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Thread: NEWS: braille writer for tablets

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From: Bevi Chagnon
Date: Thu, Nov 03 2011 6:00PM
Subject: NEWS: braille writer for tablets
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Stanford University released news about a new technology developed by a
summer course student that I think might revolutionize computer technology,
and not just for blind users but for everyone.

Full article:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/10/student-spends-summer-turning-a-tablet-in
to-a-braille-writer-sa/



This braille writer app runs on tablets (iPads, Droids) and brings the
braille keys to the user's fingers rather than forcing a user's fingers to
find the keys. Watch the video in the news piece above.



--Bevi Chagnon



--

Bevi Chagnon | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =

PubCom - Trainers, consultants, designers, and developers

Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and Federal Section 508

--

* It's our 30th Year! *

From: Paul J. Adam
Date: Thu, Nov 03 2011 6:42PM
Subject: Re: NEWS: braille writer for tablets
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This is a pretty cool idea but it's not available as an app for the iPad. I saw the developer at the FCC's accessibility awards. It was running on the android tablet shown in that video. When I asked him if he's making an iPad app he said this was something that should be included in the operating system of both platforms by default. I doubt Apple will be interested in collaborating on that. Would be great if he can convince Google to put it into android by default though!

I think a few news stories have mistakenly said it runs on iPad, but I've never seen a video with it running on anything other than android.

On Nov 3, 2011, at 8:01 PM, Bevi Chagnon wrote:

> Stanford University released news about a new technology developed by a
> summer course student that I think might revolutionize computer technology,
> and not just for blind users but for everyone.
>
> Full article:
>
> http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/10/student-spends-summer-turning-a-tablet-in
> to-a-braille-writer-sa/
>
>
>
> This braille writer app runs on tablets (iPads, Droids) and brings the
> braille keys to the user's fingers rather than forcing a user's fingers to
> find the keys. Watch the video in the news piece above.
>
>
>
> --Bevi Chagnon
>
>
>
> --
>
> Bevi Chagnon | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
> PubCom - Trainers, consultants, designers, and developers
>
> Print, Web, Acrobat, XML, eBooks, and Federal Section 508
>
> --
>
> * It's our 30th Year! *
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

From: Sean Keegan
Date: Fri, Nov 04 2011 1:45PM
Subject: Re: NEWS: braille writer for tablets
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> I think a few news stories have mistakenly said it runs on iPad,
> but I've never seen a video with it running on anything other than
android.

Correct - the touchscreen Braille writer is Android only at this time.
That being said, once the concept was figured out it just required some
programming time. Porting to other platforms should be (relatively) easy
whether as an app or as part of the OS directly.

Take care,
Sean
--
Sean Keegan
Associate Director, Assistive Technology
Office of Accessible Education - Stanford University
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae