Practice Reports: Using the Braille Lite to Study Foreign Languages
By Kapperman, Gaylen; Sticken, Jodi; Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, Vol. 97, No. 11, pp. 704-709Publication Date: November 2003
Article discusses a strategy for using the Braille Lite to study foreign languages independently, without the assistance of sighted individuals. The Braille Lite, manufactured by Freedom Scientific, is a portable notetaking device that utilizes synthetic speech and Braille. Six keys are used to input Braille characters into a document, as the device translates Braille into synthetic speech when special commands are chosen. When using the Braille Lite, the user can read the Braille shown on an electronic refreshable Braille display. Book inkprint printers and Braille embossers can be connected to the device to print the documents in print or Braille. The article provides general instructions for using the device, including: (1) connecting the Braille Lite to a printer, (2) creating the proper file, (3) inputting a foreign language, (4) adding ASCII tables, and (5) printing the foreign language file. The description is limited for German, French, and Spanish, although the same strategies could be used with other languages that use the Latin alphabet.
Assistive Products Discussed: BRAILLE LITE MILLENNIUM (SERIES M20)
BRAILLE LITE MILLENNIUM (SERIES M40)
BRAILLE LITE
BRAILLE LITE 40
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
