Screenshot of the VoiceOver Playground Braille Game, Leaping letters. A frog sitting on a rock beside a pond with a lily pad displaying the letter
Guide

VoiceOver Playground app: Braille games, Part 4

An app with a tutorial and games to teach emerging readers how to use a braille display paired with an iPad!

The first post, VoiceOver Playground: Games that teach VoiceOver post, introduced the exciting new app designed to teach VoiceOver gestures, concepts and basic braille display reading, writing and editing commands to students ages 3 – 8. In Part 2 of this series, we took a deeper look into the Teaching Tool with its Skills, Help documents and lesson video tutorials for educators and parents and interactive lessons for students. In Part 3, we took a closer look at the games associated with the various skills. In this post, we’ll focus on the braille games.

Refreshable braille display

A braille display is a device that enables braille readers to easily interact with a computer, tablet or smart phone. Students can use the braille display to read and write in braille. There are several different brands and sizes of braille displays. The Help document and videos are based on the Brailliant BI 20X; although, any braille display will work with this app. To learn more about braille displays, how to pair the Brailliant BI 20X with an iPad and other braille display-related information, open the Braille Documentation on the home screen of VoiceOver Playground Braille Games app.

When to Introduce a Braille Display

Ideally the student should have foundation knowledge of dot numbers (positions of dots 1-6) and should have some pre-braille knowledge. While not mandatory, it is helpful if the student has had some exposure to braille and to a Perkins-style braille writer, a swing-cell (a tool designed to help students understand the relationship between the positions of dots in the braille cell and the keys on a braille writer), and/or other tools. Ideally, the student should go through the VoiceOver Playground gesture lessons and games first, learning how to make a gesture and learning about the concepts (especially the spatial concepts) before being introduced to the braille display. Keep in mind that many students who are introduced to braille displays early, will learn braille letters because of learning the braille chord commands!

Resource

Braille dot numbers and Braille input keys

All the letters and numbers in the English alphabet are comprised from combinations of 6 dots. Grade 1 braille (also known as uncontracted braille) translates each print letter, number or punctuation mark into a braille sign. With Grade 2 braille (also known as contracted braille) a cell can represent a shortened form of a word. Many cells can be combined to represent common words. Because braille takes significantly more space than standard print, contractions are used to save space and time. 

The VoiceOver Playground app will only use Grade 1, uncontracted braille.

Braille Cell

A braille cell consists of six dots arranged in two parallel rows with each rowing having three dots. The dot positions are numbered 1-3 going down the first column and 4 – 6 down the second column. The raised braille cell is intentionally designed for a reader to feel all six dots under the pad of his/her finger. A refreshable braille display has an extra dot located at the bottom of each column.

Labeled braille cell (dots 1-6)

Braille input keys

The braille cell configuration with its 2×3 array (or 2×4 array on the braille display) is an awkward position if trying to physically type braille characters. Therefore, the braille display keyboard is in a different position; instead of 2×3, the braille keyboard is 8 keys in a row with the space bar below the input keys. The extra two keys (dot 7 and dot 8) on the braille display are used for navigation purposes. Starting on the left, the key numbers are 7, 3, 2, 1 for the left hand and 4, 5, 6, 8 for the right hand. The thumbs rest on the space bar.

Toddler's fingers on a braille display with input keys numbered and space bar labeled.

Chords

There are braille display commands that correspond with each gesture used to navigate and interact with the iPad, tablet, smartphone or computer. These commands will use a combination of braille dots pressed simultaneously with the space bar. If the braille combination is an actual braille letter, then it is referred by the letter name plus “chord”. Chord simply means that the space bar is pressed simultaneously with the dots.  For example: “P Chord” is the braille letter “p” and space (dots 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + space). The P Chord will pause or resume speech; it is the equivalent of a 2-finger tap gesture. The letter “P” was chosen as it is the first letter of the action (Pause).

Some braille display commands use a braille dot combinations do not create a braille letter, so these commands are referred to be the dot combinations plus space. Example: The braille display to move to the next rotor option is “5 + 6 + space”.

Resources

Blinking cursor

Standard braille cells have 6 dots per cell while the braille display has 8 dots per cell. On a braille display, dots 7 and 8 are the blinking cursor.

When you can type on the iPad you are in an editable text field and the iPad screen has a blinking visual I-beam cursor. The cursor indicates where you currently are in the document. The braille display also has a blinking cursor: dot 8 in the first cell and dot 7 in the second cell. These 2 dots move rapidly up and down, simulating a “blinking” cursor. The blinking cursor intentionally spans two braille cells; if inserting a letter, the letter will be between the two cells. When deleting a letter, the letter being deleted will be the letter in the cell that has the blinking dot 8. 

Typing Braille Letters

When typing braille letters with a braille display paired to an iPad, the braille letter will immediately appear on the refreshable braille display and will immediately be announced. However, the print letter does not appear on the iPad’s screen until either the space, punctuation symbol or a new line (E Chord, 1 + 5 + space) is typed. The space, punctuation or new line command is necessary due to braille rules for contractions; the software requires all the characters in the word to be typed before the software can back-translate into print. Adding the space, punctuation or new line indicates that you are finished typing that word.

As each braille letter is typed, the letter will be announced. Once the word is completed and after the space, punctuation or new line command is completed, the word will be announced. These announcements provide feedback that the letter and/or word was typed correctly. This is a great way for an emerging reader to learn braille letters and words, even when “scribbling” random dots using the braille display connected to the iPad. It is important that the child learn to listen to these announcements to confirm that the correct dots were used to create the desired letter and to know if the letter or word needs to be edited.

Editing with a Refreshable Braille Display

Editing using D Chord (Delete)

Every writer will make writing errors. This holds true for students who are writing braille using a braille display. The simple way to make corrections is to delete the desired characters and then retype them. The braille display uses the D Chord (1 + 4 + 5 + space) to delete the dots in the cell to the left of the blinking cursor. 

Example: The child typed “ran” but the word should be “run”. The dot 8 of the blinking cursor will be under the letter “n”. Make the D Chord to delete the “n”. Make the D Chord again to delete the “a”. Type in “un” then space.

Editing using Router Buttons

The more efficient way to edit the word is to navigate directly to the letter that should be deleted using the router button. (The router button is the small, raised round button above the braille cell.) Find the router button directly above the desired letter, then move one router button to the right and press it. Dot 8 of the blinking cursor will now be under the desired letter. Use D Chord to delete just that letter. Type in the desired letter and listen to the letter announcement. Now navigate to the end of the word pressing the router button above and one to the right of the last letter in the word. Add a space and listen to the word being announced.

Example: The child typed the word “ran” but the word should be “run”. Press the router button one above and to the right of the letter “a”. Dot 8 of the blinking cursor will now be under the letter “a”. Type the D Chord to delete the “a”. Type “u” and listen to the letter “u” being announced. Press the router button above and one to the right of the letter “n”. Dot 8 of the blinking cursor is now under the letter “n”. Press space to indicate that you are finished editing and listen to the word “run” announcement. The edited word will now appear in print on the iPad screen.

While this might sound like a lot of steps, it is the most efficient way of editing a word within a sentence or passage, as it does not require deleting and retyping all the words in the passage.

Resources

VoiceOver Playground Braille Games

Currently the VoiceOver Playground Braille Games include the interactive Braille Keyboard Tutorial, Leaping Letters game, Troubling signs game and three Braille help document.

Note: The videos were created with a beta version of the Braille Games. There are currently a few bugs that will be resolved before the app is released. In this beta version, menus cannot be navigated and buttons cannot be activated with braille display commands; however, swiping right or left will navigate the menus and double tapping will activate the buttons.

Braille Keyboard Tutorial

The interactive Braille Keyboard Tutorial first confirms that that VoiceOver is on and that the braille display is paired with the iPad. If VoiceOver is not on or if the braille display is not paired, the tutorial will provide instructions and video tutorials. Detailed information is also available in the Braille Display Help found by selecting the Braille Documentation button. VoiceOver must be on and the braille display must be paired before the student is able to go through the rest of the interactive tutorial and to play Leaping Letters and Troubling Signs games.

Note: In this beta version, there is a bug when typing the letter “a” to confirm that your braille display is paired with the iPad. Without that confirmation, you cannot move forward to the interactive tutorial that explains each of the basic braille display commands. (This bug has been resolved; however, at the time of this post being published, I do not have access to the updated app.)

Leaping Letters Game

The VoiceOver Playground Braille game, Leaping Letters, is designed to reinforce braille alphabet skills using the braille display. The game asks the child to type individual braille letters using a braille display. The game begins with Hoppy the Frog sitting on a rock beside a pond. The games asked the student to type a braille letter and announces the dots in that letter. The child presses the corresponding keys to produce the letter and the frog jumps to the next lily pad.

Timed Mode: The player is given 20 seconds to type as many letters correctly as possible. When a correct letter is typed and the space bar is pressed, 2 seconds is added to the game play. You do not have to wait for the dot combinations to be said – once you hear the letter announcement, begin typing!

Untimed Mode: The player is given three lives. If the wrong letter is typed, you lose a life. 

Remember, you must press the space bar after creating the letter!

Note: Listen carefully! After you type the letter, the game announces what you typed.

Leaping Letters Untimed Mode video:

Note: VoiceOver is on when playing the VoiceOver Playground Braille Games app. The VoiceOver speaking rate can be adjusted using the iPad’s controls, before playing the games by using the rotor (speaking rate > swipe up to speed up the VoiceOver Speaking rate or swipe down to slow down the speaking rate) or in the iPad’s Settings app (Accessibility > VoiceOver > Speaking rate slider).

Troubling Signs Game

The Troubling Signs Game is designed to provide students a fun way to practice editing skills, including using the routing buttons and delete commands. In this game, Type the Trickster has stolen the words from all of the city’s signs. Follow the Mayor around town and fix the signs to undo the evil Typo’s dastardly work!

There are two game modes in Troubling Signs: Writing and Editing.

Writing Mode: The player is asked to type a three-letter word using a braille display. After the word is typed correctly, the student must press the space key to input the word. All words are three letters.

Troubling Signs Writing video:

Editing Mode: The student is given a three letter word that is misspelled. The student must navigate to the middle letter, delete it, type in the new letter, navigate to the end of the word and then press the space bar. The middle letter is always the misspelled letter and the typed letter is always a vowel.

Remember, students should first use the interactive Braille Keyboard Tutorial to learn how to edit using the routing buttons. The interactive Braille Keyboard Tutorial will provide an opportunity for the student (and educator!) to practice editing before playing the Troubling Signs Editing game.

Troubling Signs Editing video:

Braille Documentation

The Braille Document button takes you to a Google Drive folder that contains the General Refreshable Braille Display Help document. Scroll down this document to find the Navigation and Reading Refreshable Braille Display Help document then the Writing and Editing Refreshable Braille Display Help document. These documents provide an in-depth look at braille displays, best practices, teaching hints, additional activities, braille display commands chart and contains a braille display student progress chart. Take advantage of this detailed resource! Have a question about using a braille display? This document will answer your question!

Posts in the VoiceOver Playground series

Additional Braille display resources

By Diane Brauner

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