A Box Of Blind Treasures, A Look At My Blindness Technology History Collection

[@musicalmaycie]

Wow! Just stumbled across this video! I love hearing about blindness tech things. I actually still have a first generation Victor Reader Stream myself that I was given for Christmas in 2007. The thing still works!! And, I still use it. I actually think it had better hardware than the second generation Victor Reader Stream IMO.

[@blindtechreviews1851]

I like the ending

[@slannon]

I do too! Haha! It scared me a little bit.

[@angiemarquez06]

I used a braille note apex for seven years I recently started using the braille note touch plus

[@Anne-V.]

I had a few braille ‘n speaks but never a scollar. Aw, that writing sound on a braille ‘n speak takes me back to my teen years.

[@Niklas_Gardelid]

I love this! Have always been interested in tech and I think it’s so important to preserve the history of assistive technology! Looking forward to your future videos! :) All the best!

[@superblindeye1]

Back in the day, I used to collect blindness no takers. Over the years, I have had a braille sense classic, a Pacmate omni, an original Braille plus, a Braille plus 18, a Braille n speak 2000, a braille n speak scholar, a Braille lite 40, and a Braille sense polaris. I don't own any digital talking book players right now, but at one point, I owned a book port, a book port plus, a Blaze ez, and a Blaze et. All of that technology has been sold off, but I do have fond memories of playing around with those computer pieces, much like you did in this video

[@mad-gamer2025]

Ah, the good old vocalizer Samantha compact voice. Brings me back to when I was about 4 or 5 years old when I had an iPhone 4.

[@tiffanimilburn8885]

I have a first generation victor reader stream somewhere around here. I bought it from a friend about five years ago.

[@jcdjmac]

I remembered I had the victor reader stream throughout my years at FSDB Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind from 2010-2013. I also use to have the plextalk pocket, and the book sense. Great technology history. also, the Braille Plus from APH was released in 2006, according to the user guide, which is still available for reading, if you ever do a google search.

[@KennethTheAwesomeBlindGuy777]

You personified the braille n speak.

[@MavrickHaight-ve9iu]

I have a BrailleNote Touch Plus that runs Android 8.1.0, but what I don't have is the notetaker that started it all (Android based), the Braille Plus 18 with Ivona TTS. Ivona TTS makes that notetaker interesting to me. I remember using a Braille Plus (Pre-Braille Plus 18), and I had fun using it. As for the WorkSpace option on the pre-Braille Plus 18 Braille Plus, it's a Here's where you'll find the audio tutorials, recent books that you raecently opened in the bookshelf application, Etc in one place.

[@Axels_Universe]

I have a book port plus, the original book port, a victor reader stream first generation, a desktop book port, and a trecker breeze.

[@TheEvilChocolateCookie]

I absolutely love my first GEN stream. This is the first one I’ve ever had because I went straight for the second GEN. If you want the UK firmware, just let me know, and I’ll toss it in dropbox or something.

[@TheEvilChocolateCookie]

@@ewanferreira I do :)

[@ewanferreira]

@@TheEvilChocolateCookie are you shure

[@TheEvilChocolateCookie]

@@ewanferreira of course. I just don’t go around smacking the like button on everything. If I like someone’s content, I would rather let them know personally.

[@blindtechreviews1851]

I would love to see an updated 2023 review on the old book port if you don’t mind

[@dontmindbeingblindd]

Is there a way to get double talk on the computer?

[@Dwall44]

Yes… Over 20 years ago. Double talk is very outdated now. There may be a way to get it with Jaws or something, but I doubt it.

[@TheStormicBeing]

I believe there was an nvda-addon or sapi voice floating around at one point, can’t remember where i saw it though.

[@dontmindbeingblindd]

Let me know if you find it. I know there are better synths, but it reminds me of the first note taker I used. The braille lite 20

[@Dwall44]

@@dontmindbeingblindd Will do. I have some old tapes of double talk being used with windows 95. Can’t remember off the top of my head the name of the screen reader. I also have a braille Lite M 20 but mine is dead. Not sure if it’ll ever work again… So sad.

[@YourBoyHunter389]

as far as i'm concerned, it was floating around jake gross's site before he took it down, along with an addon for the bns2000. knowing your coding language expertise, i wouldn't put it past you @don'tmindbeingblind to code a python script to make this happen.,

[@Anne-V.]

I’d love to hear more with the braille ‘n speak scollar.

[@Anne-V.]

Did we have anything in the 90’s in terms of portable digital audio recording?

[@jocelynavila702]

Cannot find It. Im the website

[@dontmindbeingblindd]

What version of Linux did the braille plus and level star run.

[@Blindperson38]

Very early BSD.

[@Blindperson38]

Early as in the ARM port. BSD easement around forever

[@dontmindbeingblindd]

@@Blindperson38Could you rephrase this? I don't quite understand.

[@Blindperson38]

@@dontmindbeingblindd they ran a very very early port of the ARM build of open BSd .

[@dontmindbeingblindd]

@@Blindperson38 This is really cool. I wish there was a Linux notetaker today. I know Android is based off of Linux.

[@coside7672]

What kind of charger does the braille like use? I picked one up but cannot find which charger it uses online anywhere

[@tylerchambliss8379]

Hey Cullen. Just thought I'd let you know I have a friend in New Hampshire you might know of him from Blind Ads. Roger Cicchese is a great guy and fixes old notetakers especially Blazie products. His prices are a bit expensive but worth it if you want to help your old AT have some more life. His custom battery packs for Blazie Products are well known for lasting days on a single charge sense obviously now battery tech is way better than it was in the late 80s.

[@sivvitytech3118]

Do you know if there is a way how I can get the soft pack on my victor reader stream first generation? Because all I can recording is the 3GP format. And I’ve always wanted to check out the soft pack.

[@geeeeeeo]

A very interesting video (and channel)!

[@liammccoy7502]

my first piece of tech was a braille N speak 2000! it was white not the red one

[@tiffanimilburn8885]

I’m interested in watching this. I’m interested in a blind technology. all the way from the newest stuff to the vintage.

[@richyamamoto1224]

I have a Sharp Talking Time one, a Sharp Talking Time too, and a Sharp EL 640 talking calculator. I also have a bunch of other stuff. I can do some research and find a BookSense for you if you’d like.

[@Dwall44]

Currently, my AT collection consists of a number of APH devices, mainly different tape recorders they produced throughout the years, a collection of Braille notes, and some other random APH stuff like the motion pad and the APH sound page.

[@UpTown209]

What was the name of that mysterious music that was heard in the beginning of this video?

[@Anne-V.]

Your sweet braille lite, I hope you could, or can, breathe the life back into him.

[@Anne-V.]

That’s so cool. I never had a braille plus and it’d be cool to see more of that in action. BTW, who was that who outroed the video? Was that Mr. Braille ‘n Speak scollar? This video was awesome.

[@tiffanimilburn8885]

I’m surprise the email client still works on the braille plus.I never had one myself, but I saw one at a summer camp at the Kentucky School For The Blind one year.

[@tylerchambliss8379]

Speaking of the BraillePlus, I'm in need of a new battery for mine. Roger doesn't have any. You know of anyone who might?

[@mirandaoakley3662]

Hi! I also enjoy blind history so thanks for this video. I’ve watched your videos in the past but haven’t always commented. The braille light 40 brought me back to my childhood. I also had the braille light millennium at one point. I have the first and second generation Victor and the treck. That’s crazy that the plus can still email!!! That’s really cool though. If you don’t mind me asking, which school for the blind did you go to? I went to one also before going to college. I went to Perkins.

[@Blindperson38]

He also went to Perkins

[@ablindguy]

I can’t help but ask. I don’t remember when, but you bought a Blase ET from Hims and you did an overview of it. Do you still use or have it? I thought you liked that thing better then the stream.

[@christianbertling902]

Did you hear about the third GEN stream coming out? Are you going to be getting one?

[@bearbullcruising6427]

Thank you for the video that was very informative. Tell her in about past technologies me being visually impaired I haven’t had to use the braille but it’s interesting to find out what was available away before the iPhone, and such adaptive technology that we have today.

[@united2ihs05]

I know it’s probably not really technology, but since it might be nostalgic can I ask you about a toy from the early 2000s, about 2005 2006? Also Do you have technology from 2005 that you can review?

[@Dwall44]

Hi, this was an awesome video! After watching, I still have tons of questions. Way too much to fit in one comment. But anyways, if you ever want to get that Braille lite 40 repaired, I could get you in touch with somebody that can fix it up for you.

[@Lachlant1984]

I still have my generation 1 Stream. I always installed the UK English firmware when I needed a new unit, which happened more often than not. I didn't really like the US English voices very much.