Hi Roger,
Good article here. For a relatively poor nation, it appears as though Cuba is
doing pretty well by its blind citizens. I would like to know the unemployment
rate of blind Cubans and if any Cuban students are mainstreamed.
By the way, if our government does the right thing, we will soon see a
revolution in the growth of available braille. Companies like Orbit Research
have been producing lower cost braille displays such as the Orbit Reader 20.
Our local talking book library here in Massachusetts now has a pilot program in
which they are giving on long term loan these displays. It is a 20 cell display
that can be used as a reader, a notetaker, or a display for computers and SMART
phones. It works via Bluetooth with SMART phones such that one can read a wide
variety of content including newspapers, kindle and iBooks in contracted
braille. The cost of the Orbit Reader 20 is around $450.00. Our library is in
the process of giving out 200 of these displays.
NLS director Karen Keninger wants to put free braille displays in the hands of
all NLS patrons who read braille. The last I heard was that funding is
available to make this pilot go nationwide soon. Let's hope that our
short-sighted leaders do not choose to make cuts to NLS because if they do, I
fear this program could be one of the first to go as it is very new.
By the way, I have one of the Orbit readers from the pilot and since I got it
the amount of braille I'm reading has increased markedly.
Bob Hachey