[Nfb-science] Braille Displays

Sun Sep 5 14:30:17 UTC 2010

Hello,
My favorite pick at the NFB exhibit hall this July for a braille display was the 40-cell bluetooth braille display sold by Humanware.
I own a 40-cell Focus blue from Freedom Scientific.  In a demonstration, I found the braille entry superior on the Humanware braille display.  It also has a more ergonomic design
Placing control keys on a slanted surface nearly in the plane of the braille display itself whereas the Focus braille displays have controls on the front vertical panel.
Enjoy your shopping.
Very best,
John

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Hertweck
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 5:04 AM
To: 'NFB Science and Engineering Division List'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] Braille Displays

I do not know a lot about the brail displays, what do people use?  What is the interface to the computer?  What model do people use?

Thanks

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Jewel S.
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 11:53 PM
To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] Braille Displays

You may use audio as you would print, but I can think of several instances in which a refrshable Braille display would be the better option and well worth the cost.

The frist instance is an example from my own life. I cannot learn audioally. It takes me twice as long to learn from an audio textbook what I'd learn from a Brailled textbook. I know this because I have taken Hadley classes in both audio and Braille formats and now take them exclusively in Braille because I find it very hard to follow the text when it is in audio format. Further, I cannot listen to an audio clip or tape and something else at the same time (such as a teacher talking or someone discussing the text). However, hardcopy Braille is not always practical, even if it is available (I have a friend who got her high school math book for this year...it is five volumes of Braille! I think a digital Braille text would have been a better option, especially since their house is full of Braille books in every room, so sometimes finding the right volume is not easy, whereas digital Braille can be labelled and searched for wih ease).

Another instance in which Braille would be preferable over audio on a computer is for people with hearing loss. I have a friend who is totally blind since the age of three and reads Braille at almost-lightning speed. However, give her something to listen to and it takes her at least twice as long to read it because she has to go back over it several times. She misses words because she can't hear them. She also cannot listen to what is going on in her environment at the same time, so listening to an audio textbook or something on her computer while in class would a no-no...she'd miss what the teacher was saying half the time because she was working with her computer, even if all she is doing is listening to herself type so she doesn't make typos.

Further, for a deafblind person, a refreshable Braille display can mean the difference between having full access to the computer and having little or no access. Audio simply isn't a usable resource for a deafblind person, but Braille can open alll the doors to accessibility.

Another instance in which the refreshable Braille display would be preferable over a screenreader is while reading specially formatted text. Tables are easier to read in Braille then listen to. Poems in special format (all right aligned, some ines left-aligned, some right-aligned, and some centered, or all the lines centered) would not have the full effect in audio, but with a refreshable Braille dispaly, the special formatting would still have its intended effect.

One last example I can think of (that doesn't mean there aren't more, it's just that I don't want to go on and on...I think you get the picture, or I hope you do) is when the spelling of a word really matters. For example, when learning a foreign language or new vocabulary that is difficult to spell. Do you think it would be easier to learn how to spell omnipotamia if you had it in Braille or listened to it? Which would make it faster to check the spelling? In my opinion, the Braille display, since you could see the spelling as you read it, while with a screenreader, you would have to go back and have the screenreader spell it over or go over it character by character.
In the Harry Potter books, I listened to the first two in audio and kept wondering "How do you spell Hermione"? With an "io" or an "Oi"?
It really bugged me, because I am a geek like that. But what if you had to write an essay about a novel you read for school, and you misspelled the name of the main character because you listened to the book instead of reading it using a Braille display (perhaps because you got the book from Bookshare or it's from an online library, or its
13 volumes and you dn't want the hassle of carrying around all those volumes)? I think the teacher would be certain to correct you, but it would be quite embarrassing if the character's name is Maudraline, and you spelled it Modraleen or some such...spelling can be important, and you can't learn spelling from audio books! When learning a foreign language, knowing where the accents are placed or how an odd word is spelled is quite important. In Spanish, an accent or the lack thereof can make a huge difference. As example, consider the difference etween por que and por que (wht an accent on the e). The first means because; the second why. When listening to an audio book, you might hear "Por que vas al mar" If there is an accent on the e and a question mark, it would mean "Why do you go to the sea?" and if there is no accent and a period, it would mean "Because you go to the sea."

I agree that for some people, a refreshable Braille display would be a waste of money. My boyfriend is one of those people. He not only doesn't read Braille well (and only uncontracted Braille), but he is dyslexic, so reading the Braille on a refreshable disaply, he would be more likely to missepll a word or misunderstand it. His preference is for something like the VictorStream Reader, which will read the words, but you can also go back and sepell the words. Other people, whether dyslexic or simply an audio learner, just learn better when hearing something compared to reading it or seeing it. For these people, a screenreader would be preferrable.

But that does not mean that a refreshable Braille display is a waste of money for everyone. As I hope I demonstrated above, there are many instances in which a refreshable Braille display is not only well worth the cost, it is also an essential tool. some of the reasons I gave above rre those I gave when arguing for a refreshable Braille display to be purchased as an essentila accessible technology for purchase by Vocational Rehabilitation. I won that argument and will be getting a refreshable Braille display, which I think I could not succeed completely without. I tried to take a Spanish class without access to my book in Braille, but I ended up asking the professor every time she wrote something whether there was an accent in the words she wrote, and I had trouble remembering accents. I also had to read part of a book out loud in a class as part of group participation (it was a skit), but had difficulty doing this by listening then repeating. If I had had it in Braille, I would have had no trouble reading it out loud as my fingers moved over the lines.

I hope that these arguments make sense, and I hope this will add positive infoormation to the conversation. Thank you for allowing me to ramble about it *grin*

On 9/4/10, Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:
> I disagree with Robert in that I don't think Braille displays are 
> worth the money in general although there may be specific employment 
> situations (call centers anyone?) wherein they might
be
> helpful. I believe with a bit of ingenuity, one can largely discern
computer
> programming formats and the like with speech. But then I may be 
> cheating because for many years, I used an Optacon with CRT lens to 
> read the
computer
> screen and do my programming.
>
> And yes, I have a braille note-taker so I'm not knocking braille.
>
> Mike
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Christine Szostak" <szostak.1 at osu.edu>
> To: "NFB Science and Engineering Division List" 
> <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 8:45 AM
> Subject: [Nfb-science] Braille Displays
>
>
>> Hi All,
>>  John's post prompted a question for me.
>>
>>  For those who use Braille displays with JAWS, what specifically do 
>> you find them most useful for? Are they worth the investment in your 
>> opinion and if so, is there a particular brand that tends to be 
>> highly recommended?
>> Many thanks
>> Christine
>> Christine M. Szostak
>> Graduate Student
>> Language Perception Laboratory
>> Department of Psychology, Cognitive Area The Ohio State University 
>> Columbus, Ohio szostak.1 at osu.edu 
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--
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com

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