[nfbwatlk] [Wcb-l] FW: [leadership] Fwd: Low-cost Refreshable Device to beAvailable in 2016 fyi

debby phillips semisweetdebby at gmail.com
Fri Sep 5 04:46:53 UTC 2014


This could be a wondgful solution, and make braille more 
available to more people here and worldwide.    Debby

 ---- Original Message ------
From: "Sue Ammeter" <sue.ammeter at cablespeed.com
Subject: [Wcb-l] FW: [leadership] Fwd: Low-cost Refreshable 
Device to beAvailable in	2016 fyi
Date sent: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 16:53:18 -0700



-----Original Message-----
From: leadership [mailto:leadership-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of 
Carla
Ruschival via leadership
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2014 11:22 AM
Subject: [leadership] Fwd: Low-cost Refreshable Device to be 
Available in
2016 fyi

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roberta Williams <rwilliams at aph.org
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 16:27:31 +0000
Subject: Low-cost Refreshable Device to be Available in 2016 fyi
To: "carla40206 at gmail.com" <carla40206 at gmail.com

For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Roberta Williams, (502) 899-2357 (office),
rwilliams at aph.org<mailto:rwilliams at aph.org


Low-cost Refreshable Device to be Available in 2016



Louisville, Kentucky (August 27, 2014) - American Printing House 
for the
Blind (APH) is pleased to announce that the Transforming Braille 
Project,
for which it serves the CEO function, has reached a new plateau.  
Beginning
in 2012, APH and eighteen other non-profit organizations
http://www.transformingbraille.org/faq/#faq_03
concerned about the high cost of refreshable braille devices 
began a quest
to create a low-cost option by forming an international 
consortium to work
on the issue.



Recently, Orbit Research LLC  http://www.orbitresearch.com/  and 
the
Transforming Braille Group LLC 
http://www.transformingbraille.org/
announced an agreement to produce a low-cost refreshable braille 
display.



According to a release sent out by Transforming Braille Group, 
"The
objective of the project is to produce a stand-alone 20-cell 
refreshable
braille display for $300 (or £200) which will bring refreshable 
braille
within the reach of children in developing countries and will 
provide
libraries in developed countries with a viable alternative to 
hard copy
braille.  The product will be launched at CSUN (California State 
University,
Northridge Center on Disabilities Annual International Technology 
and
Persons with Disabilities Conference) in 2016.



The display is designed to work through USB and Bluetooth 
connectivity with
'smart' phones and tablets.  It is not intended to compete with 
high
specification refreshable braille displays already on the market, 
primarily
used in education and employment, but is intended to bring 
braille displayed
e-books to a wide audience at an economical price."


Of the project, Larry Skutchan, CEO of Transforming Braille Group 
LLC and
Technology Project Manager at APH, said, "Dramatically reducing 
the cost of
refreshable braille is one of the most effective ways to increase 
literacy
for people who are blind.  Between this new refreshable braille 
display and
the advent of free or low cost screen readers like NVDA, anyone 
can afford
to participate in the electronic text revolution we all now take 
for
granted.  While the impact to people in less developed countries 
is most
dramatic, even braille readers in more prosperous countries, like 
the United
States, can afford to read without the help of government 
subsidies.  Since
the device works both independently and connected to computers 
and smart
phones, it is possible to distribute documents with a commonly 
available SD
card.  The simple user interface is analogous to that of an 
electronic book
reader, except that instead of a screen, it uses refreshable 
braille.  This
project truly transforms braille."
-MORE-
"We're excited to participate and lead this global effort for 
braille
literacy," said Tuck Tinsley III, APH President.

About the American Printing House for the Blind:
The American Printing House for the Blind, a 501(c) (3) 
non-profit
organization, is the world's largest nonprofit company devoted 
solely to
researching, developing, and manufacturing products for people 
who are blind
or visually impaired.  Founded in 1858, it is the oldest 
organization of its
kind in the United States.  Under the 1879 federal Act to Promote 
the
Education of the Blind, APH is the official supplier of 
educational
materials for visually impaired students in the U.S.  who are 
working at less
than college level.

APH manufactures textbooks and magazines in braille, large print, 
recorded,
and digital formats.  APH also makes hundreds of educational, 
recreational,
and daily living products including computer software and an 
array of
assistive technology items.

The American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.  is located at 
1839 Frankfort
Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky.  For more information, call
(502) 895-2405 or log on to www.aph.org<http://www.aph.org

END-

Roberta
Roberta Williams, 502-899-2357
Public Relations Manager
Publicity, Tours, InSights Art

http://www.aph.org<http://www.aph.org/
 click on links below to connect with us
[Facebook-Icon]<http://www.facebook.com/#!/AmericanPrintingHouse>
[blogger
icon]<http://www.fredshead.info/>[you_tube]<http://www.youtube.co
m/aphftb>[f
lickr
icon]<http://www.flickr.com/aphblind>[twitter]<http://www.twitter
.com/APHfor
theBlind

American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206

Building Independence Since 1858

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