[BlindMath] Scanning braille for sight reading

Wed Jul 26 14:56:18 UTC 2017

You could just use a good text editor such as Emacs, and set the fill column to 40 characters (or whatever your preferred line length is). You would need a braille display with a braille keyboard for text entry. BRLTTY supports computer braille text entry under Linux. If you want page breaks, you could introduce form feed characters manually or write a script to automate it.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindMath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G
> Heim via BlindMath
> Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2017 10:50 AM
> To: steve.jacobson at visi.com; Blind Math list for those interested in
> mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: John G Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
> Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Scanning braille for sight reading
>
> I think what somebody else said was right -- the instructor is used to people
> taking photos with their phone and submitting that. But the whole reason I'm
> doing this is to find the best tools. I think I am going to see if I can find a linux
> text editor that allows me to generate brf files.  That ducksbury tool sounds
> interesting to me but right now, I must have linux.
>
>
>
> On 07/26/2017 08:52 AM, Steve Jacobson via BlindMath wrote:
> > John,
> >
> > I can see where increasing the DPI might help since the braille dot is
> > smaller than most characters.  Another thing to experiment with is
> > whether your scanner is getting the image in black and white or color.
> > I frankly don't know which will work the best because such things seem
> > variable.  I have had cases, though, where low contrast differences on
> > a page came out better in black and white because of the binary
> > nature, but it seems likely that approach might cause some dots to not
> > show at all falling below a threshold.  Obviously, the brightness
> > sensitivity can also matter.  I would think that an instructor in such
> > a course would have very specific recommendations, though, or perhaps
> > Hadley itself.  This does not seem like it would be an unusual problem.
> >
> > I, for one, would be interested to hear what you find out.  I don't
> > remember, are you an Optacon user?
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Steve Jacobson
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: BlindMath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John
> G.
> > Heim via BlindMath
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 26, 2017 7:12 AM
> > To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> > <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: John G. Heim <jheim at math.wisc.edu>
> > Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Scanning braille for sight reading
> >
> > My instructor is sighted. She can sight-read the braille if the dots
> > come up clearly enough in the scanned document. I guess I wouldn't be
> > taking the course if I could see but if I could, all I'd have to do is
> > to keep tweaking the scanner settings until it worked. I think the
> > first thing I am going to do is increase the DPI. There is a lot of
> > info out there that says 300 DPI is best for OCR and my own
> > experiments have confirmed that.  But a higher DPI might be better
> > just to get braille dots to show up on a scanner.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 07/26/2017 04:43 AM, George Bell wrote:
> >> Hi John,
> >>
> >> Scanning embossed braille is not an easy task.  Indeed there was once
> >> a program called "OBR" (Optical Braille Recognition).  But even that
> > required
> >> that specific makes and models of scanner be used, which allowed
> >> control
> > of
> >> lighting during the scan.
> >>
> >> You instructor should know this.
> >>
> >> Do I get the impression you are using a Perkins type braille writer
> >> as opposed to say 6 key entry into PC braille software such as Duxbury?
> >>
> >> George
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: BlindMath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> >> John G Heim via BlindMath
> >> Sent: 25 July 2017 15:02
> >> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> >> Cc: John G Heim
> >> Subject: [BlindMath] Scanning braille for sight reading
> >>
> >> I'm taking a braille class through Hadley School for the Blind. I am
> > trying
> >> to submit my homework assignments as scanned images of braille pages
> >> for
> > the
> >> instructor to sight-read. The instructor asked me to scan them as
> >> photos
> > but
> >> I don't know what that means. Does anybody have experience scanning
> >> in braille and can tell me the best format, mode, and dpi settings? I
> >> sent my instructor tif line-art at 300 dpi which works well for OCR
> >> but that
> > didn't
> >> work for sight-reading braille.
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> --
> >> John G. Heim; jheim at math.wisc.edu; sip://jheim@sip.linphone.org
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> BlindMath mailing list
> >> BlindMath at nfbnet.org
> >> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbne
> >>
> t.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwh
> >>
> ite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fa
> e92
> >>
> f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880227294&sdata=aV6zDPJKotROf2
> B%2BK
> >> AGnRYDzJQBJY4kv93fd4VmdQ%2F4%3D&reserved=0
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> >> BlindMath:
> >>
> > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet
> >
> .org%2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org%2Fgeorge%2540techno-
> vi
> >
> sio&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435
> ca8
> >
> d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C6363667748802272
> 94&sdat
> > a=DIVglu4xoiRZUfZz1OGCN9WVjs7JqWtgus6LZ9KwZgY%3D&reserved=0
> >> n.co.uk
> >> BlindMath Gems can be found at
> >> <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.
> >> blindscience.org%2Fblindmath-gems-
> home&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.o
> >>
> rg%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6dd
> d9e9
> >>
> b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=PGstGyxDq8Z%2BbaKL2z4XND
> hMpKRm
> >> MyzikiWtMtrkCSM%3D&reserved=0>
> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > BlindMath mailing list
> > BlindMath at nfbnet.org
> > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet
> >
> .org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhit
> >
> e%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae
> 92f37
> >
> e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=MLvwjqvbHRlsDluDZ
> G2UuVc
> > pfAYtL8IS8CBTyrnI5bY%3D&reserved=0
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> > BlindMath:
> > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet
> >
> .org%2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org%2Fsteve.jacobson%2540
> v
> >
> isi&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435
> ca8
> >
> d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C6363667748802372
> 99&sdat
> >
> a=OQ%2B%2FLoHQiK1qp7IkAEw54ypbummBXtuUcBBdtWufk%2B8%3D&reserve
> d=0
> > .com
> > BlindMath Gems can be found at
> > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.b
> > lindscience.org%2Fblindmath-gems-
> home&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org
> >
> %7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9
> e9b65
> >
> %7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=PGstGyxDq8Z%2BbaKL2z4XNDhM
> pKRmMyzi
> > kiWtMtrkCSM%3D&reserved=0>
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > BlindMath mailing list
> > BlindMath at nfbnet.org
> > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet
> >
> .org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhit
> >
> e%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae
> 92f37
> >
> e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=MLvwjqvbHRlsDluDZ
> G2UuVc
> > pfAYtL8IS8CBTyrnI5bY%3D&reserved=0
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> BlindMath:
> > https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet
> >
> .org%2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org%2Fjheim%2540math.wis
> c.
> >
> edu&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d43
> 5ca8
> >
> d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C6363667748802372
> 99&sdat
> > a=XgeCnHNTZfbEjdOyQaRAv8qsCVDQBVwKi4YHny98HKE%3D&reserved=0
> > BlindMath Gems can be found at
> > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.b
> > lindscience.org%2Fblindmath-gems-
> home&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org
> >
> %7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9
> e9b65
> >
> %7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=PGstGyxDq8Z%2BbaKL2z4XNDhM
> pKRmMyzi
> > kiWtMtrkCSM%3D&reserved=0>
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> BlindMath mailing list
> BlindMath at nfbnet.org
> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet.org
> %2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%4
> 0ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f3
> 7e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&sdata=MLvwjqvbHRlsDluD
> ZG2UuVcpfAYtL8IS8CBTyrnI5bY%3D&reserved=0
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindMath:
> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnfbnet.org
> %2Fmailman%2Foptions%2Fblindmath_nfbnet.org%2Fjjwhite%2540ets.org&dat
> a=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d435ca8d%7
> C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C636366774880237299&s
> data=nVZxmPFx%2BO1%2Fu%2Fx%2FFyLNbs03hz0zaoUXA3DhVsjeAk4%3D&res
> erved=0
> BlindMath Gems can be found at
> <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blin
> dscience.org%2Fblindmath-gems-
> home&data=02%7C01%7Cjjwhite%40ets.org%7Cb3463f805174423ab39608d4d
> 435ca8d%7C0ba6e9b760b34fae92f37e6ddd9e9b65%7C0%7C0%7C6363667748
> 80237299&sdata=PGstGyxDq8Z%2BbaKL2z4XNDhMpKRmMyzikiWtMtrkCSM%3
> D&reserved=0>

________________________________

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or confidential information. It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if addressed incorrectly. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute, or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and delete it from your system. Any other use of this e-mail is prohibited.

Thank you for your compliance.

________________________________