Braillee
"Thank you very much for the great willingness of your company to help us in this way."
Michal Tkáčik, The Slovak library for the blind of Matej Hrebenda in Levoča
Conceived and developed by Hotovo, Braillee, is a complex library that contains rules for converting Latin letters of various languages into braille. It supports both literary (6-point) and computer (8-point) braille notation and contains rules for diacritics (accents), punctuation, and specialized characters used in scientific, technical, musical, and foreign language contexts. The application creates a library that can be inserted into popular screen readers such as JAWS and NVDA.
The main task was to create a tool that would allow the visually impaired to define and update a digital braille language library that could include a wider range of characters, including those used in specialized fields such as mathematics and science. Traditional braille translation tables built into screen readers do not include many specialized characters, making their usage very limited and difficult for visually impaired people who need these symbols.
The goal was to provide an intuitive and user-friendly application that allows users to easily manage and update braille translation tables according to their specific needs. Hotovo started this project with a determination and commitment to solving real problems for the visually impaired community. The idea for Braillee came spontaneously during a local Living Library event, where members of the Hotovo team met a blind musician who was struggling with the limitations of creating braille lyrics using existing software.
Reflecting Hotovo's company culture of problem-solving and community involvement, our team of programmers began developing a new software in their spare time, working closely with the Slovak Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted. Using our technical background, enthusiasm and years of experience in software development, we worked to create a practical and effective solution.
From inception to launch and throughout the development of Braillee, Hotovo focused on several key responsibilities:
- Designing and coding the application to ensure it met the needs of visually impaired users.
- Developing an intuitive and user-friendly interface to ensure the software is accessible and practical.
- Conducting thorough testing with real users from the Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union to gather feedback, validate features, and make necessary adjustments for optimal usability and functionality.
- Providing ongoing technical support and updates to ensure the software remains functional and up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and user needs. Continuously adding new features and improvements based on user feedback and evolving needs.
- Offering the software with a voluntary pricing model, to make it accessible to as many people as possible while also supporting ongoing maintenance and improvements.
The result of Hotovo's work is a tool that significantly improves visually impaired users’ capabilities for using the braille language digitally:
- Accessibility: Braillee makes it easier for visually impaired individuals to manage and update braille translation tables, by accommodating a wide range of specialized characters.
- User-friendly interface: The software's intuitive design allows users to easily insert and update characters without needing extensive technical skills.
- Community impact: By offering the software at a voluntary price, Braillee is accessible to a broad audience, improving communication and quality of life for many.
- Increased independence: The software promotes greater independence among users by allowing them to update and manage their own braille translation tables without needing to rely on sighted assistance or programmers.
- Support: By enabling the ability to add and update translation tables for specialized symbols, Braillee supports visually impaired users in fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), where the use of (and access to) specific characters is crucial.
- Preservation: Braillee contributes to the preservation and accessibility of braille literature by making it easier to transcribe and digitize texts, ensuring that important works are available for future generations.
- Find out more at www.braillee.com
The development of Braillee is an ongoing project, with future updates and improvements planned based on user feedback and technological advances. Our goal is to continue to improve the software, add new features, and expand its capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the visually impaired community.
Future enhancements may include:
- Expanding support to include more languages, making Braillee useful for a wider audience.
- Using large language models and artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy of text recognition and translation.
- Continuously improving the user interface and user experience to ensure that the app remains intuitive and easy to use.
- Adding new features based on user feedback, such as support for more specialized symbols and characters, improved dictionary management, and more editing tools.
In addition to the continued development of the Braillee app, we have also started creating another product to assist the visually impaired community, which can be used independently or alongside Braillee: DotSight Scanner.
The main purpose of the DotSight Scanner is to facilitate easy digitalization of existing braille texts, further enabling better accessibility to, and preservation of, braille texts. Our commitment to both continually evolving the Braillee app and developing other technology for the visually impaired reflects Hotovo's dedication to innovating and supporting this community. We will continue to listen to our users, implement their suggestions, and leverage the latest technological advances to ensure that Braillee remains a valuable tool for those who rely on braille for communication and education.
