Tech

BVIS Duxbury licenses are available for Duxbury version 12.6. This version is not currently posted on the Duxbury website, but you can access version 12.6 here.

Contact Michael Cantino for our Duxbury license text. You will need to provide your "device name" before the license text will be provided. 

How to find your device name

1. Right click your computer's start menu, or press Windows key + X, to find a list of options. 

2. Select "System". You'll see your device name listed in the resulting window. 

"Administrator" access is required to complete the Duxbury installation and activation, so you'll need to work with your IT department. After installing Duxbury, IT will need to launch the program and follow the prompts to complete the activation. Unlike many programs, the activation step also requires "Administrator" access. 

1. Place your order through OTMC (APH #: D-11111-ED).

2. Once the order is processed, you’ll receive a license from Freedom Scientific. The email contains 2 links: “This product is for my own use” and “This product is for someone else”

   1. • • • Most often, we will be choosing “This product is for someone else” so that we can forward the license to district IT staff to complete the installation. 

            1. • Choose the “This product is for someone else” link, and enter the email address you want to forward to. 

               • That person will receive a similar email, and they will choose “This product is for my own use”.

          • If you select “This product is for my own use”, the license will be associated with your Freedom Scientific account (described below). District IT staff will need access to this account during activation, so you will most likely need to be present during that step.

3. After clicking on “This product is for my own use”, you’ll be directed to the Freedom Scientific Portal. You can login to an existing account, or you can create a new account and then login. Your license will now be associated with this Portal account.

4. THIS PART IS IMPORTANT! For the remaining steps, you must be on the student’s computer. To activate the license on your student’s computer, you must login to the Portal account using the student’s computer. 

5. In the Portal, you’ll see your license information displayed (if you have more than one license, you can select between licenses). Click on the “Activate this computer” button to assign the license to the student’s computer.

6. The computer will automatically download a “License Activator” file. You can run the license activator after installing JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion.

7. Once your program is installed, right-click (Shift+F10) on the “License Activator” file, and choose "Run as administrator". Follow the prompts to complete the activation. 

   1. • • • Running the license activator file while logged in as an Administrator or running the license activator then entering Administrator credentials may cause your activation to fail.

8. Vispero Account. Starting with the 2026 versions, these programs now ask you to create a Vispero account. You can bypass this step by selecting the option "13 years or younger" when prompted for the user's age. This is our recommended choice at this time. 

View the full Braille Displays Google Drive Folder here.

Brailliant BI 40

• Brailliant BI 40 User Guide

• Using Brailliant with Screen Readers

Focus 40

• Focus Blue User Guide Webpage (an excellent resource!)

• Focus 40 5th Generation User Manual

• Using the Focus Blue Scratchpad

• Braille Display Input Commands for JAWS

• Using the Focus Blue with iOS

• Using the Focus Blue with BrailleBack on Android

• Resetting the Focus 40

Mantis Q40

• Mantis Q40 User Guide

• Mantis Q40 Getting Started Guide

• WSSB: Using APH Mantis Q40

• WCBVI: Mantis Q40 Video Tutorial Series

• Setting up Mantis with NVDA

• Mantis Q40 Keyboard Commands

• Mantis Q40: Installing Firmware Update

Chameleon 20

• WCBVI: Chameleon 20 Video Tutorial Series

• APH Chameleon FAQs

• APH Chameleon Page (user manuals, firmware updates, etc.)

ViewPlus Embossers

• ViewPlus "Tiger" Max User Manual

• ViewPlus Columbia User Manual

• ViewPlus Driver and Firmware Downloads

• ViewPlus Webinars

APH Embossers

PageBlaster

• PageBlaster User Guide

• PageBlaster Quick Start Guide

• PageBlaster Drivers and Firmware from the APH product page

PixBlaster

• PixBlaster User Guide

• PixBlaster Quick Start Guide

• PixBlaster Drivers and Firmware from the APH product page

Duxbury

• Download Duxbury 12.6 - email BVIS Tech with your device name to receive the activation text

• Download SWIFT 5.5 - Duxbury Add-on for Word

• Setting up a New Embosser in Duxbury

BrailleBlaster

• Download BrailleBlaster - Free braille translator from APH. Runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

• Webinar: Braille is a Breeze with BrailleBlaster

• BrailleBlaster User Guide and Resources

JAWS

• Freedom Scientific Teaching Resources

• Freedom Scientific Webinars

• Surfing the Internet with JAWS

• Beginner JAWS Keystrokes

• Basic Internet Navigation with JAWS - From eye.t

• JAWS Tandem Instruction Guide

• Starting a JAWS Tandem Session

• Webinar: Using JAWS Tandem for Remote Instruction

VoiceOver

• iOS Keyboard Commands for VoiceOver Data Collection Sheet

• iOS Focus 40 Commands Data Sheet: This collection of commands for braille displays will work with most devices.

• iOS VoiceOver Gestures for iPads

• Basic Braille Display Commands for VoiceOver on iPad

NVDA

Coming soon

ChromeVox

• Beginner's Guide to ChromeVox

• ChromeVox: From Basics to Mastery (Video) - Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired 

• ChromeVox Training - California School for the Blind 

• Use the Built-In Screen Reader - Official ChromeVox documentation from Google

• Use a Braille Device with Your Chromebook - Official braille display documentation from Google

• Chromebook Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheet - Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan