Computer Application Specialties Company

P.O. Box 22219
Lincoln, Nebraska 68542-2219
United States
Telephone: 402-423-4782.
Fax: 402-423-5154.
Web: http://www.c-a-s.com.
Email: info@c-a-s.com.

Products manufactured by Computer Application Specialties Company (listed alphabetically)

1. BRAILLE2000 STUDENT EDITION, DIRECT ENTRY EDITION, & DOCUMENT PROCESSING EDITION

   Braille2000 is a braille text editor designed for the production of braille documents for individuals who are blind. Some versions also include a braille translation program. This braille text editor is compatible with ED-IT PC (see separate entry) but has additional features. It is Internet-compatible, can read and write ABT files, and can be used to read and write braille XML files and to translate XML print text into braille. The Student Edition is a braille editing tool for the beginning braille transcriber or for transcribers who do not need all the proofreading tools. It handles all kinds of direct entry braille tasks with automated page layouts to aid the production of literary, textbook, and music braille. The Student Edition has fewer productivity-enhancing aids, mainly in the area of proofreading, than does the Direct Entry Edition. The Direct Entry Edition is a comprehensive braille editing tool for the professional transcriber. It represents the state-of-the-art in WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") braille text editing. A full assortment of page layout and manipulation controls handle literary, textbook, music, math, and poetry formatting. The file management mechanism is designed to handle big projects, such as multi-volume textbooks. Built-in utilities manage backup and file-submission chores with a few clicks of the mouse. The Children's Braille option provides a "grade relaxer" that can create customized-to-the-child variations in the file using only transcriber-selected Grade 2 contractions matching what the child can read, with other Grade 2 contractions automatically converted to Grade 1. The Document Processing Edition includes all the capabilities of the Direct Entry Edition, plus a print-to-braille translator that can work with ASCII-text files, Rich Text files, and XML files of the "dtbook3" type that has been proposed as the digital format to be used by textbook publishers. COMPATIBILITY: For use with IBM and compatible computers. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, or XP; Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is required with Windows 95.

2. ED-IT PC

   ED-IT PC is a braille text editor and braille translation program designed for use by individuals who are blind. This program is a production tool for braille transcribers. It is a "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) braille editing system that allows a braille transcriber to input and edit braille documents. Input can come from the keyboard in a six-key braille writer-style input mode, or from text files via an automatic print-to-braille translator. When the direct-input mode is used (six-key braille input), the system can be used to create any kind of braille document, including documents in music, math, and chemistry formats, as well as literary-format and textbook-format prose. The print-to-braille translator will accept prose (but not music or math) from ASCII text files, Rich Text files, WordPerfect files, or the Windows clipboard. This text editor and braille translation program can translate English to grade 2 braille and has a grade 2 spelling checker. COMPATIBILITY: For use with IBM and compatible computers. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows 3.1, 95, 98, or Me. The file editing part of this program will also run on Windows NT, 2000, and XP. This program requires a keyboard that responds to six-key input, that is, a keyboard manufactured per the original IBM personal computer (PC) specification. OPTIONS: Basic version with six-key input, an on-screen proofreading aid that back-translates braille prose into print, and automatic textbook-format page layout; Advanced version that adds to the above a grade 2 spelling checker and support for poetry formats; and Full Suite version that adds to the above the ability to automatically translate print prose into braille, from Rich Text and WordPerfect 6.1 files and from the Windows clipboard, and which also includes the Children's Braille feature for handling double-spaced braille and for automatically simplifying a grade 2 document by replacing selected grade 2 forms with their grade 1 equivalent form for children who cannot yet read all of grade 2 braille.