From: RJ Cooper 
Subject: Software and hardware for young blind children
Hello,
I develop software and hardware for kids with special needs.  If you have
read Closing The Gap, or gone to any technology conferences, you have heard
the name, RJ Cooper.  I have been doing this for 14 years.
I have several items for young, blind children that might be of interest to
you, your colleagues, or the people you serve.  This is a one time emailing,
so if this does not apply to you, please just delete this message.
There are 3 items that I am excited about:
1) Spell-A-Word, a large print, talking, spelling program, designed for five
to ten year olds.  It also works great for older kids that are functioning
at a younger developmental age.  I have put several special features into
Spell-A-Word specifically for blind children.  The program really holds
their hand, so to speak, during the spelling process.  It is a delight to
see children really work at getting it right.
2) IntelliKeys large membrane keyboard, is a great touch-sensitive device
for entering text into a computer, especially programs like Spell-A-Word.
The keys on IntelliKeys can be 1" tall, with big bold letters on them.
3) Tactile Overlays for IntelliKeys provide a way for blind children to
interact with text oriented software. Through a unique collaboration with
persons at the Visions Lab at Purdue, I am able to make available
IntelliKeys overlays with highly textured letters and braille cells,
appropriate for young children.
When you add these three items together, the results are enough to make your
eyes moisten, and this is not exaggeration for effect.  It is truly
wonderful for me to be able to make such a difference in kids' lives.
I also make another program for young blind children named Find The Buttons,
intended to introduce the mouse to these kids.
If you are interested in more information, you may click here
 for more information.
I hope I have not clogged your email up with this message.  I just thought
you might want to know about this, or let someone else know.
Thanks for your time.
RJ Cooper (smiles)
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