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New Technology Take Braille Into The New Century

Braille letter/symbol.

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Not since the birth of the Braille language has there been such an exciting time for those who have lost their ability to see. Today, technology is helping the blind take part in more activities than ever before. New technology is available to do everything from read a computer screen to help with the task of creating text messages. Anyone who diagnosed as blind should invest in these programs.

  • JAWS: the most robust text reader for a computer. The program reads written words on a computer screen and makes it possible for the user to navigate the Internet.
  • Kurzweil: This simply program allows a user to scan any written document into a computer. IT then translate the document into audible form.
  • GOODFEEL: Blind students and musicians can use this nifty use to translate music into a format that the blind can study and play.
  • Virgo 4: A text converter that is light years ahead of industry standards. It can also be used to create text to braille documents.

To make things even easier, there are new Braille keyboards. These keyboards make it exceptionally easy for students to use computers. By combining a Braille keyboard with a program like JAWS, the blind can use a computer as effectively as a seeing person.

While there is no doubt that being blind is a disability, today it does not mean living life in a world of darkness. Thanks to recent technological advances, the blind can now experience the world in a whole new way.

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Top 3 Organizations That Provide Assistance for the Blind

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There are many organizations that assist people with disabilities. Blindness can be especially hard to cope with, but there are some top-notch groups that work hard to assist those with sight disabilities.
While many groups are based in the United States, there are organizations for the blind in other countries, such as the National Federation of the Blind United Kingdom. For blind advocacy groups in Canada, search with Canada 411. Here is additional information about three of the top groups for the blind:

 

The National Federation of the Blind

Founded in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind has gone from 16 members to more than 50,000. The NFB has worked to ensure that, unlike in other blind assistance groups, blind members hold the power and the priorities of sighted members never overtake those of the blind. The NFB also works to encourage laws and politicals moves that will benefit blind people.

 

American Foundation for the Blind

This organization seeks to open doors for the blind, specifically with technologies that provide assistance to sight-disabled people. The AFB is based in New York, but maintains centers around the United States, most notably the Public Policy Center that lobbies Congress for laws that to benefit the blind.

 

American Council of the Blind

What started as a magazine for the blind, the “Braille Free Press,” became the American Council of the Blind in 1961. THe ACB focuses mainly on media for the blind, a salute to their Braille Free Press roots. This group draws much attention to Braille publications, radio, and now, with the advent of Braille computers, Internet-based content.

Filed Under: Advancements, Blindness, Support Tagged With: , ,

Finding Free Braille Books for Your Child

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You may have a child that is blind; or perhaps you are part of a library or community group that is seeking Braille books for children. There are many sources available that can help you obtain these types of book for free.

Register at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. This service is part of the national Library of Congress and provides services for reading disabled, low vision or blind citizens. While you will have to submit documentation of the disability, you will then have access to all materials available through the National Library Service. You will have the ability to search catalogs and request specific books.

The Kenneth Jernigan Library also allows you to borrow books. These books are selected by librarians and set to your child through the mail.

Free Braille books are also available from the American Action Fund. Approximately once a month, your child will get a book or chapter from a book.

The Braille Institute is also a great resource for books. The organization provides free books to children from its Special Collections program.

Another source of free Braille books is the Angel Program at Seedlings Braille Books for Children. Your child and you can select two books per year from their extensive catalog.

In addition, check your local libraries for additional sources of Braille literature for your child. A simple internet search can also help you find outlets that can provide books and other reading material.

Filed Under: Braille, Support Tagged With: , ,

Different Assistive Technologies for the Visually Impaired People

Assistive technologies are the useful tool for the impaired people and they can use it to improve their functionality. This technology is very useful for students especially in their classroom as if offers freedom for them. These assistive tools often have electronic devices, physical equipment, and computer software. There are different types of devices available to help the visually impaired people such as Braille technology, magnifiers, optical character recognition, and speech systems.

Imprimante-braille

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Braille technology is implemented in different equipment so that visually impaired people can use it in their routine work. This Braille technology can show more than 80 characters on the screen and it refreshes automatically. There are also Braille printers that transfer the information from system to paper. Another useful Braille device is the Braille note taker that comes with keyboard. The information from the note taker can be retrieved using speech synthesizer or transferred to laptop.

Magnifying technology includes all programs that are specially designed for computers and also video magnifiers. This magnifier can be used along with computer screen, television, and even with the video monitor. The programs for magnifier are loaded in the computer using specific software. Optical character recognition is one of the popular technologies used by the blind people. This technology scans words and characters from the document and saves in the PC or OCR’s memory. The stored information can be accessed using magnifiers or Braille technology.

Speech system is another technology that converts the words from the document into spoken language. This technology comes along with screen reader.

 

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: , ,

All About Braille

Most people have heard of Braille, but unless you have a blind family member of friend you probably do not know that many details about Braille.

What is Braille?

It is important to remember that Braille is not its own language.  Braille is an alternative way to read languages that already exist.  The dots people associate in Braille are arranged in different combinations to represent different letters. There are different combinations of dots of each language.  A person reading in English in Braille and a person reading in French in Braille would not be using the same letter codes.

Where did Braille Come From?

Braille was invented by a teenage boy named Louis Braille who lived in the early 1800s.  Louis was born with full sight, but injured one of his eyes during a childhood accident.  Feeling left out in school, Louis used his creative and scientific talents to come up with a way that he could read and write.  While studying, Louis learned about a dot system initially used by the French army.  Louis put his own spin on the idea and soon after Braille was born.  Louis even published the first Braille.  Although Braille benefited him, it was not originally accepted by teachers and doctors of his day.  But like many great inventors, after his death, Braille eventually caught on and helps millions of blind people everywhere to this day.

Modern Braille

Braille has come a long way since days of Louis Braille and so has technology.  Braille can be found everywhere these days.  Braille is often found on ATM machines, so that visually impaired individuals can access their bank accounts with out assistance.  Braille can also be put on cell phones and computers so that blind people can be independent workers.  Braille is popular in elevators to help blind people who live in apartment complexes or stay in hotels while on vacation.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: , ,

All The Basic Information About Braille

Braille is a system that is used all over the world by people who are blind. This is a system that helps the person to read various kinds of materials. Braille can be said to be a system of language that is used by the blind people.

Braille is the use of dotted alphabets that are used by the blind person to read. There are various kinds or systems of Braille that have been used and created. The 6 dot system is one form of Braille where there are 6 dots that are used by the individual to be able to read various kinds of books. Other than the 6 dot system, there is also the 8 dot system of Braille. This system has about 8 dots that are again used in the way alphabets are written.

Braille is used all over the world by people to read, if they are blind. This makes it like a uniform blind reading system. There are various books that have been made into the Braille form that can be used by the people who want to read these books. These books may be quite expensive when compared to the normal books because of the high cost of production, but they are very useful.

The books that are in the Braille form and can be used by the people who are visually challenged is actually the raised dots. There are various dots that have been made for the person to be able to read. The blind person runs their hand over the book in the Braille form. When the person runs the hand over the book, it is easy to decipher using the mind and the hand co ordination. The raised dots are deciphered by the mind into alphabets and words. This helps the blind person to read using Braille.

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Braille

There are various advantages of using Braille by people to read. Braille is a form of language that is used by the blind people to read. As we know blind people will not be able to see the shape of size of the alphabets. To make even blind people to read, this system of Braille was started.

This is a method in which the book in Braille form has various dots that are raised. As the dots are present on the paper and also because the dots are raised, the person who is reading the book needs to run the hands over the book or paper and the raised dots will help the person to read the words in the book.

Any person thinking of Braille will think of the many advantages that it has. Though the system of Braille has a lot of advantages, there are also some disadvantages of Braille. We will look at some of the other advantages before going into the disadvantages.

Learning is possible for the person who is able to read Braille. Even a blind person can educate himself thorough Braille and this is the major advantage of using this system to read. The disadvantage of Braille is that the person who is using this kind of books to read will have to spend a lot of money to read. This is a very difficult proposition for many of the people who are not economically well off.

The high cost of the books that are in Braille is just one of the disadvantages. The other disadvantage is that the Braille is present in English and there are no other fully compatible systems in any other language. There are a lot of people trying to use other methods similar to Braille for various languages, but it has not been as successful. This is a disadvantage because people who do not know English and have become blind will find it difficult.

Filed Under: Braille Tagged With: , , , ,

Is learning braille beneficial to people who are not legally blind?

The benefits for Learning braille as a sighted person are extraordinary.Not only does learning Braille de-mystify the reading language of the blind, it also extends possible social bridges that many sighted people may feel they cannot cross to communicate with those who are blind.

There are many ways to learn to read braille for sighted people, from computer programs, pop up boards to educational toys. Parents of blind children can find these beneficial, as well as family members who have someone dear to them who is legally blind. Say you have a blind friend, and wish to write them a letter that they can actually read by themselves?

The gaps and social awkwardness that exist between those who are blind, and those who are sighted can easily be bridged with books such as “The Handbook To Learning To Read Braille By Sight” By Leland Schubert helps those who are sighted learn by exposing them to print braille and embossed braille. At the end of each educational section, it provides a quiz to help go over what was learned in each.

“New Programmed Instruction in Braille, Second Edition” By S. Ashcroft, F. Henderson, L. Sanford, and A. Koenig Is a manual used mostly in college courses used to teach the sighted all the contractions and rules for reading and writing literary braille, and contains 11 chapters complete with practice writing exercises.

Even teachers who have blind students can communicate effectively with their students by learning braille. A computer program used to teach the sighted braille is also an effective way to learn. “The Braille Teacher” by Aubrey Welle is available for DOS-compatible computers. This program is 10 lessons on the literary braille code. And is a quick way to learn, while not having to pick up a book and read.

A teacher specific computer program is “The Computerized Braille Tutor”. The program,converts the keyboard into a Brailler and shows facsimile braille dots on the screen.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: , ,

Read the Best Books on the Planet–in Braille

Braille. It’s one of those necessary skills you’ve learned through the years. You enjoy reading the classics, authors like Lewis Carroll and Charlotte Bronte, but you also hanker for those newly released books, the ones that keep your heart racing and your mind soaring. Reading is a serious and fun adventure, one that you don’t want to miss, especially if you have recently lost your sight, or a good portion of it, and want to know the facts and formulas for reading Braille and experiencing reading all over again. Good news. Try these tips for locating the best Braille books on the planet.

1. Google books in Braille on your home computer and discover a great list of places to search; from the well-known online establishments to those companies specializing in Braille only.
2. Seek out your nearest local Braille library. Receive a catalog of Braille listings by emailing, mailing or telephoning your request.
3. Have a child who is blind? Find the latest resources by typing in books on Braille for children. Discover low cost resources, even free options in book reading to keep your child happy and interested for hours.
4. Just recently lost your sight? Want to learn how to read again? Learning Braille as an adult can be as difficult as learning a new language, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. If it’s the independence you lack and want, and the freedom to read what you want when you want, then learning Braille is for you. Even if you have low vision, learning Braille will assist you in the fulfilling life you desire.

Get started! Fortunately, these aren’t the only resources available to you on your search for books on Braille. Often, talking with others who are blind or have low sight will lend a cornucopia of ideas to keep you reading for hours to come.

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: , , , , ,

Read for the Blind or Low seeing

When was the last time you picked up a book and began to read? Did you struggle with a word here or there; need extra light so that you could see the words, or did you find that the book wasn’t to your liking after all? These are minor concerns in the field of reading; ones that can be figured out without too much trouble and concern. But for the blind or low seeing, reading can be a problem, especially if the person has not yet learned how to read Braille. And this is where you can give some well-needed help and joy.

1. Make a visit to your local library. Volunteer to read to adults or children on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
2. Check with local organizations for the blind in your area, including schools and foundations. Make sure the organization doesn’t already have someone on staff who organizes this important task, and if not, offer your services for free and let the organization know what days and times are available to you.
3. Find out the needs within your local church. There may be someone who needs your help not only with reading but with writing a personal history of their life or addressing envelopes or other daily tasks.
4. Provide the services free of charge by placing an ad online or in the newspaper. Visit the client’s home to read.

In the end, a blind or low seeing individual wants to glean all you desire when you sit down with a book for the first time. So, speak clearly and with enthusiasm. Read what the client wants you to read, and skip those things he or she tells you do not interest him or her. If there are pictures, maps, or drawings, explain them so that the individual can see along with you. And above all, have a good time!

Filed Under: Blindness, Braille Tagged With: ,
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