DBT for Beginners Tutorial

by Caroline Coffman

		Introduction
		Starting Your First Document
		Working with Existing Documents
		Formatting Documents
		Importing Documents
		Math
		Questions and Answers
		Appendix A: Shortcut Keys
		Appendix B: Style Descriptions

2006 Note: This document was written some time ago. Since the time it were written, not only DBT itself but also the computer environment (e.g. the Microsoft Windows operating system) and even some braille conventions have changed. Consequently, is document is to a certain extent obsolete and should always be regarded as having been superseded by the documentation available in the DBT help system. Nevertheless, because backwards compatibility has always been an important consideration in DBT development, these documents retain some usefulness because they are mostly correct as far as they go. They may also provide additional background detail on DBT's older facilities and show how they serve as a basis for later, more powerful, facilities -- or may be used as an alternative.

If you don't have a current copy of DBT, download a demo copy. If you are a transcriber, learn how to use the templates that Susan Christensen prepared for Microsoft Word and DBT. These are on the DBT Help Menu (near the bottom), look for Word Template (BANA) (end of note added in 2006)

This tutorial is designed to take users brand-new to DBT through a step-by-step process of producing braille. While you may be tempted to jump around within the tutorial, we encourage you to go through it in sequence -- as each section draws upon information taught in previous sections. For sighted users, we also encourage you to pay close attention to illustrations, as they provide special cues on how to use DBT. For more information on using DBT, you can also check out the User's Guide or the Topical How-To Guide, both of which are available under the DBT "Help" menu. However, the tutorial does give some suggestions which people already familiar with the program may also find useful.