This technique for creating Tactile Graphics uses a model created by hand or computer, heats a plastic sheet, and vacuum presses the plastic around the image.

The Braille Authority of North America (BANA) writes and promulgates rules concerning the production of various types of braille documents. Standard textbooks, exclusive of those of a technical nature (math, sciences, computer programming) are governed by their 1997 publication: “Braille Format: Principals of Print to Braille Transcription.” These rules are consistently adopted by state and […]

Speech Synthesis This is a term referring to use of a computer software package, a sound card and speakers to create speech as a substitute for a computer monitor for blind people. In simplest terms, the software analyzes the data in the video buffer of the computer and turns what it sees into phonic components. […]

The Tech Act (Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities) made grants to states beginning in 1988 to promote the integration of Assistive Technology into the lives of people with disabilities. Each state provided the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research with proposals detailing how they would create systems change so that such integration would […]

Watches, alarm clocks, note takers and similar equipment that have electronic components that can create speech and announce the time, what key is pressed, etc.

In general terms, this phrase refers to any recorded edition of a published document (magazine, textbook, and novel). More specifically, in the world of visual impairments, it refers to the commercially prepared editions of documents offered to the blind community through various organizations, libraries, charities and educational institutions. Production approaches vary from country to country. […]

Tags are HTML (hypertext markup language) commands. These are the codes that are typed in a document to control the way the document is displayed by a browser.

People with disabilities beyond visual impairments sometimes find a raised line or dotted image easier to comprehend than standard print editions. The Tiger Embosser provides an approach to creating such graphics not available through computer means prior to this invention.

This term refers to those graphical representations that have been specially prepared for use by touch. Historically, such graphics were prepared with a wide range of tools and supplies – sewing tracing wheel, awls, string, and puffy paint, among many others. More recently with the advent of computer technology and sophisticated embossers, many graphics are […]

This is the artificial voice or speech output of a speech synthesizer.