Refreshable Braille displays

Meaning

They are called refreshable because the unit comprises a line of pins that move up and down to display the Braille dots. Braille displays also have navigation keys that allow the user to move around the computer screen without taking his or her hands from the display to perform tasks.

Background

Paperless braille or refreshable braille display allows braille users to read text from a digital screen. By its very essence, a refreshable braille display is a smart device that produces braille when connected to a PC, tablet or smartphone.

1975: Papenmeier Reha undertook a development program with Dr. Werner Boldt of Dortmund University, Germany, and in 1975 produced the BRAILLEX, an electronic device with a refreshable Braille display.

1982: The VersaBraille, by Telesensory, is the first refreshable Braille display available in the United States.

2000: PulseData International and HumanWare release the BrailleNote line of notetakers with Braille and QWERTY keyboards and synthesized speech, and a refreshable Braille display.

2004: HumanWare, formerly PulseData, launches the Brailliant 20 and 40, the first refreshable Braille displays with Bluetooth.

A complete timeline is available through the National Federation of the Blind.

Alternatives

Refreshable braille displays are also sometimes called Paperless braille.

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