This month Adaptations shoppers can take home their own Orbit Writer for just $75! Originally priced at $99, this small, Perkins-style Braille keyboard from Orbit Research has been upgraded to the most recent firmware and will connect to your smart phone, tablet, or computer effortlessly via Bluetooth.
The Orbit Writer is compact (roughly the size of an iPhone screen) with a USB port for charging on the left. It is comprised of six Perkins-style keys across the top, a spacebar below, and keys for dots seven and eight on left and right of the spacebar. There is a circular array of arrow keys—up, down, left, and right—in between dots one and four, with a circular enter key in the center. The keys are quiet and scissor-style so Brailling on the keyboard is quiet and discrete. And best of all, you can pair it with up to five separate devices at the same time, switching between them with only a few key presses. If you are a Braille user or beginning to learn Braille, this keyboard is an invaluable complement to your touch screen devices.
One of my favorite things to do is to use the keyboard to dial a phone number, simply by entering the Braille digits into the Orbit Writer. The size of the Orbit means I can carry the writer anywhere. It fits into any purse or pocket, and also comes with an optional lanyard for carrying around your neck if you find you’d prefer to have your hands free. To turn the keyboard on, simply press the up and down arrows simultaneously, and indicate with a second key press which device you would like it to connect to.
You can purchase your Orbit Writer and many other blindness products at Adaptations.org, email us at adaptations@lighthouse-sf.org or call us at 1-888-400-8933. Additionally, you can find LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired under specialized help in the Be My Eyes mobile app. Want to come check out the Orbit Writer and other products out in person? Visit Adaptations at LightHouse headquarters on the 10th floor of 1155 Market San Francisco by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays by contacting us.
