Accessible Test

Lighting Guide Kit

(Completed)
Technical Research monitored the first production run of the product into stock in January. However, sales for this product were held until the on-hand stock of the Variable Intensity Study Lamp was sold out. This product was made available for sale in March.
Lighting Guide Manual, Large Print

Lighting Guide Manual, Braille

Listen and Think Level B

(Complete)
This item was an update of the product from cassette audio materials to CD audio materials. Technical Research worked with all production and production support areas to convert the recordings to CD format, to create new bills and routings in the APH computer system, and followed this item through the production process. This item was placed into stock in June

Listen and Think Level C

(Complete)
This item was an update of the product from cassette audio materials to CD audio materials. Technical Research worked with all production and production support areas to convert the recordings to CD format, to create new bills and routings in the APH computer system, and followed this item through the production process. This item was placed into stock in August.

MathBuilders Unit 7 (Fractions)

(Continued)
Technical Research met with the Project Leader and an outside consultant to work out the basic components required for this product. This kit required creating two types of fractional teaching aids. One is a set of circles made of parts segmented into 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and whole units. A vacuum-formed tray to facilitate assembling the circles will also be included. The second tray will be made with rows of removable rectangular pieces that are broken into 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 units. The whole unit (1.0) is to be formed into the tray. Both types of teaching aids will have both large print and Braille numbering. Preliminary drawings for the major manufactured items were created and approved by the Project Leader. Technical Research worked with the Project Leader to lay out the Braille label sheets needed to label all of the fractional pieces. Technical Research created silk screens and had braille plates made for the label sheets. Technical Research worked with the production floor to have the sheets silk screened and Braille embossed. Technical Research contacted a die cutting vendor to make production dies and die cut the materials. A vendor was selected and made sample urethane fractional circles. These were cut from the backer boards they were shipped on using a band saw and placed in plastic zip lock bags for field-testing. The rectangular pieces for field-testing were made by Technical Research using the CNC router. It was decided to make the trays for the prototypes only out of machined ExCel using the CNC router. This avoided the need to have a vacuum form pattern made by the Model Shop and will help speed up the process for field-testing. The actual production trays will be vacuum formed out of white styrene. Work was started on final drawings and sizing of the two trays (one for the circles and one for the bars). Cutting drawings were completed on both the bar tray and the circle tray. ExCel for making the trays was ordered and received. Tray fabrication on the CNC router in Technical Research was completed. Material to be used for the 2-sided coins (yellow polyblend and blue veltex) was ordered and received. The coins were die-cut and packaged in zip lock bags. The die cut labels were the last item needed for field test samples. These were completed and the field test samples sent out for field testing. Field testing and evaluations were completed in January. Revisions to the product were completed in April. Technical Research is in-process of working with Purchasing to obtain quotes for the fraction bar pieces. Unfortunately, the circle fraction pieces were two of over 70 parts that had tooling destroyed in an October fire in the manufacturing plant (Tri-Plastics). Technical Research has worked with Purchasing and the vendor to make new tooling for these two components of this kit. Tooling was completed and approved for production in July. Technical Research will begin work on product specifications as time and departmental workload allow.

MathBuilders Unit 8 (Data Collection, Graphing, and Probability/Statistics)

(Completed)
Technical Research worked with the Project Leader to determine the basic parts of this product and created drawings for two trays and graphing pieces to go in this product. After field testing, Technical Research began developing product specifications, which were completed and turned over to Production in March 2009. Technical Research has followed the production of all the various parts though final packaging, which was completed the last week in August 2009.

MaximEyes Video Magnifier Version 2.0

(Completed and continued)
This was an upgrade to an existing product. Technical Research worked with the Project Leader, the vendor, and APH Purchasing Department to finalize the product run. The product was placed into stock and available for sale in July 2009. Work is ongoing on a cordless pen tracker.

MiniBook

(Continued)
Initial field test results were received in early 2008. Review of the data noted interest in both types of binding (a mini-binder as well as spiral binding). Based on field test results, this project will be split into multiple products. The plastic mini-slate included in the kit is also being revised. Several field testers made recommendations for changes to the slate. These changes were extensive enough that a new mold would be required. Technical Research worked with the Operations Engineering Department to fabricate two runs of rapid prototyped parts for review by the field. After the first round of RPM prototypes a second series of changes were made to the part. This was accomplished simply by changing the design in the CAD file and sending the file out to a RPM facility to have parts made. This second series of parts was reviewed by the field and approved. Technical Research and the Purchasing Department have begun discussions with vendors to have a mold made based on the final design of the part. Technical Research will continue to work with the Project Leader and monitor the progress of this product.