Readers and Writers for Braille
Louis Braille (1809 – 1852) was a French educator and inventor of Braille System of reading and writing for use by the blind or visually impaired. Blinded at the age of three in one eye as a result of an accident with a stitching awl in his father's harness making shop, an infection set in and spread to both eyes, resulting in total blindness. Yet, he excelled in his education and received a scholarship to France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While still a student there, he began developing a system of tactile code that could allow blind people to read and write quickly and efficiently. Inspired by the military cryptography of Charles Barbier, Braille constructed a new method built specifically for the needs of the blind. He presented his work to his peers for the first time in 1824.
Charles Barbier (1767 – 1841) of French Army invented various forms of shorthand including Ecriture Nocturne (Night Writing) for military cryptography. It used raised dots that became the basis for Braille. In this code, a 6×6 square box includes most of the letters of the French alphabet, as well as several digraphs and trigraphs.
Night Writing code matrix
Readers and Writers for Braille
Contracted Braille (Grade 2) with just one character for each word
Reading and writing braille unwraps the written word and brings independence. – Jeff Frcho
Braille technology is assistive technology which allows blind or visually impaired people to do common tasks such as writing, browsing the Internet, typing in Braille and printing in text, engaging in chat, downloading files, music, using electronic mail, burning music, and reading documents. It also allows blind or visually impaired students to complete all assignments in school as the rest of sighted classmates and allows them take courses online. It enables professionals to do their jobs and teachers to lecture using hardware and software applications. The advances of Braille technology are meaningful because blind people can access more texts, books and libraries and it also facilitates the printing of Braille texts.
Braille System
Braille code enables blind and partially sighted people to read and write through touch. Braille is not a language of its own. It is a system of reading and writing in a specific languages, including English, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Arabic, Italian, Hebrew, and so on, without the need for sight.
Braille consists of patterns of raised dots arranged in cells of up to six dots in a 3-by-2 configuration. Each cell’s dot arrangement represents a letter, number, or punctuation mark (see figure below). Many commonly used words and letter combinations have their own contracted single-cell pattern.
Braille Codes
Grade 1 consists of the 26 standard letters of the alphabet and punctuation. People learning to read braille typically start with Grade 1.
Grade 2 has the same letters and punctuation as Grade 1 with the addition of contractions for commonly used words and letter combinations. Most braille, like books, signs in public places, menus, and most other braille materials, are done in Grade 2.
Grade 3 is typically used only in personal letters, diaries, and notes. It’s a kind of shorthand and entire words are shortened to a few letters.
Music braille and Nemeth braille (for mathematics) are also common braille codes.
Braille Capitalization: Braille doesn’t have a separate alphabet of capital letters like standard print. Instead, there’s a “code” that tells the reader the next letter is capitalized. That “code” is a dot-6. And, if you want to capitalize an entire word, you put 2 dot-6’s in front of the word.
Braille Numbers: If you go to the alphabet chart below, you’ll notice numbers in parenthesis next to the letters in the first two rows. When preceded by the braille number sign (dots 3, 4, 5, and 6), it means those letters are actually numbers.
Braille Cell & Writer Pad. Braille Codes (Grade 1 & 2) - Note Capital and Number Markers
Source
Further reading
William Moon (1818—1894)
There are two grades of Moon:
Grade 1 (uncontracted) is a straightforward letter for letter translation from print and includes the alphabet, numbers and punctuation marks.
Grade 2 (contracted) uses some additional signs and an elementary form of shorthand, which reduces the size of Moon documents, and generally increases reading speed.
There are two ways of displaying Moon numbers:
A numeral sign followed by the letters A to J, which stand for the digits 1-9 and 0.
With StaffsMaths Moon code, which uses a different set of symbols for numbers.
Moon System
The Moon System of Embossed Reading (commonly known as the Moon writing, Moon alphabet, Moon script, Moon type, or Moon code) is a writing system for the blind, using embossed symbols mostly derived from the Latin script (but simplified). It is claimed by its supporters to be easier to understand than braille, though it is mainly used by people who have lost their sight as adults, and thus already have knowledge of the shapes of letters.
Moon type was developed by William Moon (1818—1894), a blind Englishman living in Brighton, East Sussex. After a bout of scarlet fever, Moon lost his sight at age 21 and became a teacher of blind children. He discovered that his pupils had great difficulty learning to read the existing styles of embossed reading codes, and devised his own system that would be open and clear to the touch.
Moon first formulated his ideas in 1843 and published the scheme in 1845. Moon is not as well known as braille, but it is a valuable alternative touch reading scheme for the blind or partially sighted people of any age.
Rather than the dots of braille type, Moon type is made up of raised curves, angles, and lines. As the characters are quite large and over half the letters bear a strong resemblance to the print equivalent, Moon has been found particularly suitable for those who lose their sight later in life or for people who may have a less keen sense of touch. It has also proved successful as a mode of literacy for children with additional physical and/or learning difficulties.
Besides the original type formed by lines, there is the possibility of using certain Braille embossers to produce dot patterns (Dotty Moon) in the shape of Moon characters. The patterns are disposed as a 5x5 grid.
Moon books for fluent readers can be borrowed from the Royal National Institute for the Blind National Library Service and books for children from Clearvision Project.
English Christian missionaries in Ningbo, China, during the Qing dynasty used Moon type to teach blind locals how to read Ningbo. Missionaries who spoke the Ningbo dialect ran the Home for Indigent Old People where most of the inmates were blind. In 1874, an English missionary taught a young blind man to read Romanized Ningbo written in Moon type. The Gospel of Luke was then transcribed into two large volumes of Moon type. A Swiss missionary placed notices on placards throughout Ningbo stating that he would give food and money to the blind people who visited. The Gospel of Mark was transcribed into Moon type using Romanized Mandarin, however, without the tone marks.
Reading Material for Children
ClearVision Library offers over 14,000 print picture books adapted to include braille or Moon on clear plastic sheets, so that pictures and text are not obscured.
There is a collection of Oxford Reading Tree books in Moon and hand-made tactile books.
Linden Lodge School lends from their collection of simple stories suitable for teenagers and young adults in heat-sensitive paper or Dotty Moon.
info@lindenlodge.wandsworth.sch.uk
Reading Material for Adults
The RNIB National Library Service offers postal lending service for books on fiction, biography, travel, cookery, the Bible and gardening, in Moon grade 1 and grade 2.
Provides an 'active' reading method for people who cannot access print or braille.
Being similar to the print alphabet, Moon is easier to learn for people who are familiar with print letters.
The large open characters of any size, make it easy to feel and decipher, so may be useful for people with a poor sense of touch or limited motor control.
Some children and adults with learning and/or physical difficulties in addition to sight loss, who would find it impossible to learn braille, can acquire literacy through Moon.
Even grade 2 Moon is quick to learn and offers space saving and speeds up reading.
User's family and friends can quickly learn in order to help the Moon reader.
Dotty Moon can be produced by a computer, an embosser and translation software.
Disadvantages of Learning Moon
Books produced in Moon are very bulky, heavy, often in many volumes, and uncomfortable to read.
The choice of Moon books available is very limited.
Moon is seldom offered as an alternative format for bills, bank statements and restaurant menus.
There is no portable, mechanical device for writing Moon. Whilst hand frames are available, these require freehand drawing of the characters rather than following stencils.
Equipment for producing heat-sensitive (swell) paper or Dotty Moon is very expensive.
Moon is hardly used outside of the UK.
Whereas a soft braille display can be linked to a computer to enable a braillist to read what is on the screen, an equivalent Moon display is not available.
Braille Music, Wikipedia, 2021
World Braille Usage, 3rd Edition, International Council on English Braille, 2013
Braille in Mathematics Education by Marc Bitter, Radboud University Nijmegen, 2013
Music Braille Code 1997, Braille Authority of North America, 1997
Braille notation for Carnatik Music, 2008
The Braille Code for Hindustani Sangeet, 1982
About this page
This page discusses everything about Braille for blindness and low vision. It is structured as follows:
Reading Braille: Evolution of reading the Braille are discussed with several contemporary methods
Writing Braille: Evolution of writing the Braille starting from Slate & Stylus, Braille writers, Notetaker, and Mass production of Braille are discussed with several contemporary methods
Braille for Indian Languages: India has 22 official languages. Many of them have been 'brailled' as we elucidate.
Innovations: Technology, Products, and Type fonts for the Blind: Innovations in Braille continues on evolving new technology, product or even new Braille-like type fonts.
History and Genealogy of Tactile Alphabet for the Blind: For over 200 years, there have been a major war for winning tactile alphabet for languages. We chronicle the developments with latest emerging trends.
Helen Keller (1880-1968), American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Keller became blind and deaf at 19 months due to illness and is famous for her autobiography: The Story of My Life
Reading Braille
Braille is a method of reading through touch, rather than by sight.
To learn to read Braille, you follow the steps:
Learning the Letters of the Alphabet
Seek out Braille instructional materials
Memorize the numbers for the 6 dots in a Braille cell
Start with the first 10 letters of the alphabet
Add dot 3 to form the letters k through t
Add dot 6 to form u, v, x, y, and z
Learn the letter w separately
Understanding Punctuation and Symbols
Capitalize words preceded by a cell with a single dot 6
Drop down the first 10 letters for common punctuation marks
Recognize when the first 10 letters are used as numbers
Look for the punctuation symbol with Nemeth code numerals
Recognizing Contractions and Short-Form Words
Identify single-cell contractions
Read a separate single letter as a whole word
Learn letter combinations that are grouped into 1 cell
Progress to short-form words
Source: How to Read Braille
There are several kits, assistance systems, available to expedite learning to read Braille.
Also, OBR (Optical Braille Recognition) technology is used facilitate Braille reading especially for those who cannot read it.
Keller with Anne Sullivan Macy, the first teacher and life-long companion of Keller, who taught her language, including reading and writing, vacationing on Cape Cod in July 1888
A sage from the Orient meets a famous woman of the Occident. Sir Rabindranath Tagore, eminent Indian poet and educationalist, conversing with Helen Keller, noted blind woman of America, on the problem of India. At the meeting of the New History Society in New York, at which Tagore gave his farewell message to American people, Miss Keller spoke in the interests of India.
Helen Keller meets Rabindranath Tagore
Sitting beside Rabindranath Tagore and sharing his thoughts is like spending one's days beside the Sacred River, drinking deep of honeyed wisdom
The Braille Cube is made of brightly colored plastic and comprised of three square disks mounted on a common spindle. There are raised dots on three edges of each disk; the fourth edge is left blank. Cube features a 'turn and click' mechanism so the user can feel and hear a complete rotation. Disks can be rotated so the dots form any of the 63 dot patterns of the Braille code. Cube measures 1 x 1. Recommended for children 6 and older.
This Braille Block is made of brightly colored plastic and comprised of a series of five octagonal disks mounted on a spindle. There are raised dots on seven edges of each disk, while the eighth edge has no dots. Rotate the disks and the dot patterns change so that any pair of adjacent edges will represent any of the 63 dot patterns of the Braille code. Block measures 2 1/4 x 1 3/4.
Multi-line device that the developers hope can become a "Kindle for blind people."
The Mk8 prototype, available for hands-on demos at CSUN, is about the size of a desktop scanner, and features eight lines of 32 braille cells each equivalent to 256 cells per page, at a cost estimated by Bristol Braille of $3 per cell. The Canute isn't a braille display, but a reading-oriented device to which you add BRF files via USB. The multi-line design makes the device an interesting option for viewing tabular information such as a calendar, or computer code.
Reads BRF (Braille Ready Files) and PEF (Portable Embosser File)
360 cells: nine lines of forty characters of Braille
Supports all six-dot braille codes (including music, maths and all languages) and tactile graphics
Standard Braille is the same size, each character 1/8" X 1/4", it can be difficult for people with motor impairments or less tactile sensitivity. Kevin Murphy created TACK-TILES® decades before Lego for his son. Tack-tiles are small Lego-sized blocks with Braille dots on each. They are used primarily in educational settings to teach Braille to very young children and those with additional disabilities.
First 40-character braille display with patented ATC technology. Powerful notetaker on which one can also store hundreds of books and allows for automatic scrolling of the Bookworm mode. Also offers wireless Bluetooth connectivity for use with computers and mobile devices and braille keyboard allows for the entry of text directly from Active Braille.
Refreshable Braille Displays
40 concave braille elements with cursor routing
adjustable Braille dot firmness
practical notetaking functions such as editor, calculator, clock and more
integrated ergonomic braille keyboard
HID technology - ready to use, without driver software
ATC technology - detects the reading position, analyzes the reading behavior, visualizes the reading position in real time
Bookworm function: automatic Scrolling at the end of the line
Connection via USB or Bluetooth
up to 20 hours of battery life
Braille displays supported by Apple Watch
You can use VoiceOver on your Apple Watch and a Bluetooth-enabled braille display to read and navigate
Optical Braille Recognition (OBR)
Optical Braille Recognition (OBR) is a Windows software that allows you to ‘read’ single and double sided Braille documents on a standard flatbed scanner. It scans the Braille document, analyses the dot pattern, and translates it into normal text
Ideal for people who work with blind people and do not know Braille like teachers, public organizations, communicating with the Blind and Computerized Braille Libraries.
Features:
Easy to Use: Scanning process is simple, quick and process two sides of a Braille-sheet in one scan
No Braille Knowledge required: Braille in a small letter / document or a complete Book can be scanned into the computer
Accurate Recognition: The recognition from a good quality Braille document is excellent but even when scanning an old worn-out Braille document; the fault frequency is rather low
Direct embossing of scanned Braille documents: Emboss without any Braille Translation program
Independent of language or type of Braille code
For A4 / A3 size Paper
Lucy Sergent, 26-year-old daughter of a Kentucky coal miner, writing with a slate and stylus in 1946
Writing Braille
There are a few ways people write braille. Some people write by hand. Others prefer to type their words. Luckily, people have a choice when deciding how they prefer to create their braille.
Slate & Stylus
To write braille manually, many use the slate and stylus. It’s the first form of writing braille that most readers learn. Many compare it to paper and pencil. A slate is a metal or plastic guide that opens with a hinge on one end and is available in many different shapes and sizes. The stylus is a small tool; only about 3 inches long, with a metal pointer at one end and a handle at the other end. The slate uses heavy, card-stock paper and the stylus punches holes in the paper. The resulting holes are the raised dot pattern that will be read by touch.
Using slate and stylus is not easy. Normally we read and write (say, in English) from left to right. But while using a slate & stylus, you must write the cells in reverse order; right to left. This way when the paper is removed from the slate and flipped-over for reading; the raised dots are in the correct reading order.
Braillewriters
The braillewriters are akin to typewriters. These devices typically have 6 keys - one for each dot in a braille cell, a space bar key, and a backspace key. There would be other key options and features. It’s typically easier to learn than slate & stylus and note-taking goes more quickly. One of the most popular braillewriters is the Perkins Brailler.
Of course, now-a-days, people also use Braille computer keyboard and as well as online writers.
Notetakers
There is a range of devices that fall into this category. Most braille notetakers are small(ish) and portable. They have a braille keyboard and refreshable braille display and/or talking capabilities. The older models were called accessible PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). The newer, electronic notetakers are more like tablets. Many of them use a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB connection to communicate with smartphones, computers, laptops, and other devices. Many provide access to email, internet browsing, calendars, word processors, and other programs and apps. The user received the information through text-to-speech or a refreshable braille display.
Mass Produced Braille
Professional braille printing companies, like Braille Works, produce braille in large volumes on a daily basis. There are two widely used efficient ways to produce braille materials:
Embossed braille: It is generated from braille printers called embossers which receive their files from computer software braille translation programs. The documents are transmitted to embossers that can produce small and large quantities of pages. This method allows more flexibility and can be produced on a variety of paper weights.
Pressed braille: Pressed braille is first produced through a braille translation program, but then a costly plate must be made for each side of each page. The plates are placed in large presses and require personnel to operate them through-out the entire process.
Slate and Stylus
Braillewriting Dot by Dot, Alphabet Etc.
This kit from American Publishing House (APH) focuses on beginning writing skills with braillewriters and slate & stylus.
Teacher's Manual with ten basic lessons in each writing method and three Beyond the Basics lessons
Exercise CD-ROM with dictation exercises
Alphabet Etc. – a braille reference sheet
Peg Slate and Big Cell teaching devices for the slate
This product from American Publishing House (APH) helps students understand the relationship between the braille cell and the keys on a braillewriter. Pegs are placed in the holes and a student can swing the cell open to see how the dots line up with the keys of a braillewriter.
This paperless device from American Publishing House (APH) is designed to help teach beginning users of the braille slate. A frame is mounted with pegs that represent the braille dots in 10 braille cells. A finger is used to push the pegs down. The frame is then flipped over to read the braille message. Made of black plastic with white plastic pegs for high contrast. Instructions in print and braille.
Braillewriters
Screen-shot from mathisfun.com
Other free online Braille Translators (encoder) include:
WeCapable (support encoding from Hindi)
This is a free online Brailler Writer (actually encoder) tool from mathisfun.com. You can use this writer tool to print out the Braille for signs, notes, and so on. The image on left sets an example.
Features:
There are a few different sizes and styles to choose from.
You can Print the image, or Save the image to create a ".png" of the Braille dots (right click, "save image as...") for sending in an email or later printing.
After printing, you can put drops of paint or glue on each black dot, or you could punch little holes (from the reverse side), so that the pattern is easy to feel.
Text Dots: You can copy the dots under "Text Dots" and paste them into an email or forum when discussing braille.
ASCII: You can copy the text under "ASCII" and paste it into a word processor. Then use a Braille Font (download "gh-mathspeak.com" fonts here, unzip and put into fonts folder), and you can format the page any way you want.
Supports Grade 1 and Grade 2
The standard Perkins braillewriter has six keys (one for each dot in a braille cell), a space bar, a backspace key, a carriage return, and a line feed key. Braillewriters use heavyweight paper.
The Perkins SMART Brailler has a small video screen attached to the front of the braillewriter that displays SimBraille and large print, combined with audio feedback. It allows users to edit, save and transfer electronic documents via USB, and it also features built-in software with lessons for braille beginners
"The Perkins Brailler is the best machine ever invented to teach students braille."
- Dr. William Rowland, Former President, World Blind Union
The Mountbatten Brailler is an electronic braille writer, notetaker and embosser. It integrates modern computer technology and has applications to support embossing, reading and file storage - and it has audio support for all its operations. It is adaptive technology that has been designed to meet the needs of blind students in today's environment, especially in early braille instruction, as a foundation tool for literacy.
This manual brailler keeps the durability, reliability, and the ability to braille wide paper, while also adding several new features to the classic Perkins Brailler:
1/3 less pressure required to depress keys
Extended key design to increase usability and comfort
Nuklz N Large Print Computer Keyboard
Large Print Keyboard with High Contrast Key: Easy to see in low light. Designed for those with visual impairments or learning to type.
Nice, Sleek Design: Keep your hands in a relaxed, neutral position for effortless typing on a soft keys that give a quiet, comfortable typing experience.
Simple Wired USB Connection: No special software required. Compatible...
PC Keyboard Braille Input for NVDA
This NVDA add-on allows braille to be entered via the PC keyboard. Several keyboard layouts are supported
GNU General Public License version 2.0
Stickers for standard keyboards to make them blind friendly
TalkBack Braille Keyboard on Android
TalkBack braille keyboard is a new virtual braille keyboard integrated directly into Android.
Type braille on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch supports braille entry directly on the device's screen, without the need for a physical braille keyboard
Type braille on the iPhone screen using VoiceOver
Turn on Braille Screen Input, and use your fingers to enter six-dot braille or contracted braille directly on the iPhone screen, without a physical braille keyboard
Notetakers
ElBraille is a modern notetaker. Running Windows 10 with JAWS, and a braille display with a full Braille keyboard, ElBraille 40 is a fully accessible compact computer
Features:
Runs Windows 10 64-bit and JAWS
Works with Focus 40 Blue 5th Generation Braille display
Two stereo speakers and headphone/microphone jack
Specially designed apps for creation of voice or text notes, listening to audio content, and more
The Braillino is a 20-character Braille display and note-taking device that, thanks to its small size and Bluetooth connection, is particularly suitable for use with mobile devices. The braille display can also be connected to a computer via a serial connection.
You can enter text in the braille memory using either the device's braille keyboard or the connected PS2 keyboard. Braillino also has a clock, calendar and calculator. A version without Bluetooth is also available (Braillino)
Equipped with 20 Braille elements as standard. With the Basic Braille, you get a low-cost entry-level model. The Basic Braille will provide you access to computer systems for many years.
Features
Available with 20, 32, 40, 48, 64, 80, 84 braille elements with cursor routing
Durable Braille elements
HID technology - ready to use, without drivers
Wireless Bluetooth
Pronto Notetaker is the Perkins type of keyboard with Braille display. Pronto Notetaker can help individuals with ‘early vision loss, computer vision syndrome, and visual impairments such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. It supports Braille and speech output as well as four function keys and a navistick (a mini-joystick) which help in performing important tasks.
Notetaker that allows user to create and read documents in any of five languages and use multiple bilingual dictionaries, highlight points with advanced font and style options
32-cell high-quality braille cells
Powerful performance with faster processing
Power-packed for the office environment – access MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel files in contracted braille
A powerful educational tool – built-in LCD allows sighted teachers to view a student’s progress
Made with the deaf-blind in mind – flipable LCD display facilitates easy and natural communication with deaf-blind individuals
Connectivity anywhere, any time via ethernet, wifi or 3G
GPS & electronic compass
VoiceNote Apex Notetakers help blind and visually impaired students take notes alongside their sighted peers and to print or emboss (into braille) their notes or even send them in an email to maximize their digital communications and educational success.
Orbit Reader 40: Braille Display, Book Reader and Note-taker
40 eight-dot refreshable Braille cells for unique signage-quality Braille
Book-reader mode
Note-taker mode
Braille display mode
Switch modes instantly
Works with popular screen readers on multiple OSs
Onboard forward and backward translation with support for 40+ languages
Cursor Routing buttons
Audio and Haptic output
Full-featured, high-quality Perkins-style 8-key Braille keyboard
Cursor pad with 4-way arrows and select keys
Panning control rocker keys
Pocket-sized mechanical device
Direct six key Braille entry
Inbuilt reading stand
Find the current cell and line with tactile indicators
Use lightweight paper
Regular Braille writing from left to right
Mass Produced Braille
Double-Sided Braille Embosser This embosser produces 120 characters per second, resulting in quality double-sided braille. It is the fastest, most reliable braille printer at the mid-range price point. The VP Columbia also features a tactile graphics software.
Features:
120 characters/second double-sided braille embosser
NEW Power-Dot Braille – the strongest, most readable braille dots available on a desktop embosser
Industry leading tactile graphics – 8 dot heights for greater detail
Tractor fed paper – the most reliable sheet feeding technology!
400 pph (A4 Paper Size)
Includes Tiger Software Suite – braille and tactile graphics software
Sided Braille Embosser The Romeo is moderate in size and easy to use, even offering sideways and booklet printing styles. The Braille dot height can be easily adjusted, depending on the preference of the user. This device offers one-sided printing only.
Features:
Unsurpassed braille quality, for easy and confident reading
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled
Firebird tactile graphics software included
Sideways and booklet printing styles
UEB contracted braille translator built in
Adjustable braille dot height for individual reading preferences
American English speech
Lighted control panel with speech and braille and tactile labels
The Braille Buddy is one of the most affordable quality embossers on the market. It produces 25 characters per second and is portable, allowing for flexibility. The Braille Buddy features the Tiger Software Suite and is compatible with several different sturdy paper options.
Features:
25 characters/second – the fastest embosser at the price
Quality single-sided braille
High-resolution tactile graphics – multiple dot heights for greater detail
Braille & tactile graphics software included – (Tiger Software Suite)
Multiple paper options – use tractor or single cut-sheet paper
Portable personal embosser – small and compact to take with you
A braille translator is a software program that translates a script into braille and sends it to a braille embosser, which produces a hard copy of the original print text. Only the script is transformed, not the language.
Duxbury DBT: Braille Translation Software
Duxbury Systems leads the world in software for braille. The Duxbury Braille Translator (DBT) is used by virtually all of the world's leading braille publishers. No one supports more languages than Duxbury Systems. DBT supports over 170 languages in either uncontracted or contracted (when such rules exist) braille. Our software can produce contracted and uncontracted literary, mathematics, and technical braille.
Mr. Manoj Yadav, Delhi winner of Drishti Essay Competition reading from his essay in Bharati Braille.
Bharati Braille Shikshak (Hindi), RSVI Lucknow, 2020
Hindi Braille (PART -2), 2020
Using Annie
Annie is named after Miss Annie Sharp, an Anglican woman, who established Sharp Memorial School for the Blind in Amritsar in 1887.
KBC 2014 Question: Annie Sharp, a Christian missionary from England, founded the first school for whom in India in Amritsar in 1887?
A. Visually impaired
B. Street children
C. Bonded labourers
D. Windows
Interactive Typing Exercise (Hindi) on Annie (Hindi), Thinkerbell Labs, 2019
Braille for Indian Languages
Bharati Braille
Bharati braille or Bharatiya Braille, is a largely unified braille script for writing the languages of India. When India gained independence, eleven braille scripts were in use, in different parts of the country and for different languages.
In 1943 in India, a government-appointed committee prepared a common Braille Code and circulated the same among various provincial Governments and institutions for the blind. When India gained independence in 1947, 11 Braille codes for different regional languages were in use in various parts of the country. The recommendations of this conference led to the development of Bharati Braille for the official Indian languages - Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, Assamese, Malayalam, Nepali, Odia, Telugu, & Urdu - and its recommendation for nationwide use. The National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD) was also deeply involved in the standardization of Bharati Braille. Their Braille Development Unit contributed notation systems for Maths, Music, and Science, as well as Braille contractions, abbreviations, and shorthand systems for most of the official languages of the country.
By 1951, a single national standard had been settled on, Bharati braille, which has since been adopted by Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh. There are slight differences in the orthographies* for Nepali in India and Nepal, and for Tamil in India and Sri Lanka. There are significant differences in Bengali Braille between India and Bangladesh, with several letters differing. Pakistan has not adopted Bharati braille, so the Urdu Braille of Pakistan is an entirely different alphabet than the Urdu Braille of India, with their commonalities largely due to their common inheritance from English or International Braille. Sinhala Braille largely conforms to other Bharati, but differs significantly toward the end of the alphabet, and is covered in its own article.
Bharati braille alphabets use a 6-dot cell with values based largely on English Braille. Letters are assigned as consistently as possible across the various regional scripts of India as they are transliterated in the Latin script, so that, for example, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and English are rendered largely the same in braille.
Bharati Braille is increasingly the basis for expanding education to more visually impaired learners. The National Education Policy, 2020, makes recommendations in section 6 of the document for Equitable and Inclusive Education: Learning for All, focused on ”foundational literacy and numeracy, access, enrolment and attendance” along with suitable technological interventions to ensure access can be particularly effective for certain children with disabilities. It explicitly calls for adequate and language-appropriate teaching-learning materials, including textbooks in accessible formats such as Braille.
*An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation.
National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD)
NIEPVD is perceived as a cornerstone in Braille Development owing to its long and deep involvement in the standardization of Bhartiya Braille, a system that corresponds to all the official languages of the country and notation systems for Maths, Music and Science. The Braille Development Unit has also contributed Braille contractions and abbreviations and shorthand systems in most of the official languages of the country.
Apart from developing and refining Braille codes for official languages of the country and other notation systems, the Unit also worked on a number of projects and research studies crucial for the expansion and popularization of Braille. At present, it is working on 2 major studies namely "A Study of the Status of teaching Braille in the Universities offering B.Ed. Special Education with Specialization in Visual Impairment" and "Review of Bharati Braille in India".
Braille Council of India (BCI)
NIEPVD played an instrumental role in the creation of Braille Council of India (BCI) in 2008. This body also has a specific objective of assisting and advising the Director of the Institute in all matters relating to Braille development and Braille production in the country. While the BCI is primarily, an advisory body, its conclusions, guidelines and recommendations form the basis for Braille related activities in the country. All new technology relating to the development of hardware/software pertaining to Braille writing, Braille translation software, Braille production or Braille teaching shall be recognized or duplicated with the approval of the BCI.
During the year 2008-09 & 2009-10 Council convened three sessions first between September 12 to 13, 2008 and the second on March 28, 2009 and the third on March 20, 2010 at Dehradun. During these sessions, issues for Braille development were prioritized and a plan of action was also drawn up for the ensuing year. Council also had the occasion to review newly developed Braille Code for Carnatic Music and Advance Braille Code for Mathematics and Science developed by the Institute.
Source
Bharati Braille, Wikipedia
Braille in India: How Languages Found Expression in Bharati Braille, Thinkerbell Labs, 2020
Further reading
Braille Development, NIEPVD, 2019
‘They Shall See His Face’: Blindness in British India, 1850–1950, NCBI, 2017
The challenges of transliterating to Braille, The Hindu, 2016
A New Research Resource for Optical Recognition of Embossed and Hand-Punched Hindi Devanagari Braille Characters: Bharati Braille Bank, ResearchGate, 2015
Recognition of Documents in Braille, arXiv, 2015
Bharti Braille services now available online, ToI, 2014
Automated Conversion of English and Hindi Text to Braille Representation, International Journal of Computer Applications, 2010
Sparsha: a comprehensive Indian language toolset for the blind, ACM Library, 2005
Reviewing the Braille Basics in Teaching: A Conceptual Framework
Bharati Braille, Amazon
In 2012, the Delhi Typerventions group put up a Devanagari-Bharati Braille installation at Amar Jyoti School, an institute for the visually-impaired, in Delhi. - Blogs Pooja Saxena
Annie: Self-Learning Braille Literacy Device (Thinkerbell Labs)
Packed with gamified and interactive content, Annie™ makes learning braille fun. The tactile hardware modules tailored to teach, coupled with a soft human voice guiding students through lessons eliminates the need for handholding and constant supervision. Annie evaluates answers given by the students instantly and gives smart corrective feedback.
Features
Reading
Twin large braille cells to introduce the child to braille.
Six standard-sized braille cells cover all primary learning needs including contractions.
Typing
Universal design based on the standard brailler.
Soft keys that are much easier to press than those of a mechanical typewriter.
Learn how to type braille in your browser
Writing
First-of-its-kind braille slate is paper free.
Digitized output gives instant feedback and makes evaluation easy.
Interactive Content
Annie accomplishes these outcomes through gamified content, challenges and tests.
Built in speakers provide the perfect acoustics.
Self-Learning
Annie™ lets children play & learn braille by themselves.
Assign homework and schedule tests for your child to complete at their own pace.
User Friendly
Annie™ is light-weight and easy to handle.
Curated content suitable for all age groups.
With Annie, a visually impaired student can learn to read, write and type in Braille on their own, while having fun!
Further reading
The Annie Story: How We Innovated Braille Education for Today’s Learner, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Braille in India: How Languages Found Expression in Bharati Braille, Thinkerbell Labs, 2020
How Braille Teachers can Take Advantage of Educational Technology, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
5 Ways Braille Makes Learning Mathematics Easier, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Braille and Autonomy: What Literacy Means For an Independent Life, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Why Braille Matters Today: Communication, Education, and Technology, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
The Creativity in Braille: Art for the Visually Impaired, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Sparsha - Software to convert Indian Languages into Braille
A team of researchers at IIT Kharagpur, led by Prof. Anupam Basu, has developed Sparsha Transliteration System with the following features:
Transliteration from text into Braille: Sparsha can accept English as well as Indian language texts (Hindi, Assamese, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Nepali and Bengali) and converts them into Bharati Braille. Sparsha supports common used Braille printers or embossers to take out the hard copy of the Braille.
Conversion of mathematical expressions: Sparsha has a mathematic and scientific notation engine that can translate complex mathematical and scientific expressions into Braille.
Sparsha-Chitra: Sparsha-Chitra can display geometrical figures and elementary pictures or drawings as a pattern of Braille dots into Sparsha.
Reverse Transliteration: A coded Braille file can be converted into corresponding visually readable text, enabling a visually impaired person to communicate with sighted persons via email.
Sparsha integrates regular keyboards with audio feedback to enable sightless people type in through regular PCs.
Baishakhi keyboard with voice commands helps visually impaired users to type in English and Bangla. Users will be able to listen whatever they will type
Shruti - an Indian language Text to Speech System can read out texts to the user. Currently it wokrs in Bengali or Hindi
Webel Mediatronics Limited (WML), Kolkata, India
Supported by Computer based Braille System in Indian Languages (“e-Braille”) Project
Paperless Braille reading system
Refreshable Braille display of 40 characters in one line and a few control keys.
Read a file / book / document from a PC in Braille
Supports Hindi, English and Bengali languages.
Innovations: Technology, Products, and Typefont for the Blind
Braille Innovations: Visibility Webinar
Sight & Sound's Stuart Lawler and Sam Coulson discuss innovations in braille with Visibility's Jamie Bruce
Braille Technology
Though Braille System was designed in early 19th century, its use keeps on expanding and innovations around Braille (except for the replacement of the coding) continues unabated with interventions of various technology.
In this section, we present a few recent innovations and ongoing futuristic projects.
A lot more of information on innovations can be found in:
Smart braille, BangaloreMirror, 2021
5 innovations in accessibility and assistive technology, Perkins School for the Blind, 2019
BlindNewWorld’s Top 10 Assistive Tech Innovations in 2017, BlindNewWorld, 2017
53 Innovations for the Blind: From Blind Time Tellers to Tactile Teaching Pens, TrendHunter, 2010
17 Braille innovations that don’t exist yet… but should!, WonderBaby
DotBook: A Braille laptop
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, has developed a Braille laptop called DotBook for the visually impaired, based on IIT-Delhi’s patented Shape Memory Alloy Technology.
The laptop has applications such as email, calculator, and web browser. Third party apps can also be added.
The laptops are equipped with refreshable Braille display and has a specially designed hand-rest to help the users to work for long hours without any drop in efficiency. The equipment can be connected through Wifi, Bluetooth and USB.
It has been launched in two variants
20 characters in a line
A Braille keyboard
Price: Rs. 40,000
40 characters per line
A Braille keyboard
A QWERTY keyboard
Price: Rs. 60,000 (Comparable 40 cell Refreshable Braille Devices cost on an average Rs 1.78 lakh)
The project leader, Prof. M Balakrishnan, said, “DotBook represents an excellent example of user-oriented applied research. It is a result of sustained efforts over four years of a multi-organizational team comprising academics, two industry partners (KritiKal Solutions Pvt Ltd, Noida, Pheonix Medical Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai), a user organization (Saksham Trust, New Delhi) and Wellcome Trust, UK.”
KritiKal manufactures, maintains and markets them as iable. Phoenix provides the modules for refreshable Braille display.
Holy Braille!
The University of Michigan’s School of Information’s Sile O’Modhrain leads a project called Holy Braille that is developing and creating a full-page braille and tactile graphic display device.
Imagine for a moment a flat screen tablet, coming alive with a full page of braille or a bar graph that users could touch on the screen. For braille readers, like print readers, the ability to have more than 12, 20, or even 40 characters on a line at any given time makes reading much more efficient. Imagine trying to read a printed page through a device that allowed you to see only a few words at a time—sure it can be done, but more words would be better, and a whole page of refreshable braille would truly be the Holy Grail of this technology.
Braille
Not only will multiple lines of text enable faster reading, it will preserve the layout, spacing, indentations, and other formatting cues that contextualize information. Multiple lines will also give access to other forms of spatial information such as musical notation, mathematics and spreadsheets.
Graphics
The display will enable real-time access to tactile graphics that are currently only accessible in hard-copy form, such as bar charts, XY-plots, graphs, and diagrams. Tactile graphics will come to life through the touch-sensing interface, enabling users to create, edit and interact with spatial content.
Maps
While tools exist for creating embossed and raised-line maps, none are available on-demand in real time, which represents a huge accessibility barrier for blind people. Our product will allow quick access to tactile representations of surroundings for navigation.
Media
A large-area refreshable display will enable touch-mediated interaction with digital information akin to interaction with modern graphical user interfaces. The product will simplify digital interaction by helping to preserve the spatial layouts of websites and other forms of spatial digital content.
The concept design of a braille e-book by Yanko Design
A braille e-book is a refreshable braille display using electroactive polymers or heated wax rather than mechanical pins to raise braille dots on a display. Though not inherently expensive, due to the small scale of production they have not been shown to be economical.
Braille books were initially written in paper, with Perkins Brailler typewriter, a machine invented in 1951, and improved in 2008, another way of produce braille books was with Braille printers or embossers. In 2011 David S. Morgan produced the first SMART Brailler machine, with added text to speech function and allowed digital capture of data entered.
Haptic Reader helps the blind to read non-braille books.
When you place it on the page of a book, it scans the letters on the page. The letters are converted to Braille characters, appearing on the surface of the device.
The text can also be converted to voice played through the speaker.
It saves scanned books in flash memory. Thanks to built-in Wi-Fi, they are now not only read for themselves but also meet with others to share the books they read about. It enables for the visually impaired to socially interact with others through sharing stories.
The EMI Nite-Writer Logo Pen is an interesting creation featuring a soft LED light to the tip for reading or writing during day or night. The soft green illumination in low light or virtually total darkness allows you to write reports or map reading.
Features:
Soft LED light for writing or reading
Rotary on / off switch tail cap
Matte black finish with brass pocket clip and trim
Writes in black ink and includes batteries
Your choice of EMS, Fire, Police, Sheriff, Plain logos.
Touchscreen Capable of Creating Figures and Braille
Although there are solutions that can convert text into speech, Braille remains the closest thing to reading for blind persons. There already are devices capable of reproducing Braille characters in real time, but they are based on moving parts that go up and down to form points of symbols. However, these devices cost thousands of euros and their functionality is limited.
A device developed by a Harvard University engineering student could offer a different solution. Named Ferrotouch by its creator, Katie Cagen, the device is a sort of tablet that uses a ferrofluid – a kind of liquid metal- under which a matrix of electromagnets is placed, and which is then coated with a flexible surface. The magnets interact with the ferrofluid to create recognizable shapes on the surface. This device would not only be capable of recreating Braille symbols, but it could also represent any type of pattern, from points and lines to complex shapes such as graphs, diagrams and other figures.
Inventor Shubham Banerjee with Braigo v1.0, 2014
Braigo - Braille Printer with Lego Mindstorms EV3
Braigo Braille Print Head
Developed by Shubham Banerjee, a 7th grade student from Santa Clara, California. BRAIGO is a Braille Printer using Lego Mindstorms EV3. This concept slashes the price of a printer from more than $2000 to around $350 for education, teaching and home use purposes. Thus giving a more cost effective printer for the disadvantaged.
The challenges with assistive technologies currently available are either too expensive or difficult to obtain for normal people without government or non-profit sponsorships. According to WHO reports, there are estimated 285 million visually impaired people worldwide and 90% of them live in developing countries.
To give access to easily assemble and build a braille printer for the masses, the basic ability of DO-IT-YOURSELF (D-I-Y) is key. The kit should be readily available at stores or procured online from reputable websites to make the process easy for adoption. Most printers operate in X (to move the print head) -Y (to push the paper) – Z (to print or not to print) co-ordinates. The printer has to be compact and self-explanatory.
In this experiment, Shubham relied on LEGO and readily available Mindstorms EV3 robotics kit to build a D-I-Y Braille printer and program the device to print in Braille. He worked with a constraint that all parts should be from one kit and some low cost readily available add-ons to make such a printer. After studying the Braille language; Shubham understood that a visually impaired individual feels through his/her fingers the bumps on a paper through a combination of 6 dots. If he could make a printer that prints (by making holes in a paper) as a mirror image of the letter and when flipping the page we should be able to translate letters into BRAILLE.
Shubham used rapid prototyping concepts where he tried to build models and programing it to see if he is able to get the desired results. Shubham had to build and break 7 different models before settling on a final one that was able to print the six dots in a desired sequence according to the Braille standards. After which, he programmed the letters A-Z. A normal calculator paper is used to provide the proof of concept.
He validated version 1.0 of BRAIGO at Santa Clara Valley Blind Center based in San Jose and also with Hoby Wedler at his laboratory in UC Davis. The first prototype of the proof of concept has been successful and him providing the building instructions and software as open source will provide a low cost alternative solution to the visually impaired community. Shubham achieved an 82% reduction in cost and have been overwhelmed by the encouraging feedback from both the sighted and the blind equally. By providing the full build instructions in Makezine, Shubham hopes to rally the maker community to enhance Braigo and this effort will help the visually impaired.
In August 2014, a new company called Braigo Labs Inc. was formed. Since Shubham Banerjee is a minor, his mother Malini is listed as the President of the company.
On September 9, 2014, at the Intel Developers Forum (IDF 2014), Banerjee demonstrated 'Braigo v2.0'. As of at least February 2018 the product has still not been released and there have been no official announcements since 2014.
Braille Products
Assistive technology and innovations for visually impaired users are moving fast! There are so many new ideas for accessible orientation and mobility devices, wearable technology and updated apps and software. Just check out these new navigational tools from Verizon. Wow!
But a lot of the coolest ideas involving braille aren’t actually on the market yet. They may be in prototype mode, or maybe even just conceptual. Listed here are some of my favorites. And maybe if we reach out to the designers they’ll realize there’s actually a market for this stuff!
There are many more innovations out there that are just waiting to come to life. It’s exciting to see all the thinking and design ideas.
Source
Further reading
Handy Braille Readers: Text to Braille
With these reader devices you could run over a line of printed text, whether in a book or on a can of food in the grocery store, and the letters would be translated into braille. Yes, there are a lot of downsides that would need to be addressed (how do you keep the device on the line of text if you can’t feel it), but it’s still a neat idea!
This device uses scanner technology to convert text into refreshable Braille and also allows for audio feedback. It moves at the pace of the reader, so you can build confidence with the device as you learn to use it. It fits like a glove and the braille pins roll under the index finger.
This device is a little less futuristic looking, but maybe a bit more practical. It uses the same concept as Panopticon, but is in the form of a hand held device. One nice feature of Top-Braille is built in navigation cues that alert the reader to the location of the text on the page so they can keep the device aligned properly.
So I really like how sleek this one is. It’s a small, slim device very similar in shape to a computer mouse (but thinner). The braille dots appear on the surface of the device and, unlike panopticon or top-braille, you can get more than one braille cell at a time on this one.
Functional Braille
There are many ways braille can enhance everyday products and activities, making them more accessible to blind users. Everything from taking simple notes to a more accessible credit card!
Making quick braille notes on the fly is possible with a slate and stylus or a braille label maker, but the slate is clunky and you need to write backwards and braille label makers are big and cumbersome. So how about a braille stapler? It prints on long sheets of paper and is easy to pocket and take with you!
I like this idea even more than the braille stapler. Braille tape is essentially a roll of adhesive tape with braille cells already punched. All you have to do is push in the cells you don’t want and you have an automatic braille label! Stick to jars or cans in your cupboard, label drawers… whatever!
This futuristic cuff reads blood pressure and heart rate and displays the results in braille on the cuff. All the buttons are also raised and marked with tactile cues. If someone needs to monitor their blood pressure regularly, this is a way to do that independently.
So how cool is this? This is a small, hand-held disk with a refreshable display that can present information in braille or actually create a tactile map showing you where you are and where you need to go. Control buttons are located on the side of the device. This one is called the DROP GPS System, but there’s another one called the Brainovi, and it also talks to you with a Bluetooth ear piece.
Braille in Design
Braille is functional, but have you ever noticed that it can also be beautiful? Many designers have started incorporating braille into concepts for home products. Beautify your home with braille!
Are you into tea? Do you like to brew your tea from loose leaf? Then this is for you! With this braille tea infuser, you can fill the water and monitor how much water is in the thermos with a button on the side of the infuser. Place the loose leaf tea in the top of the infuser and set the timer. When you hear the bell your tea is ready! All markings on the thermos are tactile or in braille. Wouldn’t this make a great gift?
The braille credit card speaks your purchase after your card is swiped so you know exactly what you’re being charged. It also allows you to sign for your purchase with your thumb print. There’s also a refreshable braille display that let’s you scroll through all your past purchases on the card.
There are already a lot of braille and talking watches on the market, but there are some really neat concepts for cool watches with out of this world designs. Why stop at function when we can add fashion as well? Also check out Haptic Braille Watch and you have to see this X Watch!
What does your wall say? Many people find quotes to display on the wall in their child’s room or baby’s nursery, so why not do the same thing in braille?
There can be a story that is revealed when the users touch the wallpaper to feel the raised segments that combine to tell the tale.
The Contact Series of household object - comprising mugs, flower vases and coffee cups with raised braille descriptions such as “coffee”, “espresso”, “yours”, “mine”. The Contact Series is inclusive in design and makes dining a fun, seamless and comfortable experience.
The Moon table (inspired by Moon Type), was designed to encourage the blind to develop workable systems at the dinner table. Aluminum inlays map the essential paths, intersections, and spheres of use at a dining table. The integration of color and material contrast, edge tracking for navigation, and aluminum feet provide feedback when approached with a cane.
Braille Fun!
So now for the fun stuff! Here are some concept designs for braille toys and games!
This toy is designed to make learning braille letters and words more interactive. The pieces fit together like a puzzle to form both the word AND the shape, so that children aren’t just learning about letters, but also about symbols and shapes as well. You can’t buy these in stores, but if you have a 3D printer, you can print them!
This is another toy designed to help kids learn braille. This ball has pieces with braille and print letters embossed on them. You have to match the letters on the pieces with the corresponding hole in the ball. The pieces fit using magnets and if you’re right, a chime rings and the ball speaks the letter.
What a no brainer! Instead of having a Rubik’s Cube with squares in different colors, how about a Rubik’s Cube with squares in braille?
Chanukah Dreidels printed with embossed braille! What a great idea!
Alternatives to Braille for Tactile Alphabet
Over 200 years, Braille has reigned - while several innovations have competed (Check Section History & Genealogy of Tactile Alphabet for the Blind) for a space as a tactile alternative to Braille - so far with not even marginal success. But there must be alternate solutions to Braille as a wide range of visual impairment diagnoses exist. From people with low vision in need of large print & varying color contrasts to those who are completely blind, and everyone in between. To accept that there’s only one valid solution for so many variations is close-minded, to say the least.
The innovations, primarily coming in the 21st century, are trying to ameliorate the shortcomings of Braille that include but not limited to:
Braille is unnatural - more like a computer code - and hence difficult to learn
Braille matrix for letters have no boundary marker - making it difficult to keep track of letters along a line and between consecutive lines. This is especially impactful for people with motor disorders, less tactile acuity, other learning disability
Braille is unfriendly for the caregivers (teachers, parents, etc.) - they need a lot of effort to master Braille to help the blind
Congenital blinds learn Braille more easily as they learn at an early age, while the adventitious blinds find it more difficult. Statistically, there are lot more adventitious blinds and congenital. Also, with Braille adventitious blinds cannot take advantage of their visual memory of the alphabet.
Braille literacy has been significantly limited and declining. A study in US showed that fewer than 10% of the legally blind in US are Braille readers. Further, a mere 10% of blind children are learning it. Over 70% of blind adults are unemployed, and as many as 50% of blind high school students drop out of high school.
Braille is the first digitized (binary) representation of the alphabet (predating the Morse Code by about two decades). Yet it cannot take full advantage of the digital technology. Notwithstanding several gadgets (readers, embossers, etc.) and apps built around Braille, new designs can exploit the full potential of the technology of today (like 3D printing, accessibility, etc.).
Braille cannot cater to the need of the lifestyle of today like SMS or WhatsApp messaging, or integrated communication with audio, voice, finger and non-finger tactile.
We need an approach of co-design of the tactile coding with the appliances and apps for it to provide effective, efficient, affordable, scalable, and customizable solutions.
Various new designs for tactile alphabet are being tried out including:
Fakoo Alphabet (2007) by Alexander Fakoó, as improvement over Braille's Raphigraphy (Decapoint) and based on the Barbier's alphabet with 12 dots
Quadoo Alphabet (2008) by Alexander Fakoó, as square holes with 6 lines motivated by attempts of Helen Keller in 1887 to write within square boxes
Siekoo Alphabet (2012) by Alexander Fakoó, using the well-known 7-segment display
Rila Sign System (2016) by Stefan Stoynov, for Russian, English, Spanish and other languages to ease writing SMS on a keypad using a small number of symbols for letters in the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.
However, above all, ELIA Frames (2017) by ELIA Idea Team, appears to be the innovation leader as besides the design of the alphabet they are focused on the devices like Printer and Display to make ELIA really functional.
Source
There are an estimated 8.4 million individuals with visual impairment, less than 60,000 can read Braille.
High schoolers with visual impairment have a dropout rate of nearly 50%.
The employment rate among individuals with sight is ~84%. Individuals with visual impairment have an estimated employment rate of 43%; but if the individual can use Braille, that rate soars to 90%.
It's estimated that the number of individuals with visual impairment will double to 16 million by 2030.
ELIA FRAMES™
Education, Literacy, and Independence for All: 'the ELIA Idea'
If Louis Braille re-invented a tactile alphabet today, we believe he wouldn’t have limited his design solely to the use of dots. Braille was invented in 1824, when the most efficient way for a blind person to make a tactile letter was to push a pointed object into a piece of paper.
— Andrew Chepaitis, ELIA President/CEO
ELIA Frames™ leverages modern tactile printing technology and design principles to optimize each letter’s design and create easily identifiable characters. Each letter features an outer frame (circle, square, house) and interior elements that suggest the main characteristics of each standard alphabet letter.
Andrew Chepaitis, an American entrepreneur, created ELIA Frames, a new tactile alphabet more intuitive and accessible than braille. While only 1% of the visually impaired and 15% of the blind would be able to read Braille due to complex learning, ELIA Frames aims to replace it.
The ELIA Frames™ font is designed for maximum tactile discrimination by people who have a visual impairment. It is so easy to learn that it can be studied and applied in as little as 2 hours. And because ELIA Frames™ is based on the standard Roman alphabet, it can be read visually by those with full sight (teachers, caregivers or co-workers).
Sources
Further reading
ELIA Products - Upcoming
With the ELIA Touch Printer, a person will be able to print tactile fonts and graphics including ELIA Frames™ and braille at any size with the ELIA Touch Printer. In our effort to address the needs of the market as soon as possible, the initial product will connect to Windows and MacOS via USB. We will provide connectivity via Wi-Fi and bluetooth in version 2.0 of the printer.
The ELIA Touch Printer could be used in a classroom to make drawings and diagrams instantly tactile, or to print pages from a textbook or the internet in tactile form.
ELIA Printer 1, Andrew Chepaitis, 2017
With the ELIA Tactile Display, a person will be able to instantly download books, tactile graphics and text and access it anywhere. With upwards of 10,000 pins (compared to current products that offer a maximum of 640 pins to display 80 braille cells), it will be capable of displaying and augmenting tactile images. The display will be capable of interactivity - the user will be able to draw new lines, read tactilely, listen with text to speech, or use finger swipes, taps, gestures or voice commands to interact and navigate information.
ELIA Life Technology PBC is a company founded on the belief that positive change is not only possible, but inevitable.
— Andrew Chepaitis, ELIA President/CEO
Several ladies and gentlemen at the fair while a group of musicians wearing pointed hats play violins
History & Genealogy of Tactile Alphabet for the Blind
The starting point of modern education of persons with blindness is recognized to be 1771. A group of blind men from the home called Quinze-Vingts were exhibited at Saint Ovid's Fair. They had been given eyeglasses to wear, attired in a ridiculous manner and placed behind a music-rack on a balcony. What they produced on musical instruments was a discordant symphony, but it allegedly gave joy to spectators.
Valentin Hauy witnessed the ridicule and was seized with a far different emotion. On this date he conceived the possibility of embossed letters for the blind. In his 1786 book, An Essay on the Education of the Blind, dedicated to the King of France, Hauy writes:
We ordered typographical characters to be cast of the form in which their impression strikes our eyes, and by applying to these a paper wet, as the printers do, we produced the first exemplar which had till then appeared of letters whose elevation renders them obvious to the origin of a library for the use of the blind.
Rest, as we say, is history! History of tactile alphabet for the blind literacy - a quest that is live after 250 years.
The Hospice des Quinze-Vingts, a hospital for the blind, was founded in 1260 by Louis IX, king of France - known as Saint Louis
Statue of Valentin Haüy (1745–1822) was the founder, in 1785, of the first school for the blind, the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris (now the National Institute for the Young Blind, INJA). In 1819, Louis Braille entered this school.
Decapoint alphabet, digits, and punctuation
A sample of decapoint. The relative efficiency of braille can be seen, as the line at the bottom is the braille transcription for the first two lines of decapoint
A tactile alphabet is a system for writing material that the one can read by touch. While currently the Braille system is the most popular and some materials have been prepared in Moon type, historically, many other tactile alphabets have existed, and are evolving.
Tactile alphabet primarily emerged for Roman Letters - spreading for various languages and language families of the world over the centuries. However, all such systems have been derived from, or at least, inspired by the system of Roman Letter. Hence, we restrict our discussion to it here, with major emphasis on English.
Tactile alphabet has followed two primary styles for coding the letters (numbers, punctuation etc.) of the alphabet:
Relief Writing: In this the letters are created in some form of relief in resemblance with their original shape in the alphabet. So relief writing (like Moon Type) often is easier to learn, more acceptable to the sighted (or those lost vision in later life), and reliable even for those with less touch sensitivity; but usually results in expensive and voluminous resources, difficult to reproduce by hand, and are slow to read. Hence, it has found little acceptance till date - though technology may soon change it (ELIA being a leading effort).
Symbol Writing: In this the letters are encoded by dots (binary) or simple set of straight or curved strokes. So symbol writing (like Braille) often is compact, cheaper to produce, easier to write by hand, and faster to read; but it is difficult to learn, unfriendly to the sighted, and difficult for blind people with motor dysfunction or less touch sensitivity. Yet, Braille has been the savior for the literacy of the blind for two centuries.
We now discuss the major efforts / systems chronologically for both the styles.
Relief Writing: Systems based on embossed Roman letters
Valentin Haüy's (1745–1822) designed Italicized Style Valentine Font [1784] as raised letters which were much too complicated to be read in rapid succession. Characters are written by using an iron pen to scratch the characters backwards into thick paper.
Sting Writing [1807] invented by Johann Wilhelm Klein (1765-1845), was also just as hard to read, although the Latin letters are displayed as dots. It was difficult to read because the entire letter had to be felt by the fingertip by touching it with upward and downward movements before the letter could be recognized.
Kline was the founder of the first school for the blind in Vienna, Austria. He developed a form of needle or punctured print used for a time in several European countries. He presented his Stachelschrift, printing device with which he could type the upper-case letters of the Latin script and create marks in dotted form in the paper.
Gall Type [1831] introduced by James Gall's (1784–1874) is an angular roman type (triangular alphabet). The Gospel of St. John was the first major work produced in 1834. It designed on the the premise that what appeared nice to the eye must be best for the blind had many followers. In words of Gall:
"Any attempt to introduce a literature for the blind would certainly be ruined by founding it on an arbitrary alphabet. No man can ever be expected to feel so much interest in a thing which he must learn before he can understand, as in that which is plain to his eyes and to his understanding..."
Jacob Snider, Jr.'s System [1833], using rounded letters similar to Haüy's system, was used for the Gospel of Mark in, the first embossed book in US.
Edmund Fry (1754–1835) was an English type-founder. He had been engaged in the design of tactile alphabet forms. In 1833, twenty designs for raised type for the blind [1833] were submitted to the Royal Scottish Society of Arts, who had offered a prize for the best example. Fry was awarded the gold medal a couple of years after his death.
Samuel Gridley Howe's (1801-76) Boston Line [1835] using lowercase angular letters, influenced by Gall's system but more closely resembling standard Roman letters.
Alston Type [1838] was created by John Alston, treasurer of the Edinburgh Asylum. He setup a press and produced several works using this form of the roman type (capital letters only).
Julius Reinhold Friedlander's (1803–1839) Philadelphia Line [1838] using all capital letters, similar to Alston's system, used at the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1838, he and Samuel Gridley Howe published embossed versions of the Book of Ruth and the Book of Proverbs,
Decapoint [1839]: Decapoint, or raphigraphy, was a tactile form of the Latin script, invented by Louis Braille (1809-52), as a system that could be used by both the blind and sighted. Letters retained their linear form, and so were legible without training to the sighted, but the lines were composed of embossed dots like those used in braille. Each letter contained ten dots in the height and different dots in the width to produce the graphic form of print. The reason for the development of this writing was that relatives of the students could not read braille.
A blind friend of Louis Braille, Pierre-François-Victor Foucault (1797–1871), built, the Raphigraph in 1841, which could push all the points of one column of characters at the same time into the paper.
Moon Type [1845] tried to retain the form of the roman letter as far as was compatible with tangibility. The Moon system of embossed reading was invented by William Moon (1818—1894). It was still used in the early part of the 20th century.
William Chapin (1802-88), also at the Pennsylvania Institution, combined the lowercase letters of the Boston Line with the capitals of the Philadelphia Line, forming the Combined System [1868] used in books printed by Napoleon Bonaparte Kneass Jr.
Fakoo Alphabet [2007] is developed by Alexander Fakoó (Falexoo) as an alternative braille for the blind, visually impaired and sighted - in continuation of the idea of Louis Braille for his Raphigraphy (Decapoint) and based on the Barbier alphabet with 12 dots.
Dotty-Moon [2008] font, licensed as Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives (CC-BY-ND), created by Alexander Fakoó (Falexoo), uses dot patterns in the shape of Moon characters as a 5x5 grid.
Quadoo Alphabet [2008] is developed by Alexander Fakoó (Falexoo) as square braille or square writing for the blind for handwritten notes by the blind. In this case, a hole slate is used with square holes and written only with six lines side correctly.
in 1887, Helen Keller had used a square font other than Quadoo, in which the letters were written very square.
Siekoo Alphabet [2012], developed by Alexander Fakoó (Falexoo), uses the well-known 7-segment display to realize a confusion-free alpha-numeric text representation by assigning separate segment combinations to all letters and numbers.
ELIA Frame [2017] tactile alphabet/font system includes the major characteristics of the Roman alphabet letter within a frame. The frame denotes where the letter begins and ends and allows for systematic exploration. The use of the Roman alphabet's features in the design helps previously sighted people learn it.
Symbol (Dot / Stroke) Writing: Systems based on arbitrary symbols
Night Writing [1815]: It is an encoding system that use symbols of twelve dots arranged as two columns of six dots embossed on a square of paperboard. It was one of twelve different alternative and shorthand writing methods created by Charles Barbier (1767–1841).
Braille [1824]: It is a tactile writing system created by, Louis Braille (1809-52) as an improvement on night writing. It is the first binary form of writing.
Thomas Rhodes Armitage (1824-90), founder of the British and Foreign Blind Association for promoting the Education of the Blind (now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind played a key roll in evaluating the various codes in Europe and leading the movement to make Braille the standard code used today.
Lucas Type [1838], created by Thomas Lucas (1764–1838), is a sort of stenographic shorthand. The letters are altogether arbitrarily chosen, and consist of lines with or without a dot at one end. It was never very extensively used, and in it little effort is made to retain the form of the roman letter.
James Hatley Frere's system [1838], similar to Lucas's in that it was based on shorthand, but written in a boustrophedon manner. The characters consist of straight lines, half circles, hooked lines, and angles of forty-five degrees, together with a hollow and solid circle. He also invented the 'return' lines—that is to say, the lines in his book are read from left to right and from right to left alternately, the letters themselves being reversed in the return lines.
New York Point [1868], a system of points invented by William Bell Wait (1839–1916), that competed with braille. In 1894 Mr. Wait invented the Kleidograph, a machine for embossing the New York Point system on paper, a typewriter for the blind now in general use.
Mr. Wait was very passionate in his belief that New York Point was a better code for writing that the Braille used in his time. In 1916, he sums up his feelings as it relates to the United States adopting Braille:
New aspects of the uniform type folly: an analysis of the scheme to destroy New York point, American Braille, Roman line and Moon Type, together with their vast accumulated resources of every kind; secure the adoption of British Braille; and create a type trust under the control of an International committee composed of only English-speaking members, with headquarters in a foreign country
American Modified Braille [1878]: Joel W Smith, a piano-tuning teacher at Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts, modified Braille with most frequently recurring letters represented by the smallest number of dots. It could, therefore, be written and read quicker. Its competitor in the US was New York Point.
Fishburne [1972] is developed by S. B. Fishburne. Mr. Fishburne became acquainted with some blind adults and found that many of them were not able to read Braille. He developed a tactile alphabet, which is larger than Braille, to be used primarily for labeling items used by people in daily activities. Fishburne is typically used for labeling objects, containers and appliance controls, not for literary purposes.
Jumbo braille [1980], also called expanded-cell braille or large cell braille, is an alternative way to write the special "language" of the blind and visually impaired. In jumbo braille, the dot combinations are identical to those used in traditional braille, but the horizontal spacing between the dots and cells is increased just a little bit. The dots themselves are the same size as those used in standard-sized braille.
Unified English Braille [2004] First edition of Braille [1829] was used in France [1824-37] and was replaced by French Braille [1837]. Braille was introduced to Britain in 1861. From 1876 to 1902 several modifications were done and English Braille [1902] emerged with Grade-2 system. In the US at the time, three scripts were used: New York Point; American Braille, a variation of English Braille.
In 1991, an American proposal was made for Unified English Braille, intended to eliminate the confusion caused by competing standards for academic uses of English Braille. After several design revisions, in 2004, it was adopted by The International Council on English Braille (ICEB) - the standardization body of braille for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States as Unified English Braille (chart below).
Source
Alphabets of Disabled People, (Blind, Deaf and Deafblind), 2021
Old and New Writings for the Blind (1784-2017)
Tactile Alphabet, Wikipedia, 2021
History of Writing Codes for the Blind, The New York Institute For Special Education
A Brief History of Tactile Writing Systems for Readers With Visual Impairment, Class of 2021: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 2006 / 2017
Further reading
Chronological development of the writings for the blind, timetable (1670-2017), 2021
Before Braille: A Brief History of Visual Impairment and Education, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Braille Onward: A Brief History of Visual Impairment and Education, ThinkerBellLabs, 2020
Vibratese, Wikipedia, 2020
Touching the Book: Embossed Literature for Blind People in the Nineteenth Century, 2013
Survey on Communication through Touch, Center for Intelligent Machines, McGill University 2006
Example of Boston Line Letter at the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
Boustrophedon is a style of writing in which alternate lines of writing are reversed, with reversed letters. This is in contrast to lines always beginning on the same side, usually the left, as in modern European languages.
While there is some historical controversy on who invented New York Point, it is reasonable to give credit to William Bell Wait for its development and promotion. At the beginning of the 20th century it was the most widely used code in the United States. Today it is a relic almost forgotten.
For six decades from 1870, the choice of tactile alphabet in blind education became War of the Dots, as bitter feuds developed between proponents of homegrown New York Point and international Braille-based systems. New York Point finally met its end after a series of public hearings convinced educational authorities that there should be a single standard for the entire English-speaking world.
Experts from both sides weighed in on the systems’ merits. The proponents of New York Point argued that allowing letters to vary in size (from a 2x1 grid to a 2x4 grid, rather than a fixed 3x2 grid) allowed the most frequent letters to use fewer columns, resulting in space (and cost!) savings when publishing texts for the blind. For example, consider the number of dots needed to write the following names in each system:
Genealogy of Tactile Alphabet for the Blind
Braille Neue: Typeface for Signage at Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020
The alphabet reinvented for both the visually impaired and sighted
Braille Neue is a universal typeface that combines braille with existing characters, notes Kosuke Takahashi, the Japanese designer who specializes in design, planning, and prototyping of his latest project, a typeface which communicates to both the sighted and blind people in the same space.
This typeface Braille Neue consists of two typesets - Braille Neue Standard which is for English alphabet and Braille Neue Outline which is for Japanese and English. Our aim is to use this universal typeset for Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics 2020 to create a truly universal space where anyone can access information, adds Takahashi.
In Japan, Braille Neue has been implemented at public offices such as the Shibuya City Office and company buildings of Panasonic and Dentsu. It’s been featured in more than a hundred media outlets and efforts are in action to implement Braille Neue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. On top of that, Braille Neue is working towards applying the type to general software and making it accessible to print.
Braille Neue builds upon some of the contemporary design attempts:
VisualBraille (2009) by Christopher Heller
Braille Fonts (2014) by Larysa Kurak
Blind words(2015) by Nuria López
VisualBraille.ttf is a font designed by Christopher Heller, Michael Ruß and Theo Seemann in 2009 at Merz Akademie Stuttgart, that combines tactile and visual experience. It is based on a standard braille font and can be read also visually.
Unified English Braille Chart
Unified English Braille Code (UEBC, formerly UBC, now usually simply UEB) is an English language Braille code standard, developed to permit representing the wide variety of literary and technical material in use in the English-speaking world today, in uniform fashion.
Source
Further reading
