The Mountbatten is used in many countries worldwide.
Which braille writer is best for your child?
The MB Pro is a braille writing tool that will greatly enhance
educational opportunity for students of all ages. The MB Pro has a
new simple Learn Mode, which lets students work at their own pace,
speech feedback, simplified commands and a host of other new
features.
Speech really supports the braille learning process
The MB Pro now has both digitized and synthetic speech providing a
multi-sensory approach to learning braille. You can combine typing
and touching braille with the audio reinforcement of real speech
confirming the letters or dot combinations you have brailled. The
synthetic speech features enable a student to create an assignment,
edit text, modify, delete, block text and then produce a copy of the
assignment in braille.
Work in braille and print at the same time
The MB Pro's back translation software gives students added
independence and flexibility by allowing them to simultaneously
produce a print copy of their work as it is being entered in
braille. Teachers and peers can also view in text what is written in
braille using the new Mimic LCD display.
Take the mystery out of braille
In addition to helping blind students learn braille the MB Pro is
also a wonderful resource for parents, vision teachers, and aides
who want to quickly and easily produce small volumes of braille. A
person who knows next to nothing about braille, can type information
onto an attached PC keyboard, and the MB Pro will translate and
emboss the typed letters into perfect Grade II braille.
Education today needs tools designed for today's needs
At the heart of its educational value is the fact that student's
learn new skills like keyboarding, working with files in memory, and
other computer related concepts all within the context of learning
braille.
In essence the Mountbatten is preparing these students with the
skills they need to compete, and braille is re-enforced every step
of the way. The MB Pro offers all the advantages of a modern well
designed product with a keypad based on sound ergonomic principles.
Children at a younger age can start to braille and it now has true
one-handed operation. The Mountbatten has an erase and correction
feature, tabs, automatic margin settings, a memory and a host of
features that make braille writing simple and enjoyable.
The following excerpt is from Nicola Stowe who has been using a
Mountbatten Brailler for many years.
"Once Mountbatten came onto the scene, things certainly changed for
the better. I would come home from school, connect my computer to
the Mountbatten and emboss my day's notes. This was also very
valuable for my homework... This enabled me to participate in class
discussion the following day because I could refer back directly to
my notes in braille.
The work of my Mountbatten did not stop there! Mum was thrilled that
she could now help me with my education, just like she could help my
little sister. Mum was now able to type on an ordinary computer
keyboard and produce valuable braille handouts for school...
Six years later, my Mountbatten is still doing its job and more. I
am now studying part-time at TAFE. The teacher gives me a disk with
the class handouts on it. I go home and emboss these on the MB. Now
that my MB has speech, I can not only use it as a brailler and an
embosser, but I can go into the speech editor, edit a file, emboss
it, proof read it, fix any mistakes I have made and then print out a
copy of my assignment for my teacher at TAFE...
In other words, my Mountbatten has become my all-round pencil.. It
gives me a new-found independence.... and I wonder how I ever
managed without one in the past."
Technical Specifications
BRAILLE OUTPUT - 6 dot standard (8 Dot available as option)
MEMORY - 480k user Ram (approx. 650 pages of braille)
INPUT/OUTPUT - 2 serial ports, parallel port, PC port PS2
connector (to connect standard PC keyboard to MB Pro)
POWER SUPPLY - AC only model: 100 - 240 volts 1.3 amp; Battery
model: 12 volts DC, 1.0 amp (auto cutout battery protection)
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS - Weight: 4.7 kg; Height 120mm x Depth 240mm x
Width 450mm
Development History
In his will, Lord Mountbatten left a bequest for the development of
a modern, low cost, portable brailler. A prototype was researched
and developed at the Royal National College for the Blind in
Hereford, England. Quantum Technology began manufacture of the
Mountbatten Brailler in 1991.
THAI VERSION OF MOUNTBATTEN BRAILLER IS NOW AVAILABLE. CONTACT
FOUNDATION FOR THE EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION OF THE BLIND
fepb@internet.ksc.net.th
©2001 Quantum Technology Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
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