I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list? Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC
Hi Jane, There is a lot of interest from my end. Many of my clients also desire a tactile compass. My client who I just finished working with a few minutes ago thought the compass on iOS is too chatty and was distracting. I would have to agree at least some of the time. Generally, I would prefer a tactile compass over a talking one unless I want to know about degrees. I recently learned about the haptic feedback in the native iOS compass app, though I don't know the minimum hardware and software requirements. It's a somewhat recent development. If you hold the phone flat with the earpiece facing away or in vertical portrait orientation with the rear camera facing away and you rotate the phone on the vertical axis, you may feel a tap every 30 degrees of rotation. When rotating past north, the tap is more intense than the other 11 taps. This is the closest way I know of to sort of simulate an analog tactile compass right now, even though some people find the taps too weak to confidently perceive. I hope your client's friend's attempt at making another tactile compass succeeds and results in a product like the one that I and many others benefitted from in the past and soarly miss. If possible, I would love to buy one at National Convention if they're not sold out before I reach the front of the line. Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list?
Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
Thanks Ben, I tried this out, and it does work, but I can see where some folks would find it hard to feel. The other thing is figuring out which direction you are facing to begin with, so it could work in a pinch, but a good Braille compass is still really the best solution for most folks. I will show it to my students with hearing loss, it could be a real help in some situations. Jeff -----Original Message----- From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Benjamin Vercellone Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 1:45 PM To: Jane Lansaw Cc: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: Re: [Nomc] Tactile compasses Hi Jane, There is a lot of interest from my end. Many of my clients also desire a tactile compass. My client who I just finished working with a few minutes ago thought the compass on iOS is too chatty and was distracting. I would have to agree at least some of the time. Generally, I would prefer a tactile compass over a talking one unless I want to know about degrees. I recently learned about the haptic feedback in the native iOS compass app, though I don't know the minimum hardware and software requirements. It's a somewhat recent development. If you hold the phone flat with the earpiece facing away or in vertical portrait orientation with the rear camera facing away and you rotate the phone on the vertical axis, you may feel a tap every 30 degrees of rotation. When rotating past north, the tap is more intense than the other 11 taps. This is the closest way I know of to sort of simulate an analog tactile compass right now, even though some people find the taps too weak to confidently perceive. I hope your client's friend's attempt at making another tactile compass succeeds and results in a product like the one that I and many others benefitted from in the past and soarly miss. If possible, I would love to buy one at National Convention if they're not sold out before I reach the front of the line. Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list?
Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
Thank you, Jeff. In my opinion, there has been a very distinct focus on auditory information in much assistive technology for at least the past 10 to 20 years. Overall, not enough people have cared about tactile technology aside from that which is Braille-related. I am glad to see recent developments that are breaking the mold, like with the Orbit Reader 20, the Braille Me, the eagerly anticipated Canute and Graphiti, etc. I hope that we see this progress accelerate and occur in more arenas than Braille alone. I know that the Graphiti is not a Braille device but a refreshable tactile graphics one. And boy is it impressive! I have examined it 3 times and hope that it touches down this year. Anyway, I am doing what I can, one little piece at a time, to hopefully assist in the process of having something like a modern and versatile Optacon. The main limitation we have faced since the extinction of the Optacon and especially nowadays is not a lack of hardware capabilities, in my research-based opinion. Rather, the main limitation has been attitudinal, with the lack of interest translating into a lack of optimism, a financial myopia, and a partial collective amnesia for many people. I am not saying that tactile technology is cheap. I do not want to tread carelessly here. But I think that it is time to try again, if you will, since it is definitely more possible than ever before to establish affordable tactile technology. I think that many blind people, and especially blindness professionals, need to reflect much more on the merits of the sense of touch, as a revived focus on this sense in assistive technology could be life-changing for many people as it used to be with the Optacon. My research into tactile technology has been rather deep in the last 2 years, but I started having a bit more kinetic energy yesterday after having my second conversation with a man from a company called Tanvas. Let's just say that since it is already possible to have glass touch screens give tactile information (see Tanvas? website), it is not a stretch, aside from a little time and money, to expect a new generation of touch screen technology rather soon. And I will just say that this new touch screen technology is not much more expensive than a tempered glass screen protector, which many people buy for their smart phones. I personally would not mind reading an analog tactile compass which is really a tactile rendering on a next generation touch screen. Granted, it may be a while before these advanced touch screens are available on a device running iOS. But as far as Android goes, I would personally recommend a measure of optimism here. Also, regarding tactile compasses for the blind that are dedicated hardware devices, I have had one idea in mind for some time, which I shared last year at the NFB national convention. I believe I shared this idea on the first day of convention, during the Rehabilitation and Orientation and Mobility Conference, Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation and Education for the Blind. To reiterate, I felt an innovative device from Liftware in 2016, which basically acts as a utensil for people with tremors. It consists of the handle, an intermediate motor, and the fork or spoon end that the user selects and attaches. If the user's hand involuntarily moves one way, the motor adjusts the angle between the handle and the end which is holding the food. These adjustments are quick and impressive, allowing at least some users with tremors to eat soup without spillage. What does this have to do with compasses for the blind? A lot. Basically, I want people more skillful with hardware design than me to look into this technology, keeping in mind that with the overall concept of the Liftware technology, it would be possible to make a tactile compass more similar than different to the one most of us fondly remember. This compass would be able to refresh real-time, though, because of the motor. Rather than adjusting angles like with the Liftware hardware, this theoretical compass would only need to provide bidirectional rotation on a single axis. The hardware could look very similar to the Brunton Tactile Braille Compass, but the lid would serve as protection when storing the unit. It would not be necessary to lock the disk in place, since the motor would provide enough force to keep the disk in place for tactile analysis. The compass in the base of this unit could be a traditional magnetic one or it could be a high-tech digital compass like those in smart phones. I do not care. All I want is for the motor to appropriately rotate the disk real-time as the user rotates the whole unit. I did communicate with several people via phone and e-mail, including a representative from Liftware. The Liftware representative told me that they like my idea but cannot pursue it at this time. Anyway, I'll wind down now, especially since someone is already working on a new tactile compass! Yay!!! But anyone who wants more information on this idea, which I don't claim to have invented, is more than welcome to contact me. Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Deb & Jeff Altman <debandjeff at allophone.com> wrote:
Thanks Ben, I tried this out, and it does work, but I can see where some folks would find it hard to feel. The other thing is figuring out which direction you are facing to begin with, so it could work in a pinch, but a good Braille compass is still really the best solution for most folks. I will show it to my students with hearing loss, it could be a real help in some situations.
Jeff
-----Original Message----- From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Benjamin Vercellone Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 1:45 PM To: Jane Lansaw Cc: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: Re: [Nomc] Tactile compasses
Hi Jane,
There is a lot of interest from my end. Many of my clients also desire a tactile compass. My client who I just finished working with a few minutes ago thought the compass on iOS is too chatty and was distracting. I would have to agree at least some of the time. Generally, I would prefer a tactile compass over a talking one unless I want to know about degrees. I recently learned about the haptic feedback in the native iOS compass app, though I don't know the minimum hardware and software requirements. It's a somewhat recent development. If you hold the phone flat with the earpiece facing away or in vertical portrait orientation with the rear camera facing away and you rotate the phone on the vertical axis, you may feel a tap every 30 degrees of rotation. When rotating past north, the tap is more intense than the other 11 taps. This is the closest way I know of to sort of simulate an analog tactile compass right now, even though some people find the taps too weak to confidently perceive. I hope your client's friend's attempt at making another tactile compass succeeds and results in a product like the one that I and many others benefitted from in the past and soarly miss. If possible, I would love to buy one at National Convention if they're not sold out before I reach the front of the line.
Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list?
Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
I have to wonder what Helen Keller national Center is doing if they are not looking into tactile compasses, tactile skills and other devices. Do they just think their people can?t use these at all anymore? Have they just given up on access? I would think that they would have lived away in this sort of technology now that nobody else is doing it. I told my client we needed to market to them as well. Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 21, 2019, at 8:50 AM, Benjamin Vercellone <benvercellone at gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you, Jeff.
In my opinion, there has been a very distinct focus on auditory information in much assistive technology for at least the past 10 to 20 years. Overall, not enough people have cared about tactile technology aside from that which is Braille-related. I am glad to see recent developments that are breaking the mold, like with the Orbit Reader 20, the Braille Me, the eagerly anticipated Canute and Graphiti, etc. I hope that we see this progress accelerate and occur in more arenas than Braille alone. I know that the Graphiti is not a Braille device but a refreshable tactile graphics one. And boy is it impressive! I have examined it 3 times and hope that it touches down this year. Anyway, I am doing what I can, one little piece at a time, to hopefully assist in the process of having something like a modern and versatile Optacon. The main limitation we have faced since the extinction of the Optacon and especially nowadays is not a lack of hardware capabilities, in my research-based opinion. Rather, the main limitation has been attitudinal, with the lack of interest translating into a lack of optimism, a financial myopia, and a partial collective amnesia for many people. I am not saying that tactile technology is cheap. I do not want to tread carelessly here. But I think that it is time to try again, if you will, since it is definitely more possible than ever before to establish affordable tactile technology. I think that many blind people, and especially blindness professionals, need to reflect much more on the merits of the sense of touch, as a revived focus on this sense in assistive technology could be life-changing for many people as it used to be with the Optacon.
My research into tactile technology has been rather deep in the last 2 years, but I started having a bit more kinetic energy yesterday after having my second conversation with a man from a company called Tanvas. Let's just say that since it is already possible to have glass touch screens give tactile information (see Tanvas? website), it is not a stretch, aside from a little time and money, to expect a new generation of touch screen technology rather soon. And I will just say that this new touch screen technology is not much more expensive than a tempered glass screen protector, which many people buy for their smart phones. I personally would not mind reading an analog tactile compass which is really a tactile rendering on a next generation touch screen. Granted, it may be a while before these advanced touch screens are available on a device running iOS. But as far as Android goes, I would personally recommend a measure of optimism here.
Also, regarding tactile compasses for the blind that are dedicated hardware devices, I have had one idea in mind for some time, which I shared last year at the NFB national convention. I believe I shared this idea on the first day of convention, during the Rehabilitation and Orientation and Mobility Conference, Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation and Education for the Blind. To reiterate, I felt an innovative device from Liftware in 2016, which basically acts as a utensil for people with tremors. It consists of the handle, an intermediate motor, and the fork or spoon end that the user selects and attaches. If the user's hand involuntarily moves one way, the motor adjusts the angle between the handle and the end which is holding the food. These adjustments are quick and impressive, allowing at least some users with tremors to eat soup without spillage. What does this have to do with compasses for the blind? A lot. Basically, I want people more skillful with hardware design than me to look into this technology, keeping in mind that with the overall concept of the Liftware technology, it would be possible to make a tactile compass more similar than different to the one most of us fondly remember. This compass would be able to refresh real-time, though, because of the motor. Rather than adjusting angles like with the Liftware hardware, this theoretical compass would only need to provide bidirectional rotation on a single axis. The hardware could look very similar to the Brunton Tactile Braille Compass, but the lid would serve as protection when storing the unit. It would not be necessary to lock the disk in place, since the motor would provide enough force to keep the disk in place for tactile analysis. The compass in the base of this unit could be a traditional magnetic one or it could be a high-tech digital compass like those in smart phones. I do not care. All I want is for the motor to appropriately rotate the disk real-time as the user rotates the whole unit. I did communicate with several people via phone and e-mail, including a representative from Liftware. The Liftware representative told me that they like my idea but cannot pursue it at this time. Anyway, I'll wind down now, especially since someone is already working on a new tactile compass! Yay!!! But anyone who wants more information on this idea, which I don't claim to have invented, is more than welcome to contact me.
Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Deb & Jeff Altman <debandjeff at allophone.com> wrote:
Thanks Ben, I tried this out, and it does work, but I can see where some folks would find it hard to feel. The other thing is figuring out which direction you are facing to begin with, so it could work in a pinch, but a good Braille compass is still really the best solution for most folks. I will show it to my students with hearing loss, it could be a real help in some situations.
Jeff
-----Original Message----- From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Benjamin Vercellone Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 1:45 PM To: Jane Lansaw Cc: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: Re: [Nomc] Tactile compasses
Hi Jane,
There is a lot of interest from my end. Many of my clients also desire a tactile compass. My client who I just finished working with a few minutes ago thought the compass on iOS is too chatty and was distracting. I would have to agree at least some of the time. Generally, I would prefer a tactile compass over a talking one unless I want to know about degrees. I recently learned about the haptic feedback in the native iOS compass app, though I don't know the minimum hardware and software requirements. It's a somewhat recent development. If you hold the phone flat with the earpiece facing away or in vertical portrait orientation with the rear camera facing away and you rotate the phone on the vertical axis, you may feel a tap every 30 degrees of rotation. When rotating past north, the tap is more intense than the other 11 taps. This is the closest way I know of to sort of simulate an analog tactile compass right now, even though some people find the taps too weak to confidently perceive. I hope your client's friend's attempt at making another tactile compass succeeds and results in a product like the one that I and many others benefitted from in the past and soarly miss. If possible, I would love to buy one at National Convention if they're not sold out before I reach the front of the line.
Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list?
Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
I feel that we would definitely would have an interest in these devices here at BLIND Inc. Brian Dulude Ph.D., CRC, NOMC Assistant Director BLIND Inc. On 2/22/19, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have to wonder what Helen Keller national Center is doing if they are not looking into tactile compasses, tactile skills and other devices. Do they just think their people can?t use these at all anymore? Have they just given up on access? I would think that they would have lived away in this sort of technology now that nobody else is doing it. I told my client we needed to market to them as well.
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 21, 2019, at 8:50 AM, Benjamin Vercellone <benvercellone at gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you, Jeff.
In my opinion, there has been a very distinct focus on auditory information in much assistive technology for at least the past 10 to 20 years. Overall, not enough people have cared about tactile technology aside from that which is Braille-related. I am glad to see recent developments that are breaking the mold, like with the Orbit Reader 20, the Braille Me, the eagerly anticipated Canute and Graphiti, etc. I hope that we see this progress accelerate and occur in more arenas than Braille alone. I know that the Graphiti is not a Braille device but a refreshable tactile graphics one. And boy is it impressive! I have examined it 3 times and hope that it touches down this year. Anyway, I am doing what I can, one little piece at a time, to hopefully assist in the process of having something like a modern and versatile Optacon. The main limitation we have faced since the extinction of the Optacon and especially nowadays is not a lack of hardware capabilities, in my research-based opinion. Rather, the main limitation has been attitudinal, with the lack of interest translating into a lack of optimism, a financial myopia, and a partial collective amnesia for many people. I am not saying that tactile technology is cheap. I do not want to tread carelessly here. But I think that it is time to try again, if you will, since it is definitely more possible than ever before to establish affordable tactile technology. I think that many blind people, and especially blindness professionals, need to reflect much more on the merits of the sense of touch, as a revived focus on this sense in assistive technology could be life-changing for many people as it used to be with the Optacon.
My research into tactile technology has been rather deep in the last 2 years, but I started having a bit more kinetic energy yesterday after having my second conversation with a man from a company called Tanvas. Let's just say that since it is already possible to have glass touch screens give tactile information (see Tanvas? website), it is not a stretch, aside from a little time and money, to expect a new generation of touch screen technology rather soon. And I will just say that this new touch screen technology is not much more expensive than a tempered glass screen protector, which many people buy for their smart phones. I personally would not mind reading an analog tactile compass which is really a tactile rendering on a next generation touch screen. Granted, it may be a while before these advanced touch screens are available on a device running iOS. But as far as Android goes, I would personally recommend a measure of optimism here.
Also, regarding tactile compasses for the blind that are dedicated hardware devices, I have had one idea in mind for some time, which I shared last year at the NFB national convention. I believe I shared this idea on the first day of convention, during the Rehabilitation and Orientation and Mobility Conference, Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation and Education for the Blind. To reiterate, I felt an innovative device from Liftware in 2016, which basically acts as a utensil for people with tremors. It consists of the handle, an intermediate motor, and the fork or spoon end that the user selects and attaches. If the user's hand involuntarily moves one way, the motor adjusts the angle between the handle and the end which is holding the food. These adjustments are quick and impressive, allowing at least some users with tremors to eat soup without spillage. What does this have to do with compasses for the blind? A lot. Basically, I want people more skillful with hardware design than me to look into this technology, keeping in mind that with the overall concept of the Liftware technology, it would be possible to make a tactile compass more similar than different to the one most of us fondly remember. This compass would be able to refresh real-time, though, because of the motor. Rather than adjusting angles like with the Liftware hardware, this theoretical compass would only need to provide bidirectional rotation on a single axis. The hardware could look very similar to the Brunton Tactile Braille Compass, but the lid would serve as protection when storing the unit. It would not be necessary to lock the disk in place, since the motor would provide enough force to keep the disk in place for tactile analysis. The compass in the base of this unit could be a traditional magnetic one or it could be a high-tech digital compass like those in smart phones. I do not care. All I want is for the motor to appropriately rotate the disk real-time as the user rotates the whole unit. I did communicate with several people via phone and e-mail, including a representative from Liftware. The Liftware representative told me that they like my idea but cannot pursue it at this time. Anyway, I'll wind down now, especially since someone is already working on a new tactile compass! Yay!!! But anyone who wants more information on this idea, which I don't claim to have invented, is more than welcome to contact me.
Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Deb & Jeff Altman <debandjeff at allophone.com> wrote:
Thanks Ben, I tried this out, and it does work, but I can see where some folks would find it hard to feel. The other thing is figuring out which direction you are facing to begin with, so it could work in a pinch, but a good Braille compass is still really the best solution for most folks. I will show it to my students with hearing loss, it could be a real help in some situations.
Jeff
-----Original Message----- From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Benjamin Vercellone Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 1:45 PM To: Jane Lansaw Cc: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: Re: [Nomc] Tactile compasses
Hi Jane,
There is a lot of interest from my end. Many of my clients also desire a tactile compass. My client who I just finished working with a few minutes ago thought the compass on iOS is too chatty and was distracting. I would have to agree at least some of the time. Generally, I would prefer a tactile compass over a talking one unless I want to know about degrees. I recently learned about the haptic feedback in the native iOS compass app, though I don't know the minimum hardware and software requirements. It's a somewhat recent development. If you hold the phone flat with the earpiece facing away or in vertical portrait orientation with the rear camera facing away and you rotate the phone on the vertical axis, you may feel a tap every 30 degrees of rotation. When rotating past north, the tap is more intense than the other 11 taps. This is the closest way I know of to sort of simulate an analog tactile compass right now, even though some people find the taps too weak to confidently perceive. I hope your client's friend's attempt at making another tactile compass succeeds and results in a product like the one that I and many others benefitted from in the past and soarly miss. If possible, I would love to buy one at National Convention if they're not sold out before I reach the front of the line.
Sincerely, Ben
On Feb 20, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lansaw <widearc2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list?
Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
-- Brian Dulude Ph.D., CRC, NOMC, Assistant Director Blindness: Learning In New Dimensions, (BLIND) Inc. 100 East 22nd Street Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 872-0100 bdulude at blindinc.org
Hi Jane, I've been looking for a source for quite a while. A good reliable Braille compass would be much appreciated, especially for deaf/blind folks. Jeff -----Original Message----- From: NOMC <nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org> On Behalf Of Jane Lansaw Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 8:35 AM To: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org Subject: [Nomc] Tactile compasses I have a client who has a friend who is trying to make tactile compasses. My client is deaf blind and her friend was motivated by her own need for a tactile compass. Since the original company has stopped making or repairing them, Many deaf blind people have been making comments about looking for a new source. I didn?t know how serious my client and her friend were. I have not seen a finish product so I don?t know if they are doing a good job. She wants to know what kind of market is out there and I think there?s a pretty good one. I asked her if she could have 20 of them completed by national convention so I can bring them. I don?t know how much they will cost but I?m sure the first couple of batches will be more expensive due to regular research and development costs. Is there any interest out there? Can you folks email and let me know how much interest there is, not just from you but from people you know who are not on the list? Sent from my iPhone Jane Lansaw NOMC _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org
participants (5)
-
bdulude＠blindinc.org -
benvercellone＠gmail.com -
debandjeff＠allophone.com -
jeff.altman＠nebraska.gov -
widearc2000＠gmail.com