Technology Helps the Blind to See
By Rouse, Jennifer; Albany Democrat-Herald,Publication Date: December 3, 2010
Article features ViewPlus, a company specializing in transforming visual information such as graphs and charts into a format that blind people can read. The company founder, a former professor of physics at Oregon State University who lost his sight following glaucoma surgery, and his team developed Tiger embossing, a technology allowing graphical information to be printed in a raised, tactile format accessible through touch. ViewPlus also makes software and touchpad devices that allow for any image to have an auditory explanation attached to it. Among their products are also supplementary electronic learning materials including e-textbooks. The company’s products have proved especially popular in developing countries, where a printer/embosser that can yield Braille, printed words, and raised images at the touch of a button represents a big step forward for visually impaired consumers. At the time the article was published, ViewPlus, which shipped its first products in 2000, had about 50 employees and several million dollars of sales per year.
Assistive Products Discussed: TIGER MAX
TIGER PRO EMBOSSER
TIGER CUB DESKTOP EMBOSSER
TIGER CUB JR. PERSONAL EMBOSSER
AUDIO GRAPHING CALCULATOR
TIGER ADVANTAGE TACTILE GRAPHICS & BRAILLE EMBOSSER
TIGER ELITE 150 PRINTER
TIGER ELITE 200 PRINTER
TIGER PREMIER 80 BRAILLE PRINTER
TIGER PREMIER 100 BRAILLE PRINTER
TIGER SOFTWARE SUITE
Published by: Lee Enterprises, Inc. (Website:http://www.lee.net)
Link to text: http://www.democratherald.com/article_c7b4ecf6-b0a9-5856-a104-23e6e52e1cb9.html
