Paperless Braille Machines:

Another type of machine which can be interfaced with a computer and serve as a computer
terminal is the paperless Braille device. Two models are being made in this country (one by
Telesensory Systems, Incorporated and the other by Triformation Systems, Incorporated)
and other models can be purchased from Germany. These machines consist of a cassette
tape drive, a 20-cell Braille display, a 6-key Braille keyboard, and a number of operating
controls. (The Braille displays on some of the foreign machines are larger than 20 cells.) The
cost of the paperless Braille machine is similar to that of the Optacon and talking terminals. It
may be an advantage that these machines have writing and editing capabilities as well as
showing the readout. It should be possible to interface this machine with certain electric
typewriters, as well as computers. Thus, material could be typed by a paid or volunteer typist
and read in Braille on the machine. The memory blocks of the two American machines vary
considerably in size. The 20-cell display is a disadvantage, for that is a very small segment
of material. Nevertheless, many blind people prefer to have the information in Braille.
Paperless Braille displays which become part of microcomputers are now being tested and
marketed. The advantage of these is that no special software is needed.

Braille Thermoform Machine:

This machine is comparable to a copy machine for print materials. It is useful for making a
limited number of copies of a Braille page or pages. This is the way it functions: a Braille
page is placed on a flat surface on the machine. A blank plastic page is placed on top of the
Braille. Both pages are held in place by a frame which is lowered over the edges of the
platform. A heating unit is then pulled over the material and held there for three seconds. At
the end of this time, a vacumn device sucks the softened plastic page down over the Braille
dots, so that the plastic is molded into a pattern identical to the page underneath it. The
whole process takes only a few seconds. In this, also, it is like a print copy machine. Most
employers will not need to have Braille Thermoform machines. However, it may be useful to
know about the process. Public and private service agencies for the blind often have these
machines and will duplicate Braille material on request at little or no charge. If a company
employs more than one blind person and both need to have access to certain material in
Braille, it would be possible to have the material put into Braille by a volunteer transcriber
and one or more copies made with the Thermoform machine.

Braille Dymotape Machine:

If relatively brief Braille labels are needed on file folders or equipment, they can be made by
a blind or sighted employee using a Braille Dymotape ma chine. A dial marked in print and
Braille is turned to the appropriate letter or punctuation mark. Depression of a lever causes
the Braille symbol to be imprinted upon the tape. The plastic back can be peeled off the tape
and the label applied to most kinds of surfaces. Of course, Braille labels can be made with a
slate or stylus or a Braille writer, but the Braille Dymotape machine can often serve a useful
purpose as well.

Closed Circuit TV Enlargers;

A number of models of these devices are available from two different companies Apollo
Laser and Visualtek. These machines magnify print from a printed page onto a screen.
Enlargement can be as much as 60 times the size of the original print. A number of
adjustments can be made according to the preference of the reader. For instance, the
machine can be set to show black print on a white background, or white print on a black
background. This is useful to some individuals because it helps them to reduce glare and
control sensitivity to bright light. Many blind individuals have a limited amount of usable
vision, generally not more than 1096...This means their vision is usuable, but not good
enough to use standard materials. The closed circuit TV enlargers increase independence
and flexibility for blind individuals who can use them. Closed circuit TV enlargers also exist
for computers as well.

Other Magnifiers:
Magnifiers can be very simple and inexpensive, or they can be large and cost several
hundred dollars. They do exactly what one would expect them to do. They magnify the print
1 to 10 times and are helpful to some persons with very limited vision. There are dozens of
types of magnifiers on the market, some with several lenses and some with with special
lighting. They can be purchased from optometrists and other retailers of visual aids. Very
often, if a person has difficulty using a closed circuit TV enlarger or a magnifier, he or she
can work more efficiently with recorded materials.

Typewriters:
There is no such thing as a typewriter for the blind. There is not, because there is no need
for it. Blind people use standard typewriters: manual, electric and selectric. Blind secretaries
use them to earn a living. Other blind individuals use typewriters as the major method for
writing print. At work a counselor, supervisor, teacher, news reporter, or any of a hundred or
more other types of employees who are blind can type information for others to read. The
typewriter can be used by a blind person to fill out forms, to type drafts of manuscripts and
letters, make notes or instructions for others, as well as to do all variations of secretarial
work. It is a machine that blind persons may depend on more than sighted persons. No
special adaptions are needed. Some blind persons write legible handwriting. Some do not. In
any case, there is no reason to worry about the blind person's handwriting as long as he or
she knows how to type. If the blind person does not type, this will reduce his or her flexiblity,
but dictation through a machine or directly to a secretary is still an easy technique in many
employment situations. Since typing is done by touch, it is a natural and easy skill for a blind
person to acquire. Typing is a valuable skill and is used by the blind for some purposes when
a sighted person might not type.

Of course, it would not be sensible to insist that all blind persons do a lot of typing. This
would not be desirable in some jobs. For example, the author of this book typed all her work
in college and developed good speed and accuracy. She handled personal correspondence
and correspondence for an organization for which she was secretary for several years after
college. She now types only a few pages a year, because her work load is such that typing is
inefficient.