita is WebMaster and Minister of Propaganda
for, VICUG NYC. He has designed, constructed, and
maintains sites for a number of blindness-related projects and organizations, as
well as sites completely unrelated to blind/vi issues. One of his particular interests is ensuring the continued
accessibility of the web to those who, for whatever reason--physical, financial,
or philosophical--prefer to, or have no choice but to, access the web via a
text-based interface. A firm believer in bottom-up, rather than trickle-down
design, he has worked extensively with webmasters worldwide, educating them on
the accessibility
features built into HTML and XHTML, so that blind cybernauts need not be
reduced to roadkill on the information superhighway. He is also listowner of
BLIND-DEV, a
technically oriented emailing list dedicated to the development of adaptive
hardware and software for the blind/VI, as well as webmaster and electronic archivist for the BLINUX Documentation and Development Project,
which provides support, documentation, and software for blind/vi Linux users,
and BLYNX, a site which provides
speech-friendly documentation and blind-tailored distributions of the
text-based browser, Lynx. Since 1997, he has actively participated in the
World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility
Initiative (WAI) as an "Invited Expert", contributing to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), the Authoring Tool Accessibility
Guidelines (ATAG), the User Agent
Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG), and the XML Accessibility Guidelines. He
served as member-at-large on the WAI's co-ordination group from March 2000 through March 2002. A
member of VICUG NYC's Executive Committee since 1996, he served
as President from 1997 through October 1999.
- email address: oedipus@hicom.net AND unagi69@concentric.net
- homepage: Camera Obscura <http://www.hicom.net/~oedipus/>
Vita Zavoli
- Vita Zavoli has been a
member of VICUG NYC's Executive Committee since
the organization's inception. She has served as VICUG NYC's Vice-President, and is currently the
organization's Treasurer. Professionally, she is a training specialist at
Baruch College's Computer Center for
Visually Impaired People (CCVIP).
- email address: vita@webspan.net
- Terminal Index
- 1. VICUG NYC's
Upcoming Meetings and Past Presentations
- 2. Directions to the
TAB/Selis Manor
Building
- 3. Take Aim at a Moving
Target
- 4. Join VIC-NYC, the emailing
list of VICUG NYC
- 5. Learn how to network with
other VICUGs
- 6. Return to VICUG NYC's front
page
- 7. Return to the top of this
page
This page created September 1996 by Tom Dekker
Expanded, validated, and maintained by Gregory J. Rosmaita
Converted to HTML4 & CSS2 on March 15, 1999
Converted to XHTML June 6, 2002
Contents of this page last updated June 20, 2002