Assistive Technology

For Individuals
Who are Blind
or Visually Impaired

November, 2014
  Brenda Loughrey, M.Ed.
 Allegheny Intermediate Unit
 Assistive Technology Specialist and
Teacher of Students with Visual
Impairments
 Brenda.loughrey@aiu3.net

Jane Zacharias
 CCTV Specialist
 Jane@CCTVLady.com www.CCTVLady.com
 Technology has revolutionized daily life for
all of us, but it has had particularly
dramatic benefits for people who are blind
or visually impaired. …

 …Assistive or adaptive technology, as it is

called, has exploded many barriers to
education and employment for visually
impaired individuals. …

 American Foundation for the Blind. Technology. Retrieved from

http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=4#content on September 25, 2007
 General Categories
 Daily Living Aids
 Medical Aids
 Orientation & Mobility Aids
 Video Magnifiers
 Scanning and Optical Character Recognition Systems
 Digital Books and Players
 Braille Production Systems
 Accessible Personal Data Assistants (PDAs)
 Computer Screen Access Products
 Accessible Cell Phones
 iOS Devices and Other Commercial Tablets
 Daily Living Aids

 Adapted Measuring Devices

 Talking Digital Timers
 Talking Indoor/Outdoor Thermometers
 Talking Microwaves
 Money Identifiers
 Color Identifiers
 Bluetooth Meat Thermometers
…
 Medical Aids

 Talking Thermometers
 Talking Glucometers
 Adaptive Devices for Filling Insulin
Syringes
 Devices for Reading Labels and Directions
on Prescription Bottles
…
 Orientation and Mobility
(O&M) Aids
 Orientation: Knowing where you are in
relation to other places and objects in the
environment.

 Mobility: The ability to safely move within

the environment.
 O&M Aids

 Object Detection Devices

 Way-Finders

 Adaptive GPS Devices

 Accessible Cell Phones

 Limited voice output is available on a few

standard phones from some vendors.

 Third-party software is available for some

smart phones.

 Apple’s iPhone is fully accessible right out-

of-the-box.
 Video Magnifiers

 Video Magnifier: An adaptive device which

provides electronic magnification and
visual enhancement of print or objects for
individuals with low vision.

 Also commonly called a closed circuit

television (CCTV).
 Major Components:
 1. A specially-designed video camera which
electronically enhances the image (stand-
mounted, hand-held, or head-mounted).

 2. A video display (proprietary video display,

standard television (TV), or a computer monitor).

 3. An xy table to allow material to be easily

moved up/down and side-to-side (stand-
mounted camera only)
 Types of Video Magnifiers

 Desktop Models
 Intended for use in one location
 “In-line” units position monitor directly above camera
 Camera may be positioned beside a large monitor to
reduce neck strain

 Portable Models
 Luggable CCTVs
 Intended for occasional transport but still have larger
monitor
 May include a camera for distance viewing
 Hand-held Models
 True portability
 Typically under two pounds
 May include a camera for distance viewing

 Head-Mounted Models
 Typically used for distance viewing
 Camera for reading signs, looking at street lights, etc.

 Computer-Compatible Models
 Monitor is shared by computer and CCTV
 Entire monitor may display output from computer, CCTV,
or allow split-screen access
 Accessible Digital Books
 Accessible Electronic Information:
 The text must be “available” to the player, not
simply displayed in an image-based file.
 The text must be “navigable,” which means
electronic tags are provided to allow the user to
jump to a specific text element (titles,
paragraphs, pages, chapters, etc.)
 All essential graphical information must be
meaningfully described in some type of
electronic tag.
 DAISY Books

 DAISY: Digital Accessible Information

System
 An electronic format established by the
DAISY Consortium (www.daisy.org) which,
when used to create an electronic file,
provides an accessible book or document.
 Requires use of a proprietary digital book
player.
 Advantages:
 Protects copyright by making books available in a
secure format.
 Allows easy navigation to chapters, pages, and
any other text element.

 Types of DAISY Materials:

 Digital files produced from human voice
recordings,
 Digital text which can be magnified or spoken
using synthetic speech,
 Images with descriptive tags, or
 Any combination of the above.
 Types of DAISY Players:
 Software
 Hardware
 Software or firmware components of other
assistive devices or programs.

 Sources of DAISY books:

 Learning Ally - textbooks and more
 BookShare.org - fiction, nonfiction, and
newspapers
 National Library Service for the Blind or Physically
Impaired (NLS) - converting entire collection.
Optical Character Recognition
(OCR) Systems
 Consist of three components:
 1. A computer processor,
 2. A scanner which converts an image of
the printed page into an electronic file, and
 3. OCR software which uses
sophisticated language-based algorithms
to identify characters which are then
written to a text-based file.
 These three components may be:
 Assembled into a one-piece, stand-alone
system,

 Installed on a Windows-based computer

system, or

 Installed as an app on an iPhone.

 OCR software cannot interpret graphics, drawings,
or any type of handwriting.

 Poor quality print copy or complex page formats

may not produce usable results.

 The recognition process typically causes some

page reformatting and the user must expect some
errors in character recognition.

 Adaptive OCR products reformat text into a linear

layout to improve readability using speech or
refreshable braille output.
 Computer Screen Access
Software
 Output:
 Individuals who are blind or who have a significant visual
impairment will need to use either a screen magnification
program or screen reader software to read information
on the computer screen.

 Input:
 Unless there are additional disabilities, standard 101-key
or notebook-style keyboards are used for input. A few
tactile markings may be helpful for keyboard orientation.
 Individuals with low vision may also use a
mouse or other pointing device to interact
with application programs. Screen reader
users and most screen magnification
users rely on keyboard commands to
interact with the OS and application
programs.
 Options for Individuals with
Low Vision
 Connect a larger computer monitor

 Advantages: The entire display is

available for viewing without scrolling.
 Disadvantages: May not provide enough
magnification; may cause visual or
physical fatigue; no portability.
 Use Standard Windows or Mac
operating system display Options.
 Advantages: No cost; adjust color scheme,
appearance of mouse pointer; some
magnification.
 Disadvantages: May not provide
adequate magnification, contrast control,
or magnification or enhancement of all
screen items within application program;
difficult to disable for other users.
 Windows Magnifier
 Advantages: No cost, up to 2X
magnification, easily enabled or disabled
to allow the computer to be shared by
multiple users.

 Disadvantages: May be inadequate

magnification and limited contrast control
and viewing options in magnified screen.
 Full-Featured Screen Magnification
Software
 Advantages: Smooth fonts even when
using very high magnification, all screen
elements are magnified, application-
specific settings, multiple viewing options
for different types of text and images,
automatic panning to reduce visual fatigue,
compatible with speech output to improve
overall efficiency.
 Disadvantages: Cost and program
features must be learned.
 Screen Reader Software
 Screen reader software allows a person
with no usable vision to move to and read
any information on the computer screen
using keyboard commands and synthetic
speech output.

 Rather than simply reading the screen in a

left-right, top-down manner, the screen
reader attempts to announce important
screen changes.
 Screen access is provided using a
combination of Windows shortcut keys and
screen reader-specific keyboard
commands.

 The user can move to and interact with

almost all screen elements, search for
specific text or colors on the screen,
announce font and format information, and
speak the item at the focus.
 Screen readers cannot describe pictures
or graphics, but graphics may be verbally
labeled by the software or image author.
 Information is intercepted as it is being
written to the screen and stored in a
memory construct called the “off-screen
model” (OSM).
 The OSM is analyzed and organized into
text, text labels, graphics, and screen
elements such as title bars, buttons, check
boxes, etc.
 Screen changes are announced
immediately and other information can be
accessed on request.

 If non-standard controls or screen

elements are used, useful information
cannot be obtained from the OSM.
Guidelines are available for software
developers.
 Refreshable Braille Displays
 Refreshable braille displays are computer
peripherals which display up to 80 braille
characters from the computer screen.

 The braille is formed by small pins which

are raised through a perforated plate to
form the characters.

 Controls allow the user to position the

braille window to any area of the screen.

 Used in conjunction with a screen reader,
these devices allow tactile access to
screen information. The braille display
may be used alone or in conjunction with
speech output.

 Useful for individuals with hearing

impairments and in many educational and
employment settings.
 Windows vs. Mac
 There are several highly sophisticated third-party
screen magnification programs and screen readers
available for the Windows operating system. Teams
of dedicated engineers ensure compatibility with
each new version of Windows and commonly used
commercial applications.
 Apple provides a built-in screen reader and screen
magnification program as a standard component of
the operating system. These utilities provide good
access to all Apple and Apple-compliant software.
However, the Screen reader does not work with
Microsoft Office and many other third-party
programs and web sites.
 Accessible Personal Data
Assistants (PDAs)
 Adaptive PDAs are small, lightweight, one-piece
electronic note taking devices with either a
QWERTY or braille keyboard for input and
synthetic speech or refreshable braille output.

 Offer highly portable, “instant on” access to

information and applications.

 User-created files can be printed, embossed in

braille, or transferred to a computer.
 Many adapted PDAs are now available which
are based on commercial hardware and
software. Some use a proprietary user
interface while others use standard
applications.

 All provide access to email, the Internet, and

a host of connectivity options.

 Also able to synchronize information with a

PC and Microsoft Outlook using Microsoft
ActiveSync.
 Braille Production Systems

 A braille production system consists

of:

 A braille printer (called an embosser), and

 Braille translation software.

 Braille embosser: Produces braille
characters on heavy paper by punching or
“embossing” individual dots onto the page.

 Braille translation software: Converts print

characters into corresponding braille
symbols. The software is also responsible
for converting print formats into the
corresponding braille formats.
 iOS Devices
 Accessible right out-of-the-box.

 Accessibility features include any combination of speech

input, voice output, screen magnification, and braille
input or output.

 Apps are available which replace many other adaptive

tools such as:
 Color identifiers,
 Money identifiers,
 Adaptive GPS devices,
 PDA utilities such as calendars, contacts, and notes,
 …
 iOS devices are dramatically changing the
accessibility options and access to
information for individuals who are blind or
visually impaired.

 Windows-and Android-based tablets may

soon be strong competitors in this arena.