The SMART Brailler, the advanced keyboard learning device for the blind

SMART Brailler concept (via Perkins)

Over 11.4 million people in the United States are blind. On average, one person goes blind every 11 seconds. As the baby-boomers age and medical science allows more people to survive the unthinkable, this number is expected to grow. This will result into an overwhelming number of people who must be able to communicate in order to achieve independence. Out of all the blind, 70% are unemployed or underemployed, but 80% of the people that know Braille have jobs.

Till now, teaching Braille to anyone has always required analog learning as a first step. Companies PDT and Perkins Products consulted with teachers, parents, students, consumers and the "American Printing House for the Blind" for two years to produce a digital SMART Brailler that does not require previous experience.

The SMART Brailler is set on Perkins's "chorded keyboard." These keyboard have one key that coresponds each dot in the brail cell. This is one letter at a time, indexed by letting go of the keys or using the middle space bar. It is the first of its kind to give instantaneous feedback to the user using sound as well as a screen. Simultaneously pressing combinations of keys allows the user to type a letter in Braille. The letter is then said by the machine and displayed on the screen for those helping people learn and people that have some vision. This allows people with no previous experience to learn Braille and help someone else learn it.

Apart from the audio and visual feedback, it features Acapela text-to-speech in English and in a few other languages. One can download lessons for Braille beginners as well as electronic document saving, editing and transferring via USB. Lastly, the new device can be used as a typewriter to make hard copies of Braille documents.

Teaching and widespread use of Braille has been declining in recent decades because there are not enough experienced teachers. The SMART Brailler finally taps into the digital advantage that improved almost every other facet of life. This invaluable machine for the blind will be available in September of this year for around $2,000.

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