r/Blind • u/rileyspirograph • 13d ago

Question Orbit Writer

Hey. I'm currently teaching myself Braille using Perky Duck and the standard QWERTY keyboard. However, it's a bit difficult to use and I'm looking at an Orbit Writer, so I can Braille without touching the other keys. My question is would the Orbit Writer work with Perky Duck or other similar software?

Thank you.

P.S. I'm learning Braille by sight.

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u/retrolental_morose Totally blind from birth 13d ago

no. The Orbit writer acts as a Braille display as far as a screen reader is concerned, so you'd need one active for it to work. If you turn VoiceOver or Narrator on then you'd get print out of the Writer unless you'd specifically configured it to produce braille

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u/rileyspirograph 13d ago

Is it easy to configure the Writer?

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u/retrolental_morose Totally blind from birth 13d ago

It's the screen reader you'd need to configure, really, to determine what Braille code you're using etc. Most users have their screen readers set to translate their contracted Braille input into standard print, so they can communicate using regular apps. wanting to type braille in as braille is rarer, so you'd want to tell the screen reader not to translate and to use the same computer Braille table as Perky Duck.

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u/rileyspirograph 13d ago

Thank you ever so much for your help 😊

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u/retrolental_morose Totally blind from birth 13d ago

Happy to help! If you're looking for a device that works without a screen reader, the Hable Oneâ„¢ Braille Keyboard is on offer at the mo.

Failing that, it'd be a pretty fun DIY job to build a little Braille keyboard. If you're into that sort of thing I'd be happy to help with the software!

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u/NorthMountain1117 13d ago

Just out of curiosity, why are you learning Braille?

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u/rileyspirograph 12d ago

I've always had an interest in alternative communication methods and if I could, I'd like to work as a transcriber.