Braille Reading Research Articles

Touch to text: Spatiotemporal evolution of braille letter representations in blind readers.

Visual deprivation does not silence the visual cortex, which is responsive to auditory, tactile, and other nonvisual tasks in blind persons. However, the underlying functional dynamics of the neural networks mediating such crossmodal responses remain unclear. Here, using braille reading as a model framework to investigate these networks, we presented sighted (N=13) and blind (N=12) readers with individual visual print and tactile braille alphabetic letters, respectively, during MEG recording. Using time-resolved multivariate pattern analysis and representational similarity analysis, we traced the alphabetic letter processing cascade in both groups of participants. We found that letter representations unfolded more slowly in blind than in sighted brains, with decoding peak latencies ∼200 ms later in braille readers. Focusing on the blind group, we found that the format of neural letter representations transformed within the first 500 ms after stimulus onset from a low-level structure consistent with peripheral nerve afferent coding to high-level format reflecting pairwise letter embeddings in a text corpus. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the transformation suggest that the processing cascade proceeds from a starting point in somatosensory cortex to early visual cortex and then to inferotemporal cortex. Together our results give insight into the neural mechanisms underlying braille reading in blind persons and the dynamics of functional reorganization in sensory deprivation.

Distinct neural pathway and its information flow for blind individual's Braille reading

Natural Braille reading presents significant challenges to the brain networks of late blind individuals, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Using natural Braille texts in behavioral assessments and functional MRI, we sought to pinpoint the neural pathway and information flow crucial for Braille reading performance in late blind individuals. In the resting state, we discovered a unique neural connection between the higher-order ‘visual’ cortex, the lateral occipital cortex (LOC), and the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) in late blind individuals, but not in sighted controls. The left-lateralized LOC-IFC connectivity was correlated with individual Braille reading proficiency. Prolonged Braille reading practice led to increased strength of this connectivity. During a natural Braille reading task, bidirectional information flow between the LOC and the IFC was positively modulated, with a predominantly stronger top-down modulation from the IFC to the LOC. This stronger top-down modulation contributed to higher Braille reading proficiency. We thus proposed a two-predictor multiple regression model to predict individual Braille reading proficiency, incorporating both static connectivity and dynamic top-down communication between the LOC-IFC link. This work highlights the dual contributions of the occipito-frontal neural pathway and top-down cognitive strategy to superior natural Braille reading performance, offering guidance for training late blind individuals.

Pelayanan Sosial Sebagai Upaya Pemenuhan Keberfungsian Sosial Disabilitas Netra di UPTD Rumoh Seujahtera Beujroh Meukarya (RSBM) Ladong Aceh Besar

Unlike normal people in general, people with visual impairment experience limitations in carrying out daily activities. In Indonesia, the number of disabilities in 2022 reached 1.5% or around 4 million people. One way to fulfill the social functioning of blind disabilities is to increase motivation and develop potential through rehabilitation at UPTD Rumoh Seujahtera Beujroh Meukarya (RSBM). This study aims to determine what forms of social services for visual disabilities at UPTD RSBM. The type of research used is a qualitative approach with descriptive methods through observation, documentation, and interviews with 5 informants. The results of this study obtained data that the form of social services is in the form of residential rehabilitation social services (Boarding) with several activities such as: Care and nurturing, mental and spiritual guidance, physical guidance, social guidance and psycho social counseling, skills guidance and accessibility services such as massage massage skills, braille reading and writing skills, rattan weaving skills, art skills, jaws computer technology skills, social assistance and resocialization guidance.

Research on efficient braille recognition based on the pair-U-shaped micro-nano optical fiber fingerprint-like tactile sensors

Tactile sensors are essential for capturing touch information, yet existing sensors struggle to accurately mimic human pressure and motion perception. This study introduces a novel design resembling a fingerprint, featuring a pair-U-shaped flexible optical fiber tactile sensor, and assesses its efficacy in braille input interactions. Constructed from 3D-printed elastomeric resin, the sensor incorporates a bilayer structure that mirrors a fingerprint pattern, with interlocking microstructures and encapsulated pair-U-shaped micro-nano-optical fibers (MNF) within a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. These design elements allow these two MNF sensing channels to achieve synchronization, enhancing durability and sensitivity (66.08 % N−1 and 65.59 %N−1), quickening response (84.17/17.49 ms) and recovery time (58.31/10.02 ms) for detecting braille surfaces. Utilizing the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm significantly boosts the accuracy of braille character recognition. Post-training, the sensor achieved a 97.10 % recognition rate for 26 English letters under varying speeds and pressures. Moreover, the recognition rate for letters with similar features (B/K, F/M, G/X, H/U) improved to 98.58 %, underscoring the sensor’s effectiveness in braille recognition. This innovative approach holds potential for applications in braille reading, surface sensing, and related areas.

Bilayer piezoionic sensors for enhanced detection of dynamic, static, and directional forces with self-healing capabilities

Electronic skin (e-skin) aims to replicate the tactile feedback mechanism of natural skin, offering great potential across robotics, healthcare monitoring, and human-machine interfaces. Traditional e-skin systems utilize electron-based sensing through capacitance and piezoresistivity for static forces, and piezoelectricity and triboelectricity for dynamic forces. However, the former group struggles with dynamic stimuli and external power dependencies, while the latter excels in self-powering but fails in static detection. Addressing these gaps, iontronics emerges as a versatile solution, providing innovative avenues for energy harvesting, sensing, and actuation through ion redistribution in response to varied stimuli, but shows limitations in output signals and response times. We report herein the development of bilayerstructured piezoionic materials with significantly enhanced output signal and response time. The piezoionic bilayer structure not only harnesses an ion accumulation interface, leading to amplified output signals and fast response times, but also exhibits an ion-dipole interactive self-healing property. Our sensor generates a signal output of 95 mV and features a quick response time of 30 ms, with an impressive self-healing capability of ∼100%. It demonstrates the ability to accurately detect both static and dynamic forces, including specific movements like bending and vibrations, maintaining its robustness through 8000 cycles of repetitive deformation. Its utility is further proven in a practical setting with a braille reader device, highlighting its potential for incorporation into a wide array of soft, autonomous iontronic systems that require enhanced sensitivity, rapid detection capabilities, and self-sustainability.

Text to Braille Converter with Audio Output for Visually Impaired Person

A system of touch reading and writing for the blind that uses raised dots to represent the alphabet's letters is called braille, and it is an essential tool for communication. It is composed of six impressions, each of which stands for a different alphabetic letter. It also includes matching combinations of representations for punctuation marks. The standard method for reading braille is to move your fingers over each line from left to right in order to use your sense of touch. Compared to sign language, braille is far more difficult to learn since there are numerous combinations of the six raised dot impressions that can be made. Braille text to audio output Communication between those parties is facilitated by the conversion mechanism. who are blind but do not know how to read braille, and those who do.This device uses a software platform that translates text input into audio and Braille characters. The programming language used in the platform is Python, which translates text input into braille code. Key Words: Braille code,Text to speech conversion, visually impaired, python software

Braille glove design toward interdisciplinary approach for visually impaired people: developing independent sensing design with MXene and embroidery

This study developed a wearable device designed to aid visually impaired people (VIP) who are unfamiliar with Braille and/or struggle to learn and use Braille employing the design thinking process. VIP often face challenges in learning and using Braille, and even with existing equipment, including smart technologies, they frequently experience aesthetic and emotional discomfort beyond usability and accessibility. The interdisciplinary research team conducted mixed-method research following the double diamond module of the design thinking process. Initially, qualitative interviews to analyze VIP’s Braille utilization were conducted to derive design factors. Subsequently, identified design factors were applied to conduct experiments with appropriate embroidery methods and connection structures using MXene-coated yarn. The strategies effectively enhanced pressure sensing performance by two times and realized highly localized and independent sensing to enable Braille recognition. Finally, a specific design for the wearable Braille recognition glove was proposed that incorporated these findings. The proposed wearable glove, equipped with a high-performance Braille recognition sensor, is designed to enhance the psychological and aesthetic satisfaction of VIP. The glove’s universal design and accompanying technical support allow VIP to maintain their existing Braille reading methods while enjoying enhanced performance and avoiding social stigmas.

PCB-based miniature vibro-tactile display for the visually impaired

An estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide are visually impaired (WHO, 2019), yet current Braille readers are limited to one or two rows of text and cannot display images. Thus, a low-cost, electronically refreshable tactile display for accessing graphical and textual information is needed. We are developing such a display using a printed circuit board (PCB) as the substrate and bottom electrode array, and a metalized Kapton film as the vibrating membrane. Punched foam tape is used as a spacer to create a gap between the board and film so the pixels can be actuated electrostatically. The current prototype has 6 pixels at 3.5 mm spacing, Vibration amplitudes of 8 microns peak-to-peak were achieved in a prototype using a drive voltage of 600V at 200 Hz. This is sensible to the human touch. Further optimization requires matching the mechanical impedance of the finger, and maximizing vibration amplitude in the preferred sensible frequency range between 50 and 300 Hz. Finite element analysis (FEA), laser vibrometry, and nano-newton force-displacement measurements have been used to characterize the system. Future versions will increase amplitude, reduce drive voltages, and increase display resolution to larger arrays of more closely spaced pixels through further miniaturization.

Pressure-insensitive magnetic shear force sensor with pillar structure for versatile application

A flexible shear force sensor, exhibiting pressure-insensitivity, high sensitivity, and bidirectional measurement capabilities, is developed using a slender and flexible planar hall magnetoresistive (PHMR) sensing element combined with a pillar structure. The pillar structure, placed atop the PHMR sensing element, minimizes the influence of normal force on the sensor, enhancing its shear force sensing ability. This sensor features a 2.5 mm diameter pillar structure and measures bidirectional shear forces within a dynamic range of -0.1 N to 0.1 N, with a resolution of 0.4 mN and a sensitivity of 10 mV/N. The vertical force sensitivity is 500 times smaller than the shear force sensitivity, ensuring precise shear force measurements. This design simplifies signal monitoring, enabling accurate and precise measurements. Our sensor exhibits exceptional repeatability and nonhysteresis in shear forces, affirming its stability and reliability. These characteristics establish its suitability for measuring water and air flow velocities and various experimental applications, including braille reading. This shear force sensor, showcased in our study, demonstrates consistent performance across diverse environments, indicating its potential for applications requiring precise control and detection, such as robotic fingers, medical devices, and wearable monitoring systems.

Designing necks and wrinkles in inflated auxetic membranes

This article presents the potentiality of inflatable, functionally-graded auxetic membranes to produce wrinkles and necks. We obtain elastic instabilities at desired locations in axisymmetric membranes and with prescribed patterns in square membranes. First, we use an analytical approach to obtain a series of universal results providing insights into the formation of wrinkles and necks in inflated, axisymmetric membranes. For example, we prove analytically that necks and wrinkles may never overlap in pressurized, axially symmetric membranes. Second, we implement the relaxed strain energy of tension field theory into a Finite Element solver (COMSOL). By tuning spatial inhomogeneities of the material moduli, we corroborate our universal results, describe the onset of wrinkling in an averaged way, and also generate non-trivial instabilities at desired locations. This study on membranes with morphing or corrugation on demand has potential applications in Braille reading and haptics.

Mechano-neurophysiological model of fingertip to simulate tactile response during Braille reading under multiple frictional conditions

Mechano-neurophysiological model of fingertip to simulate tactile response during Braille reading under multiple frictional conditions

Research Findings on Braille Reading in Japanese

Research Findings on Braille Reading in Japanese

Leveraging the Snap Buckling of Bistable Magnetic Shells to Design a Refreshable Braille Dot

AbstractA design concept is proposed for the building block, adot, of programmable braille readers utilizing bistable shell buckling, magnetic actuation, and pneumatic loading. The design process is guided by Finite Element simulations, which are initially validated through precision experiments conducted on a scaled‐up, single‐shell model system. Then, the simulations are leveraged to systematically explore the design space, adhering to the standardized geometric and physical specifications of braille systems. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of selecting design parameters that satisfy both geometric requirements and blocking forces under moderate magnetic fields, facilitated by pneumatic loading to switch between the two stable states. While the study is focused on experimentally validated numerical simulations, it is also identify several manufacturing challenges that need to be resolved for future physical implementations .

Adaptation of food guideline messages for the visually impaired in Lima, Peru: a validation experience.

This article aims to describe the design and validation process of food guideline messages written in the braille reading and writing system for people with visual impairment. The process involved the following stages: i) design and elaboration of the material containing the food guideline messages, as well as its adaptation to the format; ii) technical validation with representatives of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (CONADIS); and iii) operational validation through focus groups with children, adolescents and adults with visual disabilities who can read braille. The participants agreed on the legibility, clarity and comprehension of the messages and approved the format of the material. Finally, it should be noted that the participation of key informants and people with visual impairment in all stages was important for the development of an informative material with healthy eating messages in braille.

Developmental plasticity of the structural network of the occipital cortex in congenital blindness.

The occipital cortex is the visual processing center in the mammalian brain. An unanswered scientific question pertains to the impact of congenital visual deprivation on the development of various profiles within the occipital network. To address this issue, we recruited 30 congenitally blind participants (8 children and 22 adults) as well as 31 sighted participants (10 children and 21 adults). Our investigation focused on identifying the gray matter regions and white matter connections within the occipital cortex, alongside behavioral measures, that demonstrated different developmental patterns between blind and sighted individuals. We discovered significant developmental changes in the gray matter regions and white matter connections of the occipital cortex among blind individuals from childhood to adulthood, in comparison with sighted individuals. Moreover, some of these structures exhibited cognitive functional reorganization. Specifically, in blind adults, the posterior occipital regions (left calcarine fissure and right middle occipital gyrus) showed reorganization of tactile perception, and the forceps major tracts were reorganized for braille reading. These plastic changes in blind individuals may be attributed to experience-dependent neuronal apoptosis, pruning, and myelination. These findings provide valuable insights into the longitudinal neuroanatomical and cognitive functional plasticity of the occipital network following long-term visual deprivation.

Determining the Reading Comprehension Levels of Students Who are Braille-Readers on Informative Texts

The purpose of this study was to determine the reading comprehension levels of middle school students who are braille readers in informational texts and to examine whether they differ in terms of certain variables. 23 of the participants were male and 16 were female; 11 of them were attending 6th grade, 18 were attending 7th grade, 10 were attending 8th grade. The data of the study were collected through the 'Reading Comprehension Achievement Test', which was prepared by the researchers and included 24 open-ended questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics analysis and one-way analysis of variance test. The significance level of p0.05 was taken into consideration in the interpretation of the results obtained from the statistical tests conducted in the study. As a result of the study, middle school students who are braille readers needed to improve their reading comprehension performance in informative texts. The study also found that using braille abbreviations had a great effect on reading comprehension. Findings showed that the reading comprehension levels of male and female students who read braille were similar to each other and the reading comprehension levels of students who read braille were similar to each other regardless of their grade level.

Reading Braille by Touch Recruits Posterior Parietal Cortex.

Blind readers use a tactile reading system consisting of raised dot arrays: braille/⠃⠗⠇. How do human brains implement reading by touch? The current study looked for signatures of reading-specific orthographic processes in braille, separate from low-level somatosensory responses and semantic processes. Of specific interest were responses in posterior parietal cortices (PPCs), because of their role in high-level tactile perception. Congenitally blind, proficient braille readers read real words and pseudowords by touch while undergoing fMRI. We leveraged the system of contractions in English braille, where one braille cell can represent multiple English print letters (e.g., "ing" ⠬, "one" ⠐⠕), making it possible to separate physical and orthographic word length. All words in the study consisted of four braille cells, but their corresponding Roman letter spellings varied from four to seven letters (e.g., "con-c-er-t" ⠒⠉⠻⠞. contracted: four cells; uncontracted: seven letters). We found that the bilateral supramarginal gyrus in the PPC increased its activity as the uncontracted word length increased. By contrast, in the hand region of primary somatosensory cortex (S1), activity increased as a function of a low-level somatosensory feature: dot-number per word. The PPC also showed greater response to pseudowords than real words and distinguished between real and pseudowords in multivariate-pattern analysis. Parieto-occipital, early visual and ventral occipito-temporal, as well as prefrontal cortices also showed sensitivity to the real-versus-pseudoword distinction. We conclude that PPC is involved in orthographic processing for braille, that is, braille character and word recognition, possibly because of braille's tactile modality.

A comparative evaluation of sliding contact tactile systems displaying braille and raised print

BACKGROUND: Access to low-cost tactile displays that allow sliding contact between text and reading fingers remains a challenge for blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. This impedes the widespread learning of braille and tactile reading. Previous work demonstrated a high accuracy in the tactile reading of braille and raised print presented at varying refresh rates. OBJECTIVE: This work compares the most suitable spacing between embossed characters on a sliding contact tactile display for the accurate reading of words. METHODS: Two discs, differing in inter-character spacing (ICS), embossed with braille on one side and raised print on the reverse side are used here. MNREAD sentences are read for a period of 5 minutes by 17 participants, who are visually impaired, using both discs. RESULTS: The results show that an ICS of 8 mm is sufficient for reading braille with a low percentage error rate of 6.4. However, an ICS of 8 mm does not allow similar rates while reading raised print. CONCLUSION: The results presented here will be relevant towards the research that works towards the design of economical sliding contact tactile displays for BVI users.

The Pedagogic Competence of Non-Graduate Special Education Teachers : A Study of Instructional Supervision in Special Education School

This study aims to analyze the implementation of instructional supervision in developing the pedagogic competence of non-graduate special education class teachers at SLB YKK Pacitan dan SLB Negeri Ngadirojo. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study method. The data were obtained through interviews, observation, and study documentation. The validity of the data in this study had criteria for credibility and confirmability. Analysis of the data used was data collection, data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The results of this study showed that; 1) The planning stage of instructional supervision by forming a supervision team, analyzing the previous year's learning supervision, and compiling a learning supervision program. 2) Implementation of instructional supervision using individual techniques and collaborative approaches. 3) Follow-up instructional supervision by guiding using learning media, understanding various characteristics of children with special needs, guiding teachers in using sign language and reading braille, and involving teachers in various training and workshops.

Reading styles modulate perceptual roles of the hands in bimanual braille reading

Reading styles modulate perceptual roles of the hands in bimanual braille reading