[Nfbf-l] Braille Moves Forward in iOS 8 NFB Blog

Fri Sep 19 17:21:03 UTC 2014

Hi everyone,

Below is the link and copy/paste of NFB blog post concerning Braille and the new Apple iOS 8 update. 

https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/braille-moves-forward-ios-8

Braille Moves Forward in iOS 8
Submitted by amason on Wed, 09/17/2014 - 14:18
Blog Date: 
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
By Jennifer Dunnam

In the latest version of Apple's iOS, four Braille-relateddevelopments not only greatly improve the experience of using Braille withmobile devices, but also serve as a model for how the use of Braille can beintegrated into today's digital technology. Three of these improvements relateto the interaction of iDevices with external refreshable Braille devices. Thefourth does not require a Braille device at all—we'll start our review there.

Braille Screen Input
The ability to type in Braille for text entry on an iOStouchscreen has been available for some time via third party applications. Now,this feature is integrated into the operating system and, for those who knowhow to type Braille, can provide the most efficient on-screen method of textentry currently available. Not only can Braille be typed directly to createtext messages, social media posts, web searches, notes, email, and more, but itis even possible to enter the device's unlock passcode using Braille input—amuch more secure, silent option than having the speech report the passcodewhile the user finds and executes the numbers.

The Braille screen input feature is enabled by adding it tothe rotor, under the VoiceOver settings. To invoke Braille screen input, simplyswitch to it via the rotor; to exit, turn the rotor to a different value.

Braille entry is done in landscape mode. By tilting thedevice, the screen can be used either in table top mode, or facing away fromthe user so that the fingers can be positioned naturally in front of it. Thereis an explore mode to help the user ensure that the fingers are orientedcorrectly. This user has found the "screen away" mode on an iPhonethe easiest to achieve quick and accurate results, but likely a bit morepractice with the table top mode would yield better results.

With the screen facing away, the index, middle and ringfingers are placed evenly along the left and right edges of the screen. Theindex fingers invoke dots 1 (left hand) and 4 (right hand); the middle fingersdots 2 and 5, and the ring fingers dots 3 and 6. In tabletop mode, the sixfingers are basically lined up horizontally to activate dots 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6.In either mode, one finger swiped to the right invokes a space, and two fingersswiped to the right starts a new line. One finger swiped to the left makes adelete/backspace.

The Braille can be typed in any available language on theiOS. Obviously, without a Braille display, the nonvisual output of the Brailleentry is speech only.

Continuous Reading
Previously, when reading in Braille on an iOS device with arefreshable Braille display, multiple keystrokes were necessary in order tomove to the next page of a document. Now, when a panning key is pressed at thebottom of a page, it simply scrolls to the next page. This makes for a muchsmoother reading experience in apps like iBooks, Kindle, and particularly inVoice Dream where turning pages was especially cumbersome. The feature can beturned on or off in VoiceOver's Braille settings.

Number Issue Fixed
In previous iOS versions, often, when a phone number orother string of numbers was encountered during reading, the Braille output wasbasically gibberish, requiring the user to listen to the speech to determinewhat it said. Now these numbers display clearly, increasing the reliability ofBraille as the primary output method.

Automatic Translation
In previous blog posts, we have mentioned problems withsix-key Braille input and Apple's prior attempt to address the problems. Inshort, the automatic translation from Braille to print required the user totype quickly to avoid unwanted translation results, and editing in Braille wasalso very cumbersome for this reason. Apple's first attempt to address thisissue made it possible to toggle off automatic translation and type more slowlywithout generating unintended results, but this attempt introduced a newproblem—no Braille showed on the display until the user spaced away from theword being typed.

A fix is incorporated into iOS 8, and although it is notperfect, it is better. Now, when "automatic translation" is turnedoff in VoiceOver Braille settings under "Braille display input", theuser can type in contracted Braille at whatever pace and view the word on thedisplay while it is being typed. The word in progress is shown on a line byitself and is preceded by a full Braille cell. The word is not actuallyincorporated into the text field until the space, tab, or space with dots 45 ispressed (note that "enter" does not activate the word). If you knowduring the typing of the word that you have made an error, you can backspaceand correct the error without risking the introduction of unwanted junk. Forexample, if, during the process of typing the word "lake," youdiscover that you've accidentally typed an l where you meant to type a k, youcan simply backspace over the l and type dots 13 for the k, and go on. 

Things become less ideal, however, if you wish to edit wordsthat were already incorporated into the main text that you are typing. If youtype the rest of a sentence and then discover your error in the word"lake" a few moments back, you can use a cursor routing button toplace your cursor after the l to backspace over it. However, if you simply typethe k at this point, you'll get the contracted meaning of dots 13, which is"knowledge." To get just a plain k, type a Braille grade 1 indicator(dots 56) before typing the k. Also, when editing previously typed words, it isbest not to type contractions.

Although there are still items on the wish list forimprovements to Braille in iOS, this new release represents significantprogress toward the seamless use of Braille in digital communications.

Lenora J. Marten, President
Florida Organization of Parents of Blind Children
Secretary, NFB-FL
Florida Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
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