WE HAVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE…
After four months of touring the prototypes, we are very excited to announce the release of our new product:
The Canute Console
Available for pre-order on our website now! Early bird bonuses apply; only 30 pre-orders available!
The Console is a nine-line Braille workstation for professionals and students doing programming or viewing and manipulating data.
Here are some of the applications for the Console:
- Programming and word processing
- Top down map exploration of cities
- Football and sports playback on tactile pitches
- Snake, Rogue-likes and other classic videogames
- Spreadsheets and tables
- Flow diagrams, charts and graphs
- Free drawing ASCII graphics
It is composed of a Canute 360 Braille display docked in a workstation that adds a pull-out QWERTY keyboard, a fold-up 13″ high contrast monitor, and runs off a Raspberry Pi 400 from the Linux command line.
Reserve your pre-order with a 50% down-payment on the early bird discounted price by calling
vision through sound on 07793-906-745.
- Upgrade your Canute 360 – Early Bird: Down payment of £775* out of £1,550* (discounted from £1,650). 20x early bird pre-orders available.
- Buy a new Canute Console (including Canute 360) – Early Bird: Down payment of £1,895* out of £3,795* (discounted from £3,995). 10x early bird pre-orders available.
Early Bird Bonus includes: discounted price, carry case, supporter status, and three hours of guided co-development with the BBT team for students/professionals getting started with building multiline Braille and tactile graphics applications. Units can be shipped anywhere in the world.
The down payment can be paid by Paypal, card, wire or in installments. Payment accepted in
any currency (subject to conversion*). Deliveries expected to start from the end of June 2023
on a first come, first served basis.
Braille is literacy, employment and independence… it can also inspire us to do more, learn more, and most of all, to make more. We’re really excited to finally release the Console after over a year’s development. Its involved hundreds of miles travelled by planes, trains and automobiles, and great creative sessions with blind, deafblind and low vision Braille readers.
By pre-ordering you are supporting a business that has always been a not-for-profit, dedicating everything to creating devices with and for our community.
Thank you
Vision Through Sound is actively working with Bristol Braille technology, to design, promote and
develop new applications for the Canute Console and provide technical support to customers.
Welcome to Vision Through Sound
Vision Through Sound enables visually impaired people to live their lives more fully by learning to use smart phones, computer technology and the World Wide Web.
We will help you to use a phone or a computer for work and for pleasure – to browse the Internet, to send emails, to download files, to contact friends and family, to join online communities – in fact, whatever you need a computer to do for you, we will give you the confidence and the tools to make it happen.
We are excited to be working on 2 projects that are cutting edge technology, the Canute and In Your Pocket, testing and developing them as well as providing training and support.
CANUTE 360 LOW COST BRAILLE DISPLAY
The Canute is a braille e-book reader, the first multi-line Braille display in the world.
Bristol Braille Technology was awarded the top prize of $20,000 at the annual Dr Jacob Bolotin awards by the National Federation of the Blind!
We were recognised at the 2019 NFB Convention for our work in bringing the Canute 360 – the world’s first multi-line Braille e-reader – to market.
The Canute can display text, maths, music and tables. For the first time in a digital device, Canute 360 can display any six-dot Braille code across its nine-line, 360 cell display. A Braille library can now be stored on a single USB stick or SD card in BRF or PEF format and read directly from the Canute 360.
We are proud to introduce the CANUTE 360 low-cost Braille display. Available to order NOW from Vision Through Sound.
Vision Through Sound will be providing technical support by phone and email for the Canute. We can answer any questions and provide demonstrations within the UK.
You can get in touch with Bristol Braille Technology on +44117 325 3022 and enquiries@bristolbraille.co.uk, website https://www.bristolbraille.org
In Your Pocket – A Low Tech, Voice Operated Phone
In Your Pocket is a voice-operated, low-cost smartphone, providing easier access to thousands of talking books, daily newspapers and podcasts. It has the handy features we are all used to, such as a simple to use Sat Nav function and it is easy for the less technically able to use.
Imagine when you need to be able to see something in your surroundings, to be able to just say ’Be My Eyes’ to your Pocket and it will connect the camera, microphone and speaker to one of the 90,000 volunteers in the UK who can then describe what it is you need to know about.
The RNIB, Calibre and Torch Trust audio libraries can all be listened to. Plus, there are now 100s of internet radio stations available on In Your Pocket too. Just tell Pocket what you wish to listen to by station, location or subject and it will list the appropriate stations for you to choose from.
We have received Co-op funding to provide a limited amount of training to expand the availability of the In Your Pocket phones.To obtain this Covid safe training, contact me by email stephanie@visionthroughsound.co.uk or ring 07793906745.
Enabling Project
We have visited Zambia to provide training there too.
Our work in Zambia has 2 strands, one is our connection with the Lions School for the Blind in Ndola. Their computer has now been upgraded so it works with the Braille embosser to provide Braille literature. 100 Braille writing frames were sent out to Zambia in March 2021, so that every pupil has a means of making notes. We have sent out Perkins braillers and many Braille books.
There are 150 pupils there, previously they worked in pairs, with one pupil waiting for the other to finish. Now each pupil will have a frame to write on. They teach to the 11th grade, and many pupils we met said they aim to progress to university, become teachers, politicians or lawyers!
The other strand is where we are in touch with a group of blind adults in a village, who are creative in making products that they can sell locally and on the internet. We are developing ways of marketing their products with the help of two contacts in Zambia. They have now been purchasing baby chicks which they look after until they can be sold as chickens. When Steph was out in Zambiain 2019, she was able to set up two outlets to sell the baskets and mats which the villagers also make, therefore making them more self-sufficient. Additionally, they have asked for talking bibles in the Bemba dialect, so we have sent several, from www.megavoice.com
Pictures of our work with a blind community in Zambia can be seen here
Access to computer screens
Whatever your level of knowledge we will build on it. We can teach you about screen magnification and how to get the best from talking screenreaders like NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access)
People Doing It For Themselves
Vision Through Sound was invited to take part in this project run by Community Catalysts. Here is a link to the blog sharing the feedback from all the participants. More information can be found here
Visual Awareness Training
Vision Through Sound gives talks on visual awareness to help care providers and companies communicate with their clients and customers more effectively.
Guide Dog Speaking
Stephanie is a speaker, on behalf of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. This means she gives talks to any interested parties. The talks to school children also include a demonstration of the specialised equipment and picture Braille books that form part of her life and enable her to live independently and contribute to the lives of others. A popular part of the talk is meeting Steph’s guide dog, Megan.