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Braille Technology
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Modern technology has made many useful tools for
people who read and write braille. There are some devices that produce
books in braille and others that let people read information on computers
and from the Internet. Some devices are simple and inexpensive and others
are very complicated. The devices below are used by many people who read
braille to complete their schoolwork, take care of personal business, and do
their jobs at work.
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Slate and Stylus
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The slate and stylus are inexpensive, portable
tools used to write braille - just the way paper and pencil are used for
writing print. Slates are made of two flat pieces of metal or plastic held
together by a hinge at one end. The slate opens up to hold paper. The top
part has rows of openings that are the same shape and size as a braille
cell. The back part has rows of indentations in the size and shape of braille
cells. The stylus is a pointed piece of metal with a plastic or wooden handle.
The stylus is used to punch or emboss the braille dots onto the paper held in
the slate. The indentations in the slate prevent the stylus from punching a
hole in the paper when the dots are embossed. Slates and styluses come in many
shapes and sizes.
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Braille Displays
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A braille display is a device that has a row of
special "soft" cells made of plastic or metal pins. The pins are controlled
by a computer and move up or down to display, in braille, the characters that
appear on the computer screen. This type of braille is said to be
"refreshable," because it changes as the user moves around on the screen.
The braille display usually sits under the computer keyboard.
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Electronic Braille Notetakers
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Electronic braille notetakers are portable devices with
braille keyboards that braille readers can use to enter information. The text
stored in these devices can be read with a built-in braille display or the
device can read aloud with a synthesized voice. These devices are handy for
taking notes in class, and often have built-in address books, calculators,
and calendars, too!
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Braille Printers (Embossers)
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Braille printers are devices connected to a
computer that do the actual embossing of braille onto thick (heavyweight)
paper. They work like a regular computer printer does, in that the user
can print out letters, reports, and other files from the computer.
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Braillewriters
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This student is using a Perkins braillewriter
to complete his homework. The mechanical braillewriter works a little
bit like a typewriter. It has six keys—one for each dot
in a braille cell—a space bar, a backspace key, a carriage
return, and a line feed key. The braillewriter uses
heavyweight paper (just like the braille printer) but it doesn't need
any electricity to work.
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