[Blindmath] Announcing BrailleBlaster

Fri Jul 9 08:13:15 UTC 2010

I can contribute to coding and testing. Not sure about how much yet,
and I cannot start until after the 20th of July (going to the ICCHP
conference in Vienna, going to meet up with prof Gardner there).
Looking forward to getting this project off the ground.
I do have some questions regarding the specifics of the project and
how well it coincides with ideas I have for a project, ideas that I
already have support for from some organizations. I hope this might be
the perfect platform, but I will ifrst discuss it with Gardner before
xplaining them further on this list or the developer team's.
I am excited about the project, because math accessibility is the
single biggest hindrance to more blind people getting into science, I
think.
Cheers
-B

On 7/9/10, Peter Wolfe <sunspot005 at gmail.com> wrote:
> John,
>
>
>
>     Thanks this clarifies a lot for me. I guess I'll like to know the
> actual components of the softare and how it will actually be created.
> I'm going into computer science and will be learning java programming
> language soon! Too bad about the timing is all whacked but this is
> what the blind n that is for sure. I still don't see how you can do
> real serious mathematics on a one lineraille display. How do you
> coorilate graphing information with your existing nformation.
>
> On 7/8/10, John J. Boyer <john.boyer at abilitiessoft.com> wrote:
>> Peter,
>>
>> BrailleBlastger is a softggware development project. It will not publish
>> any books butg provide the software which others can use to do so. The
>> books will have math and tactile graphics. Hopefully, it will unleash a
>> blast of braille by providing the means to get books into braille
>> quickly. It is open source. We will need experienced Java programmers
>> with a commitment to braille to help with it.
>>
>> I use one-line braille displays, either 32 or 40 cedlls. 80-cell
>> displays are too expensive for me.
>>
>> John
>>
>> On Thu, Jul 08, 2010 at 05:35:57PM -0500, Peter Wolfe wrote:
>>> John,
>>>
>>>
>>>     This sounds like an interesting post about the Braille Blaster
>>> project. I'm wondering what your particular views of braille display
>>> one line affectieness for blind people truly is though? I almost see
>>> no need other than portability on small projects like algebra and not
>>> high end mathematics like calculus or linear algebra with differentual
>>> equations as well to truly work. Also, how did you guys getthe
>>> copyrights for the mathematics books? I am wondering what sorts of
>>> books you will offer and will this end product be free or charged in
>>> the future? I see both pluses and minuses to projects massive like
>>> this. The mone and resources will be enormous and yet cannot be not
>>> done at all. Yet, having  realistic expectations and understanding
>>> that no one universal way will ever truly work and the expense of
>>> braille pages and time and or energy will be taken out because of
>>> preformating via Braille Blaster will help. However, my delimma is
>>> that mathematics versions with my professors will say "It's not my
>>> book" and it changes every year because they are bought out by the
>>> publishing industry and each teacher teaches differently. Thanks for
>>> anymore ensight into this project.
>>>
>>> sincerely,
>>> Peter
>>>
>>> On 7/8/10, John J. Boyer <john.boyer at abilitiessoft.com> wrote:
>>> > This project will make many more math books, with tactile graphics,
>>> > available in Braille. This is an announcement of an exciting new
>>> > software development project that will greatly increase the
>>> > availability
>>> > and usability of Braille. Since this is an open source project, you are
>>> > invited to participate. We need transcribers and technical writers as
>>> > well as programmers.
>>> >
>>> > BrailleBlaster will be excellent for translating and formatting braille
>>> > and inserting tactile graphics and hence release a blast of braille.
>>> >
>>> > It will be very user-friendly for non-technical users but also powerful
>>> > enough for experts.
>>> >
>>> > Naive users will be able easily to compose simple documents and then
>>> > translate and emboss them in braille or read them on a braille display.
>>> >
>>> > Advanced users will be able to divide books into multiple braille
>>> > volumes, with title pages, tables of contents, and end-notes for each
>>> > volume.
>>> >
>>> > The BrailleBlaster project should be completed within less than two
>>> > years.
>>> >
>>> > BrailleBlaster will be fully usable in speech or braille by people who
>>> > are blind.
>>> >
>>> > It will be designed for Windows, MacIntosh, and Linux operating systems
>>> > and common screenreaders
>>> >
>>> > It will have visual display controls that make it maximally accessible
>>> > for users with low vision and other visual disabilities.
>>> >
>>> > It will be localized into most major languages.
>>> >
>>> > BrailleBlaster will be developed under the Apache 2.0 license, which
>>> > permits broad use, including use in commercial software.
>>> >
>>> > BrailleBlaster's sponsors are ViewPlus Technologies, Inc. and
>>> > Abilitiessoft, Inc. They will hold the license copyright.
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer
>>> > Abilitiessoft, Inc.
>>> > http://www.abilitiessoft.com
>>> > Madison, Wisconsin USA
>>> > Developing software for people with disabilities
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
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>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Peter Q. Wolfe, AS
>>> sunspot005 at gmail.com
>>>
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>>
>> --
>> John J. Boyer; President, Chief Software Developer
>> Abilitiessoft, Inc.
>> http://www.abilitiessoft.com
>> Madison, Wisconsin USA
>> Developing software for people with disabilities
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> Peter Q. Wolfe, AS
> sunspot005 at gmail.com
>
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