[NFB-Braille-Discussion] Common Braille Keystrokes

[Mike Jolls]

I’m sending this to this list since I assuming everyone here is a Braille reader, and there are a lot of people reading this group..

This email is about defining a set of keystrokes for common commands using Braille displays.

Recently I have been thinking about a new Braille display.  Mine is about 14 years.  It won’t last forever.  I was also thinking about a new cell phone.  I currently have an iPhone, but I was thinking about an Android with Talkback.  I started investigating the Braille commands on the Android and the iPhone.  Some are the same between the two platforms.  A lot aren’t, and that will mean having new keystrokes to learn.

For those of you that have refreshable displays, you know that each cell phone and/or each screen reader that you connect your display with can have a different set of braille commands you use to basically do the same operations on any of the platforms.  Jaws uses it’s own set of Braille key commands to do things.  To do the same operations, Android defines a different set of braille key commands.  And, Apple does it as well.  When you switch platforms, you’re potentially going to have to learn at least some new keystrokes to do common tasks such as copy, cut, paste, press control keys, alt keys, and so forth on the new platform.  When I realized that moving to Android would mean this, I asked myself WHY?!

It seems to me that basic functions should have the same keystroke assignment, no matter which braille display you’re using, or platform you’re connected with.  So if you wanted to close the current window on a Mac or PC, the braille command you enter to do that should be the same regardless of operating system you’re connected with (whether Mac or PC, or which operating system you’re running when connected to your phone).  I know this sounds logical, and I also know it’s a BIG DEAL.  Screen readers, operating system companies, would all have to change so that they honored the same braille input command for each common function.  It wouldn’t be a small task, if it ever does happen.

So what I’m wondering, would it be worth anything if you could have a single set of common functions defined, and common (unchanging) Braille keystrokes to activate these common commands on any platform?  The benefit would be less of a learning curve when moving to a new platform.  You’d only have to learn how to activate these keystrokes once, and they wouldn’t change from platform to platform.  This common function set could include (but would not necessarily be limited to) some of the following ..

Keystrokes for logical functions such as Cut, Copy, Paste, Close Window, move to address bar (there would likely be more than this)

You could also define common Braille keystrokes that stand for the CTRL-keys, ALT-keys, Function keys … so that no matter which device you’re on, or platform connected with, you’d press the same Braille keystroke on any platform to activate a CTRL+A, CTRL+C, etc…

You should also note that I wrote a letter to BANA and asked them if anybody had ever thought of this.  Identify which keystrokes are common enough to create a permanent Braille assignment for those keystrokes.  Again, so that they’re activated with the same Braille keystroke across all platforms.  BANA said they weren’t sure who would take on this task, or if this is something that should be explored.  They did say, however, that this is not something new.  Other people have apparently asked for this.  In my mind, why have to learn new Braille keystrokes for the same logical keystroke just because you switch systems?

So I’m wondering how many of you would be interested in providing input on something like this, if it came to be an actual project that was being developed?  I ask this, because if users don’t care, then it’s not worth exploring.  The question I’d like to have answered is whether you think it would be helpful.

Comments please.

Sincerely

Mike Jolls


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