We use our smartphones to text, post statuses and even write full-fledged write-ups. For a regular person, typing on a smartphone is as simple as taking out your phone and just start tapping the keyboard. However, for the blind and the visually impaired-population, typing is not as easy. They have to use a big fat physical braille keyboard each time they go on to type a message. Google has taken the initiative to change that and released a new “Talkback braille keyboard” for the Android devices.
The Talkback braille keyboard will help the visually-impaired population type on Android devices without the help of any kind of additional bulky physical hardware. The company took the initiative to make Android more accessible to disabled users.
Google’s team co-operated with braille users and developers, who are familiar with this reading and writing technique, to develop this feature. Now, the Talkback braille keyboard uses a standard 6-key layout for typing. Anyone who has used a braille keyboard before will be familiar with this layout of the keyboard. Each of the 6 keys represents the 6 braille dots that are used to type letters and words. By using combinations of these keys, the user can easily type their messages on Android devices.
The Talkback braille keyboard will be available anywhere in the devices where users can type. They can turn it on or off simply by tapping the “switch keyboard” button.
The Mountain View-based tech giant is currently rolling out the feature for devices running Android 5 or later.
