Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Have we come at all far enough in braille technology to have mechanical yet portable braillers? (self.Blind)
submitted by Unlikely-Database-27
Would be nice to write braille on paper rather than use something like a note taker, but also not need to use something as clunky and loud as a Perkins brailler. Sleight and stylist exists but thats a pain lol. Is there anything that still has the 6 keys like a braille typewriter, but is any smaller and perhaps quieter? I'd like to write by hand and put the electronics away sometimes but its always so loud lmao.
If nothing like this exists, it would be a great idea, if any engineers lerk here... lol.
If nothing like this exists, it would be a great idea, if any engineers lerk here... lol.
Shadowwynd 4 points 1y ago
Some students from John Hopkins developed a handheld brailler that can write one cell at a time in 2006:
https://www.engadget.com/2006-08-01-electronics-free-10-braille-writer.html
However, they said the student-made one didn't work well and I haven't seen anybody make one commercially yet.
https://www.engadget.com/2006-08-01-electronics-free-10-braille-writer.html
However, they said the student-made one didn't work well and I haven't seen anybody make one commercially yet.
Unlikely-Database-27 [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Oh interesting. Kind of like a pencil lol. Hope it gets better. I'd love to buy that.
Criptedinyourcloset 4 points 1y ago
I wish. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head but boy would that be useful.
seperath 3 points 1y ago
Amazon, the world's largest company (i think) doesn't support digital Braille. I keep waiting for Blitab to be released but its been almost 5 years.
CloudyBeep 1 points 1y ago
What do you mean by your first sentence? You can use a braille display with Kindles and the Kindle app on other devices.
I'm pretty sure Blitab has been in development for the better part of ten years now.
I'm pretty sure Blitab has been in development for the better part of ten years now.
astrolurus 3 points 1y ago
The jot a dot looks cool but I have no idea where you could purchase
https://int.harpo.com.pl/products/jot-a-dot/
https://int.harpo.com.pl/products/jot-a-dot/
Unlikely-Database-27 [OP] 4 points 1y ago
Sounds like you can get it from the developer, but god is it ever expensive lol. Heres more info on it I found if anyone else is interested:
https://newmexico.networkofcare.org/aging/assistive/detail.aspx?id=26377&cid=67&cn=communication&org=
https://newmexico.networkofcare.org/aging/assistive/detail.aspx?id=26377&cid=67&cn=communication&org=
Superfreq2 2 points 1y ago
The so called "read and write" or "upward writing" slate is the closest I've found not only to a portable (and much cheaper, around $40 USD) braillewriter but also makes writing on a slate actually tolerable for the average person under 50 who didn't spend years in a blind school learning to use one with high efficiency. This could be great for improving the current staggeringly low braille literacy scores if more widely adopted, given that the slate is generally the first writing tool taught to new braille readers, and despite it's low cost and extreme portability, often only serves to unnecessarily complicate an already difficult process, especially for those who are learning it later in life.
Sadly, the only available example at this time is quite flimsy and only offered in A4 (8.3X11.7) AKA letterhead size, which is just ever so slightly too small for the 8.5X11 paper commonly stockpiled in U.S blindness institutions. If someone were to get rights to the patent and actually make these things properly and with just one more braille cell to fit the larger paper, while trying hard to keep the price under $100 USD, it could be a huge win for anyone trying to teach/write with braille more accessibly around the world.
Obviously, it would take time to convince the right people that it's worth it, and you'd have pushback from the "traditional is always best" crowd at first, but if you were to convince some of the bigger players like the NFB or ACB than it would give that process a big head start.
Despite the product's shortcomings though, some people might still be willing to put up with them for the benefits, so I've put a couple of links below this so that you can grab your own if you'd like. Just remember to get the right braille paper size if you don't already have it.
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Read--and--Write-Slate.1
https://www.amazon.com/Braille-Store-Write-Upward-Writing/dp/B00FETZC6Y
Sadly, the only available example at this time is quite flimsy and only offered in A4 (8.3X11.7) AKA letterhead size, which is just ever so slightly too small for the 8.5X11 paper commonly stockpiled in U.S blindness institutions. If someone were to get rights to the patent and actually make these things properly and with just one more braille cell to fit the larger paper, while trying hard to keep the price under $100 USD, it could be a huge win for anyone trying to teach/write with braille more accessibly around the world.
Obviously, it would take time to convince the right people that it's worth it, and you'd have pushback from the "traditional is always best" crowd at first, but if you were to convince some of the bigger players like the NFB or ACB than it would give that process a big head start.
Despite the product's shortcomings though, some people might still be willing to put up with them for the benefits, so I've put a couple of links below this so that you can grab your own if you'd like. Just remember to get the right braille paper size if you don't already have it.
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Read--and--Write-Slate.1
https://www.amazon.com/Braille-Store-Write-Upward-Writing/dp/B00FETZC6Y
CloudyBeep 2 points 1y ago
https://www.maxiaids.com/tatrapoint-brailler
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