Braille ‘n Speak and Optacon Model R1D
Braille 'n Speak® was a portable, electronic Braille note taker designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. In 1987, long before sighted users had devices such as the iPad, Deane Blazie’s invention made it possible for users to store up to 30 files of notes, keep a calendar and…
Title
Braille ‘n Speak and Optacon Model R1D
Subject
Assistive Technology
Easterseals Crossroads
Description
Braille 'n Speak® was a portable, electronic Braille note taker designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. In 1987, long before sighted users had devices such as the iPad, Deane Blazie’s invention made it possible for users to store up to 30 files of notes, keep a calendar and phone directory, check the time and date, and have quick access to a calculator and stopwatch.
The unit features a six-key Perkins-style Braille keyboard and the capability to provide output in print, synthesized speech, or Braille. About the size of a videocassette, the original Braille ‘n Speak® weighed 2 pounds and sold for $895.
The Optacon, an optical to tactile converter, enabled blind people to read printed material that had not been transcribed into Braille. The Optacon allowed the user to guide a camera lens about the size of a penknife over an image, such as a page of printed text, while using the other hand to "see" a tactile representation of that image on a small array of vibrating pins.
The Optacon was the brainchild of John Linvill, a Stanford University electrical engineering professor who had a daughter who was blind. Candace Linvill successfully used the Optacon in her doctoral studies, becoming a clinical psychologist. John Linvill co-founded Telesensory Systems Inc., which manufactured the devices from 1971 to 1996.
The unit features a six-key Perkins-style Braille keyboard and the capability to provide output in print, synthesized speech, or Braille. About the size of a videocassette, the original Braille ‘n Speak® weighed 2 pounds and sold for $895.
The Optacon, an optical to tactile converter, enabled blind people to read printed material that had not been transcribed into Braille. The Optacon allowed the user to guide a camera lens about the size of a penknife over an image, such as a page of printed text, while using the other hand to "see" a tactile representation of that image on a small array of vibrating pins.
The Optacon was the brainchild of John Linvill, a Stanford University electrical engineering professor who had a daughter who was blind. Candace Linvill successfully used the Optacon in her doctoral studies, becoming a clinical psychologist. John Linvill co-founded Telesensory Systems Inc., which manufactured the devices from 1971 to 1996.
Creator
Indiana Disability History Project
Publisher
Center on Aging and Community, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities
Contributor
Easterseals Crossroads, Indianapolis, Indiana
Nicol Prieto - photographer
Rights
Copyright © Easterseals Crossroads, Indianapolis. Reproduced with permission.
Relation
Format
image/jpeg
Language
English
Type
Still Image
Identifier
053-si-08
Access Rights
Open to all users
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