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Tuesday 21 st September 2010
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
