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Digital access to braille
“We appreciate your support in developing this application. The adjustable scanning timeout is a fantastic feature — it allows us to scan multiple pages that can’t be fed through the automatic document feeder.”
Michal Tkáčik, head coordinator of the Braille Authority of Slovakia
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DotSight is a software solution specifically designed for processing documents written in braille. This tool efficiently scans braille documents, enabling their digital preservation and further processing.
The customer was seeking a solution to preserve and digitize documents written in braille, which are often only available in physical form. Existing tools did not provide a reliable way to scan and recognize double-sided braille documents. They needed a tool that could handle this complexity and provide access to a wider audience. The goal was to create a solution that could support future preservation and improve accessibility for the visually impaired.
The main challenge was recognizing braille on both sides of a paper, where raised dots on one side appear as indentations on the other. Conventional scanning tools were not effective at telling these apart. Additionally, the application had to work with a wide variety of printers and scanners to ensure broad compatibility. Accessibility was key: the interface needed to be screen-reader friendly and usable by people with varying degrees of visual impairment. Ensuring precise recognition in variable scanning conditions added complexity to the technical design.
We built a desktop application that allows users to scan documents using physical scanners or import existing scanned images. Recognition settings were optimized by fine-tuning contrast and brightness to capture the 3D nature of braille dots. The interface was developed with full screen reader compatibility and simple visual design for partially sighted users.
- Accurate recognition of double-sided braille documents
- Compatibility with a wide range of scanners and printers
- Screen-reader friendly interface and accessible design
- Electron - Cross-platform desktop application framework
- Next.js/React - Frontend framework
- TypeScript - Programming language
- Mantine - UI component library
- NAPS2 - Document scanning
- Liblouis - Braille translation
- Python/Angelina Reader - Braille recognition
- ImageMagick - Image processing
