Does anyone have a Braille eMotion from Hims Inc.?

[Charles]

Does anyone have a Braille eMotion from Hims Inc.?  I'd like to know
cons and criticisms of the Braille eMotion from someone who has one. 
ADP covers the Brailliant BI40X but not the eMotion.  At this point in
time I'd sell my Brailliant BI40X in a minute and put the amount toward
an eMotion.


C

[nagi...@gmail.com]

Its been talked about on the braill list, but I don't know that much about it. I am hearing that the braille evolve has some buggs I guess they are trying to fix.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The OSB/WRMS Alumni Discussion List" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to wrmsalumni-ch...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/2e923c07-3553-40a1-9686-b03e01de185c%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Yes, Debbie.  I wonder if Hims will come out with any more updates for
the Braille eMotion.  Same for Humanware and their slacker Brailliant
displays.  Basically Humanware or HW (HW for Hot Water) says that
although they have no plans for updates to the Brailliant they do have
something scheduled for this year.  So in blindness Corp. talk then,
what does that mean?  We don't have anything planned but we should but
won't?


Personally, i think that all of these newer braille devices are
expensive and just barely usable junk.  And since they apparently run on
Android and not Linux, they will always load their features slowly, they
will not grow much, and they will always take 30 seconds plus just to
start up.


So there.  What do you think?

Charles

[nagi...@gmail.com]

I can't figure that one out either, sounds like the situation with the smart vision 3 they are only up android 11 and they don't plan on updating the smart phone at all. And so because of all this crazy stuff, I am getting an eye phone from phone it forward from the CNIB so I can use it as a device. Anything I try to do with the smart vision 3 is so complicated. And there customer service is not good. Interesting when we had the CNIB mobile hub come to Peterborough, I spoke with the gentlemen from smart life at CNIB and he told me the were asked if they wanted to cell the smart vision phone and they said no, because of all this silly stuff.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/ebce1ea7-7202-4dd4-9184-0ffb979798e6%40rogers.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

Are on the braille display list? I wonder if some one might have the braille emotion?

-----Original Message-----
From: wrmsalu...@googlegroups.com <wrmsalu...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Charles

Sent: July 1, 2026 12:13 PM
To: wrmsalu...@googlegroups.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/ebce1ea7-7202-4dd4-9184-0ffb979798e6%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

No Debbie, I am so disgusted with the blindness braille/rehabilitation
scene that I unsubscribed from the various lists.  I might resubscribe
to the braille-embosser list and to the blindhandyman list.  You know
what has happened with the optacon 3 work, and follow-up tactile/braille
displays work done here since then, and the ongoing dishonesty there. 
So I don't need the headaches.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

No you don't need the headeachs you've had enough of them to last a life time.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/c038b8b5-8696-49e9-802c-fdd8aba6eb51%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Thank you for your understanding and your care, gentle Debbie. Sure they
needed a blind guy who could handle the engineering design and building
of these new tactile and haptic devices, who could throw the resources
and the expertise at them, test them, etc.  But looking at it now I
should have avoided this stuff, stuff which was at one time interesting
to me.  I should have stayed in biomedical work at that.  Or gotten into
something else altogether.  Like greenhouses, gardening and such. 
Someone from around here or west Quebec had cautioned me about these
things, I forget if it was Paul Nobrega, or was it Alan Conway, or
someone else, I cannot remember who right now, and they indicated that
one (say someone like a computer programmer or an engineer or someone
like that) could get sucked into that blind world of need just like
that.  Yes, there was a need, and there still is a need.  I remember
several years ago when you and I were on some kind of a zoom chat, and
when i had expressed my Disgust with the work, you immediately responded
in a certain poignant way that women do who realize things in their
woman's heart:

"Mmm, oh, no Charles I don't think it is the work; it is the people
around you!"


Perhaps we can take this off list, Debbie, so as not to cause the people
to wish the topic were something more relevant and interesting to all. 
And I'm happy that you are feeling better Debora.  Same here, but it is
a slow and gradual recovery for me as the doctors and nurses reminded me
last week and again today. They said I should stop over doing it and
rest properly, and do my breathing exercises regularly, lest pleural
fusion set in. ....


So guess what, DebDebs?  Today I got a nice heavy shipment from Uline of
a heavy-duty Magliner hand truck kit, and industrial wire shelving for
to set up my braille printers and related equipment. Why, when I should
have done it 20 years ago?  Well, ...


Charles properly exrcising breathing and resting.  NOT!  Or as Rod would
remember, "Breath!" hahaha

[nagi...@gmail.com]

Well the thing is there are a few bad blind people around sounds a little harsh? But there are a few bad apples in every group that think of them selves. And if I remember correctly you told me that you had designed something at the school and that was taken away from you by a staff member at the school. And this staff person gave you some lame excuse of witch I don't remember why it was taken away.Maybe it wasn't rite what I said about the people around you. It was more like people in power and people with money that got to steal all your work. Actually that sounds like something I would say. If I were in the that same position and had some uneque ideas and some blind or sited crook stole everything I had done
I would feel the same way you feel.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/836f0b15-839e-43a9-b810-e6a8dc15de8b%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Yes I remember that Debora.  At school I had with me a set I had put
together, a tactile geometry set with some tactile drafting
capabilities.  Some of the highschool staff and the brass were
intrigued; don't know why really.  So they took it from me to examin
it.  And then they would not return it to me.  It had cost me some money
certainly, and more than a little research and work.  I had been given
some very helpful progressive ideas and leads from the Manitoba
Department Of Education, some of their braille books, and helpful
conversations with their blind highschool students who were way ahead of
where we were at WRMS in everything.  Some of the specialized pieces in
my geometry/tactile set were rare or impossible to replace.  And they
told me that I could not have it back because in their view I was at an
advantage over the other students.  Advantage?  What advantage,
exactly?  So that neat tactile geometry and drafting set,  extraordinary
for that time and especially at WRMS, was never replaced, it was
dispersed, and I couldn't duplicate it.  You know just remembering it
now more than slightly burns me up.  Why, and it was over 40 years ago? 
Well, Debbie, I'm not sure exactly why.  Perhaps it was the injustice? 
The non-explanation of the several staff who did that? (blast their
blood)  I remember that Miss Barker our science teacher tried to go to
bat for me, and if memory serves me correctly so did Mr. Barney who was
our mathematics teacher and our physics teacher.  Well, let's say
supposed grade 12 physics. We were way behind in maths and physics,
absurdly so in fact.  Mr. Bill Pippy was one of the staff who decided
that I should not receive back my tactile set.  Some others from the
senior school office ... can't recall who they were.  I wonder if there
was a mis-communication or mis-understanding along the serpentine line
somewhere and I was meant to receive back the set?  There was nothing
dangerous about the kit.  Ha.  We did some fun and crazy dangerous stuff
shall we say "off hours", and that was not sanctioned.  Well, at least
if it was we didn't abide them.  But I'm sure that Rod doesn't remember
any silly and dangerous stuff we did like chasing one another atop the
sand dunes and running like my pants were on fire (which they probably
were), and suddenly I was in mid air, and a moment later Rod landed by
my head in a splash of sand hahaha.  And I'm sure he does not remember
us flying down that hill and ripping through that snow fence and we
being unconscious for a bit and having to be patched up at the
infirmary. haha  And I know he's forgotten about those high stakes dice
games we used to shoot late late at night when more sensible people
would be snug in their beds with visions of shapely sugar plums all in
their heads.  I won't tell what was really in our heads at nights so
sugar plums will have to do.  Or the time when Roddie and his then
room-mates (I think John Hamson and some others were in that
well-behaved and quiet room) were throwing firecrackers out their window
late at night, and one blew back into the room, and they couldn't find
it and it blew up, and that brought Mr. Stout in and he literally made
the residence shake by slamming their door.  Man, that Mr. Stout thing
was loud!  And one of you quiet guys had a tape recorder going of it
when Stout came in and that was that.  If I remember the last part of
that recording he said, "...I'll come ddown on you like a TRUCK!"  And
then there was a tremendous BANG as he swept your door shut.  In fact
you could actually hear and feel the air pressure suddenly whoosh and
change just before that residence-vibrating BOOM of the door being
slammed. hahaha Someone played the tape of that for us the next day or
whenever.


Charles

[nagi...@gmail.com]

What in the heck did Pippi think it was? A bom. They actually stole that from you.

Things like this burn me up too. They could have worked with you and let the other students have a look at it. This device could have helped sm many kids with there studies. Obviously some of these so called inteligent staff were vary shallow in there way of thinking.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/be53beb3-ea71-41db-ae40-2fd41e7da711%40rogers.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

O my goodness and to think I mist out on all of this fun. Stout had a vary negative aditude he did some mean things to some of the boys all because he said he wanted the boys be tough. I found out from Gregg Thompson that he use to punch some guys out

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/be53beb3-ea71-41db-ae40-2fd41e7da711%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Yes there were some crazy funny times.  Overall I got along well with
Mr. Stout.  In general, I suppose one would have had to be either very
strong or very weak to more than merely survive at the school.


I am not sure about what was the girls' lot.  What say the girls on the
list?  I know at least Tessa on the list if she is still here was from
our time.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

Thinking back its hard to tell how some of the girls made out, some needed more help then others. I think the boys in some ways had a little harder then the girls.

How ever having said this I remember Florence I can't spell her last name, she was from Sudbury she had allot of problems and some of us girls at the time weren’t very understanding
.
She had learning problems I also remember she had falts teeth she actually showed them me. She always had bad headeachs and the counselors didn't listen to her.
Then one day she came to me crying and told me they were sending her to sick kids hospital to do some tests, she was there for quite some time, when she did com back she said that they had put a shunt in her head, I guess that was to allow drainage of water on her brain.
I got the feeling that she was one of these kids in the foster system. You neverheard about her mom and dad. Vary sad when you think of it. I heard that she past away but you never know if that is true.Florence's English wasn't good at all but she picked it up eventually
I think she had problems with a either water on the brain or a Toomer

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/d5ab6318-d055-467a-96e8-e327be30d4af%40rogers.com.

[Alan Conway]

Mr. Stout wasn't at the school when I was there, at least as far as I can recall.

His attitude, however, was typical of my time there. I don't recall anyone being punched out, but it was clear that the staff didn't get involved when students were bullied.

Immersion is a great way to learn a language, but when young children are thrown into that situation, things can get pretty difficult.

I know of cases where francophone students ended up losing their French to the point where they had problems communicating with their families. I even know one student who legally changed his name because being francophone in that environment caused many problems and he was thoroughly traumatized.

Nowadays there's a school in Ottawa where blind francophone children can be educated in their own language.

Alan

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/01a001dd0c6b%24e60d53d0%24b227fb70%24%40gmail.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

No he was there I think he started in the late 70s some of the people that took mobility from found him intimidating. You didn't mis much.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/000d01dd0c7f%24c6f4ba10%2454de2e30%24%40gmail.com.

[Charles]

Hello Alan.  The Jewish students were also given a hard time at the
school.  I do not know if it was just a reflection of society and our's
at the school was a microcosm, or was it something else.  A few staff in
particular had a hard time swallowing when certain students refused to
eat pork (shellfish were unheard of), or when they kept the Sabbath, or
anything even approaching Jewishness or Jewry.  Yet, these same several
staff did not act up at all when other parallel situations occured.  So
for instance, if a student did not want to eat their beef biscuit roll
(I know Sara loved it and she misses it) the staff wouldn't have a
problem.  If a student did not want to eat their Spanish rice these
staff would not have a problem.  However, if a student did not wish to
eat their pork, well then these same several staff becane almost
insensed with fury and control and even hostility. Looking at their
peculiar behaviour now, and in an historical context of human attitudes,
I have to wonder for real if something supernatural was going on there,
unbeknownst to those same several staff.


Charles

[Alan Conway]

Charles,

I knew two Jewish students at school.

I think someone from the synagogue picked them up on Saturdays, but because the cleaning staff wanted to clean the residences, they were forced to go to the United Church on Sundays. I never heard about what happened if they didn't want to eat pork, although I wouldn't be surprised if they had been forced to.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/7d48736f-fe80-43af-bb20-f9823cb762a9%40rogers.com.

[Sara Feir]

I'm happy there was a synagogue in Brantford in the 1960s! I'm sad that someone from there had to help these students and I'm also sad about them having to go to church just because the staff needed to clean the rooms.

In my day, I believe Jewish students were allowed to keep Kosher. This was the 1980s and 1990s. I should ask a friend of mine about that though.

> On Jul 5, 2026, at 11:09 AM, Alan Conway <alan.co...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Charles,

> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/000901dd0c90%243a9cee50%24afd6caf0%24%40gmail.com.

[Alan Conway]

Hi Sarah,

None of these students had family in the area. One boy was from Montreal and the other came from Winipeg. Without help from the Jewish community, they wouldn't have gone to the Synagogue at all.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/74FC1CDF-96EF-4526-A769-CFE9A2D6B1B4%40gmail.com.

[Sara Feir]

I actually meant that the school should have been responsible for seeing that they got to their place of worship, since they were clearly in the business of trooping all the students to Brant Ave United on Sundays. Of course, that would have been in walking distance, but well, I still think that if the school placed so much emphasis on faith, then they should have helped the students to get to synagogue. Of course, we all know what faith they placed their emphasis on.

> On Jul 5, 2026, at 11:24 AM, Alan Conway <alan.co...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Sarah,

> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/005201dd0c92%2469927f70%243cb77e50%24%40gmail.com.
>

[nagi...@gmail.com]

Yup you were either one or the other catholic or united I knew one girl that chose to atend a salvation army church but that was when she was in high school.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/C1F16EE1-B5E3-450E-B34C-4BF651603B5C%40gmail.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

I'm sure allot of us remember mis. Murry? She did take one of her grade 6 classes synogog

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/005201dd0c92%2469927f70%243cb77e50%24%40gmail.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

That's just stupid because they had cleaning staff to clean the rooms

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/74FC1CDF-96EF-4526-A769-CFE9A2D6B1B4%40gmail.com.

[nagi...@gmail.com]

When I worked at CNIB one of the former staff came to Toronto for a vision test and so how him and I got to chatting about the staff requierments and he said the only thing they expected was you had to like people.I know that some of the staff had there own problems and boy o boy did it come out when they could not gain control of a student's situation.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/7d48736f-fe80-43af-bb20-f9823cb762a9%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

They also trucked the Roman Catholic students to the Catholic church.


Haha I remember one tie when we were in church, and the priest or the
minister was doing his sermon, and in a raised voice he exclaimed, :AND
PETER!:

And tnen Peter Bacic responded, "Yeah?"

[Charles]

Yes Debbie, and it often depended on What situation.  So some situations
and not others.  Somewhat selective and reactionary several staff were.

[Rod]

Then there were certainly those of us who had absolutely no desire to attend church regardless of which denomination it was and did whatever you could to get out of going! When you turned 16, you didn't have to go if you had a letter from your parents stating so and once you turned 18, you could choose not to go of your own doing. Miss Lindhurst use to bring along books for us to read during the service as she knew how bored we would get. Several times certain people fell asleep and were snoring quite loudly and she had to wake them up! HAHAHA

>>>>> blood) I remember that Miss Barker our science teacher tried to go to bat for me, and if memory serves me correctly so did Mr. Barney who was our mathematics teacher and our physics teacher. Well, let's say supposed grade 12 physics. We were way behind in maths and physics, absurdly so in fact. Mr. Bill Pippy was one of the staff who decided that I should not receive back my tactile set. Some others from the senior school office ... can't recall who they were. I wonder if there was a mis-communication or mis-understanding along the serpentine line somewhere and I was meant to receive back the set? There was nothing dangerous about the kit. Ha. We did some fun and crazy dangerous stuff shall we say "off hours", and that was not sanctioned. Well, at least if it was we didn't abide them. But I'm sure that Rod doesn't remember any silly and dangerous stuff we did like chasing one another atop the sand dunes and running like my pants were on fire (which they probably were), and suddenly I was in mid air, and a moment later Rod landed by my head in a splash of sand hahaha. And I'm sure he does not remember us flying down that hill and ripping through that snow fence and we being unconscious for a bit and having to be patched up at the infirmary haha And I know he's forgotten about those high stakes dice games we used to shoot late late at night when more sensible people would be snug in their beds with visions of shapely sugar plums all in their heads. I won't tell what was really in our heads at nights so sugar plums will have to do. Or the time when Roddie and his then room-mates (I think John Hamson and some others were in that well-behaved and quiet room) were throwing firecrackers out their window late at night, and one blew back into the room, and they couldn't find it and it blew up, and that brought Mr. Stout in and he literally made the residence shake by slamming their door. Man, that Mr. Stout thing was loud! And one of you quiet guys had a tape recorder going of it when Stout came in and that was that. If I remember the last part of that recording he said, "...I'll come ddown on you like a TRUCK!" And then there was a tremendous BANG as he swept your door shut. In fact you could actually hear and feel the air pressure suddenly whoosh and change just before that residence-vibrating BOOM of the door being slammed. hahaha Someone played the tape of that for us the next day or whenever.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/c771ab5d-f801-4362-94bb-0c402800902a%40rogers.com.

[Alan Conway]

Well, several of us were Anglicans and that was the church we attended.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/02a501dd0c9b%244333df00%24c99b9d00%24%40gmail.com.

[Alan Conway]

I certainly remember her. She had already been a t the school a long time before I came.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/02a601dd0c9b%24cf1a62a0%246d4f27e0%24%40gmail.com.

[Alan Conway]

Actually, they ended up with a bus that transported all the students to the various churches.

The catholic students were taken first. The bus would then transport the others to the Anglican or United church. The Anglicans were the first to be dropped off and the last to be picked up, so we often got back and didn't have time to change before lunch.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/c771ab5d-f801-4362-94bb-0c402800902a%40rogers.com.

[Alan Conway]

That was quite a switch. I was 18 during my last year of school. I didn't want to attend church and tried to get out of it, but they wouldn't let me.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/000f01dd0ca5%2417611b40%24462351c0%24%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Yes Alan, some were United or Anglican and some were Catholic church,
and several of us were Sabbath-keeping who were given no quarter.  And
some were Heathen, and they built their own virtual temple shall we say
hahaha.


I forgot about Miss Lindhorst bringing books for us to read. Wow.  Miss
Lindhorst was the best house mother we boys had. Easily so.  The guy
counsellors were closer together in that sense, with Mr. Huner and Mr.
Cheatley being the best overall, certainly Mr. Huner.  But Miss Helen
Lindhorst was our best lady counsellor.  And she was a "boys'
counsellor", just like Miss Eva Tonn was a boys' counsellor, and Miss
Boehme was a boys' teacher. I think people know what I mean by that. 
There are for instance boys' mothers.  Mrs. Mary Wade (RIP Mrs. Wade)
was a boys' mother.  So it was with Miss Lindhorst.  There was really
noone quite like her.  Even the male counsellors buckled down and
listened to her when she lowered the heavy-handed hammer. hahaha


Charles

[Alan Conway]

She had been at the school for a long time though. Miss Lindherst was in junior school when I started in 1958.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/984cf392-9d23-40f5-abca-2d9eeb67be62%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

I also remember that the year before that, in 1957, Miss Tonn came over
to Canada on a ship called The Adriana  Almost nought else do I know of
her silent background.

[Alan Conway]

I didn't know when she had actually come, but by the early 60's, she was working in the girls' residence.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/0cde6b08-1453-40ff-ad62-058d5719d6ff%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

You mean Miss Tonn was a counsellors for the girlies?  I didn't know
that.  Neat, that.  I can see that with some counsellors who could do
both residences more than I can with others.  Mrs.
Patricia Rombach could do both for instance.

[Alan Conway]

There was also Mrs. MacGinnis, who worked in the girls' residence in 1958. She was working in the boys' residence by the time I was a senior student.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/59486ade-e9a0-4823-a4a1-a03917f0c238%40rogers.com.

[Charles]

Was she married to Mr. John

MacGinnis?

[Alan Conway]

No. I understand that her husband had passed away.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/wrmsalumni-chat/a73f60bc-b37f-4940-9698-1e690520c2aa%40rogers.com.