Thanks to technology developing constantly, we are seeing an increase in assistive technology, including more powerful and more accurate devices.

In this blog, we’re going to look at the different options available to those with visual impairments and how they work.

Braille Displays

Braille displays, sometimes called refreshable braille displays, are devices that allow you to read what’s on your computer screen in braille. They have flat surfaces with pins underneath that move around to form different combinations. By feeling the pins move the person can read in braille.

To use a braille display, you’ll need to have a braille translation software installed to translate the documents you’re reading into braille. The most commonly used braille translation software is Duxbury Braille Translator. It is available in the UK from the RNIB, Sight and Sound Technology, and Vision Aid. For more on braille itself and how it’s used day to day, see our guide to understanding braille.

There are a number of device options available:
• Braillant BI 40
• Orbit Reader
• Braille Me
• BrailleSensePolaris
• BrailleNote Touch
• iniseOne
• Blitlab

Screen Readers

Screen readers are a type of software that read text aloud so that people with visual impairments can hear it.

Nowadays, nearly all computers, tablets, and smartphones now have built-in screen readers. You can buy more advanced screen readers to get access to more features.

Screen readers use a synthetic voice to read aloud what’s on your screen. They require the use of keyboard shortcuts or gestures on the mouse pad to control what is being read aloud. Both the language and speed can be adjusted.

Popular screen readers include:
• JAWS (Job Access With Speech) for Windows.
• NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) for Windows.
• Narrator for Windows, this is built into Windows PCs.
• VoiceOver, this is built into Apple’s Mac computers, iPads, and iPhones, the Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
• TalkBack for Android Devices.
• VoiceView for the Amazon Fire tablet.
• ChromeVox, this is built into Chromebooks.
• SuperNova.

Keyboards for Accessibility

If you need help distinguishing keys on a keyboard, the following options are available to you:
• Keyboards with larger keys.
• Keyboards with high-contrast colours such as black and yellow.
• Helpikeys, with five overlays and five personalised layouts you can programme.
• Maltron Expanded Keyboard, a metal keyguard helps to prevent accidental key presses.
• Onscreen keyboards/Apple’s accessibility keyboard.

Voice Recognition (Speech to Text)

Talk aloud to your device and it will covert what you say into written text. Windows includes voice recognition software and Apple has Voice Control. Additionally for Windows, there is Dragon Individual Professional voice recognition software. Android devices and Google apps also come equipped with Google Speech recognition.

Android Accessibility Features:

• VoiceView screen reader
• Changing font sizes
• Magnification
• Using contrast and colour options
• Using voice control
• Using a braille display

Apple Accessibility Features:

• VoiceOver screen reader
• Changing font sizes
• Magnification
• Adjusting touch settings
• Using voice control
• Adjusting audio and visual settings

What Other Types of Technology Are There?

• Audiobooks
• Audio description for films and TV
• Smart TVs
• Smart Glasses (Vuzix M400, NuEyes Pro glasses, OrCam MyEye, Oxsight glasses, Iris Vision Live)
• Siri/Google Assistant/Alexa

As technology continues to improve, there is hope that companies will continue to incorporate accessibility into their technology and software. This investment will allow for everyone to have equal access to information and ways of communicating.

The post How Technology Can Benefit Those With Vision Problems appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.

The ability to understand braille means that people with sight loss have the same access to written word as sighted people and are able to enjoy reading for life.

Using a grid of six raised dots arranged in two columns of three dots each, with each combination of dots representing a letter, number, or punctuation mark, it’s a simple and efficient system with an array of benefits.

Invention of Braille

Braille is named after its inventor, Louis Braille, who at 15, created the first braille system in 1824. Louis Braille had an accident at aged 3 which left him blind in one eye, unfortunately an infection spread leaving him in total blindness. Having no aids available at the time, Braille created a system that would allow the blind and visually impaired to communicate and read. He would spend most of his remaining life perfecting this system.

How Braille Can Enhance Life for the Visually Impaired

• Opens Up a World of Communication: Braille helps develop the essential skills of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. While some people may prefer audio, reading braille can help with comprehending, engaging with, and retaining text information.
• Helps with Learning Math and Science: Braille can help with learning math and science because of its equivalents for symbols.
• Helps Promote Equality and Accessibility: Braille literacy provides blind and partially sighted people with access to the written word, and that fosters greater equality in society. The ability to read and write braille opens doors to independence.
• Provides Empowerment and Boosts Self-Esteems: Being literate in braille is crucial for self-confidence, it means that blind and vision impaired people can express themselves through the written word. Because they’re able to understand and engage fully with written texts, they can manage their day-to-day life independently.
• Navigate with More Independence: Public spaces that include braille signage, for example braille on lift keypads or on doors, can really help people who read braille to maintain their independence when out and about. Braille labels on everyday items can also help to quickly identify what something is.
• Use of Technology: Digital assistive technology has further enabled braille use to become an efficient part of daily life for people with braille literacy. Braille notetakers and braille displays are a fast and efficient means of writing and transcribing braille — our guide to how technology can benefit those with vision problems covers braille displays and other assistive devices in more detail.

Despite all these benefits, there is still a significant gap in its accessibility, particularly in countries like India where the braille literacy rate is shockingly low at just 1%. Braille literacy isn’t just about reading and writing, it’s allowing blind and visually impaired people to experience full, independent lives. Braille is a bridge to education, employment, and social inclusion.

FAQs

What Does a Braille Sticker Mean?

A braille sticker uses raised dots to spell out a word, letter, or short label in braille, so someone who reads braille by touch can identify an item, room, or button without needing to see it. They’re commonly found on lift buttons, doors, medication packaging, and everyday household items.

What Is Braille Communication?

Braille communication is any exchange of written information using the braille system, a tactile alphabet of raised dot patterns that blind and partially sighted people read with their fingertips, rather than relying on sight.

The post Understanding Braille: How It Enhances Life for the Visually Impaired appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.