| Braille Ascii |
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OVERVIEW Braille ASCII uses the 64 ASCII characters between 32 and 95 inclusive. All Capital Letters in ASCII correspond to their equivalent values in Braille. Note however that, unlike standard print, all letters in Braille are Lower-case by default, unless otherwise specified by proceeding them with a capitalization symbol. The numbers 1 through 0 correspond to the letters a through j, except that they are lowered or dropped lower in the Braille cell. For example, C represents dots 1-3, and 3 is dots 2-4. The other symbols may or may not correspond to their Braille values. For example, / represents dots 3-4 in Braille ASCII, and this is the Braille slash, but = represents dots 1-2-3-4-5-6, and this is not the equal sign in Braille. Braille ASCII more closely corresponds to the Nemeth Braille Code for mathematics than it does the English Literary Braille Code, as this is what it was originally based upon. If Braille ASCII is viewed in a Word Processor , it will look like a jumbled mix of letters, numbers, and punctuation. However, there are several Fonts available, many of them free, which will allow you to view and print Braille ASCII as simulated Braille. USES Braille ASCII was originally designed to be a means for storing and transmitting six-dot Braille in a digital format, and this continues to be its primary usage today. Because it uses characters available on most Computer Keyboards , it can be easily typed and edited with a standard word processor. Many Braille embossers receive their input in Braille ASCII, and nearly all Braille translation software can import and export this format. Several institutions which produce Braille materials distribute BRF files. BRF files are files which primarily contain Braille ASCII, but also include Control Characters , which effect how the Braille is printed or displayed. These files can then be embossed with a Braille Embosser or printed, read on a Refreshable Braille Display , or back-translated into standard text, which can then be read by a Screen Reader or other similar program. Many find BRF files to be a more convenient way to receive brailed content, and it's use as a distribution format is growing. Unicode includes a means for encoding eight-dot Braille, however, Braille ASCII continues to be the preferred format for encoding six-dot Braille. BRAILLE ASCII VALUES The following table lists all of the ASCII characters, their binary, decimal and hex values, as well as the dot combinations which they represent in Braille ASCII and the Braille itself in Unicode.
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