1998.34.1-2c

VersaBraille System, and owner's manual [Braille]

Item is electronic device for reading by touch by decoding cassette. It includes charges/power supply; power; cord; 4 audiocassettes (2 C-60 tapes; a "Master Overlay" tape, P24026, c1983; and a head cleaning tape); and an Owner's braille manual in two volumes.

H-4.625 W-13.5 D-9.75 inches

ca. 1984

Telesensory Systems, Inc.

Mountain View, CA

Used in the APH Advisory Services Dept. Versabraille was a portable braille word processor that stored and recovered data on cassette tapes. When introduced by Telesensory in December 1979, it became the first refreshable braille device designed in the U.S. It was inspired by the Elinfa Digicassette invented by Oleg Tretiakoff in France 1975-1977. Input was by braille keyboard, output used a 20-cell refreshable braille display. By 1985, the Internal Revenue Service had hired over 100 blind and visually impaired representatives to handle telephone inquiries from taxpayers. APH received a contract from the IRS to braille tax publications for these workers (Winter 1984-85) and to produce electronic versions of the materials on cassette tape for use in Telesensory's new VersaBraille portable computers. The format did not last very long (the last IRS contract was in 1987) but foreshadowed the use of portable computers with refreshable braille displays, and the demand for computer technology by APH customers.

APH Collection, 1998.34.