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Technology for sensory impairments (vision and hearing)
Published in Alex Mihailidis, Roger Smith, Rehabilitation Engineering, 2023
J. A. Brabyn, H. Levitt, J.A. Miele
Listening to audio recordings has drawbacks for many types of materials including technical or math, and Braille provides a more active, interactive experience more closely akin to visual reading and writing. Braille literacy is almost universal among employed blind individuals (Ryles 1996). For Braille writing, the simple, highly portable slate and stylus and the mechanical Perkins Brailler are still in use, but portable electronic Braille writers and notetakers are also available. For use in conjunction with a computer, Braille translation software and personal Braille embossers have become more affordable and provide thousands of blind persons with Braille material on demand. Electronic paperless or “refreshable” Braille displays mechanically present a line of Braille characters at a time, and larger “full-page” Braille displays are nearing commercial production. Compact devices incorporating a six-key Braille keyboard for input, and speech and/or single line refreshable braille displays for output, have also become popular, providing much of the functionality that a standard notebook computer gives a sighted individual.
An interactive math braille learning application to assist blind students in Bangladesh
Published in Assistive Technology, 2022
Lutfun Nahar, Riza Sulaiman, Azizah Jaafar
Braille & Barbier in 1829 introduced the slate and stylus for visually impaired students to write, which has the similar mechanism like pen and paper for sighted people (Cheadle, 1994). Blind people in Bangladesh write by using slate and stylus; and read by sensing the embossment of raised dot with fingers. Through the braille method, users emboss braille characters on a paper of substantial thickness by using slate and stylus or Perkins Brailler. However, in Bangladesh, blind students can only use slate and stylus due to the unavailability of Perkins Brailler.