Technology VS Braille
I was looking for a tablet that had been created specifically for the blind and found Blitab. It is similar to an Android tablet and it resembles an e-book. The device can display an entire page of braille at once with its new braille surface. The tablet uses a liquid technology that displays the braille text as well as tactile pictures. Tiny bubbles rise from numerous holes in a grid that encompasses the top half of the device. A total of sixty-five words at a time can be displayed. The device also uses touch navigation and text to speech.
All of this sounds interesting but there is a problem, most blind people can’t read Braille. Less than 10 percent of legally blind persons in the United States can read braille. This is according to a 2009 study done by the National Federation of The Blind. Braille has been recently updated to follow changes to the English language and to reflect modern use of the language. Braille has now changed to “Unified English Braille” or “Grade 3 Braille.”
With screen readers built into almost every device, the use of braille continues to diminish. If you are unfamiliar with how a screen reader works, go into your settings on the device you are using and click on accessibility and turn it on. Apple products and iPhones continue to take the lead when it comes to accessibility and functionality for a blind user. Siri is also a big help for blind users as well as other digital assistants like Google or Amazon Echo. The technology we carry around every day helps increase the opportunity for blind people to live an independent life and become gainfully employed. Most of the apps on a cell phone cannot be used by the blind or visually impaired. It is important to create apps that are useful to all including the blind. Some would say they don’t remember what it is like not to have a smart phone at their fingertips. Together we are making sure everyone regardless of vision loss can use the technology available today!
