Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

The Tiger® Braille Formatter is a Windows® software application used to transform MS Office documents into a form suitable for embossing on ViewPlus® Tiger® technology embossers. Tiger® embossers have 20 dot per inch resolution and can emboss Braille and tactile graphics with variable height dots. The Formatter’s primary purpose is to replace text with Braille and reformat the document to accommodate the considerably larger font size needed for Braille than normal text. A new release of the Formatter will include ability to transform math within MS Word documents to virtually any standard Braille code, to DotsPlus® Braille, or to custom Braille codes developed by individual users. The new open source Liblouis open source translator is used for both literary and math Braille translation.

We present a web-based application that can use a speech dialog to write mathematical formulas. It is suitable also for visually impaired people. A voice control is simple and easy-to-use to reach accessibility goals. All functions are separated to relevant categories in menu and accessible via mouse as well as voice. Application is based on X+V [1] technology, java web-server and browser-side scripting.

Virtually all modern scientific documents and textbooks use graphical illustrations and/or data displays. The ViewPlus IVEO technology, based on Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is being developed to permit scientists to publish such graphics in a form fully usable by all people. The first release of IVEO was designed to make simple graphics accessible. Development of the second release, which includes improved text accessibility, linking, and interactivity, is described in this paper. We also discuss new research to expand accessibility of quantitative data in IVEO documents by using non-speech audio.

We have developed CyARM, a new kind of sensing device especially for visually impaired persons, to assist with mobility and detection of nearby objects. This user interface has unique characteristics of giving visually impaired persons the impression of an “imaginary arm” that extends to existing obstacles. CyARM is also a communication device for constructing “joint haptic attention” between impaired and unimpaired persons watching or feeling the same objects. In other words, this device offers a new methodology for judging the others’ attentions or intentions without using their eye gaze direction. We verified the efficiency and ability of CyARM for environment recognition through experiments and discuss its possibility as a communication device for realizing joint haptic attention.

These days, we are able to get updated visual map freely from web sites. However, auditory maps for the visually impaired were not able to get easily. So, we studied about the system which enables us to generate and provide the auditory map via Internet. In this paper, we described about the production rules of our auditory map. And, we also described about the questionnaire and two experiments to determine the information which was put into the map. The results of experiment suggested that it is important whether the subjects were able to find the point for changing their directions to reach to the destination. And we applied that suggestion to our prototype system. And, finally, we also described about the problems of our system and our future works.

For blind people it is very difficult to orientate in an urban area. Especially in an unknown environment they cannot move independently and need the help of a sighted person. With the development of a navigation system tailored to the special needs of blind people their mobility will increase. Blind people make high demands on all components of the navigation system. These requirements and possible solutions are worked out in a project with the collaboration of blind people. The development aims at a prototype of a navigation system which covers the overall spectrum of navigational components. This comprises an appropriate modeling of the navigational environment, fast routing algorithms generating lists of maneuvers, suitable positioning tools, reliable map matching algorithms for route checking, and finally, adequate guidance instructions.

We demonstrate computer vision techniques designed to aid blind or severely visually impaired wheelchair users. These techniques will be used to sense important features in nearby terrain from images collected by cameras mounted rigidly to the wheelchair. They will assist in the detection of hazards such as obstacles and drop-offs ahead of or alongside the chair, as well as detecting veer, finding curb cuts, finding a clear path, and maintaining a straight course. The resulting information is intended ultimately to be integrated with inputs from other sensors and communicated to the traveler using synthesized speech and/or audible tones and tactile cues, supplementing rather than replacing the user’s existing cane, guide dog and wayfinding skills.

The current discussion about the inclusion of people with disabilities into an open labour market is characterised by dominant economic aspects. The unemployment situation of people with disabilities – irrespective of their intellectual level – varies in the different partner countries. The transnational EU LdV Programme IDOL (Inclusion of Disabled in Open Labour Market) aims to open sensibilities and understanding concerning the situation of people with disabilities especially with visual impairment. Its focus is to develop and to implement an IT and psychological training programme for this target group in the different partner countries and in future in all EU countries.

There is no doubt among the members of the CSCW community that awareness is a key issue in the design of successful collaborative software. In many systems awareness mechanisms have been implemented through displaying graphic information over the system’s interface. However, this strategy does not apply when the end users of the system are blind people. In this work we report the problems we encountered when implementing a collaborative game for supporting the learning of music and sound by blind people when trying to develop effective awareness mechanisms. The preliminary results have helped us to be "aware" about some characteristics awareness mechanisms should have for blind people which are not as prominent and problematic for sighted people.

Programming skills are strongly emphasized in computer science. Programming languages are constructed based on sighted people as end-users. We have designed Audio Programming Language for blind learners based on audio interfaces to support novice blind learners to develop and exercise problem solving skills. APL was designed with blind learners from the beginning to construct programs and solve problems with increasingly complexity. Audio Programming Language was usability tested during and after implementation. Blind learners used, wrote programs, and helped to make improvements to this programming language. Testing results evidence that APL mapped the mental models of blind learners and helped to motivate them to write programs and thus entering to the programming field.