The Mountbatten Brailler is an electronic machine used to type

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille disp ...

on braille paper. It uses the traditional "braille typewriter keyboard" of the

Perkins Brailler The Perkins Brailler is a "braille typewriter" with a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code, a space key, a backspace key, and a line space key. Like a manual typewriter, it has two side knobs to advance paper through t ...

with modern technology, giving it a number of additional features such as word processing, audio feedback and embossing. The machine was pioneered and developed at the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Royal National College for the Blind The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is a co-educational specialist residential college of further education based in the English city of Hereford. Students who attend the college are aged 16 to 25 and blind or partially sighted. ...

in Hereford by Ernest Bate. Initially the Mountbatten was manufactured in Australia. On January 1, 2010, manufacture of the Mountbatten was taken over by Polish company Harpo Sp. z o. o. The Mountbatten was developed after Lord Mountbatten left a bequest in his will for the development of a modern, low cost, portable brailler. It has been available since 1991. Like the Perkins, the Mountbatten has a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the

code. By simultaneously pressing different combinations of the six keys, users can create any of the characters in the braille code. In addition to these six keys, the Mountbatten has a space key, a backspace key, and a new line key. Like a manual

typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...

, it has a knob to advance paper through the machine, although unlike the Perkins the bar does not move. There is a

Return key On computer keyboards, the enter key and return key are two closely related keys with overlapping and distinct functions dependent on operating system and application. Functions The return key has its origins in two typewriter functions: car ...

rather than a carriage return lever. The rollers that hold and advance the paper have grooves designed to avoid crushing the raised dots the brailler creates. In addition to the traditional keyboard, the Mountbatten has several other features. These include memory which allows braille text files to be stored in much the same way as is done with a

word processor A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Early word processors were stand-alone devices dedicated to the function, but current ...

, speech feedback allowing the user to listen to the text they have just typed or from files, and forward and back translation between

text Text may refer to: Written word * Text (literary theory), any object that can be read, including: **Religious text, a writing that a religious tradition considers to be sacred **Text, a verse or passage from scripture used in expository preachin ...

and braille. The Mountbatten can be connected to a printer allowing files to be printed as text, while a regular PC keyboard can be connected to the Mountbatten enabling text to be produced as contracted or uncontracted braille. There are several models of the Mountbatten; the basic Mountbatten Writer, the Mountbatten Writer Plus, the Mountbatten Pro, and the Mountbatten Learning System.

References

External links

Mountbatten Brailler websiteHarpo Sp. z o. o.
manufacturer of the Mountbatten Brailler
Quantum Technology
previous manufacturer of the Mountbatten Brailler
Mountbatten Brailler
Royal National College for the Blind {{Royal National College for the Blind Assistive technology Braille technology Royal National College for the Blind