On May 31, the Universal Serial Bus Implementers Forum (USB-IF) approved a new Human Interface Device (HID) standard for braille displays. USB-IF is a non-profit organization comprised of many industry-leading companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Google. Their goal is to advance USB technology to make it more useable for consumers. According to the USB-IF press release, the standard will "make it easier to use a braille display across operating systems and different types of hardware. It will also simplify development, removing the need for braille devices to have custom software and drivers created for a particular operating system or screen reader."
Apple and Microsoft are both among the companies working to achieve this standard. Sarah Herlinger, director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives at Apple, said: "We're proud to advance this new USB-IF standard, because we believe in improving the experience for all people who rely on braille displays to use their Apple products or any other device." Jeff Petty, lead program manager of Windows Accessibility, commented, "Developing a[n] HID standard for braille displays is one example of how we can work together, across the industry, to advance technology in a way that benefits society and ultimately improves the unemployment rate for people with disabilities." As of this writing, Google has not commented.
If the new standard is supported by manufacturers of mainstream technology, braille displays, and screen readers, you will be able to start a screen reader, plug a display in via USB, and have access to braille with no further effort required. It will be unnecessary to find and install drivers, connect via Bluetooth, or change settings before plugging your display into a USB port supporting the new standard.
Further, those devices that support the standard will have a common set of braille keyboard commands and functions.
People who are deaf-blind will no longer require assistance to pair a display with their mobile device for the first time or reconnect one that has come unpaired. At present, you have to use Bluetooth to use a braille display with an Android or iOS device. If you can't hear well enough to understand VoiceOver or the Android Accessibility Suite, and if you can't see well enough to interact with the screen, you can't establish a Bluetooth connection without assistance. This newly adopted standard will allow you to start your mobile device's screen reader and plug a braille display in via USB, making assistance from anyone else unnecessary.
At the time of this writing, the VFO group is the only braille display and screen reader manufacturer to confirm support is forthcoming for its current products. In a VFO blog post, the company stated:
At this time, we are unable to estimate when such an update will be available, but it is not imminent. Remember, it will also take some time for operating system manufacturers to include support for HID-compatible displays.
It is a complex task, because we are also committed to ensuring our hardware works with all existing operating systems currently supported by our displays, including operating systems that may not receive an update incorporating support for this new standard.
Apple and Microsoft did not provide timeframes for supporting this new standard. Stay tuned to AccessWorld for updates as they become available.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
Related articles:
- Feel This: The Current State of Braille with the Windows Narrator Screen Reader by Scott Davert
- The Apple 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference Keynote by Janet Ingber
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