User:Nalin.x.Linux/GSoC2013 Bharati braille keyboard layouts for m17n library

Personal Information

 Name :             Nalin Sathyan (Nalin.x.Linux)
 Address :          Kasaragod/Kerala/India
 Email Address:     Nalin.x.Linux@gmail.com
 Telephone:         +91-8281029215
 Freenode IRC Nick: Nalin_x_Linux

Why i want to work with the Swathanthra Malayalam Computing

For helping native malayali blind people via making opensource applications.

Do you have any past involvement with the Swathanthra Malayalam Computing or another open source project as a contributor ?

Yes, but little.

Did you participate with the past GSoC programs, if so which years, which organizations?

No, This is my first time.

Do you have other obligations between May and August ? Please note that we expect the Summer of Code to be a full time, 40 hour a week commitment ?

Yes i can

Will you continue contributing/ supporting the Swathanthra Malayalam Computing after the GSoC 2013 program, if yes, which area(s), you are interested in?

Yes i will maintain my all application including this gsoc project.

Why should we choose you over other applicants ?

I feel that it is worth mentioning that I have close connection with visually impaired community as my father is a visually impaired person and inspiration behind my projects. from the below mentioned facts I prove myself to be the apt candidate to take up the proposed project for this project.

Proposal Description

An overview of your proposal

I express my gratitude to smc for accepting my idea of braille layout for m17n project. I here by express a breef overview of my project. Little about the braille system. Braille is a writing and reading system using six raised dots. As a night writing method of writing developed by Charles barbier, it has been perfected by louis braille. The most relevent feature of braille system is that the world community became successful in creating a unified code for all the languages based on its phonetics. Braille is one of the most important writing systems of the world. It is in consideration of this fact, lot of apps for linux has braille output along with the screen readers(BRLTTY with orca)and braille trranslators (Dots,Liblouis). At the same time there is no input method using the six key approach of the braille in linux.

Application's which are corrently available in Linux Repositores.

BRLTTY  : is a background daemon which provides access to the linux console for a blind person using a refreshable braille display -

Dots : - Dots is braille typesetting program for Linux, it can translate XML and MS DOC files and displays it both ASCII and braille dot notation.

liblouis : - provides Braille trranslation and formatting for a large number of languages and Braille codes.

Orca : a screen reader which support Braille refreshable display's

Sharada-Braille-Writer : is a simple text editor which use six key approch to input text. one of my project. But it have a big limitation that is it canot be used for other application as a layout works.

Since there is no existing braille layout in Linux, My plan is to make a Braille Keyboard layouts extention for [1] m17n Library. Multilingualize(m17n) library is used for multilingualize linux application's, it reduces the cost of multilingualization in software development. also m17n is under LGPL License.

Relevance of braille as an input.

1. it is very simple, uses only six keys of the keyboard. 2. It is specially important for indic languages which use more than fifty alphabets 3. braille is a world standard and a braille input method will make it accessible and user friendly for visually impaired, persons with limited hand movement, dysluxic 4. braille is a highly efficient system for it can use contractions and abbreviations and it can enhance the text production speed to a great extend. 5. Having the same code for all the languages of india unified, known as bharathi braille there is no need for learning different layouts. 6. It can lead to designing small keybords that can be used with tablets.

Any relevant experience you have

I have good experience with braille, gnome, linux, screen reader, tts api's etc. I have already developed the applications in this direction named sharada-braille-writer. It is a text editor using six key approach to produce print in different indian languages along with english. Sharada-Braille-Writer

How i intend to implement my proposal

• A Braille Keyboard layouts extention for Indian Languages and english to m17n Library.

• Brailler is an equipment for producing braille matterials in a fast and efficient manner.It uses six keys for producing braille text in any language,

In order to produce a braille based input system, I select f, d, s, j, k and l representing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dots of the braille system.

• In order to produce 'a' one has to press 'f' and for 'b' 'f' and 'd' together to be press, and for 'c' f and j like, 'h' will be used for letter deletion and

'g' and 'h' together for word deletion.

• I intend to integrate orca screen reader along with this layout so that there exists no accessibility issue.

I am a qualitative candidate for the project for the following reasons.

My major area of interest is computer accessibility for the visually impaired on open source. As a part i maintain a remastered edition of ubuntu for kerala federation of the blind(KFB) who is entrusted by the government of kerala to provide free software support to the needed in the state.my other projects are linux intelligent ocr solution is the application to read printed materials using a scanner. lios has hundred percent speech support. angela open typing tutor for practising typing skills and a dictionary editor for producing dictionaries in indian languages. and sharada-braille-writer which is alrady mentiond

Tell us about something you have created.

Sharada-Braille-Writer - Six key approach to producing print materials for languages Malayalam,Hindi,Tamil,English, and Spanish.

Lios - Gui for scanning and ocr using opensource ocr engines tesseract and cuneiform.

angela-open-talking-typer - it is a simple eye's free key-board practicing application.(Latest version is not released)

talking-english-malayalam-dictionary - simple but completely accessible dictionary.

Have you communicated with a potential mentor? If so, who?

Yes, I've communicated with Anilkumar K V (anilkumar on irc.freenode.net)