[Blindmath] nemeth on braile displays, math OCR, online learning questions

[Tara Annis]

All,

Thanks for the feedback.

Sara, I believe was your name, thanks for the Calculus worksheet.  I think I can make it work with the math OCR by turning into an image since the  OCR does need this format.    Someone suggested opening the text file and pressing the print screen  button  to capture as an image and then copy and paste into a file to use with the math OCR. I also downloaded a .txt to image program  as an alternative method.  I'll let you know if either one works out.
 
I did try the bookshare files with braille display over the weekend, only the HTML version though, that displays as computer braille.  I'm going to download   the BRF file to experiment with.  I'm thinking this one will display in nemeth as opposed to the computer braille.

For clarification, the DSS office in the United States is the Disabled Student Services office that colleges/ universities have to help out blind students.  Their staff can help  a student take notes, read aloud tests and other print material, and sometimes scan textbooks and translate them into braille. 
I thought these office may have implemented a nationwide braille book lending program since they should have a lot of texts that are only used once by a blind student and then put away in storage.
 
The pictures in a flash is a thermoform type machine where a sighted person draws a diagram, runs through a machine, and then is turned into a raised line diagram.
I'm curious about tactile diagrams since I would like to find more that are tactile.  It seems a lot of the technology makes ones   that have just a slight convex line, barely raised off the paper.  I'd also like to find a way for a blind person to independent draw diagrams that have a very tactile line and do not require a person to  flip over the paper to feel the line.

I do have some more questions:
*Can a person just purchase the  ViewPlus braille translation software without the printer to use on a braille display?  I think this is possible with Duxbury.  I don't think I will be able to get the funds for the embosser so thought this could be an alternative.

*Has NFB put  up the Latex manual on blindscience or other portion  of their web site?  They mentioned having it up in the July braille monitor.  Are they still planning on doing this?

*Do I have this correct? Is it possible  that after a blind person learns Latex, she can type out math that can be read by herself and by sighted people?  

*last question, Is there any other way for a blind person to type out math for a sighted person. Can all the symbols be assigned to a special keyboard command?  Has anyone ever tried this method?
Is there a special type of keyboard with the math symbols assigned to keys?  

Thanks,
Tara