A Braille-ready file is a data file in a special format
that can be read on a Braille display or transmitted to a Braille embosser.
Braille-ready files typically have the extension .brf. The Braille codes
in Braille-ready files allow blind people to read electronic documents from
computer disks or from the Internet. When read or downloaded from the Internet,
Braille-ready files are called Web-Braille.
Braille-ready files generally contain 25 lines per page, with each line
holding up to 39 characters. A single printed page translates into several
Braille pages; the exact ratio depends on the nature of the document. Mathematical
expressions and symbols, as well as graphics, can be converted into words
before being translated into Braille-ready files. Complex mathematical documents
have the highest Braille-to-text page conversion ratios.
Several thousand Web-Braille books are available for downloading from
the National Library Service (NLS) in the U.S. About 40 new books are
published online in this format every month. The NLS Web-Braille material
is available only to citizens or residents of the United States, or to
qualified institutions.
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