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From Ray Campbell, Adaptive Technology Help Desk Technician, the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Since April, 2006, the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired has operated an Adaptive Technology Help Desk service. It is available to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and those who work with this population such as employers, teachers, rehabilitation professionals andothers, to provide assistance with computers and adaptive technology questions and problems.

The service is free and available Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. central time either by calling 888-825-0080, or by sending an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ray Campbell, himself totally blind and formerly a Software Engineer with Lucent Technologies operates the help desk. People can call in with their technology questions and problems, and Ray will work to resolve them. In cases where the caller is using version 10 or higher of the JAWS for Windows Screen Reading software, Ray can usually connect remotely to their computer using JAWS Tandem and fix whatever issue they have. In other cases,he will listen over the phone to the caller’s question and try guiding them through resolving it. No technology question is off limits, in fact, the vast majority of questions and issues handled at the help desk are with things other than adaptive technology hardware and software.

The help desk is funded by private donations. It has handled over 3,400 requests for service from all 50 states, Canada, China, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Bahamas. Again, if you need assistance from the help desk, either call 888-825-0080 or send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it