WEBVTT 00:04.480 --> 00:14.360 Hi everyone and welcome back to at your fingertips Braille then and now. It's really great to be with you. If you're just relaxing, you might get a cup of tea or coffee and. 00:14.400 --> 00:33.240 Sit down with me and just think about some things for how to improve your Braille reading, Braille study, enjoyment of Braille and Braille usage with things that are low tech and maybe just a tiny bit higher tech, but not too much. So welcome to this edition here in. 00:33.280 --> 00:36.360 May, where things are starting to warm up and bloom. 00:36.520 --> 00:39.160 Maybe you're struggling with allergies, maybe you. 00:39.200 --> 00:40.488 Don'T want to take a book outside. 00:40.544 --> 00:56.168 And read it, but that's okay. We can talk about some things that will help out a lot. So in working with adults, I find that they really do enjoy little games, fidgety things, little fidget toys, apparatus that. 00:56.224 --> 01:06.308 Really can make a difference in making Braille fun. So I ran across a device that I really kind of enjoyed fiddling with. 01:06.444 --> 01:08.228 I think it was even in a staff meeting. 01:08.284 --> 01:10.084 I kind of took it out and was playing with it. 01:10.172 --> 01:17.700 It's a Braille keychain. So if you're one of those sort of ADHD types that need to be fiddling with something all the time or. 01:17.740 --> 01:19.652 Keeping your hands busy and you want. 01:19.676 --> 01:29.316 To practice your braille letter configurations, you might explore getting a Braille keychain. I really do think they still make them. They're like the old fashioned Rubik's cubes. 01:29.348 --> 01:32.912 If you kind know what those are. So if you think about it, the. 01:32.936 --> 01:49.136 Braille cell has three levels. Dots 1 and 4 at the top, dots 2 and 5 in the middle, and dots 3 and 6 at the bottom. And so what happens with this nifty little keychain is that you can twist each level separately so you can twist the middle. 01:49.248 --> 01:53.088 And what happens is there are dots. 01:53.264 --> 02:00.088 On all three of these levels, so dots 1 and 4, 2 and 5, 3 and 6. 02:00.224 --> 02:02.744 But when you twist each part of. 02:02.752 --> 02:10.360 The keychain independently, you can create all kinds of combinations of letters. So it's kind of fun to just sit there and fiddle with this thing. 02:10.480 --> 02:14.700 It's pretty quiet, so you're not going to disrupt anyone, but it's a fun little toy. 02:15.600 --> 02:18.040 One of my colleagues found another really. 02:18.080 --> 02:20.792 Cool thing that's helping one of the. 02:20.816 --> 02:25.020 Adults that she teaches. And it's called a swing cell. 02:25.580 --> 02:29.892 So just to kind of bring you back, about five years ago when we. 02:29.916 --> 02:39.172 Were all dealing with the pandemic, I was teaching remotely, of course, and braille teaching still went on. I still found a Way to teach. 02:39.316 --> 02:41.076 I would have one of my colleagues. 02:41.108 --> 02:46.532 Who was working in our building send out Braille books to my students, and. 02:46.556 --> 02:47.812 Then I would have a copy of. 02:47.836 --> 02:50.240 The book and we would work remotely together. 02:50.630 --> 02:53.934 Now imagine the fun I had when. 02:54.022 --> 03:03.854 I tried to describe how to use a Perkins brailer remotely. Now, it was fun on many levels because you had to explain how to roll in the paper. 03:03.982 --> 03:05.022 You know, you had to find that. 03:05.046 --> 03:10.110 Little screw in the back. And then you have the little slot that you insert the paper and you. 03:10.150 --> 03:12.494 Make sure to insert it so that. 03:12.502 --> 03:15.822 It goes underneath the little carriage right up against the screw. 03:15.886 --> 03:17.630 And oh, by the way, make sure. 03:17.670 --> 03:19.582 The roller can roll freely. 03:19.646 --> 03:22.842 And that is rolled all the, you. 03:22.866 --> 03:28.106 Know, several things could go wrong with this. And so we had some fun times. 03:28.178 --> 03:34.042 Explaining how to actually roll the paper into a Perkins and then how to. 03:34.226 --> 03:54.130 Place your fingers on the keys. Because people who are new to braille and new to this Perkins Brailler machine aren't maybe going to expect that. If you think of them in order of left to right, the keys on The Perkins are 3, 2, 1, space, bar, 4, 5, 6. 03:54.590 --> 03:58.102 And maybe people would wonder, well, why is that? 03:58.206 --> 04:00.406 Why can't they just number them differently. 04:00.438 --> 04:04.310 And, you know, have them in order? And so what I would do is. 04:04.350 --> 04:07.810 I would have people put their hands together. 04:08.110 --> 04:12.742 So maybe they're prayer hands, or maybe they're just, you know, with your index. 04:12.806 --> 04:20.292 Fingers together, middle fingers together, and ring fingers together, and your hands are, you know, palms together. 04:20.476 --> 04:23.492 And then that sort of creates the. 04:23.516 --> 04:35.316 Idea of the Braille cell. So if you think about it, your left hand would be dots, 1, 2, 3, going downward, and your right hand would be dots, 4, 5, 6, going. 04:35.388 --> 04:36.916 From top to bottom. 04:37.108 --> 04:40.772 So then if you put your hands. 04:40.836 --> 04:45.480 Palm down, palms down, you have the. 04:45.520 --> 04:49.688 Perkins keyboard right there. And so your index finger is still. 04:49.744 --> 04:52.040 Number one, middle finger is still number. 04:52.080 --> 04:56.712 Two, and ring finger is still number three. But now you can place your hands on the keys. 04:56.856 --> 04:58.504 You know, it sounds like maybe a. 04:58.512 --> 04:59.832 No brainer to some of us who. 04:59.856 --> 05:11.702 Have always grown up with Braille. Like, I'm a lifelong Braille reader. And so, you know, I had to think of a sort of a creative way. Now, had I thought about the Swing. 05:11.766 --> 05:22.710 Cell, I might have maybe ordered a few of these if they were shipping at the time. But a swing cell is something that the American Printing House for the Blind sells. 05:22.870 --> 05:25.062 And it's a really cool little gadget. 05:25.206 --> 05:28.170 Because it can help adults or kids. 05:28.590 --> 05:32.790 Remember how they think of the letters. 05:32.870 --> 05:59.570 Like, say, h is dots 1, 2 and 5. And then what are those keys? And so what you have is a piece or two of wood, two pieces of wood that have a hinge in the middle. And each of the pieces of wood has three holes. One piece of wood has the holes for dots 1, 2 and 3. And the other piece of wood has 4, 5 and 6. 06:00.030 --> 06:04.930 And so what you start out with. 06:05.230 --> 06:18.770 Is, you start out with these two pieces of wood sitting side by side, dots 1, 2, 3 on the left and 4, 5, 6 on the right. And then there is a hinge at the top where these two are joined together. 06:19.470 --> 06:23.606 And so a person can put little pegs in the holes and kind of. 06:23.758 --> 06:26.262 Configure their Braille letters as they're learning. 06:26.326 --> 06:31.942 Them and practice with them. And these two pieces of wood that. 06:31.966 --> 06:35.518 Are joined with a hinge are the Braille cell right now. 06:35.694 --> 06:41.614 But they're also held together with Velcro so they don't come apart. 06:41.742 --> 06:45.198 They just stick there until you want to pull them apart. 06:45.374 --> 06:50.462 And when you pull the two pieces of wood apart, they're still connected by. 06:50.486 --> 06:59.150 The hinge, but now they're straight out from left to right. And you have your Perkins style keyboard configuration. 06:59.310 --> 07:01.326 So that's one way that it helps. 07:01.358 --> 07:03.662 Adults to make sense of and kids. 07:03.726 --> 07:05.242 To make sense of how. 07:05.286 --> 07:07.202 How is the Braille cell configured and. 07:07.226 --> 07:08.450 How do we relate that to our. 07:08.490 --> 07:10.470 Placement of the keys on the Perkins. 07:10.810 --> 07:13.550 So that's been a really helpful tool. 07:14.090 --> 07:16.322 Especially as adults learn to input the. 07:16.346 --> 07:18.098 Braille on a Braille device. 07:18.114 --> 07:19.794 And we'll talk about a couple of. 07:19.882 --> 07:28.194 Input options pretty soon, and we'll get to that after we talk about a couple other things. 07:28.282 --> 07:30.882 So my adults really started enjoying the. 07:30.906 --> 07:34.206 Legos when they came out, I believe. 07:34.278 --> 07:44.542 It was last summer. And that was really exciting. And we got those. And they have some of the contractions, the number sign, numbers, letters. 07:44.686 --> 07:51.070 You can configure all kinds of things on the LEGO board. But what they're really excited about now. 07:51.110 --> 07:52.654 Is the Braille doodle. 07:52.702 --> 07:55.406 And I've talked about that before and. 07:55.478 --> 07:57.582 We found that really successful because we. 07:57.606 --> 08:04.522 Can write the Braille, erase it, you know, talk about why it is the way it is. 08:04.706 --> 08:07.146 I can write letters, students can copy. 08:07.178 --> 08:17.754 What I'm writing, We can do in the practice area, we can write a letter and then the same letter right next to it. And so these are really great little. 08:17.842 --> 08:22.010 Games, toys, fidget items, apparatus that can. 08:22.050 --> 08:24.186 Really help people learn in a fun. 08:24.338 --> 08:27.386 Engaging, and really sort of a manipulative. 08:27.498 --> 08:36.110 Way so that you can handle and physically create things that are helpful in the learning process. 08:37.050 --> 08:42.322 So what I also wanted to mention are the input devices that I really enjoy using and that some of my. 08:42.346 --> 08:44.306 Students are finding really helpful. 08:44.498 --> 09:07.018 I know here in the US we're very, very fortunate to have the NLSE readers and the one that is built upon the humanware brilliant bi20x product is especially my favorite. It's the one that I'm used to using and I do have some Brailleliant devices. The reason why this is really great. 09:07.074 --> 09:15.690 Is because a lot of folks are learning Braille. They need practice in various ways of. 09:15.730 --> 09:42.408 Inputting Braille, reading the Braille in a portable manner. I also think it's really valuable for adults who may be experiencing some lack of finger sensitivity or may have say, a tremor that prevents them from reading straight across a line on a paper braille book. Also, they may just really need practice with a lot of inputting of Braille. 09:42.504 --> 09:44.664 And it's such a portable way to do it. 09:44.832 --> 09:48.020 Now the only disadvantage is that if. 09:48.400 --> 09:55.026 You are in a state that may not offer the humanware based Braille option. 09:55.138 --> 10:02.178 I am not sure how the Zoomax product compares to this. However, I would say that the really. 10:02.314 --> 10:08.786 Stellar advantage of the the humanware based product is that it also can connect. 10:08.818 --> 10:21.010 To your iPhone or your computer. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with Android yet. I think that the E Reader needs to be updated so that it can work with Android. 10:21.990 --> 10:25.422 But using the E Reader to input. 10:25.486 --> 10:37.438 Notes to navigate your phone with the Braille display type commands, which are pretty standard for us old schoolers say dot four with the space bar moves forward. 10:37.494 --> 10:44.510 One item, dot one with the spacebar moves backward one item space with the letter H goes home and so forth. 10:44.670 --> 10:51.394 You can navigate your phone with this E Reader device and you can also of course type Notes into the Notes. 10:51.442 --> 11:01.986 App or type an email into your email app unfortunately. And you know, due to really making sure that it's a dedicated book reader. 11:02.098 --> 11:04.306 It doesn't have any onboard note taker. 11:04.338 --> 11:05.666 But you can use it to input. 11:05.698 --> 11:11.394 Your own notes into your phone. Also, I really love using my Orbit. 11:11.442 --> 11:14.284 Writer and I found that this device. 11:14.332 --> 11:22.380 Is especially helpful for those who may have some dexterity issues, a tremor let's say, or an issue where they just. 11:22.420 --> 11:33.308 Find that doing those gestures on the iPhone is or the Android is particularly difficult and so they might struggle with that a bit. 11:33.364 --> 11:35.820 And so getting them an Orbit Writer. 11:35.900 --> 11:45.362 Is a really great way to navigate your phone or to be able to type into it. And of course you know there's no. 11:45.386 --> 11:47.730 Braille display available to us here. 11:47.770 --> 11:49.350 It's an input device. 11:49.930 --> 11:53.138 And so with the Orbit Writer, which. 11:53.194 --> 11:55.410 Can connect to several devices, I think. 11:55.450 --> 12:03.330 Also it can include Kindle too. You've got the support on Android of. 12:03.370 --> 12:12.920 Version 15 and that is because Android is only supporting HID devices on version 15 of Android. 12:13.080 --> 12:18.260 So if you did want to use the Orbit Writer, it's my understanding that you do have to have Android 15. 12:18.880 --> 12:27.448 But I would completely recommend. It's an inexpensive product as things go. It has a Perkins style keyboard. 12:27.624 --> 12:34.328 There's a spacebar at the bottom and dot seven on the left for backspace, dot eight on the right for enter. 12:34.464 --> 12:40.434 There's also a four direction navigation arrow. 12:40.482 --> 12:44.210 Keys and a little OK button in the middle above that. 12:44.330 --> 12:50.498 And then to the left and right of that little multi Navigational arrow and. 12:50.554 --> 12:54.722 OK button are the Perkins style keys. So 1, 2, 3 is on the. 12:54.746 --> 12:56.674 Left and 456 on the right. 12:56.842 --> 13:06.100 It does have a micro USB port, which is a bit of a disadvantage. I found that they're so fragile and they're kind of easy to. 13:06.290 --> 13:09.120 If a student puts the cord in. 13:09.160 --> 13:10.816 The wrong way or tries to force. 13:10.848 --> 13:11.824 It a little bit. 13:11.992 --> 13:14.624 I haven't had anybody who's visibly forced. 13:14.672 --> 13:20.352 It, but I have had a couple people have damaged ports, then we have to send them back for repairs. 13:20.496 --> 13:24.960 So what I'm recommending people do with these micro USB ports, if you have. 13:25.000 --> 13:28.016 Any devices like that, check out the. 13:28.168 --> 13:31.860 Cables that are magnetic that also have magnetic tips. 13:32.200 --> 13:36.230 So MagnaLink is a great company that I just love and I have all. 13:36.270 --> 13:41.014 Kinds of their cables. So the MagnaLink cables come with various. 13:41.062 --> 13:46.102 Tips including micro USB lightning and regular. 13:46.166 --> 13:52.630 USB C. And what happens is you put one of these tips into the. 13:52.670 --> 13:58.650 Port, the port that you are needing to connect a cable. 13:59.170 --> 14:14.362 And after the tip goes into the port, what's sticking out is the little round end and the concave end of the cable snaps magnetically onto the little tiny bit that's sticking out of the port. And so then you never have to. 14:14.386 --> 14:17.050 Go rustling around for a cable because. 14:17.090 --> 14:23.830 You leave that little tip in the port of the device. And so this is especially nice with. 14:24.200 --> 14:31.808 Your micro USB that are hard to remember which way does the tip go. 14:31.864 --> 14:36.832 You know, in the port or which way do the prongs go up or down? And so it's just kind of a. 14:36.856 --> 14:43.264 Hassle and the ports are more fragile. So I really highly recommend getting those magnetic cables. 14:43.312 --> 14:47.904 Whichever company you decide to go with, they all have options for the various. 14:47.952 --> 14:55.466 Kinds of ports and tips that go in those Ports. Another product that I really like using. 14:55.538 --> 15:01.630 Myself is the Hable one. And the Hable one is a completely different concept. 15:01.970 --> 15:12.090 It allows you to enter via the dots on the Braille keyboard, but it. 15:12.210 --> 15:16.590 Is a different setup. So imagine that you're holding your phone. 15:16.930 --> 15:25.620 And you're doing Braille screen input and you've got your phone facing away from you. That's the way the Hable is in your hands. 15:25.780 --> 15:53.300 So the Hable is held so that the keys are away and you've got the keys vertically arranged, this time with dots 1, 2, 3 on the left and 4, 5, 6 on the right. And then to the left of the 1, 2, 3 is the dot 7 and to the right of the 4, 5, 6 is the dot 8 key. And so from this point you are able to enter the Braille or the. 15:53.760 --> 15:57.704 Screen commands, as in pressing various keys. 15:57.752 --> 15:59.496 To move forward on the screen, backwards. 15:59.528 --> 16:02.360 On the screen, going home, doing the. 16:02.400 --> 16:04.024 Equivalent of the double tap if you're. 16:04.072 --> 16:08.344 On the iPhone or Android. And so it's a really great input. 16:08.392 --> 16:13.352 Device, I would say for the people who are dyed in the wool, Perkins. 16:13.416 --> 16:22.256 Style keyboard users, it may not be as intuitive because you're expecting that you're. 16:22.288 --> 16:24.512 Going to enter the same commands, but. 16:24.536 --> 16:27.120 They just, they're not the same. 16:27.240 --> 16:37.056 So for instance, on the Hable, if I want to move forward one item, I hold dot seven down and I tap with my right hand on the dot 8 key. 16:37.208 --> 16:38.528 And then if I want to move. 16:38.584 --> 16:45.130 Backward one item, I'm going to hold the dot 8 key and tap with my left hand. 16:45.990 --> 16:48.350 One list member, when I was on. 16:48.390 --> 16:50.718 The Hable list said the hand that's. 16:50.734 --> 16:57.598 Tapping is the direction that you're moving, which is great. So I find it, it's a really great device. 16:57.774 --> 17:00.126 It in fact does not care about. 17:00.198 --> 17:02.542 Your version of Android because it's not. 17:02.566 --> 17:07.054 An HID device, it's a Braille keyboard, it's considered a keyboard. 17:07.102 --> 17:10.030 So it doesn't mind that I'm running. 17:10.110 --> 17:12.050 Android 14 for instance. 17:12.550 --> 17:20.822 And so, you know, it's, it's really handy because it doesn't depend on having that necessary version of Android. 17:20.966 --> 17:26.422 So the Hable one is just a really nice option. It is a bit more expensive. 17:26.566 --> 17:47.030 I think they're using some different tools, different hardware in there and maybe we might have some import, you know, fees or, you know, something that makes it a bit more expensive. It's about $300 ish here in the US and the Hable is about half. 17:47.150 --> 17:51.318 Of that or less. And so they're two totally different devices. 17:51.414 --> 17:53.926 I love both of them and I. 17:53.998 --> 18:02.166 Find an absolutely wonderful use case for either one. I would say for my beginner students, probably the Orbit writer is the best. 18:02.238 --> 18:04.646 Because it's most like the Perkins brailer. 18:04.838 --> 18:07.494 That they're familiar with and the E Reader and such. 18:07.582 --> 18:17.070 And so the Hable one is a bit more for the higher tech individual. And so that's kind of the way I think about those two devices. 18:18.130 --> 18:20.218 And lastly, I just wanted to bring. 18:20.274 --> 18:22.042 To you a little bit of feedback. 18:22.186 --> 18:27.674 That I really appreciated from listeners. I love hearing from the listeners in other countries. 18:27.762 --> 18:39.796 I believe we had someone write me from Lithuania and Russia. And I just really appreciate hearing from folks in other countries because it's possible. 18:39.868 --> 18:42.372 To be pretty US centric. 18:42.436 --> 18:47.700 And I'm sorry about that. I really try and think about, you know, people in other countries are still. 18:47.740 --> 18:54.708 Finding the slate and stylus very useful. I think it's great. I ran across my slates and what is it? 18:54.764 --> 18:55.588 Styli. 18:55.684 --> 19:08.244 Huh? Styluses. Not sure of the plural of that in my drawer today. And I'm thinking, you know, there's certainly a place for those and we really appreciate them. They supported those slates and styluses supported. 19:08.292 --> 19:19.220 Braille for, you know, over a hundred years. And so we just. It's just an amazing, amazing thing that they were a part of our history. But one person brought to me a. 19:19.260 --> 19:28.068 Thought that I had forgotten to mention is that you can read braille with other fingers. And this person mentioned reading braille with. 19:28.124 --> 19:33.648 Perhaps two or three other fingers. And I find it fascinating that people. 19:33.704 --> 19:35.824 Have finger sensitivity, say in their middle. 19:35.872 --> 19:43.552 Finger as much as they might perhaps their ring finger. Also. Another use for reading with multiple fingers. 19:43.616 --> 19:47.136 Is to get a sense of the layout of the page or the layout. 19:47.168 --> 19:50.752 Of the line or do we have a blank line underneath? 19:50.816 --> 19:57.160 If you have more fingers in the action, then perhaps you are gauging the. 19:57.280 --> 20:04.232 Layout of the page. And so what I would say is the use of other fingers, as long. 20:04.256 --> 20:05.832 As it doesn't slow you down and. 20:05.856 --> 20:08.120 It helps you, absolutely. 20:08.280 --> 20:09.992 Whatever is helpful to you in your. 20:10.016 --> 20:12.500 Braille reading journey is just great. 20:13.280 --> 20:30.550 So in closing here, I really want to thank you for coming along today and listening, thinking about simple gadgets. If you want to fidget or learn or really cement your knowledge of braille and braille practice. There's a lot of those devices out there like the swing cell and Legos. 20:30.630 --> 20:35.302 And Braille keychains and the Braille doodle. 20:35.446 --> 20:41.606 And then of course we have input devices like the NLS E reader or an E Reader. 20:41.638 --> 20:50.374 Perhaps you might have option in your country, the Orbit Writer and the Havel one and then of course ways of reading Braille. 20:50.422 --> 20:58.312 And if you have any feedback whatsoever, something you want me to discuss, some comments that you have, questions. 20:58.456 --> 21:00.184 Would love to hear from you. 21:00.352 --> 21:08.584 And so if you send an email to feedbackmute show, they will forward it onto me. 21:08.592 --> 21:15.368 And I love hearing from you and I really appreciate listener feedback. Have a great day and we'll visit. 21:15.424 --> 21:17.064 With you next time. 21:17.152 --> 21:18.410 Thanks so much for listening.