[Blindmath] using math on the apex

Sat Sep 6 21:58:58 UTC 2014

Also, computer Braille is a lot less awkward to read. Another thing is that the apex is getting very out of date. It can't do a lot for what you pay for it, and it seems like it would be much cheaper and more efficient to use a braille display paired with a tablet or laptop. I currently have an apex, but once it has reached the end of it's life, I will also be using a braille display. I feel that it is very limited and very unstable,. Sighted people wouldn't except technology at such a high price that is as limited and as unstable as the Apex, and I don't understand why blind people do. Also, I think a markup language does have its place because it can arrange Matt spatially the way sighted people like to see it while still giving it to blind people the way they like to read it, but you will be using a computer to do this, so even though you might be doing some extra steps, you will still essentially be doing math and computer braille. Now that I understand the apex is new method of printing things out, I'm not going to use it because I don't want my math to look like that. I chose the apex because I was anxious about using a braille display, The more I think about it, the more it makes sense though. The display would have a braille keyboard and I could still type in contracted braille, but I could browse songs on iTunes, use various math programs, recover files, and do lots of other things I could never do with the apex while still having access to the braille input and output that I need. And I get this all for a cheaper price. If you got a top-of-the-line laptop or tablet, a top-of-the-line braille display, and a pricey screen reader like JAWS  for windows, it would still be cheaper than the apex and it would do more. If you got a Mac or used NVDA, it would be even cheaper. You could use your display in conjunction with programs like math tracks and Excel to have a much more productive and powerful experience. I wish I hadn't been so attached to the apex and that I had chosen a braille display, but I will in the future.

> On Sep 6, 2014, at 4:07 PM, Daniel Gillen via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> as I am a college student majoring in physics, I understand that it may be better to stick to computer braille code especially with the higher math courses. This is because many teachers and professors will not be comfortable reading such cumbersome notation, perhaps much more cumbersome than the LaTeX encoding. Also, because of what I am studying, I have assigned many shortcut keys to the extended Unicode characters (Such as the integral sign, the partial differential sign, and many others). This has made the symbols possible to be printed on paper or in word documents. I have done this even before I was in college, especially for my precalculus high school course and a couple before then. Hopefully this is helpful information. You may want to consult the user guide about Unicode character insertion via the Unicode tables and assigning key and dot combinations to these characters for working in computer braille.
> 
> Thank you,
> Daniel sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Sep 6, 2014, at 4:52 PM, "Lewicki, Maureen via Blindmath" <blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> This is a super topic!  Too am looking forward to people's reactions. My students have been using computer braille for years, also, and what ends up printing out for the teachers is MUCH. Better than what prints out with the updated nemith option. I don't know how this will translate, but here goes. If you insert a parenthesis, it prints out with the word open parenthesis, or close parenthesis. If you use a superscript, the word super script appears. It reads in print much like you might hope a sighted person would read a math equation....but to me, it seems a bit much for the sighted teachers to take in! So, for example, 2(3+ x/3) would read 2 open parenthesis 3 +open fraction x fraction line 3 close fraction close parenthesis.
>> 
>> As I said, seems to me a bit much for the teacher, but not insurmountable! The question is, does it make more sense to stick to computer braille??
>> 
>> Maureen Murphy Lewicki
>> Teacher of the Visually Impaired
>> Bethlehem Central Schools
>> 700 Delaware Avenue
>> Delmar, NY 12054
>> http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/
>> 
>> 
>> On Sep 6, 2014, at 3:33 PM, "petras via Blindmath" <blindmath at nfbnet.org<mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi all.
>> I recently upgraded to keysoft 9.4 and would like to know how to use math on the apex.  Currently I use the brailler to do it, but I'm just wondering how.
>> 
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