Devices help the blind cross tech divide

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to go up as the 76 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 get ready to retire.

Microsoft, for one, has been taking a hard look at the issue. In addition to numerous studies, the software giant recently released a royalty-free software license called the Microsoft Windows User Interface Automation, which helps modify Microsoft Word, Excel, or third-party applications with screen readers, screen enlargers and other alternative inputs.

Besides Microsoft, other well-known tech companies are also working on assistive technology. Apple Computer, Adobe and IBM have been working on speech recognition and screen enlargement software for their various applications. Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Dell have offered technical support to third-party companies working on assistive technology hardware. The computer makers have also adapted their PCs, laptops and PDAs to include large, recognizable keys and plug-and-play USB ports that support various peripherals.

Smaller companies such as Freedom Scientific, HumanWare AgentSheets, WizCom Tecnologies, Digital Lifestyle Outfitters and DynaVox are also among the hundreds of assistive technology companies that the ATIA endorses.

"In some ways the mainstream movement of assistive devices is similar to the convergence of computers and consumer electronics devices," Dikter said. "For someone who is blind, there is adaptive software that can let the cell phone talk. Previously, they would have had to carry a couple of devices with them."

Some recent product examples include:

• Refreshable Braille displays such as ones made by Blazie Engineering, of Middlesex, England, provide tactile displays of information represented on the computer screen. A Braille "cell" is composed of a series of dots. The pattern of the dots and various combinations of the cells are used in place of letters. Refreshable Braille displays mechanically lift small rounded plastic or metal pins as needed to form Braille characters. The user reads the Braille letters with his or her fingers, and then, after a line is read, can refresh the display to read the next line. The technology is finding its way into handheld devices such as the PC Mate, which has a $2,022 starting price.

• HumanWare, in Quebec, Canada, has created the Trekker, a lightweight travel tool for the blind that uses an HP iPaq digital music player as a platform to provide the user with a talking personal guide. Weighing 1.3 pounds and equipped with an onboard microphone and a Braille touch screen, Trekker is the first global positioning system-based portable product offering digital maps for the visually impaired. It keeps pace with the user, announcing street names, intersections, addresses, stores, restaurants and area attractions as they come. Pressing a "Where am I?" key pinpoints the user's location. The units are available through distributors and cost $1,595 for the hardware, with local maps starting at $55.

• AgentSheets, in Boulder, Colo., is a software company that uses the iPaq handheld as the basis for a device that helps people with disabilities use public transit systems. The system tracks GPS-equipped buses, alerts the passenger when the correct bus approaches, helps the passenger on board through audio and visual cues, and reminds the passenger when the bus reaches the right stop.

• Eatoni, based in New York City, has developed a system that allows people with vision problems to read e-mail on their cell phones. The Eatoni software is based on Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) technology, which was developed by Qualcomm. The software reduces the number of keystrokes used to type text on a telephone keypad. It also can increase the font size of words appearing on a phone's screen.

• Enkidu Research, a subsidiary of DynaVox Technologies, has developed the Palmtop Impact. The portable communication device is designed to help people who are unable to speak. A user can touch letters, words, phrases or even picture symbols on a handheld touch screen, which are then converted into loud, clear speech. It costs $3,295.

Government intervention has certainly helped this industry grow, and that's where Swerdlick said his company comes in. He said 90 percent of his business comes from federal and state government customers, including New York, Maryland, Hawaii and Alabama. The remainder is split equally between corporate clients and individual purchases.

Like some of his customers, Swerdlick is hopeful that another generation of technologies can do more--perhaps something as seemingly obvious as making speech recognition and voice reproduction technologies sound like real people.

"We see, but we see in different ways," Swerdlick said of people with disabilities. "We hear, but we hear in different ways."

Macintosh OS X...

... has plenty of extra options to help those with disabilities to be
able to use their computer already including the excellent
magnification features for visual impairment and advanced speech
recognition and reading capabilities already built into the operation
system.

I did hear that the old OS9 had stronger support for various
manufacturers but that OS X in its newest version, Tiger 10.4.x, has
improved significantly if not surpassing the older OS.

Macintosh OS X...

... has plenty of extra options to help those with disabilities to be
able to use their computer already including the excellent
magnification features for visual impairment and advanced speech
recognition and reading capabilities already built into the operation
system.

I did hear that the old OS9 had stronger support for various
manufacturers but that OS X in its newest version, Tiger 10.4.x, has
improved significantly if not surpassing the older OS.

Morse Code

I have an Uncle who is both blind and deaf. He is no longer able to read braille due to gradual deteriation of nerve sensitivity. However, he is able to operate a computer and surf the internet via a morse code based interface. He rests his hand upon a speaker to feel the pulses and nowadays is more comfortable using a keyer than a keyboard for entering text. The interface he uses is not commercially available, but was custom built for him by a childhood friend.

Morse Code

I have an Uncle who is both blind and deaf. He is no longer able to read braille due to gradual deteriation of nerve sensitivity. However, he is able to operate a computer and surf the internet via a morse code based interface. He rests his hand upon a speaker to feel the pulses and nowadays is more comfortable using a keyer than a keyboard for entering text. The interface he uses is not commercially available, but was custom built for him by a childhood friend.