Only one month since announcing the appointment of a new Director of Corporate Development for its new blindness products division, Optelec USA, Inc. announced today yet another prestigious hire for the rapidly expanding division. Ms. JoAnn Becker has accepted the position of Blindness Products Manager.

“JoAnn Becker brings yet another dimension to our blindness initiative, namely the strong commitment to customer training and education”, stated Annette Fasnacht, President of Optelec. “JoAnn is an experienced trainer who will ensure our customers are fully able to maximize the practical, functional applications of our expanding line of Braille and speech technologies.” As product manager, JoAnn will play an active role in the design and development of new blindness products, in the implementation of marketing strategies and in maintaining close relationships with customers throughout North America.

JoAnn attended the Iowa School for the Blind as a child, later mainstreaming into a public high school. After studying at Wellesley College with a major in psychology, JoAnn attained extensive sales and marketing experience in the field of blindness technology, including regional marketing director of Kurzweil computer products and, most recently, as consultant for Adaptive Technology Consulting. When asked about her new role with Optelec, JoAnn replied, “I regard the new division of blindness products at Optelec as a paradigm shift. We are committed to making available to blind people mainstream applications that are cost effective and user-friendly. We will not be repeating what has already been done. We will be developing new and robust cutting-edge products for blind consumers that will allow them to compete on an equal footing with their sighted peers.”

The addition of Becker is the third in a series of hiring by Optelec of what can easily be considered high profile Braille and speech professionals, underscoring the company’s commitment to its blindness division.

Read the whole article at eMediaWire: Optelec Furthers Commitment to Blind Consumers