Today we’re taking another look at the age-old case of “line versus page.” Over the past few weeks, María García has really dived into this topic and put together a powerful talk for us. And it’s not just about reading itself, but also about many other exciting things that modern braille displays can open up for us today.
Thank you, María, for your detailed and engaging presentation of the many possibilities of modern braille display technology!
Reading and using Braille and Braille displays: A Personal Perspective
Hello and good morning! Here is Maria,from Madrid.
I’d like to talk about the use of Braille displays, something that is
very important to me. Ever since I started reading with a Braille
display, I no longer read printed Braille books. Reading this way, as other ones here already said, is truly wonderful.
But Braille displays are not only useful for reading. They offer many
other functions as well. Over 20 years ago, like most blind people at
the time, I read printed Braille books. For example, during summer
holidays, my parents’ car would be filled with volumes of books that I
wanted to bring with me.
Then, one day, my best friend from Italy told me about a device called
the Braille Lite 20.
She explained that books could be saved onto the device via different
Storage media and from that moment on, a whole new world opened up for
me. Since then,
I’ve read exclusively with Braille displays and haven’t used printed
books anymore.
What’s amazing is that I can carry hundreds of books with me, something
completely unthinkable with printed Braille. If one book is boring or I
finish it, I can simply start another right away.
There’s also the matter of Braille systems. In countries like Spain,
Portugal, Italy, and Russia, blind people usually don’t use contracted
Braille. This becomes a problem when we want to read books in English or
German, because most adult books in those languages are written in
contracted Braille. A Braille display allows us to read eBooks in
uncontracted Braille, giving us access to materials that would otherwise
be impossible for us to enjoy. Especially if we didn’t learn contracted
Braille as children.
But as I said, my use of Braille displays goes far beyond just reading.
Right now, I use a Braille Sense Mini with 20 cells and since last week I have an B.Note from Eurobraille company as well. I use my BrailleSense daily to
check and reply to emails. It’s especially helpful when I’m in bed. I
can read and write emails entirely in Braille. It helps me to better
understand spelling and word forms, particularly when someone writes to
me in another language.
When it comes to writing, editing is much easier for me in Braille than
with a screen reader like VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS, or any speech
synthesizer. I definitely prefer to write and correct texts using a
Braille display.
Another major benefit is that my Braille display has Android system and
so, I
can read and write WhatsApp messages directly on it. Of course, it’s
also possible to use Braille input on an iPhone or Android device, and I
do that as well. But correcting messages can be tricky with speech.
Sometimes it’s hard to hear what you’re writing or to make corrections
easily. Using a Braille display for written messages is just simpler and
more accurate, especially if it has built-in mobile connectivity.
I also found Braille displays extremely useful during online language
courses. For example, I took a Portuguese course in preparation for a
Brazilian government language exam. The course was fully online, and all
materials were shared via Google Drive. Thanks to my Braille display, I
was able to access the same materials as my sighted classmates, in real
time, while listening to the teacher over Zoom on my phone or computer
without needing any voice output.
So in addition to reading, Braille displays are incredibly helpful for
things like checking email, writing messages, using cloud services like
Google Drive or OneDrive, and much more.
For people studying or working with languages, there’s another great
feature: the ability to use dictionaries directly on the Braille
display. Devices like Braille Sense allow you to download apps
from the Play Store including dictionary apps or use specially
developed software for Braille devices like Humanware. You can also
connect your Braille display to a computer or smartphone to look up
words online. Personally, I prefer downloadable or offline dictionary
apps, but both options work.
In my opinion, Braille displays are fantastic tools. Like another
contributor already said, I
don’t see any downside to reading with them. I sometimes use
auto-scrolling, depending on the language I’m reading.
I read with both hands, three fingers on each hand. I can’t read with
just one hand; I tend to lose my place. I read very quickly, and I
honestly don’t notice much difference between reading printed Braille
and using a Braille display. If anything, I find Braille displays more
comfortable.
Finally, I would like to mention that, in recent days, I have had the opportunity to try out the Braille B.Note, manufactured by the French company Eurobraille, and I have been very pleasantly surprised by some of its features that reinforce the great importance and value of these devices, not only for reading, but also for many other activities in our personal and professional lives. The fact that it is a European brand is also interesting and worth mentioning. I would like to highlight the specific Chat Gpt application, which allows you to copy the responses from the application into a normal text file, a very important feature if you ask it to write a specific text, summarize something you need, or translate a complete text into another language.
It also has a very interesting translation function, and in this regard, I hope that dictionaries can be added in the future.
Finally, it contains specific but very advanced applications for reading, writing, and listening to music files, as well as for the world of mathematics, both of which are very important for those who work or study in these areas.
In short, I believe that Braille displays are now essential devices for blind people, and that their use is spreading to many different areas of our daily personal and professional lives. That is why I believe it is essential to be aware of and disseminate information about the different models and brands available on the market, so that we can choose the one that best suits each person’s interests at any given time, and to have direct contact as users with the different companies that manufacture them, in order to inform them of the needs we consider most important and which, consequently, should guide the innovation of these devices.
So that.s my personal experience. Thank you to the Braille 200 project!
Greetings from Spain!
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