[nfbcs] Brailling computer code for embossing and display on a refreshable braille display

Mon Sep 18 18:00:29 UTC 2017

Don,

I have been amazed at times with the methods people use to overcome various
limitations of our access tools.  In my case, I tended to print out blocks
of complicated code that I needed to study.  It just was clearer to me to
look at it on paper.  Still, I know that some do find ways of using a
braille display for studying code even if I don't know all of the tricks
they use.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson
not embossing

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Donald Winiecki
via nfbcs
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 12:03 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Donald Winiecki <dwiniecki at boisestate.edu>; Steve Jacobson
<steve.jacobson at visi.com>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Brailling computer code for embossing and display on a
refreshable braille display

Thanks for the advice.

My mind is busy imagining all the ways this would appear to a braille
reader!  Even with specific line-end indicators it could get confusing.

In all the computer languages I've used, indenting of lines is treated as a
necessary part of coding.  I can't imagine coding in Common Lisp (my usual
language) without indenting!  It'd be a soup of parentheses!

_don

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don Winiecki, Ed.D., Ph.D.
*Professor of Ethics & Morality in Professional Practice*
Boise State University, College of Engineering
Dept of Organizational Performance & Workplace Learning (OPWL)
1910 University Drive, Mail Stop 2070
Boise, Idaho 83725-2070 USA
E-mail: dwiniecki at boisestate.edu
WWW: http://opwl.boisestate.edu
Telephone: (+01) 208 426 1899
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~d

On Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 10:53 AM, Steve Jacobson via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> wrote:

> Don,
>
> Assuming that you are creating a "BRF" file that is being read without
> additional translation, there is a UEB symbol for a hard line break in
> addition to a symbol to indicate that a line is being continued.  I do not
> think there was a hard line break symbol as part of the old EBAE or
> computer
> code, though.  People using braille displays are at least somewhat aware
of
> the fact that their display may not be displaying the entire width of the
> page in a BRF document and there are techniques that we use that help us
> know that a line is being continued.  However, using a symbol to indicate
> that there is a line break is probably more of a necessity now than was
> once
> the case.  My understanding is that this same situation exists in poetry
> and
> some other literary forms as well.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Donald Winiecki
> via nfbcs
> Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 9:44 AM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Donald Winiecki <dwiniecki at boisestate.edu>; Rasmussen, Lloyd
> <lras at loc.gov>
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Brailling computer code for embossing and display on
a
> refreshable braille display
>
> Thank you Lloyd.  From your message I understand you to say that I, as the
> transcriber, cannot influence how a RBD treats lines that exceed its
> display line-length.
>
> I am guessing it is risky to assume that programmers using a RBD will have
> a 40-cell RBD.  With that in mind, I am keen to hear from programmers who
> use a RBD to learn how this is addressed in day-to-day practice.
>
> Best,
>
> _don
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 7:53 AM, Rasmussen, Lloyd via nfbcs <
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> > It depends on how the user adjusts the settings of the notetaker or
> screen
> > reader on which the braille is being read. I don't think there is much
> you
> > can do.
> > Make sure that the proper computer braille line continuation indicators
> > are being used for lines longer than 40 characters. This indicator is
> 4-5-6
> > 1-2-3-4-6 in EBAE computer braille code (CBC) or dot 5 in UEB. The dot 5
> is
> > also used as a line continuation indicator in braille music.
> >
> > Lloyd Rasmussen, Senior Staff Engineer
> > National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
> Library
> > of Congress
> > Washington, DC 20542   202-707-0535
> > http://www.loc.gov/nls/
> > The preceding opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those
of
> > the Library of Congress, NLS.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Don Winiecki
> > via nfbcs
> > Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 9:43 AM
> > To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> > Cc: Don Winiecki
> > Subject: [nfbcs] Brailling computer code for embossing and display on a
> > refreshable braille display
> >
> > Apologies in advance for what might be something I should already know.
> I
> > have searched for an answer online with a moderate level of diligence,
> but
> > without success.
> >
> > I am a sighted braille transcriber and I have a question about
formatting
> > when brailling content that is intended for embossing, but which may
also
> > be read on refreshable braille devices (RBD).  This question has come up
> in
> > my embossing of a computer science textbook with programming code that
> > should be displayed with specific line indenting and line breaks.
> >
> > When brailled content is to be embossed on the usual 11" x 11.5" paper,
> it
> > is formatted with a 40-cell line length.  If a BRF file is displayed by
a
> > RBD with 40-cell width, formatting would display as expected with hard
> line
> > breaks and indenting retained from the original. However, if displayed
by
> a
> > RBD with less than a 40-cell width, I am not certain how line breaks and
> > indenting will be displayed.
> >
> > Does a RBD retain indenting and line breaks as would a programmer's
> editor
> > like EMACS, or are wrap-around lines displayed starting at cell 1?
> >
> > Is there a way to format a BRF file so all formatting of computer code
is
> > retained?
> >
> > _don
> > _______________________________________________
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> > nfbcs at nfbnet.org
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> >
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