dev0
Level 1 (5 points)

Q: Portable small input-only Perkins-type keyboard recommendations?

Iʻm looking for affordable options for Perkins-type keyboards.

A TACTILE keyboard, and USB (instead of Bluetooth) is preferred.


Itʻs good if the keyboard can be programmed and learn about my Braille needs so it can work with different Braille-language inputs, maths/Nemeth learning, musical notation etc.

 

What options would work for Braille-input currently?

Regular Perkins-type input devices can be really expensive, so Iʻm open for all other alternatives.

 

Would Xkeys XK-24 work?

 

I would love if I could learn to program it so that I could e.g. get the text to flash on the screen in closed captioning style in giant Braille as I type (or switch between that and VoiceOver or other methods of feedback of what I type).

 

I use VoiceOver to some extent on all my Macs and iOS devices. BrailleTouch works pretty well on iPhone for me, but I need to expand the Braille input options.

So MBraille on iOS is probably next for iPad, but... well, those are all software. I need tactile keys so I can learn to type in Braille to my muscle memory.

OS X & Server, iOS, VoiceOver

Posted on Jan 11, 2015 10:56 AM

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Q: Portable small input-only Perkins-type keyboard recommendations?

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  • by Tom Gewecke,Helpful

    Tom Gewecke Tom Gewecke Jan 11, 2015 11:38 AM in response to dev0
    Level 9 (78,998 points)
    Jan 11, 2015 11:38 AM in response to dev0

    If you have not done so already, you might also want to ask this fellow, who runs a blog related to such questions

     

    http://atmac.org/contact

     

    Another one is

     

    http://www.applevis.com/

  • by dev0,

    dev0 dev0 Jan 11, 2015 11:59 AM in response to Tom Gewecke
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 11, 2015 11:59 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

    Hi Tom,

    Good suggestions. Iʻve been following ATMac for ages and asked him in Twitter earlier (heʻs the one with XK-24 by the way). Perhaps worth explaining it better to him.

    Letʻs see if Xkeys people will answer too.

    And Iʻve asked at Applevis earlier today too. ~ plus other good communities with highly vision-focused needs would be also good resources for me.

  • by dev0,

    dev0 dev0 Jan 12, 2015 8:52 AM in response to dev0
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 12, 2015 8:52 AM in response to dev0

    Updates... since this might help other users too.

     

    Iʻve got Braille Writer Student software installed on my Mac now. It works for basic learning to map the keys to the letters.

    And it does exactly [s d f = 3 2 1] on left and [j k l = 4 5 6] for right hand.

    Iʻll need to practice with that typing method, BUT itʻs very hard on hands. Try typing even 10 minutes in a row when all the keys you hit are s d f j k l and pressing 1-6 of them on the same time, and without really moving your fingers on the keyboard.

     

    What would be more comfortable for me would be just a small little USB thing where the keys are always the same.

     

    On iPad mini I use Visual Brailler; it has the classic Perkins key layout - which I basically want to use. But itʻll be easier when i can have specific keys on the keyboard so i can get a consistent input. With software, either itʻs "looking at the keys" or typing "in blind". Well... both are something I canʻt do, so on the software solutions for that problem, itʻs VoiceOver time.

    And a basic Perkins will be the ideal.

     

    XK-24 can be programmed on both OS X side, and if Iʻll use it (which Iʻll have to at some point) with a Windows virtual machine, because itʻs USB, the device can be passed in full to the guest operating system. And finding some way to make it work systemwide or in a specific program in a Windows virtual machine will not be a problem.