Braille technology is
assistive technology which allows
blind or
visually impaired
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment†...
people to do common tasks such as writing, browsing the Internet, typing in
Braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille disp ...
and printing in text, engaging in chat, downloading files, music, using electronic mail, burning music, and reading documents. It also allows blind or visually impaired students to complete all assignments in school as the rest of sighted classmates and allows them take courses online. It enables professionals to do their jobs and teachers to lecture using hardware and software applications. The advances of Braille technology are meaningful because blind people can access more texts, books and libraries and it also facilitates the printing of Braille texts.
"Despite the Braille system's universal reach, the
National Federation of the Blind
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland.
Overvie ...
estimates that only 10 percent of the vision-impaired are able to read Braille".
Software
Some of the software available currently:
*
Duxbury DBT, is a program that translates inkprint to braille and braille to inkprint for over 100 languages.
*
JAWS, is a program that reads the words on the screen and enables the browsing of folders, documents and programs on Microsoft Windows. Words on the screen can also be sent to a
Braille display
A refreshable braille display or braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device for displaying braille characters, usually by means of round-tipped pins raised through holes in a flat surface. Visually impaired computer users who cannot use a s ...
.
*
Kurzweil, a device that scans texts into the computer and narrates them.
*
nvda,
open source screen reading software with braille support.
Hardware
*
Braille display
A refreshable braille display or braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device for displaying braille characters, usually by means of round-tipped pins raised through holes in a flat surface. Visually impaired computer users who cannot use a s ...
* Braille keyboards, which were in use only with Braille typewriters. Braille reading computer users prefer the standard keyboard as a text composing input device. Braille computer keyboards are extremely rare.
*
Braille embosser
A braille embosser is an impact printer that renders text as tactile braille cells. Using braille translation software, a document or digital text can be embossed with relative ease. This makes braille production efficient and cost-effective. B ...
* Braille notetakers
*
Braille e-book
A braille e-book is a refreshable braille display using electroactive polymers or heated wax rather than mechanical pins to raise braille dots on a display. Though not inherently expensive, due to the small scale of production they have not been ...
s, using
electroactive polymers,
so far only as a concept desig
See also
*
Assistive technology
References
Braille Technology American Foundation for the Blind
External links
Duxbury SystemsAmerican Foundation for the BlindBraille Technology at RNC
Assistive Technology Products
{{Braille