[nabs-l] Fw: Touchscreen Braille Writer

Sun Jan 6 18:24:38 UTC 2013

Brandon,
I don't know if this helps, but I've heard that the app will switch you into landscape mode when you are typing, so you have more room to replicate the braille keyboard on your screen. I imagine that, with just a little bit of practice, you could position your fingers all six braille dots, along with the space key, with relative ease and speed. Man… Siri really screwed that one up, and I'm too lazy to go edited, but I think you understand what I'm trying to say. :-)

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 6, 2013, at 11:16 AM, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:

> I haven't used it -- just read about it.  I am not sure I understand your question about brailling C, you would just press where your fingers were for dots 1 and 4.
> 
> Dave
> 
> At 09:57 PM 1/5/2013, you wrote:
>> Dave,
>> 
>>        My question is how more than one dot, such as dots 1-4 for a c,
>> would be typed using this app on a touch screen. It is an interesting idea
>> indeed, and I am interested in playing with it on my iPhone. I wonder
>> whether typing in Braille on a touch screen will increase my typing speed
>> once I get used to doing it? Very interesting! By the way, have any of you
>> actually played with this app? If so, what are your thoughts after using it?
>> 
>> Chris
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Andrews
>> Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 10:41 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Fw: Touchscreen Braille Writer
>> 
>> It seems to me that you folks are getting all worked up over nothing.  As I
>> understand it, the software is for input only, and would run on a tablet
>> like the iPad with access through voiceover.  Some people prefer Braille
>> input, some qwerty, some fleksy or another system.
>> 
>> Dave
>> 
>> At 10:29 PM 1/3/2013, you wrote:
>> >Maybe, I just want to know whether the software they created would run
>> >on a device that has accessible output of some sort, like VoiceOver.
>> >If not, then the Braille touchscreen is pretty much useless.
>> >Personally, as a Braille reader and longtime Braille Note and Braille
>> >Lite user, I feel like typing in Braille without the Braille output
>> >would be awkward and not very helpful. But maybe others disagree with
>> >me?
>> >In any case I think their first idea of the Braille character
>> >recognizer has much greater utility, and their reasons for abandoning
>> >it are without much basis.
>> >Arielle
>> >
>> >On 1/3/13, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > Hello everyone,
>> > > I'm sorry for the double post. But I feel like I need to clarify.
>> Already,
>> > > this idea is being modified in apps where we can use of virtual braille
>> > > writer on the touch screen of an iPhone or an
>> > iPad. I see a decent amount of
>> > > value and that, I think.
>> > >
>> > > Sent from my iPhone
>> > >
>> > > On Jan 3, 2013, at 9:06 PM, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> Oh how I wish these smart, creative guys had talked with blind people
>> > >> before inventing this thing! Unless I missed something, does this
>> > >> tablet have speech or Braille output? How is the blind user supposed
>> > >> to be able to read his/her notes? I'm not sure if any current tablets
>> > >> are accessible. Even if one is, I don't think the ability to write in
>> > >> Braille rather than in QWERTY matters that much. The appeal of the
>> > >> overpriced Braille notetaker is the Braille output, not the Braille
>> > >> keyboard! Oh....Wow! That's all I can say.
>> > >> If I were these guys I would go ahead with the Braille character
>> > >> recognizer. That actually has some utility. It would allow a blind
>> > >> schoolchild to convert his Brailled homework to print that his teacher
>> > >> could read, or a blind college student to Braille math equations, scan
>> > >> them and send them to her professor. If these Stanford students had
>> > >> actually talked with blind people, they would have learned that blind
>> > >> people successfully use apps that involve taking pictures of print.
>> > >> Taking pictures of Braille would be easier, not harder, than what
>> > >> already exists.
>> > >> It continually blows my mind how many people make it a personal
>> > >> passion to work on improving the lives of blind people in one way or
>> > >> another, without really educating themselves on what is already out
>> > >> there or what real live blind folks actually need.
>> > >> Arielle
>> > >>
>> > >> On 1/3/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > >>> Hello,
>> > >>> Below is an article I was sent about a new app. I am not a fan of the
>> way
>> > >>> the creator views blind people, but I do think having a Braille Writer
>> on
>> > >>> the tablet would be very nice. It is so much faster to type texts in
>> > >>> Braille
>> > >>>
>> > >>> than in print LOL...
>> > >>> Thanks,
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> > >>>
>> > >>>
>> > >>> STANFORD SUMMER COURSE YIELDS TOUCHSCREEN BRAILLE WRITER
>> > >>> Home<http://engineering.stanford.edu/> >
>> > >>> About<http://engineering.stanford.edu/about> > News &
>> > >>> Updates<http://engineering.stanford.edu/about/news> > Stanford summer
>> > >>> course
>> > >>>
>> > >>> yields touchscreen Braille writer
>> > >>> <http://engineering.stanford.edu/print/node/148>
>> > >>> In a two-month summer course on high-performance computing, promising
>> > >>> undergrads compete to create innovative applications. This summer's
>> > >>> winner
>> > >>> developed a touchscreen Braille writer that stands to revolutionize
>> how
>> > >>> the
>> > >>>
>> > >>> blind negotiate an unseen world by replacing devices costing up to 10
>> > >>> times
>> > >>>
>> > >>> more.
>> > >>> Andrew Myers
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Each summer, under the red-tiled roofs and sandstone of Stanford, the
>> > >>> Army
>> > >>> High-Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) invites a select
>> > >>> group
>> > >>> of undergraduates from across the country gather for a two-month
>> > >>> immersion
>> > >>> into the wonders of advanced computing.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Some of the undergraduates are gathered into teams. Some work alone.
>> All
>> > >>> are
>> > >>>
>> > >>> assigned mentors and tasked with a challenge. They compete, American
>> > >>> Idol-style, for top honors at the end of the summer.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> The competition is made possible in part by a collaboration between
>> the
>> > >>> U.S.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Army and several university and industry partners that makes up the
>> > >>> AHPCRC.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Adam Duran is one such undergraduate, a student both lucky and good.
>> He
>> > >>> is
>> > >>> now in his senior year at New Mexico State University. Last June, he
>> came
>> > >>> to
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Stanford at the suggestion of one of his professors. His mentors were
>> > >>> Adrian
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Lew, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Sohan
>> > >>> Dharmaraja,
>> > >>>
>> > >>> a doctoral candidate at Stanford studying computational mathematics.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "Originally, our assignment was to create a character-recognition
>> > >>> application that would use the camera on a mobile device - a phone or
>> > >>> tablet - to transform pages of Braille into readable text," said
>> Duran.
>> > >>> "It
>> > >>>
>> > >>> was a cool challenge, but not exactly where we ended up."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> BIGGER FISH
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Even before Duran arrived for the summer, Lew and Dharmaraja began to
>> > >>> talk
>> > >>> to the Stanford Office of Accessible
>> > >>> Education<http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae>, people whose
>> > >>> profession
>> > >>> is helping blind and visually impaired students negotiate the world of
>> > >>> higher learning. It became clear that there were bigger fish to fry.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> While a Braille character reader would be helpful to the blind, Lew
>> and
>> > >>> Dharmaraja learned, there were logistics that were hard to get around.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "How does a blind person orient a printed page so that the computer
>> knows
>> > >>> which side is up? How does a blind person ensure proper lighting of
>> the
>> > >>> paper?" said Duran. "Plus, the technology, while definitely helpful,
>> > >>> would
>> > >>> be limited in day-to-day application."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "It was a nice-to-have, not a must-have," said Dharmaraja.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> So, the three began to ask questions. That is when they stumbled upon
>> a
>> > >>> sweet spot.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "The killer app was not a reader, but a writer," said Dharmaraja.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "Imagine being blind in a classroom, how would you take notes?" said
>> Lew.
>> > >>> "What if you were on the street and needed to copy down a phone
>> number?
>> > >>> These are real challenges the blind grapple with every day."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> There are devices that help the blind write Braille, to send email and
>> so
>> > >>> forth, but they are essentially specialized laptops that cost, in some
>> > >>> cases, $6,000 or more. All for a device of limited functionality,
>> beyond
>> > >>> typing Braille, of course.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "Your standard tablet has more capability at a tenth the price," said
>> > >>> Duran.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "So, we put two and two together. We developed a tablet Braille
>> writer,"
>> > >>> said Dharmaraja, "A touchscreen for people who can't see."
>> > >>>
>> > >>>
>> >
>> [http://engineering.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/700wide/news
>> %20-%202012%200505%20-%20touchscreen%20braile%20writer.jpeg]Sohan
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Dharmaraja, a doctoral candidate at Stanford, demonstrates how the
>> > >>> software
>> > >>>
>> > >>> works.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> First, however, the student-mentor team had to learn Braille.
>> Originally
>> > >>> developed for the French military, Braille is a relatively simple code
>> > >>> with
>> > >>>
>> > >>> each character made up of variations of six dots - or bumps, really -
>> > >>> arranged in a 2-by-3 matrix. The blind read by feeling the bumps with
>> > >>> their
>> > >>>
>> > >>> fingertips.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> As any computational mathematician will tell you, such a matrix yields
>> > >>> two-to-the-sixth minus one variations, or 63 possible characters.
>> These
>> > >>> 63
>> > >>> characters are enough for a Western alphabet plus 10 numerical digits,
>> > >>> with
>> > >>>
>> > >>> several left over for punctuation and some special characters.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Over the years, however, those 63 characters got quickly gobbled up -
>> > >>> through the addition of character-modification keystrokes, the total
>> grew
>> > >>> and now includes chemical, mathematical and other symbols.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> CHALLENGE
>> > >>>
>> > >>> A modern Braille writer looks like a laptop with no monitor and an
>> > >>> eight-key
>> > >>>
>> > >>> keyboard - six to create the character, plus a carriage return and a
>> > >>> delete
>> > >>>
>> > >>> key.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Duplicating the Braille keypad on a touch-based tablet seemed simple
>> > >>> enough,
>> > >>>
>> > >>> but there was at least one significant challenge: How does a blind
>> person
>> > >>> find the keys on a flat, uniformly smooth glass panel?
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Dharmaraja and Duran mulled their options before arriving at a clever
>> and
>> > >>> simple solution. They did not create virtual keys that the fingertips
>> > >>> must
>> > >>> find; they made keys that find the fingertips. The user simply touches
>> > >>> eight
>> > >>>
>> > >>> fingertips to the glass, and the keys orient themselves to the
>> fingers.
>> > >>> If
>> > >>> the user becomes disoriented, a reset is as easy as lifting all eight
>> > >>> fingers off the glass and putting them down again.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "Elegant, no?" said Lew. "The solution is so simple, so beautiful. It
>> was
>> > >>> fun to see."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Beyond the price difference, touchscreens offer at least one other
>> > >>> significant advantage over standard Braille writers: "They're
>> > >>> customizable,"
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Dharmaraja noted. "They can accommodate users whose fingers are small
>> or
>> > >>> large, those who type with fingers close together or far apart, even
>> to
>> > >>> allow a user to type on a tablet hanging around the neck with hands
>> > >>> opposed
>> > >>>
>> > >>> as if playing a clarinet."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "No standard Braille writer can do this," said Professor Charbel
>> Farhat,
>> > >>> the
>> > >>>
>> > >>> chair of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and executive
>> > >>> director
>> > >>>
>> > >>> of the summer program. "This is a real step forward for the blind."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> SHOWING OFF
>> > >>>
>> > >>> In a demo, Duran donned a blindfold and readied himself before the
>> > >>> touchscreen. He typed out an email address and a simple subject line.
>> > >>> Then
>> > >>> he typed one of the best-known mathematical formulas in the world, the
>> > >>> Burgers Equation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgers%27_equation>,
>> and
>> > >>> followed with the chemical equation for
>> > >>> photosynthesis<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis> - complex
>> > >>> stuff - all as if writing a note to his mother.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> For Duran, who has an uncle who is blind, the greatest joy was in
>> seeing
>> > >>> a
>> > >>> blind person using his creation for the first time. "That was so
>> > >>> awesome,"
>> > >>> he said. "I can't describe the feeling. It was the best."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> In the immediate future, there are technical and legal hurdles to
>> > >>> address,
>> > >>> but someday, perhaps soon, the blind and visually impaired may find
>> > >>> themselves with a more cost-effective Braille writer that is both
>> > >>> portable
>> > >>> and blessed with greater functionality than any device that went
>> before.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> "AHPCRC is an excellent model for outreach, which not only trains
>> > >>> undergraduate students in computational sciences but also exposes
>> > >>> students
>> > >>> to real-world research applications," said Raju Namburu, the
>> cooperative
>> > >>> agreement manager for AHPCRC.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> The center addresses the Army's most difficult scientific and
>> engineering
>> > >>> challenges using high-performance computing. Stanford University is
>> the
>> > >>> AHPCRC lead organization with oversight from the Army Research
>> > >>> Laboratory.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> As for his summer courses, Farhat is optimistic. "Let's remember," he
>> > >>> points
>> > >>>
>> > >>> out, "This was a two-month summer project that evolved because a few
>> > >>> smart
>> > >>> people asked some good questions. I'm always amazed by what the
>> students
>> > >>> accomplish in these courses, but this was something special. Each year
>> it
>> > >>> seems to get better and more impressive."
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Andrew Myers is associate director of communications for the Stanford
>> > >>> School
>> > >>>
>> > >>> of Engineering.
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Video
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Watch: Stanford Course Yields Touchscreen Braille
>> > >>> Writer<https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100361023253469>
>> > >>>
>> > >>> Thursday, October 6, 2011
> 
> 
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