DotsPlus uses the single cell European computer braille numbers. Braille readers can usually learn and remember symbols that are common but have serious difficulty with less common symbols. These must be represented by multiple braille cells that few readers can remember. Symbols out of context. Braille is intrinsically a straight line notation.
Isolated characters can be ambiguous.
For example an isolated line composed of the letter c, the colon, or the dash are indistinguishable in braille. They are distinguishable in DotsPlus, leading to the ability to print math in standard print format, superscripted characters in standard text, and isolated symbols in any context in graphic applications. The DotsPlus paradigm was proposed in the earlhy 1990's, but until recently it has not been feasible to use it except for very limited purposes. Our hypothesis is that both blind readers and people who prepare materials for them will prefer DotsPlus over current tactile methods for most complex literature. Small scale tests conducted with Oregon middle, high school, and university student volunteers support this hypothesis.