RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A FULL-PAGE BRAILLE DISPLAY

RESEARCH NECESSARY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A "POINT AND READ"DYNAMIC FULL-PAGE BRAILLE DISPLAY IS PROPOSED. THE DISPLAY WILL FEATURE SINGLE HAND CONTROL AND WILL ALLOW READING SPEEDS COMPARABLE TO THOSE THAT CAN BE ATTAINED WITH EMBOSSED BRAILLE. THE DISPLAY WILL BE DESIGNED FOR USE WITHA COMPUTER OR TERMINAL AND WILL SHOW THE ENTIRE SCREEN'S CONTENTS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL BE CONDUCTED IN TWO AREAS: THE FIRST WILL DETERMINE THE MAXIMUM TACTILE PERCEPTUAL ACUITY OF BRAILLE READERS; THE SECOND WILL BE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BASIC DESIGN AND TESTING OF A DISPLAY DEVICE THAT CAN SAFELY PROVIDE THE DETERMINED DENSE TACTILE STIMULATION TO THE GENERAL POPULATION OF BRAILLE READERS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE COST OF THE RESULTING FULL-PAGE DISPLAY WILL BE LESS THAN CURRENT COSTS FOR 20-CELL BRAILLE DISPLAYS, AND IT WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL CAPABILITY FOR THE DISPLAY OF GRAPHICS. RELIABILITY IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY HIGH DUE TO THE MINIMUM USE OF MOVING PARTS.