Braille Reading Research Articles

What makes somatosensory short-term memory maintenance effective? An EEG study comparing contralateral delay activity between sighted participants and participants who are blind

Somatosensory short-term memory is essential for object recognition, sensorimotor learning, and, especially, Braille reading for people who are blind. This study examined how visual sensory deprivation and a compensatory focus on somatosensory information influences memory processes in this domain. We measured slow cortical negativity developing during short-term tactile memory maintenance (tactile contralateral delay activity, tCDA) in frontal and somatosensory areas while a sample of 24 sighted participants and 22 participants who are blind completed a tactile change-detection task where varying loads of Braille pin patterns served as stimuli. Auditory cues, appearing at varying latencies between sample arrays, could be used to reduce memory demands during maintenance. Participants who are blind (trained Braille readers) outperformed sighted participants behaviorally. In addition, while task-related frontal activation featured in both groups, participants who are blind uniquely showed higher tCDA amplitudes specifically over somatosensory areas. The site specificity of this component's functional relevance in short-term memory maintenance was further supported by somatosensory tCDA amplitudes first correlating across the whole sample with behavioral performance, and secondly showing sensitivity to varying memory load. The results substantiate sensory recruitment models and provide new insights into the effects of visual sensory deprivation on tactile processing. Between-group differences in the interplay between frontal and somatosensory areas during somatosensory maintenance also suggest that efficient maintenance of complex tactile stimuli in short-term memory is primarily facilitated by lateralized activity in somatosensory cortex.

Assessing the impact of auditory media on Braille reading and writing skills: The case of elementary school students who are blind in Sudan

This study explores the impact of using auditory media in school curricula on the braille-related skills of students who are blind at a Sudanese school. Three sets of braille-related skills (6-dot braille writing, Arabic alphabet writing, and Arabic text reading) were used to evaluate and compare the students’ ability to read braille versus listening to text via audio media. The purpose of testing full cells of braille writing was to determine writing speed while that of testing braille writing of the Arabic alphabet was to examine students’ accuracy and proficiency in writing. Arabic text reading was tested to determine braille-reading speed. The three braille-related skills were evaluated for a total of 34 students in two groups (Group 1: grades 3 and 4; Group 2: grades 5–8), but the listening speed test was only administered to the second group. T-tests were used to compare the results for the braille-related tests with those for the listening speed test to determine whether braille-related skills were affected by the use of auditory media when accessing school curricula in the early grades of elementary school. The statistical results indicated there were significant differences between the two groups in 6-dot writing and Arabic text reading, whereas there was no significant difference in Arabic alphabet writing. As mastery of braille is an integrated process that requires instruction towards the parallel development of all braille-related skills, the ratio of instructional time devoted to listening compared to that devoted to braille may require adjustment.

Sensory modality and spoken language shape reading network in blind readers of Braille.

The neural basis of reading is highly consistent across many languages and scripts. Are there alternative neural routes to reading? How does the sensory modality of symbols (tactile vs. visual) influence their neural representations? We examined these questions by comparing reading of visual print (sighted group, n= 19) and tactile Braille (congenitally blind group, n= 19). Blind and sighted readers were presented with written (words, consonant strings, non-letter shapes) and spoken stimuli (words, backward speech) that varied in word-likeness. Consistent with prior work, the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) was active during Braille and visual reading. A posterior/anterior vOTC word-form gradient was observed only in sighted readers with more anterior regions preferring larger orthographic units (words). No such gradient was observed in blind readers. Consistent with connectivity predictions, in blind compared to sighted readers, posterior parietal cortices were recruited to a greater degree and contained word-preferring patches. Lateralization of Braille in blind readers was predicted by laterality of spoken language and reading hand. The effect of spoken language increased along a cortical hierarchy, whereas effect of reading hand waned. These results suggested that the neural basis of reading is influenced by symbol modality and spoken language and support connectivity-based views of cortical function.

Raeding with the fingres: Towards a universal model of letter position coding

Letter position coding in word recognition has been widely investigated in the visual modality (e.g., labotarory is confusable with laboratory), but not as much in the tactile modality using braille, leading to an incomplete understanding of whether this process is modality-dependent. Unlike sighted readers, braille readers do not show a transposed-letter similarity effect with nonadjacent transpositions (e.g., labotarory = labodanory; Perea et al., 2012). While this latter finding was taken to suggest that the flexibility in letter position coding was due to visual factors (e.g., perceptual uncertainty in the location of visual objects (letters)), it is necessary to test whether transposed-letter effects occur with adjacent letters to reach firm conclusions. Indeed, in the auditory modality (i.e., another serial modality), a transposed-phoneme effect occurs for adjacent but not for nonadjacent transpositions. In a lexical decision task, we examined whether pseudowords created by transposing two adjacent letters of a word (e.g., laboartory) are more confusable with their base word (laboratory) than pseudowords created by replacing those letters (laboestory) in braille. Results showed that transposed-letter pseudowords produced more errors and slower responses than the orthographic controls. Thus, these findings suggest that the mechanism of serial order, while universal, can be shaped by the sensory modality at play.

The impact of teaching summary writing strategy on reading comprehension: A case study of braille reading student

Bu çalışmada braille okuyan bir öğrenciye özet yazma strateji öğretiminin okuduğunu anlama performansı üzerine etkisinin araştırılması ve öğrencinin stratejiye ve öğretim sürecine yönelik görüşlerinin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışma, nitel araştırma desenlerinden vaka (durum) çalışması desenine göre planlanmıştır. Katılımcı, 12 yaş 3 aylık olup genel eğitim okulunun özel eğitim 4. sınıfına devam eden bir erkek öğrencidir. Araştırmada gerçekleştirilen değerlendirmeler ve öğretim süreçleri, öğrencinin devam ettiği özel eğitim ve rehabilitasyon merkezinin bireysel eğitim sınıflarının birinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada, değerlendirme oturumları, öğretim oturumları ve sosyal geçerlik verilerinin toplanması araştırmanın birinci yazarı tarafından gerçekleştirilmiştir. Öğretim öncesi ve öğretim sonrasında öğrencinin okuduğunu anlama performansını belirlemek için seçilen 3 metne yönelik okuduğunu anlama testleri hazırlanmıştır. Sosyal geçerlik verileri ise araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen ‘Sosyal Geçerlik Formu’ ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma, öğretim öncesi değerlendirme, öğretime hazırlık (1 oturum), model olma (3 oturum), rehberli uygulama (3 oturum), bağımsız uygulama (3 oturum) ve öğretim sonrası değerlendirme aşamalarında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, öğrencinin öğretim öncesi 1. testten aldığı okuduğunu anlama puanının 20, 2. testten aldığı okuduğunu anlama puanının 15, 3. testten aldığı okuduğunu anlama puanının 50 olduğu görülmüştür. Öğrenciye 10 oturum yapılan özet yazma stratejisi öğretiminin ardından, öğretim sonrası aynı testler tekrar uygulanmıştır. Öğrencinin öğretim sonrasında 1. testten 80, 2. testten 82 ve 3. testten 98 aldığı görülmüştür. Dolayısıyla yapılan özet yazma strateji öğretiminin öğrencinin okuduğunu anlama performansına olumlu katkıları/etkileri olduğu söylenebilir. Son olarak öğrenci ile yapılan görüşme sonucunda öğrencinin stratejiye ve stratejinin öğretim sürecine ilişkin olumlu görüşler bildirdiği görülmüştür.

Naturalistic stimuli reveal a sensitive period in cross modal responses of visual cortex: Evidence from adult-onset blindness

How do life experiences impact cortical function? In people who are born blind, the “visual” cortices are recruited during nonvisual tasks, such as Braille reading and sound localization. Do visual cortices have a latent capacity to respond to nonvisual information throughout the lifespan? Alternatively, is there a sensitive period of heightened plasticity that makes visual cortex repurposing especially possible during childhood? To gain insight into these questions, we leveraged meaningful naturalistic auditory stimuli to simultaneously engage a broad range of cognitive domains and quantify cross-modal responses across congenitally blind (n = 22), adult-onset blind (vision loss >18 years-of-age, n = 14) and sighted (n = 22) individuals. During fMRI scanning, participants listened to two types of meaningful naturalistic auditory stimuli: excerpts from movies and a spoken narrative. As controls, participants heard the same narrative with the sentences shuffled and the narrative played backwards (i.e., meaningless sounds). We correlated the voxel-wise timecourses of different participants within condition and group. For all groups, all stimulus conditions induced synchrony in auditory cortex while only the narrative stimuli synchronized responses in higher-cognitive fronto-parietal and temporal regions. As previously reported, inter-subject synchrony in visual cortices was higher in congenitally blind than sighted blindfolded participants and this between-group difference was particularly pronounced for meaningful stimuli (movies and narrative). Critically, visual cortex synchrony was no higher in adult-onset blind than sighted blindfolded participants and did not increase with blindness duration. Sensitive period plasticity enables cross-modal repurposing in visual cortices.

Convolutional Neural Network Based Real Time Arabic Speech Recognition to Arabic Braille for Hearing and Visually Impaired.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a group of theoretically inspired computer structures for analyzing and modeling clearly going on texts at one or extra degrees of linguistic evaluation to acquire human-like language processing for quite a few activities and applications. Hearing and visually impaired people are unable to see entirely or have very low vision, as well as being unable to hear completely or having a hard time hearing. It is difficult to get information since both hearing and vision, which are crucial organs for receiving information, are harmed. Hearing and visually impaired people are considered to have a substantial information deficit, as opposed to people who just have one handicap, such as blindness or deafness. Visually and hearing-impaired people who are unable to communicate with the outside world may experience emotional loneliness, which can lead to stress and, in extreme cases, serious mental illness. As a result, overcoming information handicap is a critical issue for visually and hearing-impaired people who want to live active, independent lives in society. The major objective of this study is to recognize Arabic speech in real time and convert it to Arabic text using Convolutional Neural Network-based algorithms before saving it to an SD card. The Arabic text is then translated into Arabic Braille characters, which are then used to control the Braille pattern via a Braille display with a solenoid drive. The Braille lettering triggered on the finger was deciphered by visually and hearing challenged participants who were proficient in Braille reading. The CNN, in combination with the ReLU model learning parameters, is fine-tuned for optimization, resulting in a model training accuracy of 90%. The tuned parameters model's testing results show that adding the ReLU activation function to the CNN model improves recognition accuracy by 84 % when speaking Arabic digits.

Braille House – 125 years of the unseen library

Braille House's mission has not changed in 125 years: "To provide braille tuition and reading material to empower people who are blind or who have low vision to live with dignity and independence".

Using Appropriate Assessment to Plan Braille Literacy Instruction

To be effective teachers of literacy for students who read braille, we need to know what our students’ strengths and needs are as all these components come together in braille literacy. Using an appropriate assessment that addresses the skill sets involved in braille literacy is critical to putting together effective intervention packages for our students. The first author used the Kamei-Hannan and Ricci Reading Assessment (2015) and the Braille Reading Analysis Chart (Harley, et al., 1997) to determine areas of need for a student in grade 2 in a braille literacy program. Needs included: identifying ending sounds and naming final letters and sounds; basic decoding of short and long vowel sounds; recognizing sight words; and identifying letters. Specific miscue patterns in tactile perception (reversals) were identified. Information gathered from these assessments was used to develop a targeted intervention package and informed the development of a balanced literacy program for this student. Following a period of implementation, data showed evidence of overall improvement in braille literacy skills.

Impact of innovative packaging on the attitudes and purchase intention of visually impaired and blind consumers: The case of Algeria

Visually impaired or blind person faces many challenges in their daily activities, including purchasing medicines. To overcome this limitation; there is an innovative braille reading and writing system that has been introduced in the labelling of the packaging of pharmaceutical products. The aim of this research is to measure the impact of innovative Braille-labelled pharmaceutical packaging on the attitudes and purchase intention of visually impaired and blind consumers. We adopted quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative research aims to obtain measurable data in relation to the attitudes and purchase intention of visually impaired and blind consumers, on a sample of 72 visually impaired and blind people. Whereas, the qualitative research allowed us to investigate the opinions leaders: doctors in chemist, in relation to the current situation of visually impaired and blind consumers, in the field semi-structured interviews with 6 pharmacy doctors, exploring the importance of Braille labelling of packaging for pharmaceuticals product. The results allowed us to validate the hypotheses; Packaging for pharmaceutical products labelled in the Braille system has a positive effect on the attitudes of visually impaired and blind consumers. Packaging for pharmaceutical products labelled in Braille has a positive effect on the purchase intention of visually impaired and blind consumers. Attitudes have a positive effect on the purchase intention of visually impaired and blind consumers. The results allowed us to highlight the views of doctors in chemists regarding the importance of introducing Braille labelling into the design of pharmaceutical packaging.

A Braille Reading System Based on Electrotactile Display With Flexible Electrode Array

Due to visual impairment and lack of social attention, the reading problem of the blind has not been well resolved. Many existing Braille reading devices still have many problems and are not accepted by the public. This paper developed a portable Braille reading system based on electrotactile display technology. The proposed system is composed of a six-channel electrotactile stimulator, a flexible electrode array for Braille display and a graphical user interface (GUI) for monitoring and control. Based on the flexibility of the system, two Braille reading strategies have been designed: spatial mode and sequential mode. The system was preliminary tested by six sighted subjects. The results showed that subjects were able to recognize Braille characters with more than 80% accuracy within less than 10 seconds for the initial use. Compared to existing Braille reading systems, this system is portable, wearable and flexible in control.

The Word Length Effect on Text Reading Via the Braille Code

ABSTRACT Purpose The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of word length, word frequency and number of syllables on graphemic errors during a text-reading task via the braille code. Method Thirty students with severe visual impairments participated in the present study. They were invited individually to read aloud a number of texts via the braille code for forty-five minutes beginning from the text that corresponded to their equivalent reading level. Results A binary logistic regression analysis revealed a word length effect on long words but not on short or medium words indicating that despite the gradual insertion of the braille characters, the braille readers were able to efficiently process large perceptual units. Moreover, braille readers produced three times more graphemic errors in the second half of the long words compared to the first half, while the students who attended secondary education performed more graphemic errors when they read short words compared to students enrolled in primary education. Conclusion The presence of the word length effect only on long words indicates that text reading via the braille code is mostly, but not exclusively, in parallel.

Towards a Universal Mathematical Braille Notation

Introduction: Across the world, mathematical expressions are represented very differently in braille. The aim of this study was (1) to gain an overall insight in mathematical braille notations and (2) to investigate how mathematical braille notations support braille readers in reading and comprehending mathematical expressions. Method: Twenty teachers from sixteen countries (thirteen European Union, EU, and three non-EU) were asked to transform 21 mathematical expressions and equations into the mathematical braille notation currently used by their braille readers. Three mathematical expressions were selected, and the transformed expressions in the different braille notations were qualitatively compared at braille and mathematical structure level. Results: The results illustrated that most mathematical braille notations use mathematical structures that either support braille readers in getting an overview of an expression—for example, by announcing the start and end of a fraction—or facilitate communication between braille readers and people who can see. Discussion: The method of comparing transformed expressions at structure level can be extended to other types of mathematical expressions and other mathematical braille notations. Agreement on the structure of different mathematical expressions can be a first step towards a universal mathematical braille notation. Implications for Practitioners: Mathematics teachers should be aware of and use the strengths of the mathematical braille notation and try to compensate for weaknesses of the notation in the support of braille readers.

Functional and volumetric cortico-cerebellar alterations in congenital blind children associated with language processing

IntroductionVisual deprivation affects learning and cognition, and maybe associated with structural and functional changes in the cerebral and cerebellar areas. We explored the role of the cerebellum in sensory-motor integration with the visual cortex and their correlation with education duration and age of onset. MethodologyT1W MRI and two functional tasks (Braille reading and auditory semantics (synonyms and antonyms)) were acquired using a 3T MR scanner in twenty congenital blind (CB) subjects and twenty sighted controls (SC), and analysis was done with the SUIT and CONN tools respectively. ResultsVolumetric changes were observed in the vermis, crus I, II, cerebellum 45,6,3,7b,8b, and posterior cerebral areas of CB compared to SC. ROI analysis for auditory tasks revealed increased functional connectivity (FC) between the posterior cerebellar network, salience network, and language network, and reduced FC between the posterior cerebellar network and default mode network. For both the functional tasks, FC was increased between language regions and bilateral Cerebellum regions (crus I, crus II, cerebellum 45). DiscussionIncreased BOLD activity in cerebellum, visual cortex, and language areas; intact connectivity between the visual and language networks; a positive correlation between the duration of education and functional cluster coefficient and changes in volume suggest integrated semantic language processing by the cerebellum, visual cortex, and language networks indicating functional and structural plasticity of cerebellum. ConclusionThe cerebellum exhibits neural plasticity for processing auditory perception and Braille reading and supports the visual cortex after visual deprivation. Education enhances sensory-motor coordination in congenital blind participants.

How Many Braille Readers? Policy, Politics, and Perception

Introduction This study involved a systematic literature review to document the sources behind publications and citations that comprise knowledge about rates of braille usage/literacy among people with visual impairments in the United States. Methods Predefined search criteria were used to extract publications that potentially mentioned claims about braille literacy and usage rates, dating back as far as the early 20th century. Systematic analyses narrowed the set of publications to a collection of 95 articles and manuscripts that made specific statements about the prevalence of braille readership. Results The analysis revealed that even in peer-reviewed publications, many claims about braille literacy are made without citations to dependable sources. All identified citations used as the basis for braille literacy rates since the 1970s can be traced back to two primary sources: a National Library Service report from 1979 and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Federal Quota data (which should not be used as a source for braille literacy rates). Discussion This research explains the source of the often-cited “10%” statistic. The findings also challenge the field to question the bases for statements about braille literacy rates, including asking, “What do we mean by braille literacy?” Implications for Practitioners There is no current source of data that succinctly measures braille literacy rates in the United States, and there are no data that explain whether braille literacy rates are rising or declining. Making effective, data-based decisions requires asking the right questions and being informed readers of research in the field of visual impairment.

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators and Optical Character Recognition in a Braille Display

The purpose of this study was the development and experimental validation of a novel portable tactile braille reading device. This design aimed to address the lack of quality braille reading material in South African schools dedicated to the blind and visually impaired. The design was divided into four subsystems: the actuation of the refreshable braille display, the mechanical design of the hand mounted device, the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software and the electronic control system. The objectives of the study included the design of the electrical, mechanical and software subsystems of the device with emphasis on miniaturisation and a low-cost design, as well as the experimental validation of the haptic feedback and OCR subsystems. The system validation focussed on the experimental analysis of the OCR software design and the Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) utilised in the refreshable display. The performance of low-cost elastomer and electrode materials were experimentally assessed during the design of the miniature DEAs. The ideal material combination for the proposed application was identified as a VHB4910 acrylic film lined with MG Chemicals 846 carbon grease. The largest vertical deflections of the diaphragm-type DEA were attained with a stipple-based electrode application, with the elastomer prestrained to 300 % initial area. The OCR program analysis indicated that multiple character recognition was more efficient and less prone to inaccuracies than the initially proposed single character recognition method. The integration of OCR software with miniature DEAs served as a novel approach to text-to-braille transcription.

Smart Navigation for Visually Impaired people using Artificial Intelligence

This research introduces a blind aid that uses a live object recognition system. People who are blind or partially sighted rely significantly on their other senses, such as touch and auditory cues, to comprehend their surroundings. There is a need to deploy a technology that assists visually impaired persons in their daily routines, as there is now very little aid. Existing solutions, such as Screen Reading software and Braille devices, assist visually impaired individuals in reading and gaining access to numerous gadgets. However, these technologies are rendered worthless When the blind need to perform basic activities like recognizing the situation before them, such as recognizing people or objects, technologies become ineffective. This method will benefit blind or visually challenged all across the world. The goal is to help a person with total or partial blindness obtain a second set of eyesight without the assistance of a guardian, allowing them to live a better and more independent life. This project outlines working to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment, focusing on assistive technology that provides services, resources, and information to those with visual disabilities.

An exploratory study to improve reading and comprehending mathematical expressions in braille

Braille readers read and comprehend mathematical expressions while moving their fingertips over braille characters. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the effect of an intervention that teaches braille readers who use a braille display to use finger movements with a focus on the expression’s mathematical structure. The finger movements involved movements where the two index fingers are about one or two braille cells apart and movements where the index fingers explore different parts of the expression. We investigated to what extent the intervention supports an interplay between finger movements and the expression’s mathematical structure to make the process of calculating the value of an expression easier and to make braille readers more aware of the expression’s structure. Three braille readers, respectively in Grades 7, 8, and 11, received the intervention consisting of five individual lessons. During the pre-, post-, and retention test, the braille readers’ finger movements were video recorded, as well as the time needed to read and process the mathematical tasks. Four expressions were selected for further analysis. The results show that during the posttest, each braille reader required at least 29% less time to read and process the expressions. The retention test results were even better. Scanpaths indicated that braille readers picked up features of mathematical structures more easily after the intervention. Based on our findings, we recommend that braille readers receive lessons in tactile reading strategies that support the reading and processing of mathematical expressions and equations.

Exploring Correlates of Braille Reading Performance in Working-age and Older Adults with Visual Impairments

ABSTRACT Tactile, motor and cognitive capacities decline with age, but little is known about how this relates to braille reading outcomes. This study investigated correlates of braille reading speed among working-age and older adults. Texts were read in two modes (oral/silent) and two media (paper/electronic braille display) by 46 blind adults (age range 23–88) who learned braille between the ages of 4 and 63. Participants completed demographic questionnaires and tests of tactile acuity, fine-motor dexterity and working-memory. A relationship between decreased performance in tactile sensitivity and increased age was observed, but no relationship between increased age and braille reading speed was found. Active tactile acuity, reading frequency and braille learning age were significantly correlated with braille reading speed. No significant difference based on medium was observed, though silent reading was significantly faster than reading aloud. Findings underscore the importance of providing opportunities for older braille learners to secure training and to have frequent opportunities to practice braille between sessions. Findings also challenge the suggestion that increased age alone will impede braille learning. The most significant barrier faced by older braille learners is not their age, but challenges that could instead be addressed through policy and practice changes.

Surface Texture Recognition by Deep Learning‐Enhanced Tactile Sensing

Tactile perception is a primary sensing channel for both humans and robots to be conscious of the surface properties of an object. Due to the unique functionalities of mechanoreceptors in human skin, humans can easily distinguish materials with different surface characteristics (e.g., compressibility, roughness, etc.) by simply pressing and sliding the fingertip over the samples. However, how to achieve such delicate texture recognition for robots remains an open challenge due to the lack of skin‐comparable tactile sensing systems and smart pattern recognition algorithms. Herein, a novel texture recognition method is proposed by designing an arc‐shaped soft tactile sensor and a bidirectional long short‐term memory (LSTM) model with the attention mechanism. By using the proposed method, a respective recognition accuracy of 97% for Braille characters and 99% for 60 types of fabrics have been achieved, revealing the effectiveness of our method in surface texture recognition and the potential benefit to various applications, such as Braille reading for visually impaired people and defect detection in the textile industry.