2338 The Tech Toolbox from Orbit Research (Sep. 20, 2023)
Show Notes
Orbit Research carries a wide variety of products suitable for students, professionals, and home use. These range from talking and graphics calculators to multi-line and graphical braille displays, to low vision magnifiers to braille computers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Venkatesh Chari, President and CEO of Orbit Research, about their many offerings.
2236 NBP Center for Braille Innovation (Sep. 7, 2022)
Show Notes
The National Braille Press (NBP) is well known for its mission of promoting braille literacy and producing a variety of braille books for all ages and interests. Perhaps less well known is their program to advance technologies to produce braille. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian MacDonald, President and CEO of NBP, about these efforts.
2228 Graphical Braille Display and eBRF (Jul. 13, 2022)
Show Notes
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an affordable, 2-D, refreshable Braille display? Soon that may not be just a dream. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Greg Stilson and William Freeman from the American Printing House about the new technology behind the combined text and graphics tactile display they are working on as well as formatting standards for such displays.
2037 The New Mantis and More from APH (Sep. 9, 2020)
Show Notes
The Mantis Q40 is a refreshable 40-cell braille display that distinguishes itself from similar devices with its built in QWERTY keyboard. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Larry Skutchan from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) about the device and how the APH and Humanware partnered to develop it. We also discuss other products from the APH.
2016 Braille Displays - Dot Watch and Beyond (Apr. 15, 2020)
Show Notes
Dot Incorp has developed an innovative braille technology for refreshable braille displays that is less costly and bulky than traditional refreshable braille designs. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ah-rum Choi, director of Social Impact at Dot Incorp, about their new braille Dot Watch, and what we might expect from this technology in the future.
1946 Bristol Braille Multi-Line Refreshable Braille Display (Nov. 13, 2019)
Show Notes
Bristol Braille is now shipping the Canute 360, a refreshable multi-line braille display with 360 characters. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ed Rogers, founder and managing director of Bristol Braille, about how the device works and how the designers managed to make the Canute 360 at a price that makes it a viable option for braille users.
1741 Together Again - Leaders Who Made a Difference (part 2 of 2) (Oct. 4, 2017)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey continue the conversation with three leaders in the field of assistive technology: Deane Blazie, Jim Fruchterman, and Ted Henter. They made pioneering contributions to the development of refreshable Braille displays, OCR, and screen readers, respectively. Learn about their visions for the future in this informative round table discussion.
1740 Together Again - Leaders Who Made a Difference (part 1 of 2) (Sep. 27, 2017)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey bring together three leaders in the field of assistive technology: Deane Blazie, Jim Fruchterman, and Ted Henter. They made pioneering contributions to the development of refreshable Braille displays, OCR, and screen readers, respectively. Learn what each of them is up to today in this informative round table discussion.
1722 Encore of 1225 A Talk with Deane Blazie (May 24, 2017)
Show Notes
In the course of his career, Deane Blazie developed and produced the Braille 'n Speak, the Braille Lite, the Braille Blazer and other innovations in accessibility technology. Join hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey as they speak with him about those, other of his products and some more recent projects he's worked on.
1649 Orbit Reader 20 from APH (Nov. 30, 2016)
Show Notes
The Orbit Reader 20 is a refreshable Braille display with note-taking capability from the American Printing House with a price point dramatically lower than similar devices on the market today. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ken Perry, a blind engineer and project lead, about the device, its functions, and how they achieved this low-cost design.
1507 Interpretype Deaf-Blind Communication System (Feb. 11, 2015)
Show Notes
The Interpretype Deaf-Blind Communication System enables deaf-blind Braille users to communicate in a variety of situations including telephone communications, texting, instant messaging, internet, VRS and face-to-face conversations. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with its inventor, Ken Gan, about this portable yet powerful tool.
1234 8-22-12 Braille Embossers
Show Notes
The use of Braille embossers and refreshable Braille displays has opened up employment and other opportunities for the blind. But it wasn’t always this way. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tony and Kate Schenk of Enabling Technologies about the development of these devices and the products currently offered by their company.
1120 5-18-11 Braille
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk about numerous aspects of
Braille. This includes writing Braille by hand or machine, Braille transcription services,
refreshable Braille displays, Braille PDA's, Print-Braille children's books, and more.
1109 3-02-11 Using a screen reader, types of earphones, etc
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey discuss using a screen reader
and/or a refreshable Braille display for accessing a computer, identifying money (folding paper
money, feeling coins, using scanners, …) and various types of earphones (on ear & in ear,
noise cancelling, built-in radio, wireless, Bluetooth).