BrailleKey: An alternative Braille text input system: Comparative study of an innovative simplified text input system for the visually impaired

This paper explores the efficacy of using an alternate text input system for the blind, based entirely on Braille alphabets for touch-screen mobile devices. A comparative study was performed wherein a prototype application developed by the authors was compared against the Voice-Over technology developed for iOS (Apple´s mobile operating system. The study conducted on five blind subjects show that this system can be used as a viable alternative to the existing input methods that have been developed for this purpose.