This section applies to both BraillePen 12 and BraillePen Slim. iDevices can connect to BraillePen Slim since the release of iPhone OS 4.3.
To pair your BraillePen Slim or BraillePen 12 with your iDevice:
You will only need to perform this exercise once; once paired, unless you reset your iDevice, it will know about your BraillePen indefinitely.
On the iDevice, in Settings, General, page down to accessibility, then go to VoiceOver and then down to Braille. Switch on the BraillePen 12 using space + dots 1,3.
Once you hear the triple-beep on the BraillePen 12, it will appear in the list of Braille devices to choose from; its name will begin with BP 12 in the list of discovered devices. Single-tap the device name to select it; double-tap the device name to initiate the pairing.
You will be taken to a passcode entry screen; enter the passcode 1234. Use a single tap to select each digit and then a double-tap to enter it. Then single-tap Pair to select it and double-tap to activate. It is important to enter the passcode and complete the process within the short time allowed.
You will hear a single beep to tell you that BraillePen 12 is now connected to the iDevice.
iDevices Affected
iPod touch (3rd generation), iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS (8GB), iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2.
When using a BraillePen12 with VoiceOver using iOS 4.1 or later, or a BraillePen Slim using iOS 4.3 or later, you can use the following key commands, or chords, to navigate.
Keystrokes
| VoiceOver action | BraillePen 12 Joystick and Pan keys |
|---|---|
| Move to previous item | Joystick Left |
| Move to next item | Joystick Right |
| Move to previous item using rotor setting | Joystick Up |
| Move to next item using rotor setting | Joystick Down |
| Select item under your finger | Joystick Enter |
| Pan Braille to the left | Pan left |
| Pan Braille to the right | Pan right |
| VoiceOver action | BraillePen Keystroke |
|---|---|
| Move to previous item | space + dot 1 |
| Move to next item | space + dot 4 |
| Move to previous item using rotor setting | space + dot 3 |
| Move to next item using rotor setting | space + dot 6 |
| Select previous rotor setting | space + dots 2, 3 |
| Select next rotor setting | space + dots 5, 6 |
| Move to the first element | space + dots 1, 2, 3 |
| Move to the last element | space + dots 4, 5, 6 |
| Read page starting at selected item | space + dots 1, 2, 3, 5 |
| Read page starting at the top | space + dots 2, 4, 5, 6 |
| Activate the Home button | space + dots 1, 2, 5 |
| Go to the Status bar | space + dots 2, 3, 4 |
| Activate the Volume Up button | space + dots 3, 4, 5 |
| Activate the Volume Down button | space + dots 1, 2, 6 |
| Activate the Back button if present | space + dots 1, 2 |
| Activate the Eject key | space + dots 3, 4 |
| Activate the Delete key | space + dots 1, 4, 5 |
| Activate the Backspace key | shift + space |
| Activate the Return key (new line) | space + dots 1, 5 or ctrl + space |
| Activate the Return key (choose) | space + dots 3, 6 |
| Activate the Tab key | space + dots 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Toggle Screen Curtain on and off | space + dots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| Pause or Continue speech | space + dots 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Toggle speech on and off | space + dots 1, 3, 4 |
| Scroll left one page | space + dots 2, 4, 6 |
| Scroll right one page | space + dots 1, 3, 5 |
| Select text | space + dots 2, 5, 6 |
| Copy selection | space + dots 1, 4 |
| Cut selection | space + dots 1, 3, 4, 6 |
| Paste | space + dots 1, 2, 3, 6 |
| Deselect text | space + dots 2, 3, 5 |
| Select all | space + dots 2, 3, 5, 6 |
| Pan Braille to the left | space + dot 2 |
| Pan Braille to the right | space + dot 5 |
| Display announcement history | space + dots 1, 3, 4, 5 |
| Toggle Braille output between 6-dot, 8-dot and contracted | space + dots 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| Toggle Braille input between 6-dot, 8-dot and contracted | space + dots 2, 3, 6 |
Getting to know the iPhone
To go to the speech, VoiceOver, practice area: Settings, General, page down to Accessibility, VoiceOver, and practice. Press the Home Button when you have finished practising.
| Function | Key or Gesture |
|---|---|
| Switch on or off | Hold down power button for 5 seconds |
| Unlock iPhone | Right swipe bottom of screen |
| Explore icons | One finger right or left swipe or one finger touch and move about screen |
| Turn speech off or on | Three presses home button |
| Stop or start podcast/video | Two finger tap anywhere |
| Privacy screen curtain on or off | Three finger triple tap |
| Turn app switcher on or off (just four icons per screen, less confusing) | Double tap home button |
| Volume control | Two rectangular buttons top left side |
| Read strength of phone signal | Very top left of screen |
| Read time | Middle of very top of screen |
| Battery strength | Right of very top of screen |
| Rotary choices (words or characters, links or headings and so on) | Two fingers, like turning a knob |
| Reset iPhone | Hold the home button and press the power button (you don't lose date) |
Handy hints
Editing your text in a note or text message
- Set your Rotor to Characters using space + dots 2,3 or space + dots 5,6.
- Then use the „move using rotor settings” keystroke: space + dot 3 to move left, and space + dot 6 to move right.
- The standard movement keystrokes – space + dot 1 and space + dot 4 – will still move you from element to element within the Notes app or the Messaging app.
Selecting text to copy/cut/paste
Using the rotor settings (space 2, 3 or space 5, 6) select the steps by which you want to select text (characters, words, or lines) and then use following keystrokes:
- Select text: space + dots 2, 5, 6
- Deselect text: space + dots 2, 3, 5
Placing the cursor in the right position before you select a desired fragment is a bit tricky.
When you move from left to right by word, you will hear the word you want to begin your selection from. Before you press space + dots 2, 5, 6, you will need to push Joystick Up to place the cursor at the beginning of your selection. Now you can begin highlighting your word(s).
Note: When you move from right to left, you can begin selecting once you hear the word you want to start your selection from. Upon selecting text, press space + dots 1 4 for copying, or space + dots 1 3 4 6 for pasting. When you copy your selection, VoiceOver reads it out and says Selected. Now you can move your insertion point to the location where you want to paste your selection. Press space + dots 1 2 3 6 for paste.
Should for some reason the keystrokes for copying/cutting/pasting did not work for you, you can change the Rotor Settings to Edit, then by pressing Joystick Up go to Copy or Cut, and push Joystick Enter.
Your next step is to paste the selection to a new location. Using the Rotor Settings, switch to Words, move the cursor to your required location, change the Rotor Settings back to Edit and using the Joystick down or up select Paste. Eventually, push Joystick Enter and your selection will be pasted. Having finished this operation, go back to the navigation steps (Words/Character/Lines) to continue to edit your document.
Using BraillePen with Webpages in Safari on iOS devices
1.Entering a URL:
When you run Safari, the focus sits on the last item when you left off. You need then go to top with space dots 1 2 3, and then arrow towards the address bar with space 4 or space 5. The latter is faster because it does not advance the information on the Braille display (in case of BP 12). Once you land on the address bar, push Joystick Enter or space 3 6 twice to activate the text field. If there is no previous Website, you can start typing your URL, otherwise you need to delete the current address. The most effective way is to select all and then overwrite it with new text.
To select text, press space dots 2 3 5 6 and push Joystick Enter or space 3 6. Alternatively you can change your Rotor Settings to Edit, push Joystick Up or press space 3 until you hear select all and then either push Joystick Enter or press space dots 3 6.
Your text gets selected and you can type a new URL. For dots (or periods) use dots 4 6 when in the uncontracted Braille mode, or dots 256 when in the contracted Braille mode. When your URL is complete press Selection Enter (Joystick Enter or space dots 1 5). Now you can begin browsing your newly open page. Use different navigation combinations of space with dots 1, 4, 3, or 6.
2. Navigating Webpages:
Use rotor settings to change between available options: Heading, Link, Form Controls, Characters, Words, Lines, or Containers. Whatever your selection VO will announce how many of them are available on the particular Webpage.
Use space 3 or space 6 to navigate by your selected steps. Even if the focus is on the task bar, once you press one of the above combinations it will be automatically moved to the first item, e.g. the first heading.
Once you hear an item of your interest you can press space 2 or space 5 to navigate through elements that belong to your item, e.g. You have found a heading, now you want to check information under this heading. Or you are at top of a list, and now you want to browse the list.
When you land on a link that interests you, select it by pressing space dots 3 6.
To go back a Webpage, press space dots 1 2 3, to the Back button on your browser and press Enter.
Whenever the Reader is available VO will announce it (to see an example of how the Reader works go to www.aph.org/training/index.
Again depending on your Rotor Settings selection you can navigate the page using space dots 3 or 6 and then space dots 2 and 4 to read the content of the page.