Robin, What you can access with speech, you also can access with Braille.
What you can access with Braille, you also can access with Speech. Having those main rules established, let me point out a few differences. First of all, if you are a trained Braille user, you might find Braille navigation some quicker. Mainly due to the fact that you don't have to wait for the words to be spoken out, but simply can touch the display rapidly, and instantly recognize the term you are looking for. Furthermore, it is far easier to align text with a Braille display, since you instantly will know where on the line the text is placed, whereas with speech you will have to listen to the status line, or other ways of getting the placement info. And that leads us to yet another benefit with the Braille display. Say you are looking for the third info given on a line. With speech, you will have to listen through the two preceeding pieces of info, before you can get to the info you actually were looking for. Or, you would have to move the speech cursor across them. whichever way, you will have to pass the info, to get to the point where you want to be. With the Braille display, and first you get to know your applications and their typical positions of info, you can just put your fingers right on the spot, read the info, and continue your job. Backside of the postcard, of course, would be that with speech you can keep your hands on the keyboard all the time, since all navigation is done by the PC keyboard. With a Braille display you have got a secondary set of navigation keys, located on the display, to move it around. Causing your hands to fly on and off the computer keyboard all the time. If you are good at orientating yourself around, in general, this should not be a big issue. But some people take a considerable amount of time in refinding the initial position on the keyboard, with your index-fingers place on F and J. Through a working day, your fingers will likely have to move between the display and the keyboard hundreds of times. If you spend just three seconds in repositioning your fingers on the keyboard every time, you can do your math, figuring how many minutes of productivity that would amount into. Again, it would depend on your personal skills. Furthermore, the Braille display might give slightly different info, from what you hear. For instance, in cases with abbreviations. The speech might attempt to read them out, whereas with the Braille display, the whole and complete interpretation is up to you. So when you come across the three letter abbreviation ETC, the speech might read "Et Cetra", whilst the Braille display just will show you the three letters. In that way, the Braille display will be slightly more in line with what and how things are presentetd on the screen. For many users, the combination of Braille and speech will speed up their productivity, with some training. Mainly because they will learn to appreciate each of the reading methods, for each teir activity on the computer. Meaning, sometimes you will lean on the Braille, other cases the speech will be your best friend. Reading and comprehending a lengthy link, will be far quicker with braille. To discern if you have landed on the right button to be pressed, the speech will inform you without you moving your hands off from the keyboard, hence you will rely on your ears. Also, please be forewarned, the braille display typically will sitt between you and the keyboard. This will cause you to have to stretch your arms another 2 or 3 inches, to reach the keyboard for typing. Some models even have all the navigation keys of the display located between the Braille line, and the keyboard, forcing yet another inch of hand stretching to reach the keyboard. If I may be allowed to advice, please get a Braille display where the navigation keys ar not between you and the keyboard. Many users will find it frustrating, when they are typing, resting their wrist on the Braille display, and all the sudden incidentially pressing one of the navigation keys on the display. Alternative is to always keep your wrists raised off from the display all together, whenever typing. But for prolonged time through the working day, this can cause stress to your muscles and joints. The issue will be well known to all laptop users, who have got exceptionally frustrated by the mouse-pad being located between them and the keyboard. The exact same effect with a set of Braille navigation keys. Hope some of these personal experiences and pickups, will stand as at least one answer to your query. David On 12/9/2016 8:37 PM, Van Lant, Robin via Talk wrote: > I do not use a Braille display, so I am curious about something. Does the > Braille display give you the same access that the speech synthesizer does, > since, to my understanding, you have to be running a speech software to get > Braille display support? I was thinking about this as it relates to job > accommodations. I've always wondered how hard it would be to apply for jobs > if you don't know whether the software applications the company uses are > accessible. That got me wondering if a Braille display might provide access > to something on the screen that is not easy to navigate by speech, or if they > really are equivalent. When I think about some of the software we have here > and how I could promote more roles for blind job seekers, I wonder what > roadblocks exist. For my role, I mainly use Microsoft Office, so I'm not > using specialized business applications that many of my colleagues use. Just > something I've pondered for a while. > > Robin > > > > This communication may contain privileged and/or confidential information. 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