Telesensory Systems, Inc. (TSI) was awarded a contract to design, develop, and test Optacons (Optical-to-Tactile Converter) and perepheral equipment. Optacons are direct-translation reading aids for the blind. The text summarizes the engineering design, manufacturing activities, field test procedure and results, and it provides recommendations for more effective implementation in the future. Among these conclusions were that although a "mass-production" of Optacons was not achieved, Optacons and related support equipment are amenable to production-line assembly techniques; production efficiencies made as a result of this contract alone reduced the price of Optacons by 30%. (EMH)