edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. "The ACB Braille Forum" cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering's mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
Sad News from Duxbury
David Holladay, who worked at Duxbury for many years, passed away in a hospital on Thursday, February 15th, following an accident at home that morning. David was a cancer survivor and valiantly battled multiple medical problems over his last five years.
David was an early innovator in braille software. Together, he and his wife, Caryn Navy, founded Raised Dot Computing (later Braille Planet) in 1981. David's early work on Apple II computers was groundbreaking in support of accessibility for blind users through speech and production of braille and of print from braille input. He went on to support production of print math from Nemeth Code mathematics braille. Later work at Raised Dot Computing culminated in the introduction of MegaDots, an innovative product with unparalleled support for braille formats.
David and Caryn joined Duxbury Systems in 1999 and have been part of the family ever since. David's work at Duxbury focused largely on extending the reach of DBT to many, many countries and languages around the world. Though confined to bed over the last several years of his life, David's passion for braille wouldn't allow him to rest. He was working until his very last day.
Memorials may be made in his name to OXFAM America (give.oxfamamerica.org), the Greater Boston Food Bank (my.gbfb.org), or Westford?s Cameron Senior Center (westfordmafriendsofcameron.com).
To sign the guestbook, visit www.dolanfuneralhome.com.
The Hable One -- Portable Keyboard for Your Smartphone
The Hable One is a small Portable Braille Keyboard that is the size of a phone and fits easily in your pocket. You can use your Hable One in public, even while standing, with your phone secured in your bag.
With 8 tactile buttons, you can control your entire smartphone or tablet for both iOS and Android. It connects seamlessly with any phone using Bluetooth. From unlocking your phone to typing texts in braille, navigating with VoiceOver or TalkBack, you can truly do it all! The cool thing is you don't even need to know braille to use it!
The Hable One is available at www.iamhable.com; on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJYDCZRJ?ref=myi_title_dp; or through more than 15 resellers in the United States.
For more information, send an email message to [email protected].
New Kids' Books from National Braille Press
Newly available in the children's section is "When Rubin Plays," by Gracey Zhang. It's available in contracted UEB for ages 4 through 8.
For the budding astronomer, take a look at "Pluto: Not a Planet? Not a Problem," by Stacy McAnulty. It comes in contracted UEB braille for ages 4 through 8.
For more information, visit shop.nbp.org, or call (617) 266-6160 ext. 520.
Best and Worst States for Eye Health
RX-Safety today released a study on the Best & Worst States for Eye Health after analyzing seven key factors in all 50 states and D.C. using the most recent data from the CDC, KFF, and BLS.
The 10 best states are Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, New York, Utah, Maryland, Colorado, and Alaska.
The 10 worst states are West Virginia, Kentucky, D.C., Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina.