Refreshable Braille

Braille is a system of touch reading and writing for blind persons in which raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet. Braille is read by moving the hand or hands from left to right along each line. Both hands are usually involved in the reading process, and reading is generally done with the index fingers.

Refreshable Braille Displays are electronic devices that are used to read text that a computer sends to the monitor—from any source! The device is connected to the computer by a serial cable and produces Braille output on the Braille display—a ribbon of hard rubber. Refreshable Braille displays only read one line of text at a time. These displays generally include directional keys that allow the user to navigate through a document. Larger displays (80 cells) also include a cursor routing function. It's great to have a computer-generated version of Braille, but refreshable Braille displays cost about $5000 a piece on average, so many companies offer a service contract.

Freedom Scientific offers a full line of Braille output devices, including refreshable Braille, Braille embossers, synthetic speech output, and specialized software. If you added refreshable Braille to the company's Braille 'n Speak, you'd come up with the Braille Lite 2000, a compact, lightweight device meant for portability. (A renewable annual service contract is available for $350.) The Braille Lite 40 is a good choice for those who need both a note-taker and refreshable Braille display for computer access. The Braille Lite 40 has a 768K RAM and 4MB flash ROM memory and allows you to switch between six- and eight-point Braille, as needed. Use Braille Lite 40 in combination with JAWS for Windows for PC Braille display. It's easy to toggle between PC monitor and Note-Taker modes. (A renewable annual service contract is available for $550.) Learn about the entire catalog of devices and accessories offered by Freedom Scientific at: http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/displays_40.asp

The KTS Refreshable Braille Display uses both 40- or 80-cell lines and user's choice of six- or eight-dot Braille. A battery-backed memory on card stores all configurations. Free user installable software upgrades will be supplied, as well as a free, full three-year warranty. KTS features five extra status cells and a new menu system to change configurations. Works with Microsoft Windows ($5,695.00-$11,995.00). See the American Thermoform Corporation Web site: www.ATCbrleqp.com.

The Braillex Compact is a complete computer system (including an integrated refreshable Braille display) that is also portable and lightweight. Its ergonomic design and versatility make it useful at home, at school, in the office, or on the road. The Braillex Compact is equipped with a Pentium processor and can be upgraded with up to 40 MB of memory—plenty of computer power to work with DOS or Windows or OS/2. Braillex Compact is an ideal companion for making small notes, as well as for high-end word processing, database or spreadsheet applications, or anything else you would like to do with your computer. Users may connect an external Qwerty keyboard, a VGA monitor, Braille and ink printers, a scanner, modem, speech synthesizer, etc. See TVI Technologies at: http://www.tvi-web.com.