I wanted to share the attached press release which I found most
interesting.
Best wishes,
Susan
*Orbit Research introduces the Orbit Teacher Platform *
*This unique platform enables teachers in inclusive classrooms to interact
seamlessly with blind students *
SONIPAT, INDIA – October 15, 2019 –
Orbit Research announced the launch of the Orbit Teacher™ platform at the
EMPOWER 2019 conference today. This unique platform enables teachers in
mainstream classrooms to seamlessly interact with blind students through an
app on a smartphone, computer or tablet. The app connects over Bluetooth to
the student’s Orbit Reader 20 braille display and provides a real-time text
translation of the braille being read or written by the student on the
device.
The platform also provides a student the ability to first learn braille if
they are not braille users and then to learn other subjects using braille.
Through specialized interfaces on Orbit Research’s braille and tactile
graphics products, and software that runs on computers and smartphones or
tablets, the platform provides the breakthrough ability to develop and
deliver educational materials in the form of interactive lessons and
tutorials. These can be administered under a teacher’s or parent’s
supervision, or by the students themselves, in a self-paced mode. The
platform also provides remote operation capabilities which allow a teacher
to easily provide instruction to students in remote locations. A content
authoring tool for the platform enables anyone to create interactive
lessons and tutorials, with minimal training.
“Braille literacy is critical to the success of blind children and the
Orbit Teacher is a major step forward towards achieving this goal in an
inclusive classroom setting.” said Kevin Carey, Chair of the World Braille
Council and former Chair of the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
“I am thrilled to see this groundbreaking capability become available on
the most affordable braille display in the world, the Orbit Reader 20.”
While designed for both blind and deaf-blind users, the tutorials can also
take advantage of audio and speech capabilities from the smartphone, PC or
tablet to provide audio cues and feedback to the student when used in the
interactive self-learning mode.
“With over two decades of innovation in educational technologies for people
who are blind and visually impaired, starting with the Orion series of
talking scientific and graphing calculators, the Orbit Reader 20 braille
display and the Graphiti Tactile Graphic Display, the Orbit Teacher
platform is the latest addition to our family of educational products.”
said Dr. Gina Spagnoli, Orbit Research’s founder. “The platform makes
inclusive education a practical reality as mainstream teachers do not need
to be familiar with braille to work with a blind student. With the
integrated file-transfer feature, the teacher can wirelessly transmit class
notes, homework problems and other materials to the student’s device over
Bluetooth and the student can send back completed classwork and homework to
the teacher. With the severe shortage of trained Teachers of the Visually
Impaired (TVI) globally, the self-learning features the platform offers
will be a gamechanger for students, especially those in remote areas. The
authoring tools make the creation and porting of educational content
extremely easy for anyone and we are actively working on partnerships with
the educational community to make their existing content available in
interactive form” she added.
The platform is capable of supporting over 40 languages and also offers the
ability to translate to and from contracted braille. The basic version of
the app, which includes the real-time teacher interaction features is
available now for free download from the Google Play Store and the Orbit
Research website: http://www.orbitresearch.com/product/orbit-teacher.
Together with the Orbit Reader 20, the Orbit Teacher provides the most
affordable full-featured solution for the modern inclusive classroom.
*About Orbit Research: *
Orbit Research develops and manufactures innovative and affordable products
that enable an independent lifestyle for people who are blind or visually
impaired. Founded with the mission to fulfill the urgent need for
affordable assistive technology products, the company has introduced
breakthrough products like the Orion family of accessible scientific and
graphing calculators, the iBill Talking Banknote Identifier and the Orbit
Reader 20 refreshable braille display that define the state-of-the-art in
features, functionality, convenience and affordability. For more
information, visit http://www.orbitresearch.com.
*Contact details: *
Carla Morris
Orbit Research LLC
Tel: 1-888-606-7248