Technology is a great asset to those who are blind or visually impaired, helping to give back independence where it may have seemed that there was no hope. The down side to this is that technology costs, and is unfortunately not covered by services such as Medicare and Medicaid. 

To help with this The Chicago Lighthouse offers used or ex-demo equipment at highly discounted prices. All the equipment is tested by our Assistive Technology team to ensure it is working correctly, and is available to be tried out at our downtown (1850 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago IL) and Glenview (222 Waukegan Road, Glenview IL) locations. 

Our used and ex-demo equipment can be found here http://chicagolighthouse.3dcartstores.com/TECH-SALE_c_124.html and here http://chicagolighthouse.3dcartstores.com/Used-CCTVs-and-Other-Adaptive-Technology_c_107.html. And of course if you have questions about anything, technology related or otherwise, then please call! You can reach us at 1-800-919-3375, or feel free to email luke.scriven@chicagolighthouse.org. 

Here at The Chicago Lighthouse we are big fans of Zoomax's products as they combine great features and great prices. We're glad to see the Butterfly, our latest acquisition from them, is no exception. This 3.5" portable electronic magnifier features 5 color modes, 1.5x to 15x magnification and a freeze frame mode. The thing that we really like though (and that gives it its name!) is the butterfly shaped stand on the rear of the unit. This stand puts the screen at an angle towards your eyes, making the device very ergonomically well designed and comfortable to use. 

Check out our video about the Butterfly then call us at 1-800-919-3375 for more information! 

The market for small portable electronic magnifiers has just got better with the introduction of a new device - The Butterfly from Zoomax. Zoomax has already impressed us with it's Snow and Snow 7 HD  handheld electronic magnifiers, and the Butterfly continues their impressive track record.

Smaller than either of the Snow's, the Butterfly features a 3.5 inch screen and weighs only 4.2 ounces making it ideal for taking around in a pocket or a purse. The magnifier also boasts 1.5x - 15x magnification and 5 different color modes.

The magnifier also has a fold out stand shaped like butterfly wings so yo can rest it on whatever you are reading without having to hold it up.

We love this magnifier as it is simple to use and really portable. Zoomax has a history of making great electronic magnifiers, and this is certainly no exception! At $299 we think this is great value for money and an essential tool. Call 312-997-3649 for more information!

The Connect 12 from Humanware is a fantastic new device combining the convenience of tablet technology with low vision features. Based on an Android tablet, the Connect 12 runs the Prodigi software meaning good quality near magnification, fast and accurate OCR and ease of use. An optional extra is a wireless distance camera which can be used to magnify the whiteboard, look out the window or whatever else you might want to see.

Once you have finished on the Prodigi side it is easy to exit to the Android side and use Android's built in accessibility to access the internet, send and receive emails, take pictures, read books and so much more. Fantastic for students or those wanting a really portable do-it-all device, check out the video below to see it in action!