[Fopbc] Freedom Scientific Reduces Price of Focus 40 Blue Braille Display by 38% to Support Drive for Braille Literacy

[Lenora Marten]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Contact: Brad Davis
800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
www.FreedomScientific.com
Sales: info at FreedomScientific.com

Freedom Scientific Reduces Price of Focus 40 Blue Braille Display by 38% to 
Support Drive for Braille Literacy
(St. Petersburg, Florida - March 3, 2010) - Freedom Scientific® today announced 
that it has reduced the US list price of its Focus 40 Blue Braille Display from 
$4,495 to $2,795, a $1,700 reduction, in a move to support Braille literacy.

The National Federation of the Blind, in their report from the Jernigan 
Institute, has declared that there is a "Braille Literacy Crisis in America," 
citing such statistics as: 

  a.. Fewer than 10 percent of the 1.3 million people who are legally blind in 
the United States are Braille readers 
  b.. Only 10 percent of blind children in the US are learning Braille 
  c.. Over 70 percent of blind adults are unemployed, and as many as 50 percent 
of blind high school students drop out of high school 
The factors that contribute to a low Braille literacy rate in the US are many, 
among them a shortage of qualified Braille teachers and an increasing reliance 
on recorded audio and text-to-speech technologies. 

"We believe that technology should be supporting Braille literacy, not replacing 
it," states Dr. Lee Hamilton, President and CEO of Freedom Scientific. "The 
combination of JAWS® and a Braille display makes learning and using Braille 
easy. JAWS can translate almost any electronic document or Web page into Braille 
and then display them on the Focus 40 Blue. JAWS also has a built-in Braille 
tutor that works with the Focus 40 Blue to provide immediate spoken help when 
the reader encounters an unfamiliar Braille symbol. This makes independent 
Braille study easier as it can be used with any document of interest to the 
student. With a computer and a Braille display, a person who is Braille literate 
can carry hundreds of books on a single memory card or USB thumb drive.

"Unfortunately, Braille displays have always been expensive, which has meant 
that not everyone who wanted a Braille display could get one. Freedom Scientific 
wants to open the world of Braille to as many blind people as possible. We first 
drastically reduced the cost of Braille displays in 2004, when we introduced 
models 40% below the average price of currently available Braille displays. We 
are pleased that the manufacturing efficiencies inherent in our latest product 
design make it possible for us to reduce prices once again and hope this will 
make Braille accessible to many more people."

The Focus 40 Blue is a compact portable Braille display that is the perfect 
companion to a desktop, laptop, or netbook PC. It connects via USB or Bluetooth® 
and has a Braille keyboard. The 40 Braille cells are constructed without seams 
between characters, so the user experience is like reading Braille on paper. The 
Focus 40 Blue works with Apple® computers and cell phones as well as with JAWS 
for Windows®. 

Freedom Scientific's Braille displays are the most reliable in the industry and 
are backed by technical support and service teams based in St. Petersburg, 
Florida.

The new US/Canada list price for the Focus 40 Blue is USD 2,795 and includes a 
two-year manufacturer's warranty.

For more information, please visit the Freedom Scientific Web site or call 
800-444-4443.

About Freedom Scientific
Freedom Scientific is the leading worldwide provider of assistive technology 
products for those with vision impairments. The Company sells its products 
worldwide and has offices in Florida and Switzerland. The Company's products 
have been translated into 24 languages and are available in 55 countries. 
Freedom also has a line of software products for those with learning 
disabilities.

Freedom Scientific® and JAWS for Windows® are either trademarks or registered 
trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual 
companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their 
respective owners. 
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Lenora J. Marten, President 
FOPBC / NFBF-Parents Division
NFB-Jacksonville Chapter Secretary 
Vice Chairperson, FSDB/PAC
FOPBC at aol.com 
904-777-5976 / 904-229-9554
www.nfbflorida.org/parents
www.raceforindependence.org/goto/fopbc 
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