Special Characters

Special Characters are characters not found on the standard computer keyboard. For the sake of this discussion, we are going to divide special characters into three groups:

1. Characters needed to produce text (Accented letters, or non-Roman scripts such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Tamil, or Korean).
2. Characters needed to produce mathematics or technical text.
3. Other Characters that may be needed for their graphical content.

For virtually all users, creating text is not difficult. Using Windows Region and Language Settings (especially the Keyboard Settings, you can have Windows (and especially Microsoft Word) use your choice for entering text. It is very easy to enter text, save it as a Microsoft Word file, and then import the completed Word file into Duxbury DBT.

What if you do not want to change your keyboard system but need to enter a small number of unusual characters into you text? You can do this in either Microsoft Word or in DBT

In terms of technical characters, be aware that you may want to use a Mathematics Editing Program such as MathType to help you. Duxbury DBT can import files created by MathType.

First, we should mention that while Unicode is used throughout the world, DBT uses its own internal system for enumerating unusual characters. This system is called DUSCI, and it is only found in Duxbury DBT. If you want to enter a character into Microsoft Word, you need to know the Unicode number. if you want to enter a character into Duxbury DBT, you need to know the DUSCI number. Of course, we are happy to help you locate special characters, but be aware that lists of characters can be tedious to review. Screen reader users should expect unusual results when viewing the accompanying tables, because they essentially provide a partial list of Unicode characters.

Entering Raw Unicode into Microsoft Word:

Type in the 4 digit (hexadecimal) code for the Unicode value. Immediately afterwards, type Alt-X. The 4 digits go away and are replaced by the single Unicode character. If you repeat the command at the same position, the effect is reversed. So this command can be used to learn the Unicode number for an unknown character, or it can be used to input a Unicode character.

Entering Raw DUSCI into Duxbury DBT:

Hold down the Ctrl key and press ] (Ctrl-[. In the dialog box which appears, type in the DUSCI 4 digit code. Like Unicode, DUSCI is written out in hexidecimal digits. So if the chart you are looking at says D+C036, then press Ctrl-[ for the dialogue box, C036<Enter> to enter the character "Devanagari AA" into DBT. To enter this same character into Microsoft Word, you would use the Unicode number, which is 0906.

Clipboarding Into DBT does not Work for Special Characters

If you need to clipboard some material, you need to clipboard it into Microsoft Word, and then import the Word file into DBT.

Han or Chinese Characters

DBT will not display Chinese characters. Instead DBT displays an appropriate substitute based on the language.

In the Global Settings, Word Import Menu, you can choose how Chinese characters are imported. The four choices are:

1. Mandarin
2. Cantonese
3. Japanese
4. Korean

Your choice controls how Chinese characters are imported into DBT:

Arabic and Hebrew Characters

Both Arabic and Hebrew inkprint are written from right to left. Arabic and Hebrew braille are written from left to right. DBT displays all inkprint text from left to right, just like all braille. DBT uses a mono-spaced font to display the inkprint characters. The result can be difficult to read, and is certainly jaring to those who are used to reading conventional inkprint. For many languages, it is best to go straight from Microsoft Word into braille, using DBT as the translation engine.

Hangul or Korean Characters

Hangul compacts 2 or 3 characters into a single symbol. When DBT imports a file, this process is reversed. DBT breaks down a single Hangul character into its basic parts. In technical terms, all Hangul characters from U+AC00 through U+D7AF are redirected into Hangul Jamo characters U+11xx. DBT uses a mono-spaced font to display the inkprint characters. The result can be difficult to read, and is certainly jaring to those who are used to reading conventional inkprint. For many languages, it is best to go straight from Microsoft Word into braille, using DBT as the translation engine.

Table of Unicode Ranges supported by DUSCI Characters

Table of all Unicode Ranges U+0000-U+FFFF

This is a table of all of the Unicode Ranges (for 4 digit hexidecimal). If the last column is blank, then there is no support for these characters in Duxbury DBT. If the last column is "Word™ import", it means that these characters are imported into other Duxbury supported characters. If that last column is "DUSCI supported" then that Unicode range is in the previous table.