Improving the accessibility of touchscreen-based mobile devices: Integrating Android-based devices and Braille notetakers

Abstract

The article presents the concept and pilot implementation of wireless (Blutetooth-based) integration of the Braille notetaker environment and the environment of touchscreen-based devices (such as smartphones) operating under the Android system. Advanced functions of Android-based devices are hardly accessible to the blind using a touchscreen; one aim of such integration is to enable accessing them with a notetaker. Another is to allow the blind who work with notetakers on a daily basis and use common touchscreen-based smartphones and tablets to write using the physical Braille keyboard of a notetaker as well as its editing functions; this would solve many problems encountered and prevent numerous errors made by the blind when using the virtual QWERTY keyboard of a touchscreen-based device. Pilot implementation of the concept included developing a communication protocol for a notetaker operated under Windows CE and an Android-based smartphone; services to be provided to notetakers by smartphones have been developed as well. The implemented services dealt with managing contacts and composing messages - operations that normally require considerable interaction with a QWERTY keyboard. Favourable results of initial research on pilot implementation conducted among the blind indicate a need for further development of this concept.