From: Donna McNear [dmcnear@ecenet.com]
Sent: יום חמישי 24 ינואר 2002 19:56
To: Reuven Nisser
Cc: Tim Connell
Subject: Re: Mountbatten Brailler

Greetings Reuven,

I can give some impressions of the Mountbatten Brailler and its use here in
the U.S., but I am limited in advising on the language issues so I will also
forward this message to Tim Connell from Quantum Technologies in Australia
who manufactures the Mountbatten Brailler (MB).

I think the MB is an excellent tool for developing early literacy skills. It
is a modern electronic braillewriter that offers an excellent alternative to
the traditional Perkins Braillewriter that is still frequently used here in
the United States. The MB is a muti-sensory braillewriter because of the
speech capabilities and the provides immediate feedback to learners in both
tactual and auditory learning channels. However, it is also an excellent
tool without speech because of the ease with which braille can be written.
If you are familiar with the Perkins, you may know that it is challenging
for some students who do not have the needed finger strength to use the
keys.

With the use of an LCD display (the Mimic), the braille that a student is
writing on the MB is visually accessible to sighted teachers and family
members. Therefore, it is a good tool for integrating in mainstream
classroom settings and at home. Also, interfacing it with a regular
keyboard, sighted people can input print material and it can be translated
into braille for the blind student. Both these features make it a good tool
for school and home environments.

Regarding ages, I think it can be an effective tool for children when they
are first beginning to make tactual "marks" similar to sighted children
"making marks" and scribbling. It will be an effective tool as long as a
student needs to write with a braillewriter.

Personally, I think it is a great tool for children who read and write in
braille.

Hopefully Tim can address the language issues and if there is anyway to use
the MB with Hebrew.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Kind regards,
Donna