Remembering an Old Friend and Saying hello to a New One

Sometimes my trusty old Perkins Brailler sits proudly on my kitchen counter and sometimes it sits on my desk next to my lovely flat screen monitor.  It almost always has a piece of paper partly rolled into it.  A list of something or other is waiting for me to check off the things I have done.  It could be a packing list or a list of things to do before I leave on vacation.  It could just be a list of things I need to do that particular weekend.  I have kept track of my life for 31 years on this old brailler.  It is what I used when I was teaching myself braille.  It has made one trip to the hospital for repair and just keeps on brailling.  I wish I could get it to do the things on the list and not just sit there reminding me of what I still have to do. 

How fun is it that I get to play a part in the introduction of the Next Generation™ Perkins Brailler®?  Please visit www.perkinsbrailler.org to learn more about this exciting new friend.  Listen to the song by linking to it on the website and sharing it with your friends through the Tell-A-Friend feature.  My favorite line is "SEE THE WORLD THROUGH TOUCH."  Children all over the world will grow up with this brailler being their old steady friend.  Computers, note takers, video magnifiers and braille displays will play a growing roll in the lives of children who are visually impaired.  When the power goes off or when the technology fails or when a simple list of things to do is needed,  the Next Generation Brailler will be their steady faithful friend.  Future braille readers will learn the secret code that will influence their lives on the new lighter weight, quieter, colorful brailler. 

Some day, these New Generation Braillers will be old friends just like my 30-year-old brailler is for those of us in the older generation.