Braille technology is
assistive technology
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...
which allows
blind or
visually impaired people to do common tasks such as writing, browsing the Internet, typing in
Braille 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 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.
*
Kurzweil, a device that scans texts into the computer and narrates them.
*
nvda,
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
screen reading software with braille support.
Hardware
*
Braille display
* 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
* Braille notetakers
*
Braille e-books, using
electroactive polymers
file:EAP-example2.png, (a) Cartoon drawing of an EAP gripping device.(b) A voltage is applied and the EAP fingers deform in order to release the ball.(c) When the voltage is removed, the EAP fingers return to their original shape and grip the ball
...
,
so far only as a concept desig
See also
*
Assistive technology
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...
References
Braille Technology American Foundation for the Blind
External links
Duxbury SystemsAmerican Foundation for the BlindBraille Technology at RNC
Assistive Technology Products
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