A Computerized System for Translating Japanese Print into Braille

Testing of ELIA TM has been restricted to university students who had no knowledge of braille. Seven different groups, a total of more than 200 persons, were able to learn the symbols by sight in less than 20 minutes. Forty-nine blindfolded students learned to read the symbols by touch after a total of three hours of training or less, self-paced over 10 days. These students recognized from 75 percent to 95 percent of the letters in tests. More research is needed, especially using sighted adults who are losing their vision as a result of advanced diabetes, macular degeneration, or similar conditions that often cause adults to lose their vision after they have already learned print. ELIA TM is not intended to replace braille, but to serve as an alternative for persons who have difficulty learning braille. ELIATM is also simple to produce on a computer. Because the code has a one-to-one correspondence with the Roman alphabet, all that is needed to produce the symbols is an imprinter that can produce embossed output substituted for a regular printer.