Tuesday 21st September 2010

Alan Davis General Sales Manager – UK & Ireland

Humanware Europe Ltd.

Update on Technology for the Visually Impaired

General Theme

Portable & Powerful

Increased connectivity

Interaction with mainstream technology

Competing with sighted peers

Technology Focus

Magnification

Audio

Braille

GPS

Magnification

The first CCTV introduced 41 years ago

myReader2 – Auto Reader

No sickness

Read for longer

Read quicker

Understand

Since 1000AD, when the Venetians discovered that text could be magnified if it was placed under a convex blob of glass, it has been possible for low vision sufferers to read printed text.Progress in the last thousand years, however, has been slow. Reading, for people with low vision, has remained a laboriously slow process of scanning a lens or electronic magnifier along the lines of a document while peering into the lens or screen to view the magnified words flowing by.

While this primitive technology has enabled people with extremely poor vision to read, this process has been both visually and physically fatiguing and frustratingly slow. It has also required skilled

Since 1000AD, when the Venetians discovered that text could be magnified if it was placed under a convex blob of glass, it has been possible for low vision sufferers to read printed text.Progress in the last thousand years, however, has been slow. Reading, for people with low vision, has remained a laboriously slow process of scanning a lens or electronic magnifier

20 seconds to scan

Average speed: 1.2m/sec

7 seconds to scan Average speed: 24cm/sec

Laptop Solutions – Zoom Ex

Super Lightweight & portable

Super fast OCR technology

The simplest and fastest way to convert printed text in to an accessible format

SmartView Graduate

Distance / close up viewing

Lightweight & Flexible

Just one USB required

Zoom Extra

Combines the Zoom Ex with a distance / close-up live camera

Three Distinct Products

Portable magnification

Lightweight

Auto-focus cameras

Multi-media functionality

Audio Technology – Victor Reader Stream

Daisy Player

MP3 Player

Voice Recorder

Text-to-speech

Designed for blind people

Intel Reader

Point

Shoot

Listen

Braille Technology

Exciting new notetaker platform

Wide range of braille displays

Increased connectivity with new mainstream products

Braille is about literacy

“If anyone thinks Braille is somehow superfluous now that we all have computers, then please think again. In my opinion, a blind person who cannot read braille is

functionally illiterate”

“I’m often asked by blind people …how can I get a job in the media”

Read Braille

Read Braille fast

Braille - Not a Language

Correct English rules apply

Punctuation

Spellings

Capitals and lower case letters

Paragraphs

Imagine only learning through your ears

Two

To

Too

Right

Write

Fair

Fare

Stationary

Stationery

Whether

Weather

Would

Wood

Hair

Hare

Maid

Made

Why use a Braille Notetaker?

Designed specifically for use by blind peopleInstant Braille FeedbackCompact single piece unitErgonomic for reading & writingForwards/backwards instant Braille translationGreater accuracy than speech onlyAccess to mainstream technology. Ie. Internet mobile phones

What does the Braillenote Apex do?

Powerful Word processor

Diary

Internet/ E Mail

Supports multiple languages

Scientific Calculator

Database Manager

Plus many more features

Oh …and it look cool !!

Connectivity

Visual Display

Active Sync.

Wireless & Bluetooth

USB Sticks/ Memory Cards

Printing & Embossing

GPS

Other mobile devices

Braille Displays with laptops / desktops

Good spatial awarenessSpecific applications – spreadsheetsLiteracyNot cutting out hearing – Be part of your environmentSilent – not irritating or distracting teachers, work colleagues and peers

GPS – Trekker Breeze

Intuitive

Navigation / Orientation Aid

Shorten the time for learning new routes

Use everywhere (outside) – on streets, on campus

Navigate to a pub / ATM etc

Use on the bus

Use overseas

Alan Davis General Sales Manager – UK & Ireland

Humanware Europe Ltd.

Update on Technology for the Visually Impaired