Technology

Bhubaneswar: Braille notations on currency notes

Before President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam signs off from his post, he leaves a ray of hope for the visually–impaired persons.

A communique from Reserve Bank of India has come as a reply to the letter written by the Orissa Association of Blind to the President, wherein they had pressed for modified currency notes to enable the visually–impaired to identify them. "We are so glad to receive an immediate response from the President's side. These days we are busy jotting down suggestions for the new notes if they come. Braille dots, raised symbols, cutting corners, producing notes of different sizes, or with perforations are some suggestions we have come up with," said an enthusiastic Sanyas Behera, the office secretary of the association.

There are more than 5 lakh visually–impaired persons in Orissa and the problem of distinguishing currency notes has been noticed widely. The current practice of identifying a currency note is by measuring its sizes with fingers.

"But that is of little help, as notes with denominations of Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 are more or less the same. The smaller denomination notes such as Rs 5, Rs 10 and Rs 20 vary in size and therefore can be differentiated," Behera added.

In places like Ahmedabad they have a device known as the "note taker" that looks similar to a scale and is used to measure the length of the note. But it's yet to be available in Orissa. "Durability of Braille marks on notes is limited. Coins with same denominations and stickers on notes maybe introduced to solve this problem," said Sarojini Sahoo, a teacher of special education.

Citing an instance, Prabeen Khetravasa, a visually–impaired youth explained how he was cheated last week. "My neighbour sent me to a grocery store with a Rs 500 note. The shopkeeper said the note I was carrying was Rs 100 and not Rs 50," he said.

"I was confused as to who was telling the truth ? my neighbour or the shopkeeper? Finally, local residents intervened and the issue was left unsettled," he sighed.

This is not a lone case. Everyday the association gets to hear of such cases of cheats. "We are all the more scared after we came to know about the fake notes?" Behera said.

The letter to the President's office was sent to the RBI, which in turn has explained features currently available in notes that can make identification that much easy. The bank has assured to look into the matter and directed the chief secretary to look into the problems faced by the visually challenged.

Source: Priya Abraham. Kalam note helps solve note problem– Boon for visually impaired, The Telegraph, Kolkata,4 July 2007.

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PDA for visually impaired runs Windows CE

GW Micro has released what it describes as one of the "smallest, lightest, and most fashionable" note–takers available for the visually impaired. Voice Sense runs Windows CE 5.0 and features a "Perkins style" Braille keyboard for inputting information, and uses synthesized voice for output.

Voice Sense is powered by a 540 MHz PXA 270 and is equipped with 192 MB of RAM and a gigabyte of flash memory. Additional storage is available via both CompactFlash and SD card slots. Audio output is provided via built–in stereo speakers as well as a headphone jack. Audio input makes use of either the unit's built–in condenser mic or via a microphone jack.

A USB 2.0 port supports connection to devices such as the company's SyncBraille portable Braille display. Built–in wireless networking includes both 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 1.1. An FM receiver is also included. The company says it plans to incorporate GPS in the near future.

According to GW Micro, Voice Sense includes the following software applications:

  • Email client
  • Web browser
  • Media player
  • Address book
  • Calender and schedule manager
  • Word processor
  • Calculator
  • FM tuner
  • Daisy talking book player
  • Context sensitive help

Perkins–style keyboard: Also known as a Perkins Brailler, the Perkins–style keyboard is described as a "braille typewriter" with six keys representing the six dots of the Braille code. Text is entered by simultaneously pressing combinations of the six keys. Three additional keys represent space, line space, and backspace.

The original Perkins Brailler was developed in 1951 at the Perkins School for the Blind and is still being manufactured by Howe Press. It is a complex mechanical device conceptually similar to a manual typewriter. In recent years the Perkins keyboard layout has been adapted to PCs and other electronic devices.

Voice Sense availability: Voice Sense is shipping now in North America, priced at $1,895, according to GW Micro.

Source: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS3223606530.html

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Mobile devices for the visually impaired

AT&T is partnering with Code Factory to offer software products that increase mobile device usability for users who are blind or visually impaired. AT&T plans to begin offering Code Factory's Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier for both Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 devices, this fall.

Code Factory describes Mobile Speak as a "full-fledged screen reader with an easy-to-learn command structure." It features intuitive speech feedback in several languages, and Braille support that can be used with or without speech. The software is said to automatically detect information of special interest -- for example discovering highlighted items or key areas of the screen that a sighted user would tend to notice at a glance.

Functions and applications supported by Mobile Speak include:

  • Voice speed dial, call lists, and contacts
  • Text messaging
  • Calendar, tasks, notes, and calculator
  • Internet browser
  • Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Voice Recorder, Media Player
  • Phone/device settings, profiles, alarms, and ringtones

Mobile Magnifier is described as a full-screen magnification application that supports low- and high-resolution screens, and can be used with or without speech feedback. The software is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices. Features are said to include:

  • Magnification levels from 1.25x to 16x
  • Font-smoothing for easier readability
  • Three different layouts: full-screen, split, and distributed view
  • Different color schemes, including inverted color
  • Automatic panning and cursor-tracking
  • Automatic zoom function that detects areas of interest on the screen

Carlton Hill, vice president of Product Management for AT&T's wireless unit, stated, "By working closely with organizations that are committed to serving seniors or people with disabilities, AT&T is able to better understand the unique needs of its customers. These new software options will help make it easier for all individuals to enjoy a digital lifestyle wherever they go."

Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier are expected to be available in the fall, according to AT&T. Pricing was not stated.

Source: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS3691436255.html

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Pocket PC for the visually impaired

VisuAide has announced what it calls the first "mainstream handheld PC accessible to the blind and visually impaired." The Maestro is an HP iPAQ Pocket PC running Windows CE that has been made accessible via the addition of text-to-speech technology and a tactile keyboard membrane overlay on the PDA's touch screen.

VisuAide says that the Maestro takes advantage of wireless networks such as Bluetooth to yield a modular system that can be operated with or without an external keyboard (Braille or standard), depending on user preference and the task at hand. For example, Maestro accepts Braille input both from the unit's tactile keyboard on the unit, for brief notes, and from an external Braille keyboard, for extensive note taking.

The device's open environment readily integrates third-party or other VisuAide applications, such as Trekker, a GPS orientation system, and Victor Reader, a digital talking-book player, according to the company.

VisuAide claims Maestro is "the most affordable and compact personal information-management and communication system available to the visually impaired." Initial shipments are expected in September of this year.

Source: http://www.windowsfordevices.com/news/NS9415443289.html

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