I'm giving you 3 grand. What weird or little known adaptive tech are you buying for an assistive technology display at a library?

By Cory K, 19 June, 2024

Forum
Assistive Technology

Think talking tape measurer, the talking AM/FM radio. Give me some ideas. Thanks for your help!

Options

Comments

By TheBllindGuy07 on Monday, June 17, 2024 - 05:12

The Optakon.

By Travis Roth on Monday, June 17, 2024 - 05:12

Not clear to me if it is more of a museum/historical exhibit or current? I'm guessing somewhat current:
Slate and stylus (timeless but I bet many kids don't know this no batteries needed standby)
Braille watch
Tissot Touch Silen-T Tactile Watch (not sure if can buy these any more)
Sensational BlackBoard
Braille display (Orbit Reader 20 type likely the most budget efficient)
Embossed Braille book
Braille label maker
Audio labeller
Talking graphing calculator

By TheBllindGuy07 on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

is still there for sale all of them as far as I know, very interesting I didn't know anything about those. Are they like the eone bradley, accessibility by design or something like that? They also seem to be expensive but more because of the design and premium thing rather than accessibility?

By TheBllindGuy07 on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

What is this Sensational BlackBoard thing? Just looked at it, very cheep, it's like tactipad without anything digital?

By OldBear on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

I was going to sit this one out, but... The Sensational BlackBoard allows you to take a regular sheet of printer or copy paper, with a ball point pin, and draw tactile or raised-line sketches that are raised on the side you are drawing on. In other words, it is not a reversed sketch on the other side of the paper. This is in place of the expensive, plastic film drawing kit with the rubberized clip board. You can create the same effect by placing a thin sheet of packing foam over a drawing board, which isn't at all a new idea. The trick is you have to hold the ball point pin at a certain angle as you draw, and it breaks some, but not all the fivers under the pin tip. This leaves a ridge sticking up slightly from the surface of the paper on either side of the line. You can end up tearing through the paper if you aren't practiced at it. It's pretty good for doodling, assuming you are able to use or feel tactile drawings. Much, much finer detail is possible than those magnetic drawing toys marketed for children, though I think those could be refined into something useful with more... I guess I'll call them ball pixels.

By gailisaiah on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

How about the old Versa Braille. You need a cassette tape to use it.

By Ali Colak on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

Ä°ts usefullness can be debated, but I loved my braillenote I had in highschool. There is a certain sense of familiarity.

By Diego Garibay on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

I tried googling this one, it seems to be a normal Watch brand. Where are there accessible watch options? Thanks.

By Travis Roth on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

It is the Silen-T model or models. Hey the poster asked for somewhat offbeat assistive tech. Anyway I suspect some of the price is due to the brand name, and some due to accessibility.
In a nutshell it looks like a standard watch with hands. As you run your finger around the perimeter it vibrates patterns when you reach the hour and minute hands. So then using the vibrations as well as the clock face position you know what time it is.
I wish Apple would do this on Apple Watch, it is faster to read than the current haptic system Apple Watch has. I emailed Apple Accessibility once but I guess they prefer the many haptics method.
Hope this helps.

By Magic Retina on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

For free, get in touch with your state Talking Book Library (National Library Services) and see if they have some equipment to loan you for the display (if you don't already have some). I've been to public libraries that had their old tape players on display and these days they have digital players.

If you want to go beyond reading, there's some funny things I use in the kitchen you could set up around a coffee cup: ping pong balls to tell when hot liquids are at the top of a cup, little funnels for pouring things, cafeteria trays to keep things organized (I also brought some of those to my local library's beading class so everyone had an easier space for their beads).

A lot of adaptive tech is more low tech than people realize.

By Cory K on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

Thanks for these suggestions everyone!! I actually work for a network library of NLS. We recently got the talking radio and tape measurer. It got me thinking of other technologies that are accessible that folks wouldn't think of.

By Magic Retina on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

Something a lot of people don't know about but which is a bit weird and sometimes expensive is click rulers. Very handy in wood shops and when you need a more accurate measurement.

By tyler chambliss on Monday, June 24, 2024 - 05:12

I want a BrailleNote mPower again. Nostalgic and it would still be a better word processor in 2024 than my Touch Plus. I have a friend that refurbishes old assistive tech with new batteries and braille display cells but it's going to take me a bit to save up the $350.00 he wants for it.