[blindsacapetown] Re: FW: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

  • From: "Nicholas Stevens" <nicolas.stevens@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <blindsacapetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2016 13:10:06 +0200

Hi Andre,
I cant agree with your below email enough. Do you maybe know where I can get sponsorship for a Braille Apex? It's both for my personal needs and will be for my study needs.
Please assist me with information.
Enjoy your day.
Regards
Nicholas Stevens
Home: (021) 712 9022
Cell: 079 045 8029
Fax: 086 732 9993
E-Mail: nicolas.stevens@xxxxxxxxxxxx

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Andre Vosloo" <avosloo1@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2016 7:04 PM
To: <blindsacapetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blindsacapetown] Re: FW: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

We agree in principal. I however feel that Blind SA has a depot with staff
and nothing is going on.  A while back we donated a talking scale to a
member and I could not get one there.  I have felt for a while that the
depot is meaningless and that we should stock more assistive devices and
computer software there, avoiding the IT vendors which are damn expensive.
If I can buy it there, I have no problems reselling to a member at even
subsidised price. We have been spending money on members now as I feel that
the money should not just be in the bank. Would make it easier though if I
can procure say from Blind SA national.

regards

-----Original Message-----
From: blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ferdi Venter
Sent: 09 June 2016 10:25 AM
To: blindsacapetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindsacapetown] Re: FW: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

I did speak to Christo de Klerk about it and he might just mention it as
well at a meeting, however, it might just have more impact as far as local
awareness of the branch is concerned. This could be made a joint effort and
the treasurer could co-opt members to assist in this, one of those, the
blind help the blind, ventures, prooving ourselves and what we want the
public to realize in that no site doesn't have to mean, no vision.

From my understanding and being a NPO, funds should not be left in an
account to accumilate entrest for the benefit of the NPO, but should rather
be turned into projects benefitting its members.  I didn't get the last
balances, but from What I remember, this would be less than a quarter of the
overall funds.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andre Vosloo
Sent: 08 June 2016 16:16
To: blindsacapetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindsacapetown] Re: FW: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

Hi there

Nice suggestion, however I am going to escalate it to national as I have
already felt that they have a depot and should stock things for blind
people.  They also have more funds on hand and a staf to run this.  Great
idea I shall be escalating to national. Our funds is not bad, however if we
are going to start subsidizing things we are going to find ourselves out of
funds soon.  It is not as if many people help us to raise.

regards

-----Original Message-----
From: blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindsacapetown-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ferdi Venter
Sent: 08 June 2016 3:09 PM
To: blindsacapetown@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindsacapetown] FW: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

Hi all

Read about this great device here below and my suggestion at the bottom of
it. I adapted it slitely and only include the relevant information from the
original napsa post.

-----Original Message----- From: "Christo de Klerk"
Date: 30 May 2016 at 7:57:05 PM
To: "'National Accessibility Portal mailing list with topics focused on
accessibility for users with visual disabilities.'" <blind@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Subject: [Blind] The Orbit Reader 20

Hello all

I had the opportunity to see and play with the Orbit Reader 20 in Baltimore
and here is some information about it.  It is a Braille-only device,, no
speech, no audio. The planned release date is October. It has no bells and
whistles, but you pay for those bells and whistles in other devices. First
the physical description: it is small, really small: 15 cm wide, 10 cm deep
and about 2.5 cm high. It has no sharp corners or edges; all corners and
edges are rounded. It feels very sturdy, as if the material of which it is
made is quite thick and durable. It works off a replaceable rechargeable
battery (which is a huge plus). It has 20 braille cells but no cursor
routing keys. On either side of the braille line is a rocker button for
panning the display forwards or backwards. It has a Perkins-like keyboard
behind the display with two additional keys and there is a cursor circle
between dots 1 and 4 with a submit button in the middle of the circle. The
braille feels as good as or even better than the braille I have felt on most
other braille displays. The reason why people have referred to the feel of
its braille as signage braille, is because the dots do not give when you
press on them; they feel solid. You can't push them down. The device uses an
SD card and has Bluetooth and USB. It has three modes of operation. In one
mode it is a book reader. You can load text based documents in almost any
format on the SD card and then read them in braille with navigational
features, a find feature and bookmarks. In its second mode of operation it
becomes a terminal for a computer or a smart phone. In this mode it
functions like a Bluetooth keyboard but with braille input and display. It
should function with all major screen readers. In its third mode of
operation it is a notetaker, a bare-bones text editor much like Notepad with
which you can create and edit files. It also has a file manager for copying,
deleting and renaming files. It has a simple menu structure and is really
easy to operate. This machine can be a major breakthrough. I am excited
about it. Its wholesale price is $320. Let us pray to providence that some
of our local importers don't get their paws on this one, because then the
price is sure to double. As soon as I can afford one, I am getting it
directly from overseas. At the ICEB General Assembly the head of the RNIB,
Kevin Carey, did a presentation about the Orbit and he suggested that
resellers should not want to make money on the device in order to keep its
price as low as possible. I was really impressed with the Orbit. I hope many
more people will be able to afford this machine and have refreshable braille
in their hands.

Ok, now that you've read the above passage, I want to suggest that the
committee of BlindSA Penensula consider the possibility of offering a ten
percent financial contribution towards members, whom wish to order the Orbit
Reader 20, at their next committee meeting.  Then, after receiving the
outstanding 90 percent, from interested members, the branch could perhaps
place a bulk order. It could then also be used as an awareness campaign to
demonstrate how this branch, as part of the organization, helps members to
make these devices more affordable and in thus, give blind people an even
greater chance to be employed in the open labour market.  Furthermore,
they'll be  cutting out all these middle men which will most probably, as
Christo mentioned in his post, try to get their sticky paws on it and, once
again, load the price for their own financial benefit at the expense of
blind people's independence.  It could mean some good publicity for the
branch in the local or even the national media as well and it could even be
combined with a corporate function like, but not necessarily, the dinner In
the dark event where the units could be handed over to the members and some
corporates might just take note of this gesture and in turn might even make
a donation which would then replenish at least some of the funds which wwill
be going into this suggested and worthy project.

At a wholesale price of $320 per unit and with the rand currently trading at
about 15 to the dollar, this would mean R480 per interested member whom can
afford the remaining R4,320, which is very little for what you will be
getting in comparison to known devices of this kind.  This will, at a
current membership total of, say 50, total to R24,000, though I recken less
than 20 members would be able or interested to buy it, which will further
lower this figure.  Knowing that currencies are variable there could be
slite changes in the amounts mentioned, but look at it in principle.

Your thoughts on this?

Ferdi Venter







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