I finally found a tool that i have been trying to find for months. It is a "simulator" for Braillers. This program is a very simple, straightforward application that will happily run under Windows Xp and Vista. It is called Perky Duck.

The company that provides it is called Duxbury Systems and the direct link to the application is Perky Duck Link Please note that i have included this link to help out. It may change in the future so please go via the main link to Duxbury Systems and then choose products. Look for Perky Duck

I have installed and used this on my laptop and my desktop now and it is brilliant. This program should be encouraged to be used by all people learning Braille.

How can I express the feeling after today, McDonalds Coorparoo and Variety Club Day!!... A few words come to mind.

1. "TOTAL EXHAUSTION!!"
We had a fantastic day there. Mick and Anne (McDonalds Coorparoo owners and Variety Club members) put on a day well and truly worth every cent. They together with their crew at McDonalds ensured that everything went smoothly and that everyone was able to have an enjoyable day.

2. "Total Joy"
To receive the Perkins Braille Machine was just something that cannot be described. Variety Club is a fantastic organisation who provide much needed support to families, like ourselves, who may not be able to provide much needed equipment due to the over-the-top pricing of some items. To give an example of the costing involved - a Perkins Braille Machine is in excess of $1000. Today, Variety Club provided 4 of these units to needy families (ours included).

3. "Complete Satisfaction"
Knowing that we in our own way helped out some of the others there by selling some of the Golden Hearts made us feel really good. There are still more that can be purchased by visiting the McDonalds Coorparoo store.

I will be posting quite a few photos from the day as well as links to various groups that where involved in the day. My family and myself cannot express enough our thanks to Mick and Anne from McDonalds Coorparoo as well as Trevor from Variety Club for organising the day. Our heartfelt thanks and love goes out to all