Sample for a keyboard for deaf-and-blind people with tactile letters made of cellular rubber and wood
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A barcode keyboard in conjunction with tactile letters can be helpful for the first-communication with adult deaf-and-blind people. Since creating barcodes is very inexpensive, its usage for a keyboard can be performed also in countries where someone is not able to afford a special keyboard under normal circumstances.
The barcode keyboard can be made of any materials (e.g. paperboard, paper, synthetics, metal, wood), since barcodes can be also printed on labels. Paper can be also laminated.
Sample for a keyboard for deaf-and-blind people with tactile letters made of
cellular rubber and wood
In order that deaf-and-blind people receive a tactile response whether reading
of a barcode has been successful or not, there is the freeware software
KeyAction*)
which sends a signal via the USB interface to a vibrator
(can be also built yourself with a small vibrator motor (Vibrating Mini Motor Disc, about
2,10 EURO) which is soldered to a USB plug).
In order to switch the motor on/off via USB, we used the "USB 3.0 Connect" by the company Cleware in Germany.
The freeware editor software Scriptable Editor has an integrated scripting language which makes the text content accessible to the deaf-and-blind person in a tactile way via an USB switcher (e.g. "USB 3.0 Connect" by the company Cleware in Germany) and a vibrator, e.g. the above mentioned Vibrating Mini Motor Disc. A vibration or combination of vibrations can be assigned to every letter, and the automatic reading of a line, in which the keyboard caret is positioned currently, can be triggered by a hotkey.
Therefore, my barcode keyboard with tactile letters is the last component of a whole system for the first-communication with deaf-and-blind people.
By this whole system, a more easier system than Lormen or braille script is available. Many affected persons become deaf-and-blind not until in the great age and are not capable to learn complicated systems like Lormen or braille script anymore.
*)
License agreement
The delivered software is protected by copyright laws.
The author is not liable for consequential, incidential or indirect
damages of any kind which arise out of the use of the software.