A HumanWare
Brailliant and an iOS Device
A Productive
Combination.
All of Apple's iOS devices, (iPod touch, iPhone and iPad,)
have built in braille access when using the VoiceOver screen reader. Utilizing this braille access allows a user
to receive braille output on a supported braille display, and if the display
has input keys, one can actually control the iOS device without ever touching
the device's touch screen. For
simplicity, the term iPhone will be used throughout this document to represent
the line of Apple's iOS devices.
HumanWare's Brailliant line of Braille displays brings a sleek,
ergonomic, and portable design to its user's fingertips. Developed with display lengths of 32 or 40
cells, and built in Bluetooth connectivity, these displays are the perfect size
for mobile productivity with iPhones, while providing enough Braille for tasks
requiring a significant amount of reading.
Once the two tools are paired, the Brailliant can be used to
produce braille output, along with providing control over the iPhone without
using the touch screen. Users have the
capability to:
- Navigate applications, home
screens, and other elements
- Select items
- Enter
text into any editable applications such as text messages, emails, note
files, etc, using the Brailliant's ergonomic braille input keys. Text can be entered in contracted or
uncontracted braille.
- Read in braille from all
accessible applications, including reading books from the iBooks
application.
- In
short, anything that could be accomplished with VoiceOver via the touch
screen can be accomplished using the Brailliant's input keyboard
The Brailliant BI can be paired with all iPhones running iOS
5.1 as a Bluetooth Braille display. To connect the two devices the pairing has
to be initialized from the iPhone, just as you would to pair with any other
keyboard or Bluetooth device.
To make the connection do the following:
From the
Brailliant menu, make sure to select Auto or Bluetooth as the communication
channel.
- The Brailliant will now show as paired in
the list of braille devices and the IPhone can now be controlled by the
Brailliant's input keyboard. The
Brailliant's braille display will represent in braille everything that is
spoken by the VoiceOver screen reader.
Note that if the IPhone is locked, pressing the Home button on the
IPhone will unlock the phone and the Brailliant will automatically
reconnect to it as a braille device.
Braille keyboard:
Use the 8-dot Perkins Braille keyboard to enter text. The 8 keys
of the Braille Keyboard are located above the Braille display. Some commands are also done using Braille letters in combination with
the Space bar. For example Space with the letter M to open the Menu bar.
Command Keys:
The six command keys
are located on each side of the Braille cells, Dots 1-2-3 to the left and Dots
4-5-6 to the right. To do Command T, you have to press on Command keys 2-3-4-5
for the Braille letter T.
Thumb Keys:
The keys facing you are
normally operated by your thumbs so we call them "Thumb Keys" to
differentiate them from the main keyboard keys. Use the Thumb Keys for Braille
navigation.
The
below list describes all commands for the Brailliant to effectively control an
iPhone.
Basic navigation commands
Move to
previous item
Command
key 1 or Space with Dot 1
Move to next
item
Command
key 4 or Space with Dot 4
Pan Braille to the left
Command
key 2 or Space with Dot 2
Pan Braille
to the right
Command
key 5 or Space with Dot 5
Double-tap
the selected item Routing cursor
Activate the
Home button
Command
H
Launch the task switcher
Command
H twice quickly
Move to the first element
Command
keys 1-2-3 or Space with Dots 1-2-3
Move to the last element
Command
keys 4-5-6 or Space with Dots 4-5-6
Scroll left one page
Command
keys 2-4-6 or Space with Dots 2-4-6
Scroll right one page
Command O or Space with O
Activate the Return key
Space
with Dot 8 or Command E
Activate a Back button if present Command B or Space with B
Read page starting at selected item Command R or Space with R
Read page starting at the top Command W or Space with W
Scroll down one page
Command
keys 1-4-5-6 or Space with Dots 1-4-5-6
Scroll up one page
Command
keys 3-4-5-6 or Space with Dots 3-4-5-6
Pause or
Continue speech
Command
P or Space with P
Go to the Status
bar
Command
S or Space with S
Start
VoiceOver help
Command K or Space with K
Quit
VoiceOver help
Command B or Space with B
Speak page number or
rows being displayed
Command
keys 3-4 or Space with Dots 3-4
Move to previous item using
rotor setting
Command
key 3 or Space with Dot 3
Move to next item using rotor setting Command key 6 or Space with Dot 6
Select previous rotor
setting Command keys
2-3 or Space with Dots 2-3
Select next rotor setting
Command keys 5-6-
or Space with Dots 5-6
Edit commands
Select text
Command
keys 2-5-6 or Space with Dots 2-5-6
Unselect text
Command
keys 2-3-5 or Space with Dots 2-3-5
Select all
Command
keys 2-3-5-6 or Space with Dots 2-3-5-6
Cut
Command
X or Space with X
Copy
Command
C or Space with C
Paste
Command
V or Space with V
Activate the
Delete key
Command
D or Space with D
Redo
Command
keys 2-3-4-6 or Space with Dots 2-3-4-6
Undo
Command
Z or Space with Z
Select
all
Command keys 2-3-5-6 or Space with Dots 2-3-5-6
Activate the Volume Up button Command keys 3-4-5 or Space with Dots 3-4-5
Activate the Volume Down button Command keys 1-2-6 or Space with Dots 1-2-6
Switch between 8 and 6 dot Braille Command keys 2-3-6 or Space with Dots 2-3-6
Toggle
speech on and off
Command
M or Space with M
Toggle Screen Curtain on and off Command keys 1-2-3-4-5-6 or
Space
with Dots 1-2-3-4-5-6
Switch between contracted and
uncontracted Braille
Command
G or Space with G
Toggle
expanded status description
when Status
cells are activated Status
Routing cursors
Activate the
Tab key
Command
T or Space with T
Activate the Shift with Tab keys Command keys 1-2-5-6 or Space with Dots 1-2-5-6
Toggle
announcement history Command
N or Space with N
Activates the Eject key
Command
keys 1-4-6 or Space with Dots 1-4-6
