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nikpetersson@blindmast.com
Miles Access Skills Training, LLC Miles Access Skills Training, LLC
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Archive


Category Archive for "Tips and Suggestions"

1

Free Ballot Support For Blind Oregonians

Oct 17, 2020

From now until Election Day, MAST will be offering free remote assistance to any blind Oregonian who needs help to vote. You can call or text 971-217-0516 and receive up to 20 minutes of assistance to help you access and fill out your html online ballot. We can also answer questions about printing and signing […]

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2

A Few Free Resources for You During the Quarantine

Mar 24, 2020

We wanted to let you know about a couple of things out there that are being offered for free for a limited time during this quarantine period. 1. Free Home-Use Software For Those Affected by COVID-19 Freedom Scientific today announced its plan to help students and employees in the US and Canada affected by COVID-19 […]

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3

An Opportunity for Oregon Lawyers to Take the Lead in Promoting Civil Rights for the Disabled

Jul 4, 2019

  This is a reprint of the article posted in the May Edition of the Oregon State Bar Bulletin, which remains largely inaccessible to screen readers. It is reprinted with permission of the authors. By Leonard Duboff and Lisa Ferris   Although technology has changed the world for everyone in the last several decades, it […]

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4

Tech Tips: Reading eBooks with Braille Display

Apr 28, 2019

The Baum Vario Ultra Smart Braille Device Braille is Awesome! and I’m not only saying that because I am Deafblind! Even when I could hear well enough to use speech readers, I always felt like the audio just slipped into the air, falling away into oblivion, and only barely caught for an instant by my […]

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5

In Celebration of White Cane Day: A Quick Look at the Basic Skills of Cane Travel

Oct 15, 2018

Every year on October 15th, we celebrate White Cane Day to raise awareness of this remarkable tool of independence and the skills with which it is used by blind people to independently move about their world. Cane travel (sometimes called “Orientation and Mobility”) is probably one of the least understood basic skills of blindness. It […]

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6

Basic Skills of Blindness Enables Maximum Benefit of Adaptive Tech

Oct 14, 2018

A screenshot of a map roughly showing our route from Stadium-Chinatown station to Pacific Central in downtown Vancouver, BC. There was probably a better way to walk, but this was the one we came up with on the fly. Bang! Nik’s cane crashes into an unexpected obstacle as my guide dog stops unexpectedly. Confused, we […]

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7

How Mobile Devices Revolutionized Life for the Blind

Aug 10, 2018

In 2009, Apple made the first smart device, the iPhone, accessible to the blind and Deafblind, and things have never been the same since. Since then, Android, Google and Windows have gotten on board with accessible mobile devices. People with disabilities ran with this newly accessible mainstream technology and are still coming up with new […]

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8

New Service! Join Our New TAPS Club

Aug 2, 2018

Are you fairly comfortable with your assistive technology but occasionally run into problems and could use some support? Would you like to learn about new and updated technology available for blind and disabled users but don’t have time to stay on top of all the changes? Do you want to know how you could get […]

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9

On Expectations: Average vs. Amazing

Jul 25, 2018

Nik has a saying that I think gets misunderstood a lot. Its something along the lines of “We are working towards average” in our work with our clients who have vision impairments. This has more to do with overall expectations of what blind people can do. It is not a judgement on any individual blind […]

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10

Voting Resources for People with Disabilities

Oct 19, 2016

We were happy to work with Disability Rights Oregon to ensure that their voting guide was made accessible for all users. There are great resources here to make voting smooth and private in the guide, and contact information for help if you run into trouble. Here is the link to DRO’s voting resources. Here is […]

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Recent News and Events

Free Ballot Support For Blind Oregonians

October 17, 2020

From now until Election Day, MAST will be offering free...

A Few Free Resources for You During the Quarantine

March 24, 2020

We wanted to let you know about a couple of things out there...

MAST Quarantine Check-In Conference Call

March 17, 2020

You are invited to a free conference call to check in and...

MAST and Covid 19 Quarantine

March 16, 2020

We love our clients and want you all to stay healthy! Miles...

Catch Us at the NFB of Oregon Convention

September 18, 2019

We would love to see you at the National Federation of the...

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Join TAPS CLUB!

Technology Answers and Problem-Solving (TAPS) Club is a membership club that offers exclusive technical support, product updates and demos, and other benefits. Learn more and join TAPS Club!

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Where to find us:

  • Miles Access Skills Training, LLC
  • 1400 SW 5th Ave. #690, Portland, Oregon 97201
  • (971) 217-0516
  • nikpetersson@blindmast.com
  • blindmast.com
  • Nik is Awesome! 🙂

    Nik is an excellent instructor! He is knowledgable, perceptive and compassionate. He knows how to make what could be and frequently is, an uncomfortable learning experience a very interesting and pleasant learning experience. Technology has a way of making we humans feel very small and stupid at times, Nik’s marvelous way of teaching makes you feel empowered and capable. I highly recommend Nik for whatever your assistive technology needs may be.

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    Theresa Christian
    Workshop Participant
  • Hello, my name is Mary. I have benefitted from my work with Nik. I am a deaf-blind person and his teaching me how to use the deaf-blind communicator has so kept my world of communication open. I live in a residential facility and several of the care providers here have used it, and are glad to be able to talk with me. The goal is for a staff member to work with me 10 minutes each day so that I will not feel so isolated where I live. A few of my friends have used it when visiting, including the person handling my finances.

     

    In addition, Nik has taught me how to use a TTY. This tool allows me to inform my financial person what I am needing in the way of personal care items allowing for some independence.

     

    All in all, I have truly appreciated all that Nik has taught me me and the independence it gives me.

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    Mary R.
    Independent Living Client
  • We would highly recommend MAST services. Nik Petersson is an excellent teacher and role model for all of us who work within the disability field. He follows his passion and lives his values. We met Nik after a long, difficult search for someone in the State of Oregon who knew how to use a Deaf-Blind Communicator (DBC). After getting nowhere with organizations that are typically considered resources, we found Nik, for our friend, Mary. After his first visit we knew that Nik was the person that we had been desperately seeking for months. He not only had the technical knowledge, but also the hands-on teaching skills required for a challenging situation.

    […]

    Nik’s gentle, but firm methodical process of assessing her skills/needs and then building her DBC skills in a conversational, informal manner was the exact approach that was needed. Over the weeks, we watched our friend, Mary come back alive as she became proficient in using the DBC and gaining control over her life. We cannot thank Nik enough for enabling Mary to once again joke and carry on deeper discussions rather than the limited interactions of “Do you want to go to bed?” or “It’s lunchtime.”

    […]

    We have worked for and with individuals with disabilities for a combined total of over 56 years and would consider Niklas Petersson in the handful of the very best in the field.

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    Tara M. Asai, MS., MMHS / Steven Gordon, MS, CRC, LPC
    Asai & Associates, Inc. / US Department of Veterans Affairs
  • I have been served by Miles Access Skills Training for a month now, and am very pleased with what I have received. Nik Petersson is a good teacher, flexible in schedule to meet my needs, can adjust his pace to my learning needs, and the fee is affordable. I am no longer wanting to throw my I-phone on the floor and stomp on it, thanks to Nik. Miles Access Skills Training has been a good investment for me.

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    J.G.
    Independent Living Client
  • I started my vocational rehab in January of 2012. My goal was to return to work as a bar manager. I had a car accident in 2010 that caused major head trauma and that also left me totally blind. I started working with Nik Petersson in February of 2012. At that point I did not know for sure what all of my technical needs were other then that I needed to find an accessible point of sale system, iPhone and MAC with voice Over as well as some type of accounting package and productivity applications.

    At first Nik and I just worked on building basic skills such as keyboarding and screen-reader concepts for both Windows and Mac. As my skills improved over time and my confidence grew in how to use the technology Nik worked with me on how to find the best technical options for me and how they can best be implemented in my specific situation. At the current time we have finalized all of the technical options and I am in the final stages of training with Nik on how to learn all the specifics. We ended up using a combination of Windows and MAC with Quick Books for Windows and Office 2010 with a web based Point of sale system.

    Nik has worked with me all through this process and has been a great source of knowledge and skills and has always been willing to research what would be the best option or choice for my situation. He helped me feel confident as a human again. Nik is a very enthusiastic trainer and not to mention a lot of fun. Nik has kept me motivated and focused on learning what is important in regard to blindness technical skills but also that blindness does not limit me in what I can do and I feel more confident and capable after having worked with Nik. I would strongly recommend Nik as a trainer.

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    Cody Hermeling
    Yur's Bar and Grill
  • Nik Petersson has been a tremendous help to me in accessing technology. I started with voice over on the MAC desktop. Then I mastered the use of an iPhone and the use of a scanner.  Nik is extremely knowledgeable and is able and willing to adapt to my needs as well as my learning styles.

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    Martha Powell
    Independent Living Client

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