Category: accessible Devices
Hi.
I thought about this when someone posted on geeks are us regarding some note taker that had a crap spec and was really expencive, like $1750.
I cankinda see the atraction of using a pda or smart phone with a combination of bluetooth headset and bluetooth keyboard, but really, why a braille note? The only advantage that i can think of is taht it has speech built in.
Some people have said that they don't like learning a qwerty layout, but really, thats just like a standard, just like someone expecting a music shop to stock vinal when the standard now is cd, theres no point in sticking with something that you've become used to when theres a perfectly good ulternative out there, that is more widely adopted, and at the end of the day will help you out to no end if you ever have to use a computer.
I'd be interested in hearing peoples defenses regarding such things as the braille note or what ever there is, coz frankly, i can't think of any other than the ones i've listed above.
BEN.
Braille. In a nutshell, the greatest advantage to certain PDA's, and of course this is dependent on the system, is the ability to read the information it provides in Braille. Listening, as a sighted, or blind person is good, you can learn a great deal from it, but for real retention and practical usibility a person needs to be able to get their eyes, or in our case, hands on the material.
Also, there is a place for it in the areas of portability. Tell me you want to cart a laptop to every class. I certainly don't. It's quicker and easier to set up a notetaker than a laptop, and less obtrusive than a braille writer. For those who are gifted in the area of the slate and stylus, it might not be so important, but it speeds the process of notetaking for the rest of us. I utterly disdain audio for anything but short messages, or reading materials that don't need to be closely studied. My reason is that I am only so interested in what the professor said the first time, and I can guarentee that my interest will wain on subsequent listening. Also, trying to find something in Audio only format is a difficult and time consuming process. It is better with text, but most speech packages grow dull and grating on the ears and the mind after so much reading.
Finally, in most cases, the notetaker is a one piece construction, or at least can be carried as such. ( I know that the pacmate user can remove the display.) If you were to carry the bluetooth keyboard, headset and PDA, you are carting, and setting up 3 devices, while the sighted guy next to you is scribbling on his with a stylus. He's finished while you are still setting up. I don't like to miss things. I am less likely to if I have a one piece solution I can quickly open to a file where I can dump information.
Addmittedly, these things aren't perfect, but to me it is a far easier thing to make a machine specific to a task, and pay more, than to try to patch together something built to a different purpose. I don't want something to impede me, like the incomplete nature of our ability to quickly and conveniently use a typical PDA. I prefer stuff that anyone can walk up to and use, but I don't see it happening, so I would rather see specialization, than self-imposed barriers.
well, i use a laptop but yah i aggree that a braillnote is easier. but most professors now give printed material electronicly now since they provide less and less hardcoppies so i have not much choice than to carry a laptop
For someone like me who grew up just before the internet became widely adopted a thing like the braillenote was really a boon. I learned the braillenspeak then the braillelite, then the braillenote came on scene and everything was supposed to be new and different. I hopped on that band wagon because at that time halfway through high school there was nothing better. If I hadn't gotten so used to it I'd switch to a pacmate and a desktop situation. If my plans become real I'll begin studying to be a midwife then we'll see what happens. For now the braillenote does what I need it to. I still want a desktop computer. Tiffany
This is a really interesting topic. Thanks for starting it, Ben. In my day job I evaluate and recommend assistive technology. I recomend both braille input and output and qwerty keyboard with speech input and output devices. Several factors influence my recommendations. If I see an older person who grew up with a Perkins, and isn't comfortable typing, I'll probably try them on the Braillenote first, because of the logical way cursor movement is done, and the comfortable interface. If someone is a more fluent typist, the QWERTY keyboard wins. As to braille versus speech output, I personally am a die-hard braille user. For various reasons, some individuals may not prefer braille such as speed, sensitivity issues, etc. If someone is a fluent braille user, I always point out that something with nine keys and no letters on the keys is way less atractive to a thief than something that has letters and symbols the thief can read. In other words, theres less of a chance it could be stolen.
Lou
I used to agree that carrying around a laptop was ridiculous, but after I got Marmol (my newest laptop), I found that stuff was a deal easier. My laptop is a dell xp sm 1210, and it's pretty. The only thing I like about some adaptive tech is the braille display, but I can even live with out that. though it is useful if you're giving any kind of speech as I found out last week in class. Me and chris n were actually discussing gps packages and with out straying too far off this whole access tech topic, we found that using a bluetooth gps unit with a talks capible cell phone was cheaper. of course this is assuming you already have the phone, talks, and a plan. Then I suppose getting the gps system for the pacmate is cheaper, assuming you have a pacmate. then getting the talks one is cheaper unless... never mind. you get the picture. or. maybe not.
I use both, a millennium 20 and a laptop. I use the notetaker in lectures just because it's easier to carry around, and I only use the braille display, and not the speech. But I doo all my assignments and exams on a laptop, that way I don't have to worry about printing stuff out from the notetaker, I can just email my work to a tutor, or put it on CD if they want.
this is a great advantage of the braillenote MPower. it is basically a braille laptop. you can print, send email, ust the internet, and hook to to a computer if you need too. i use my unit for most of my class work, and a desktop for my fun time. i'll always choose braille for input and output however
I don't think that it's an either/or proposition. I use both all the time. My notetaker at work and the computer at work and at home. How many times do we "Marry" the Assistive Technology and the non-assistive technology in our lives? We buy an MP3 player off the shelf and then acquire the accessible software to make it work. We buy our computer at the store and then go out and buy JAWS Window-eyes, or other products to make them work for us. Then we go out and buy our stand-alone devices like talking thermostats, braille watches, or other blindness-specific devices to make our lives simpler.
Lou