[NFBKTAD] FW: Excellent Article by Devin Prater: By the Blind, For the Blind

Thu Jun 23 17:37:54 UTC 2022

Good Day:

FYI!

Todd

From: Gatton, Tonia F (OVR) <Tonia.Gatton at ky.gov> 
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2022 12:56 PM
To: Todd Stephens <todde.stephens at windstream.net>
Subject: RE: Excellent Article by Devin Prater: By the Blind, For the Blind

Original Source
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/write.as/devinprater/by-the-blind-for-th
e-blind__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_
kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZA5GTQhXQ$> 

By the Blind, For the Blind

June 22, 2022

Why tools made by the blind, are the best for the blind.

Introduction

For the past few hundred years, blind people have been creating amazing
technology and ways of dealing with the primarily sighted world. From
Braille to screen readers to canes and training guide dogs, we've often
shown that if we work together as a community, as a culture, we can create
things that work better than what sighted people alone give to us.

In this post, I aim to celebrate what we've made, primarily through a free
and open source filter. This is because, firstly, that part of what we've
made is almost always overlooked and undervalued, even by us. And secondly,
it fits with what I'll talk about at the end of the article.

Braille is Vital

In the 1800's, Louis Braille created a system of writing that was made up of
six dots configured in two columns of three dots, which made letters. This
followed the languages of print, but in a different writing form. This
system, called Braille after its inventor, became the writing and reading
system of the blind. Most countries, even today, use the same configurations
created by Louis, but with some new symbols for each language's needs. Even
Japanese Braille uses something resembling that system.

Now, Braille displays are becoming something that the 20 or 30 percent of
employed blind people can afford, and something that the US government is
creating a program to give to those who cannot afford one. Thus, digital
Braille is becoming something that all screen reader creators, yes even
Microsoft, Apple, and Google, should be heavily working with. Yet, Microsoft
doesn't even support the new HID Braille standard, and neither does Google.
Apple supports much of it, but not all of it. As an aside, I've not even
been able to find the standards document, besides This technical notes
document from the NVDA developers
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/github.com/nvaccess/nvda/blob/master/dev
Docs/hidBrailleTechnicalNotes.md__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqV
OM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZD2FuAaQg$> .

However, there is a group of people who has taken Braille seriously since
1995. That is the developers of BRLTTY, of which you can read some history
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/brltty.app/pipermail/brltty/2015-Decembe
r/013007.html__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jto
x8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZALfazvfA$> . This program
basically makes Braille a first-class citizen in the Linux console. It can
also be controlled by other programs, like Orca, the Linux graphical
interface screen reader.

BRLTTY has gone through the hands of a few amazing blind hackers (as in
increddibly competent programmers)), to land at https://brltty.app
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/brltty.app/__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9
jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-
RAZAdv8B7ZA$> , where you can download it not only for Linux, where it's
original home is at, but for Windows, and even Android. BRLTTY not only
supports the Braille HID standard, but is the only screen reader that
supports the Canute 360, a multi-line Braille display.

BRLTTY, and its spin-off project of many Braille tables (called LibLouis),
have proven so reliable and effective that they've been adopted by
proprietary screen readers, like JAWS, Narrator, and VoiceOver. VoiceOver
and JAWS use LibLouis, while Narrator uses them both. This proves that the
open source tools that blind people create are undeniably good.

But what about printing to Braille embossers? That is important too. Digital
Braille may fail to work for whatever reason, and we should never forget
hardcopy Braille. Oh hey lookie! Here's a driver for the Index line of
Braille embossers
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/fossies.org/linux/cups-filters/filter/br
aille/drivers/index/ubrlto4dot.c__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqV
OM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZAcvZTAug$> .
The CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) program has support, through the
cups-filters package, for embossers! This means that Linux, that
impennitrable, unknowable system for geeks and computer experts, contains,
even out of the box on some systems, support for printing directly to a
Braille embosser. To be clear, not even Windows, or MacOS, or iOS, has this.
Yes, Apple created CUPS, but they've not added the drivers for Braille
embossers.

Let that sink in for a moment. All you have to do is set up your embosser,
set the Braille code you want to emboss from, the paper size, and you're
good. If you have a network printer, just put in the IP address, just like
you'd do in Windows. Once that's sunk in, I have another surprise for you.

You ready? You sure? Okay then. With CUPS, you can emboss graphics on your
embosser! Granted, I only have an Index D V5 to test with, but I was able to
print an image of a cat, and at least recognize its cute little feet. I
looked hard for a way to do this on Windows, and only found an expensive
tactile graphics program. With CUPS, through the usage of connecting to
other Linux programs like ImageMagick, you can get embossed images, for
free. You don't even have to buy extra hardware, like embossers especially
made for embossing graphics!

  _____  

Through both of these examples, we see that Braille is vital. Braille isn't
an afterthought. Braille isn't just a mere echo of what a screen reader
speaks aloud. Braille isn't a drab, text-only deluge of whatever a sighted
person thinks is not enough or too much verbiage. Braille is a finely
crafted, versitile, and customizable system which the blind create, so that
other blind people can be productive and happy with their tools, and thus
lessen the already immense burden of living without sight in a sighted
world. And if electronic Braille fails, or if one just wants to use printed
material like everyone else can, that is available, and ready for use, both
to print text and pictures.

Speech matters too

If a blind person isn't a fast Braille reader, was never taught Braille, or
just prefers speech, then that option should not just be available for them,
but be as reliable, enjoyable, and productive an experience as possible.
After all, wouldn't a sighted person get the best experience possible? Free
and open source tools may not sound the best, but work is being done to make
screen readers as good as possible.

In the Linux console, there are three options. One can use Speakup
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.linux-speakup.org/__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3
UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2Q
EGYLKoUHQ-RAZDMugA_bw$> , Fenrir
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/github.com/chrys87/fenrir__;!!Db6frn15oI
vDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5V
Ol2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZCjV0FccA$> , and TDSR
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/github.com/tspivey/tdsr__;!!Db6frn15oIvD
D3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl
2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZDQNN3Ymw$> . On the desktop, the screen reader has been Orca
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/orca/__;!!Db6frn1
5oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dM
U5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZCtbqcXUg$> , but another is being written, called Odilia
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/odilia.app/__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9
jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-
RAZAgaEjbGg$> . Odilia is being written by two blind people, in the Rust
programming language.

If one uses the Emacs text editor, one can also take advantage of Emacspeak
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/github.com/tvraman/emacspeak/__;!!Db6frn
15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8d
MU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZC5S1r0ZA$> . This takes information not from
accessibility interfaces, but Emacs itself, so it can provide things like
aural syntax highlighting, or showing bold and italics through changes in
speech.

Community

There are several communities for blind Linux and open source users. There
is the Blinux
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blin
ux-list__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_
kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZBh70XSDQ$> , the Orca mailing list
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-lis
t__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULz
oEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZCrqqu2fg$> , the LibreOffice Accessibility
mailing list
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lis
ts/__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9U
LzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZAqdliS3Q$> , and the Debian Accessibility
mailing list
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.debian.org/devel/debian-accessibilit
y/__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9UL
zoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZCDEeOBGQ$> .

Recently, however, there is a new way for all these groups, and sighted
developers, to join together with, hopefully, more blind people, more people
with other disabilities, and other supporters. This is the Fossability group
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/git.sr.ht/*devinprater/fossability__;fg!
!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtq
UPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZAoNtsPrQ$> . This is, for now, a Git repository,
mailing list, and Matrix space. It's where we can all make free and open
source software, like Linux, LibreOffice, Orca, Odilia, desktop
environments, and countless other projects, as useful and accessible as
possible.

Blind people should own the technology they use. We should not have to
grovel at the feet of sighted people, who have little to know idea what it's
like to be blind, for the changes, fixes, and support we need. We should not
have to wait months for big corporations (corpses), to gather their few
accessibility programmers to add HID Braille support to a screen reader. We
should not have to wait years for our file manager to be as responsive as
the rest of the system. We should not have to wait a decade for our screen
reader to get a basic tutorial, so that new users can learn how to use it.
We should not have to beg for our text editor to not just support
accessibility, but support choices as to how we want information conveyed.
This kind of radical community support requires that blind people are able
to contribute up the entire stack, from the kernel to the screen reader. And
with Linux, this is entirely possible.

Now, I'm not saying that sighted people cannot be helpful, it's the exact
opposite. Sighted people have designed the GUI that we all use today.
Sighted people practically designed all forms of computing. Sighted
developers can help because they know graphical toolkits, so can help us fix
any accessibility with that. And I'm not trying to demean the ongoing, hard,
thankless job of maintaining the Orca screen reader. Again, that's not even
the maintainer's job that she gets paid for. However, I do think that if
more blind people start using and contributing to Linux and other FOSS
projects, even with just support or bug reports, a lot of work will be
lifted from sighted people's shoulders.

So, let's own our technologies. Let's take back our digital sovereignty! We
should be building our own futures, not huge companies with overworked,
underpaid and underappreciated, burnt-out and understaffed accessibility
engineers. Because while they work on proprietary, closed-off, non-standard
solutions, we can build on the shoulders of the giants that have gone before
us, like BRLTTY, the CUPS embosser drivers, and so many other projects by
the blind, for the blind. And with that, we can make the future of Assistive
Technology open, inviting, welcoming, and free!

David Goldfield,

Blindness Assistive Technology Specialist

<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.freedomscientific.com/Training/Certi
fication__;!!Db6frn15oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB
_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZCx3vhaYQ$> 

NVDA Certified Expert
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/certification.nvaccess.org/__;!!Db6frn15
oIvDD3UI!kVKBeR9jSx5h_ur2CUReqVOM8s8Rp_xbRnhg0_jtox8lsB_kY9ULzoEvtqUPC2E8dMU
5VOl2QEGYLKoUHQ-RAZAEvm57BQ$> 

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_._,_._,_

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