PAC Mate BX400

IDEIA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act) defines equipment as:

"Machinery, utilities, and built-in equipment, and any necessary enclosures or structures to house the machinery, utilities or equipment."

Assistive Technology (AT) for the visually impaired should cater to preferences and requirements based on prior training as well as the amount and type of visual content that is being accessed. Some assistive technology devices commonly used are:

• Screen readers/magnification software

• Desktop or portable electronic magnifiers

• Braille displays/note-takers

• Multi-functional accessible players

Finding appropriate materials and adaptive equipment may be a challenge when considering the children's ages, abilities and interests. Depending on each child, curriculum and goals will differ but generally, the use of concrete items helps to eliminate abstractness for the children.

With this in mind, we introduce the PAC Mate BX400. It is equipped with most of the functions stated above and will prove to be a valuable AT device for children with varying degrees of vision loss. However, due to the level of skill and understanding of how to use such a device, we believe older children, between the ages 5-6, will be more suited to utilising it.

The PAC Mate is a versatile portable computer with built-in JAWS* to provide speech or braille access to windows mobile applications for people who are visually impaired. It provides users with a host of productivity tools that enable them to access virtually every application that sighted users enjoy. With it, you can run pocket PC versions of popular software programmes to manage information internally or sync up and share data with other devices.

*JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is the world's most popular screen reader, developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse. JAWS provides speech and braille output for the most popular computer applications on your PC.

Using this AT

In this tutorial video, we explain the features, basic functions and uses as well as the benefits of the PAC Mate BX400.

The refreshable braille console comes with moveable pins. When fed with text from the PAC Mate or a computer, the cells present one line of text at a time, forming braille letters.

The Perkins keyboard (which can be swapped out for the QWERTY keyboard) is for type and braille. Keypads are for producing braille dots. The cursor cross is for commands and navigating. The spacebar creates braille chord key combinations. The eight function keys provide quick access to frequently used features.

The instructions manual provides quick start cards, in braille and print, that teach a variety of functions. Examples include reading and selecting text, for navigating, and for commands.

Caring for this AT

As mentioned, there are two keyboards that can be used, either the Perkins or QWERTY, and there is also the refreshable braille console. Apart from the instructions manual, there are two USB cables provided, along with a charger.

All of these items are packed in clear storage bags and placed together in a black bag. After use, pack each item separately in the clear bags and store together in the big bag to ensure that the items remain in a single place. This is so that the bag is easily accessible to the child.

Benefits of this AT

As children get older and graduate from preschool, computer proficiency is expected for a variety of tasks. Hence, we want teachers to be able to prepare their preschoolers with the necessary prerequisites to aid them in their learning journey. With the PAC Mate device, children with visual impairment are given access to the same materials as sighted students and the ability to produce work in different media just as other students do.

Adaptive software, like JAWS (or other screen readers), helps translate screen contents into refreshable braille or speech while enabling the child to control the computer with touchscreen gestures, or keyboard commands. This function then makes standard computers much more accessible.

Apart from built-in JAWS, PAC Mate is compatible with DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System), an internationally standardised text system. DAISY, when paired with the PAC Mate (or other braille-related technology), allows access to books and other printed materials.

Additionally, the PAC Mate is portable and lightweight and can be hung around the neck. Thus, it is practical and easy for children to carry from home, to the preschool centre, and to the early intervention centre.

Related links

https://savh.org.sg/assistive-devices-centre-adc/

https://www.miusa.org/resource/tipsheet/assistivetechnologyforblind