Summary:
This thesis aims at studying the 8-dot Braille system for the needs of Greek
language and to propose an 8-dot Braille code that will cover monotonic and
polytonic orthography, including numbers and a small set of punctuation
symbols. The development of the proposed 8-dot code is based on a transition
methodology from the already existing 6-dot Braille code to the new 8-dot based
on well defined 8-dot transition designing principles such as achieving
abridged representation of the supported symbols, retaining connectivity with
the 6-dot representation, having similarity on the transition rules applied in
other languages, removing ambiguities, and taking into consideration future
extensions. The development of the 8-dot code is followed by validation and
evaluation based on two metrics, the distance from 6-dot code and the achieved
condensability. Additionally, it is proposed a methodology for studying
readability proposed code with real Braille users.
Keywords:
Accessibility, Disability, Braille, Blindness, Design for all