Exploring the design of a tactile reader for braille and non-braille users

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Thomas, Anupama | Rufus, Elizabeth^*

Affiliations: School of Electronics, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamilnadu, India

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Elizabeth Rufus, School of Electronics, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamilnadu-632014, India. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Research focusses on providing economical and effective tactile readers which incorporate relative motion between the fingertip and the reading text. OBJECTIVE: Here, a novel design and prototype of a tactile reader is proposed for blind Braille and non-Braille users based on the sequential reading of text when using a single cell reader. METHODS: The accuracy of reading words using this design was evaluated on 17 visually challenged users who know Braille. With a slight modification in the design to benefit non-braille users, the reading of words on 10 blind-folded sighted individuals and 12 late-blind visually challenged users was investigated. Differences in recognition of English letters formed by dots and lines were explored. RESULTS: The results showed no significant difference in accuracy when reading words with this prototype compared to braille reading on paper. The percentage accuracy in reading words for the 39 users was 98.62% for blind braille readers, 90% for blindfolded sighted users and 96.8% for blind non-braille users. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the proposed design for tactile reading can potentially benefit both groups of visually challenged users-those who know braille and those who do not.

Keywords: Braille users, non-braille users, laterotactile reading

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-190245

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 153-167, 2019