Optelec USA announced that it would enter the market for blindness products with a revolutionary line of new products to aid in increasing mobilty and communication for the visually impaired. Larry Lewis, instrumental in the development of the widely acclaimed Braille Note, will head the venture for Optelec.

Optelec, Inc., a subsidiary of the Tieman Group (NL) and the leading supplier of video and hand magnifiers for those with low vision, announced today that it will enter the blindness market with a complete line of adaptive products designed to increase the mobility and connectivity of blind children and adults.

Product launch is set for the second half of 2004.

Larry Lewis to Head Project
Heading up the project is Larry Lewis, the newly appointed Vice President of Blindness Sales. Larry joins Optelec from Pulse Data International, a New Zealand based company. While at Pulse Data, Larry led the development of the BrailleNote™ family of personal data assistants serving as both product manager and head of U.S. sales. Under Larry’s guidance the product became the premiere portable information management system to date. Most importantly, this technology has changed the lives of thousands of blind users within educational, vocational, and residential settings.

Lewis stated: “I’m enthused by the opportunity to work with the Tieman Group, and to develop a Blindness Division for Optelec. For years, Optelec has set the standard for providing the most innovative solutions to North America’s low vision market, and I welcome the challenge of mirroring this stellar effort by introducing and driving the most innovative product line designed to serve persons who are blind in countless capacities. I feel that my participation in this process will give this industry the much needed jolt that it requires to meet the exponentially growing needs of blind children seeking a quality education and blind adults striving to gain and maintain competitive employment.”

Congenitally blind from cataracts that developed into a juvenile form of glaucoma, Lewis was mainstreamed into the public school system. He is a fluent Braille reader and writer and a strong advocate of Braille literacy. His acquired Braille reading and writing skills allowed him to attain a comprehensive formal education, holding both an MA in English and an MS in Special Education (Blind Rehabilitation). Lewis has an extensive background in assessing, training, and recommending systems for persons who require adaptive speech and/or Braille solutions.

Annette Fasnacht, President of Optelec US Inc. stated: “I am delighted to have Larry on our team; his broad experience and personal success, brings excellent leadership to this project. Larry has a true passion for technologies that allow the blind to be mainstreamed into the schools and compete in the workplace. Larry’s presence coupled with the extensive product development efforts underway at Tieman in the Netherlands will allow Optelec to develop products and services that will change the lives of those who are blind. Together with our current efforts in the low vision field it further signals our ongoing and growing commitment to all persons who struggle with visual handicaps.”