Braillers on the Cheap

The price for a Perkins Brailler has become ionospheric. Last I heard it hovered around $700---or was that for institutions?---and it was $500 for a person. In any event, it's ridiculous. Who'd want to spend that for technology that came out just prior to WWII?

I have a machine about 34 years old. It works reasonably well, but it can be a little cranky. I can't count the number of Brailler repair people who have looked at it, performed a splenectomy and other surgeries on it, and said it is still in good shape. I think it rattles more than it used to and I miss the original single slotted cylinders. These new rubber things drive me crazy. Like a broken plate, I just don't think you can get an old machine back to brand new. And I am very picky about the keyboard feel. It took me ages to adapt to a Braille Lite because the keyboard was so strange.

Luckily a prototype exists for an inexpensive Brailler that would cost just $10 per unit if mass produced. Again the NFB is making it happen; guess all the other Sleeping Beauties haven't met their prince?

--Text by David Faucheux

Horror

Those of you who follow Blind Chance recall that I did several book reviews of horror books. I co-authored one witha Dr. Anthony Fonseca. It's of the Bob Harper's Twisted Rhyme CD, which featuring his spoken poetry.

-Text by David Faucheux