Denise Robinson, Ph.D., is a teacher of the visually impaired who has created TechVision, a company that provides training for students, teachers, parents — anyone who needs to supplement the computer skills of a blind person.

TechVision logo

See http://YourTechVision.com

Helping the Visually Impaired see their world changed through technology.

Campbell and Liza Rutherford

Braille Note Takers are expensive dedicated devices.  While they were helpful in the past, they are not “real” computers, and today accessibility features are mainstream.  We should teach students the same skills as their peers.

For about the same cost,  you can get a “real” computer and a braille display that connects via Bluetooth or USB.  Thus the display can be used with any computer, including the one at work.

Nemeth Code is a system of using braille to write complex mathematical equations. 

The LaTeX Project, begun in 1984, uses a standard “markup language” — similar to html — to prepare equations for typesetting in publishing including now desktop publishing.  Blind people can easily learn this language, which allows them to produce print materials they can share with colleagues.

(LaTeX is pronounced Lah-tech or Lah-Tex, not LAY-tex.)

\documentclass{article} % Starts a article
\usepackage{amsmath} % Imports amsmath
\title{\LaTeX} % Title

\begin{document} % Begins a document
  \maketitle
  \LaTeX{} is a document preparation system for
  the \TeX{} typesetting program. It offers
  programmable desktop publishing features and
  extensive facilities for automating most
  aspects of typesetting and desktop publishing,
  including numbering and  cross-referencing,
  tables and figures, page layout,
  bibliographies, and much more. \LaTeX{} was
  originally written in 1984 by Leslie Lamport
  and has become the  dominant method for using
  \TeX; few people write in plain \TeX{} anymore.
  The current version is \LaTeXe.

  % This is a comment, not shown in final output.
  % The following shows typesetting  power of LaTeX:
  \begin{align}
    E_0 &= mc^2 \\
    E &= \frac{mc^2}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}}
  \end{align} 
\end{document}

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:00 — 23.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

This program is also available as a video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/kW_A5WrxZRI

We talk with Dr. Denise Robinson, head of TechVision (www.YourTechVision.com).  TechVision is a consulting company that works with students, parents, educators, school systems and employers to help get people up-to-speed on the use of the technology to be used in school and on the job.

Dr. Robinson advocates learning “real” computer skills as early as possible, so that visually impaired students can do what their sighted peers are doing at the same age.  Some computers are designed for very young children — why not introduce them also to visually impaired students at those early ages?  Learning keyboarding skills alongside braille in elementary school puts the student in a much better position to know spelling, grammar, and composition alongside others in their grade level.

Using a helping teacher to provide learning orally is not only expensive, it in fact holds back the student from learning to do things independently.  The technology exists now to do all the required tasks on a computer or smartphone.  It is important for all students to be proficient in computer skills — for now, for college, in the workplace, and even in their social life.

Many free resources are available online, especially since March 2020.  Resources are available for students, for parents, and for teachers.  Among them, see: