Freedom Scientific
Encyclopedia
Freedom Scientific is a corporation
which researches, creates, and sells technology intended for people who are blind or have low vision
and those with learning disabilities
. The company's Blind and Low Vision Group's products include software and hardware to help people with low vision work with their computers, organize information, and work with standard printed materials. Their Learning Systems Group provides tools to help people with reading and/or writing difficulties work more effectively with written material.
Freedom Scientific was created in April 2000 by the merger of Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering, and Arkenstone, Inc. Henter-Joyce, founded in 1987 by Ted Henter
, was known for its JAWS
screen reader
and MAGic screen magnifier for the PC. Blazie Engineering, founded in 1986 by Deane Blazie, was known for its braille
and speech-output note takers, braille displays, and braille embossers. Arkenstone, founded in 1989 by Jim Fruchterman
was known for producing page scanning software to permit blind people to read print books and documents through voice synthesizers and braille displays. Freedom Scientific still sells all of these products, and its technology is still expanding. The founders of all three of the companies are still on the board of directors. Its President and CEO is Dr. Lee Hamilton. It is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida
, USA and it has a computer lab in Palo Alto, California
. Its European center is located in Tägerwilen
, Switzerland, with a support center in Hamburg
, Germany.
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
which researches, creates, and sells technology intended for people who are blind or have low vision
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and those with learning disabilities
Learning disability
Learning disability is a classification including several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors...
. The company's Blind and Low Vision Group's products include software and hardware to help people with low vision work with their computers, organize information, and work with standard printed materials. Their Learning Systems Group provides tools to help people with reading and/or writing difficulties work more effectively with written material.
Freedom Scientific was created in April 2000 by the merger of Henter-Joyce, Blazie Engineering, and Arkenstone, Inc. Henter-Joyce, founded in 1987 by Ted Henter
Ted Henter
Ted Henter is an American computer programmer and businessman. He studied engineering, but learned computer programming and started his own business after becoming blind in a car accident in 1978, which put an end to a promising career as an international motorcycle racer.In 1987, he teamed up with...
, was known for its JAWS
JAWS (screen reader)
JAWS is a computer screen reader program in Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a Refreshable Braille display....
screen reader
Screen reader
A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the screen . This interpretation is then re-presented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a Braille output device...
and MAGic screen magnifier for the PC. Blazie Engineering, founded in 1986 by Deane Blazie, was known for its braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
and speech-output note takers, braille displays, and braille embossers. Arkenstone, founded in 1989 by Jim Fruchterman
Jim Fruchterman
Jim Fruchterman is a leading social entrepreneur. He is a former rocket scientist and technology entrepreneur who creates social technology enterprises that target under-served communities....
was known for producing page scanning software to permit blind people to read print books and documents through voice synthesizers and braille displays. Freedom Scientific still sells all of these products, and its technology is still expanding. The founders of all three of the companies are still on the board of directors. Its President and CEO is Dr. Lee Hamilton. It is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
, USA and it has a computer lab in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. Its European center is located in Tägerwilen
Tägerwilen
Tägerwilen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Geography:Tägerwilen has an area, , of . Of this area, or 47.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 37.4% is forested...
, Switzerland, with a support center in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany.
Products
Their products include:- JAWSJAWS (screen reader)JAWS is a computer screen reader program in Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a Refreshable Braille display....
, a screen reader. - MAGic, a screen magnifier.
- Connect Outloud, a cut-down version of JAWS designed for basic web use.
- OpenBook, a scanning and reading application.
- PAC Mate, a Pocket PCPocket PCA Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
PDAPersonal digital assistantA personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
incorporating JAWS-based speech and/or braille. - Focus braille displaysRefreshable Braille displayA refreshable Braille display or Braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device for displaying Braille characters, usually by means of raising dots through holes in a flat surface. Blind computer users, who cannot use a normal computer monitor, use it to read text output...
.