Looking Forward: Our Braille Technology Roadmap

The future of braille technology at APH is bright and we’re so excited to get to share our plans with you. We know what a difference having the right tools for each step of the learning process makes for a student’s success. That’s why we’re expanding our offerings of braille technology products for learners of all ages.

Our roadmap of braille technology products is designed to spark innovation and improve the likelihood of school, college, work, and overall life success. We have been privileged to partner with other like-minded companies, agencies, and educators in the braille display community to create, and dream of, products that will change lives by impacting:

Education– Improving literacy, student performance and engagement improvement, and teacher training.

Low-Cost Market– We’re working to drive down market costs by introducing price competition.

Innovation– Advanced tactile graphic and multi-line technology is a priority in ensuring efficiency.

Employment– Providing tools for a successful transition from school to meaningful work.

We’ve dreamed a million dreams of what the “Holy Grail of Braille” looks like, and what products are necessary along the way. Here’s a peek at some existing products, products to come, and our dreams for the future – a future that belongs to everyone.

AVAILABLE NOW

BrailleBuzz

BrailleBuzz is an instructional toy for young braille learners ages two to five. It encourages practice with braille characters and phonics, similar to a variety of audio-based toys that teach print writing.

Chameleon 20

Designed exclusively for teachers and school-age children, the Chameleon 20 features 20 refreshable braille cells and a Perkin’s-style keyboard. Instantly access the digital world of books, including Bookshare, and connect to multiple host devices using screen readers such as VoiceOver, JAWS, and NVDA. Express yourself by changing your Chameleon’s color with three kinds of TPU bumper cases: teal, purple, and pomegranate!

Mantis Q40

Designed for the student or professional, the Mantis Q40 features 40 refreshable braille cells, a QWERTY keyboard, and standalone apps. Take your Mantis anywhere! Whether you prefer braille or QWERTY input, you can decide with a simple toggle option.

COMING SOON

Polly

Designed to teach the braille alphabet to children and parents, Polly is an electronic Wi-Fi-enabled braille learning device that teaches reading, typing, writing, vocabulary, and spelling in both contracted and uncontracted braille. This device includes multiple input methods, a speaker for instruction and feedback, and an online teacher portal that allows remote access and progress monitoring for educators/parents. Polly contains both a Perkins-style keyboard and an electronic slate to accommodate the preference of the user.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

Dynamic Tactile Tablet

Refreshable braille and tactile graphics tablet we’re calling the Dynamic Tactile Device, or DTD. We are currently hard at work on making this revolutionary display a reality. Learn more about our dreams for the DTD.

40-cell Refreshable Braille Display for Mathematics

Designed with mathematical functionality in mind.

We’re adding more and more stepping stones to our braille literacy trail, and our dreams are big! To stay up to date on our products, sign up for our monthly newsletter!