Braille Keyboard: How to Type in Braille Anywhere
A braille keyboard has six keys, one for each dot of the braille cell. You press the keys for a character at the same time, like a chord on a piano, and the device enters that character. The same six-key layout works on a Perkins brailler, on braille displays and notetakers, on an ordinary computer keyboard using the keys S D F J K L, and on the touchscreens of iPhone and Android phones.
Learn it once and it works everywhere. Here is how each version works.
Key points
- The six keys are arranged 3, 2, 1 for the left hand and 4, 5, 6 for the right. The left index finger is dot 1, the right index finger dot 4.
- On a computer keyboard, braille software can use F, D, S for dots 1, 2, 3 and J, K, L for dots 4, 5, 6. The keyboard has to register several keys at once.
- On iPhone, VoiceOver's Braille Screen Input turns the screen into a six-key keyboard. It works lying flat or held with the screen facing away, in six-dot or contracted braille.
- On Android, the TalkBack braille keyboard does the same, in Unified English Braille, Spanish and Arabic, grade 1 or grade 2.
- Braille displays and notetakers usually include a Perkins-style keyboard, sometimes with eight keys for computer braille.
The six-key layout
Every braille keyboard copies the layout of the Perkins Brailler, the classic braille typewriter. The keys sit in a row, three under each hand:
| Finger | Left ring | Left middle | Left index | Thumbs | Right index | Right middle | Right ring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key | dot 3 | dot 2 | dot 1 | space | dot 4 | dot 5 | dot 6 |
Each hand writes one column of the cell as you read it: the left hand dots 1, 2 and 3, the right hand dots 4, 5 and 6. To type h, dots 1, 2 and 5 (⠓), you press left index, left middle and right middle together. To type i, dots 2 and 4 (⠊), you press left middle and right index.
You do not press one key and then another. You press them all at once, as a single movement. That is why braille typing can be fast: one movement per letter, whatever the number of dots. The braille alphabet chart gives the dots of every letter.
On a computer keyboard: S D F J K L
You do not need special hardware to type braille on a computer. Braille software such as Duxbury, and online braille courses, use six keys of an ordinary QWERTY keyboard, sitting under the home-row fingers:
| QWERTY key | S | D | F | J | K | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braille dot | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
So h is F + D + K, and i is D + J. The space bar is space.
There is one technical catch. Six-key entry needs the keyboard to register several keys pressed at the same time, a feature called n-key rollover. Most keyboards handle it, but some cannot register certain combinations, which makes some letters impossible to type. Software that uses six-key entry usually asks you to test your keyboard first.
On iPhone and iPad: Braille Screen Input
Apple's screen reader, VoiceOver, includes Braille Screen Input, which lets you type braille directly on the screen, with no extra hardware.
- How to turn it on: with VoiceOver on, set the VoiceOver rotor to Braille Screen Input. If it is not in the rotor, add it in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Rotor.
- Two ways to hold it: tabletop mode, with the phone lying flat in front of you, or screen-away mode, holding it in landscape with the screen facing away from you and your fingers curling round to tap it.
- Typing: tap one or more fingers at the same time to enter a character. Swipe right for a space, swipe left to delete, and swipe right with two fingers for a new line.
- Six-dot or contracted: swipe right with three fingers to switch between six-dot braille and contracted braille. You can set the default in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille > Braille Screen Input.
The keys are not fixed points on the glass: the phone works out where your fingers are. If it gets confused, there is a gesture to recalibrate the dot positions.
On Android: the TalkBack braille keyboard
Android's screen reader, TalkBack, has a built-in braille keyboard that lets you type six-dot braille with six fingers on the screen.
- How to turn it on: turn on TalkBack and turn off magnification, then in TalkBack settings > Braille keyboard, set it up. In any app where you type, choose TalkBack braille keyboard.
- Two ways to hold it: screen-away mode, with the screen facing away from you, or tabletop mode on a flat surface, which Google suggests if you are used to a Perkins brailler. The phone switches to tabletop mode by itself when it detects a flat surface.
- Typing: swipe right for a space, swipe left to delete a letter, swipe left with two fingers to delete a word, and swipe up with two fingers to submit.
- Languages and grades: Unified English Braille, Spanish and Arabic, in grade 1 or grade 2.
On braille displays, notetakers and braillers
Most refreshable braille displays and notetakers have a Perkins-style keyboard above or below the braille cells, so you can type and read on the same device. Some add two more keys for dots 7 and 8, used in eight-dot computer braille. Others, such as APH's Mantis Q40, have a full QWERTY keyboard and can switch to Perkins-style input. See refreshable braille displays.
And the original braille keyboard, the Perkins Brailler, can now type into a computer too: the Perkins Braille Bloom clicks into it and sends what you write to a computer, tablet or phone over Bluetooth or USB. More in Perkins Brailler.
What about braille stickers on keyboards?
Search for "braille keyboard" and you will also find stickers or overlays with braille on each key of an ordinary keyboard. They are a different thing: they label a QWERTY keyboard; they do not let you type in braille.
They can help someone learning where the keys are, or a person with low vision. Many blind people who touch-type do not use them, because touch typing relies on the small bumps on the F and J keys and on knowing the layout, not on reading each key. If you are buying for someone else, ask them first.
Grade 1 or grade 2 when you type?
Both phones let you type in contracted braille (grade 2), where common words and letter groups take fewer cells, and the phone translates it into normal text. Typing contractions is faster once you know them, but uncontracted braille (grade 1) is easier when you are learning. The list of contractions is in braille contractions, and you can check what you typed in the braille translator.
How to get faster
- Learn the dots of each letter first. Typing braille is recalling dot numbers with your fingers. Start with the braille alphabet and how to learn braille.
- Practise a–j first. Those ten letters use only dots 1, 2, 4 and 5, the index and middle fingers. The rest of the alphabet adds dots 3 and 6.
- Say the dots, then the letter. "One-two-five: h." It builds the link between fingers and letters faster than looking at a chart.
- Type real words early. Your name, short messages. Speed comes from words, not from drilling single letters.
Frequently asked questions
What is a braille keyboard?
A keyboard with six keys, one for each dot of the braille cell, plus a space key. You press the keys for a character at the same time to type it. Braillers, braille displays, notetakers and phone braille keyboards all use this layout.
How do you type braille on a normal keyboard?
With braille software that supports six-key entry: F, D and S type dots 1, 2 and 3, and J, K and L type dots 4, 5 and 6. Press the keys for a character together. Your keyboard must be able to register several keys at once.
Can you type braille on an iPhone?
Yes. Turn on VoiceOver, set the rotor to Braille Screen Input, and tap the dots with your fingers on the screen, with the phone lying flat or held with the screen facing away. You can type six-dot or contracted braille.
Can you type braille on Android?
Yes, with the TalkBack braille keyboard. Set it up in TalkBack settings, then choose it as your keyboard in any app. It supports Unified English Braille, Spanish and Arabic, in grade 1 or grade 2.
Which finger is dot 1?
The left index finger. The left middle and ring fingers are dots 2 and 3, and the right index, middle and ring fingers are dots 4, 5 and 6.
Do blind people use braille keyboards or normal keyboards?
Both. Many blind people touch-type on ordinary keyboards using a screen reader, and type in braille on braille displays, notetakers and phones. It depends on the person, the device and the task.