Teema 13 - Teistmoodi IT

Disabilities in the world of technology.

Technology is built around people whom are able to fuction like a normal human, however there are people with certain disabilities such as being blind which means they can’t use a computer. To assist this group of disabled people, several years ago a Braille display was invented.

"Braille', as almost everybody knows, is the typeface for Braille readers. Braille readers can read texts by scanning combinations of dots with their fingers. Braille letters can be printed in (thick) paper, but can also be formed by an electronically controlled, mechanical device, a so-called Braille reader.
It is certainly not the case that every blind person is able to read Braille "smoothly". An experienced Braille reader achieves reading speeds comparable to, or sometimes even higher than, a sighted person.
On the other hand, many blind people only use Braille for short texts. Inscriptions on the various jars in the kitchen, for example. 

Being unable to read black writing at a later age and then learning Braille is very difficult for many people. In this computer age, this group prefers to work with speech synthesis in order to be able to read out texts. They only use a braille display as "support". 

A great advantage of Braille for people who master Braille reading is, of course, that texts are reproduced exactly, whilst speech can often be interpreted differently. Incorrectly "recording" a number or a difficult word with synthetic speech is often tricky. Many blind and very visually impaired people therefore like to work at the computer with a "double adjustment": speech and Braille. 

In the original Braille script, as conceived by Louis Braille, letters and punctuation consist of groups from 1 to 6 dots. A group of 6 is called a Braille cell. Each cell is therefore in principle one letter or punctuation mark. The size of such a cell is such that a letter can be read by an experienced reader in one touch, under one fingertip. 

The ranking of the 6 points is like the "6" of a dice or domino cube. In order to be able to indicate which points are meant, a way of counting has been agreed upon that is internationally recognised. With 6 points, 63 combinations are possible. Technically speaking it’s 64, 2 up to the power 6, but of course the space is excluded. 

In short, slowly but surely technology is becoming available for people with disabilities, so they can also make use of modern technology work a normal job.