Braille Bug News
In classrooms across the country, school children are learning how to read and write braille with the help of a ladybug. AFB's Braille Bug website and teaching materials help to raise awareness of braille literacy by introducing sighted children in grades three through six to basic braille concepts. The site also provides teachers with the tools they need to bring braille into the mainstream classroom. The curriculum mascot is a ladybug who shows how her dots can be arranged into a trail of meaningful language and communication.
The Braille Bug website is designed for use by children, parents, and teachers. It includes games, secret messages, a reading club, and information about Helen Keller and Louis Braille. Children can change the colors of the site to learn how people with visual impairments use technology. Visitors to the website can also request a free Braille Bug Alphabet Card.
Braille Bug classroom materials can be purchased in the AFB Bookstore.
- Braille Bug Alphabet Cards are colorful, 9 by 3 inch cards embossed with the braille alphabet, numbers, and commonly used punctuation.
- The Braille Trail: An Activity Book and its companion, The Braille Trail Parent/Teacher Guide, offer games, graphics, activities and a wealth of information on braille.
- The Braille Trail Activity Book with Slate and Stylus gives children a tool to write braille and allows them to learn to create their own "secret messages."
The Braille Bug materials were developed and written by Frances Mary D'Andrea and Anna Swenson. For more information, contact AFB Press.
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Scholarship Program 2012
AFB administers seven post-secondary education scholarships for up to 11 deserving students who are legally blind:
Delta Gamma Memorial Scholarship—One scholarship of $1,000
- Undergraduate or graduate study in the field(s) of rehabilitation and/or education. of people who are blind or visually impaired.
Ferdinand Torres Scholarship—One scholarship of $3,500
- Undergraduate or graduate study in any full-time program in any field.
- Applicant need not be a U.S. citizen, but must reside in U.S. Preference given to New York City metropolitan area residents, and new immigrants to the U.S.
Gladys C. Anderson Memorial Scholarship — One scholarship of $1,000
- Undergraduate or graduate study in classical or religious music.
- Applicant must be female.
Karen D. Carsel Memorial Scholarship—One scholarship of $500
- Graduate study in any full-time program in any field.
- Applicant must submit evidence of economic need.
Paul W. Ruckes Scholarship—One scholarship of $1,000
- Undergraduate or graduate study in engineering or in the computer, physical, or life sciences.
R. L. Gillette Scholarship—Two scholarships of $1,000 each
- Undergraduate study in a four-year degree program in literature or music.
- Applicant must be female.
Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship—Four scholarships of $2,500 each
- Undergraduate or graduate study in the field of rehabilitation and/or education of people who are blind or visually impaired.
Visit the AFB scholarships website for further information and to fill out the application.
Please direct questions and comments to: American Foundation for the Blind Information Center, (800) 232-5463, afbinfo@afb.net
The National Federation of the Blind Offers 30 National Scholarships
To recognize achievement by blind scholars, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) annually offers blind college students in the United States the opportunity to win one of thirty national scholarships worth from $3,000 to $12,000. See the NFB scholarship website for the rules on eligibility, requirements for documentation, and an online application form. Membership in the NFB is not required. The 2012 NFB Scholarship Program begins November 1, 2011. Application deadline: March 31, 2012.
Oehm Electronics offers DTV Radio
The demise of radio tuners that can receive TV broadcasts has resulted in the introduction of a specialty product to address the interest in an audio-only HD TV receiver, the DTV Radio.
The device is sold directly by Oehm Electronics. The shipping package includes a braille manual, the DTV unit, and its power cable. In addition to the braille documentation, an electronic version of the manual is e-mailed immediately when the order is placed.
The DTV Radio is not based on an FM tuner; it's an HD TV without a screen. This is revealed by the permanently mounted remote control attached to the right-hand face of the DTV cabinet, the approximate dimensions of which are 14 by 12 by 3 inches.
Because the unit is a conventional digital TV tuner, speech output isn't part of the interface. Instead, sequences of button presses on the control panel perform specific functions. To assist with this process, a braille diagram of the controls is included.
If the intent of the DTV Radio is to provide a custom product to a select group of individuals who desire complete and accessible documentation for a television receiver that can be operated in a convenient and predictable manner, the DTV Radio succeeds in meeting this goal.
The DTV Radio costs $175 plus shipping and is available from Oehm Electronics, (408) 971-6250, or oehmelec@comcast.net.
TV Speak, Software-Based TV Access
TV Speak is a new offering from Code Factory intended to provide access to television. According to Code Factory, TV Speak allows the blind or visually impaired user to use the most common functions of digital television in an accessible way. These functions include: Channel up and down, change volume, configure both television and TV Speak parameters, view and navigate Electronic Program Guide (EPG), record television programs (image + audio, or audio only), and use parental controls.
Options to optimize TV Speak for low vision use are provided in addition to speech.
TV Speak software operates on a personal computer running Windows 7, Vista, or XP with a TV tuning card or USB tuner. Several hardware devices available from Best Buy for $40 to $80 are supported. For a more complete discussion of suitable hardware, visit the TV Speak website. These tuners and TV Speak are limited to High Definition (HD) broadcast channels only.
Documentation and support are available ont the TV Speak website. Handy Tech North America sells the product in the US. An audio demonstration is available on the Handy Tech website.
TV Speak is priced at $245 without a software synthesizer or $295 with an Acapela Voice.
