Effective Testing Procedures For Partial Vision Students Utilizing The Microcomputer

A testing program utilizing a voice synthesizer and double-sized graphics was developed for high school partial vision students in a Business Education Microcomputer Applications class. Prior to the program, partial vision students had failing test grades. In order to take a test, the partial vision student had to go to a resource lab to use a reader. This took a great amount of time and the partial vision student missed regular classroom activities. The program was implemented for 10 weeks. After the partial vision students were trained to use the speech synthesizer for one week, tests were administered on the computer through a program designed to facilitate the text. Students were timed and the number of times a student asked for assistance was recorded. At the conclusion of the program, the majority of the test scores were passing. The amount of time needed to take a test was cut in half and the students had a better attitude about their own classroom performance. Recommendations include a lab equipped with speech synthesizers and enlarged print. Suggestions are also given for the teacher who receives a partial vision student in the classroom. (Appendices Include a checklist of speech synthesizer commands, a sample weekly log, an attitudinal survey form, a software evaluation form, a program listing for the testing program, and graphs of the results of the study.

Improving Access to Voting: A Report on the Technology for Accessible Voting Systems

Twenty percent of U.S. adults with disabilities--more than 8 million eligible voters--say they have been unable to vote in presidential or congressional elections due to barriers at or getting to the polls. Improving Access to Voting is a new report by technology expert Noel Runyan, published by Demos and Voter Action, that finds that state voting systems are widely noncompliant with federal ADA and HAVA access requirements for voters with disabilities

Mobile assistive technologies for the visually impaired

There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in information technology (IT) are increasing the scope for IT-based mobile assistive technologies to facilitate the independence, safety, and improved quality of life of the visually impaired. Research is being directed at making mobile phones and other handheld devices accessible via our haptic (touch) and audio sensory channels. We review research and innovation within the field of mobile assistive technology for the visually impaired and, in so doing, highlight the need for successful collaboration between clinical expertise, computer science, and domain users to realize fully the potential benefits of such technologies. We initially reflect on research that has been conducted to make mobile phones more accessible to people with vision loss. We then discuss innovative assistive applications designed for the visually impaired that are either delivered via mainstream devices and can be used while in motion (e.g., mobile phones) or are embedded within an environment that may be in motion (e.g., public transport) or within which the user may be in motion (e.g., smart homes)

Wearable Urban Mobility Assistive Device for Visually Impaired Pedestrians Using a Smartphone and a Tactile-Foot Interface

This paper reports on the progress of a wearable assistive technology (AT) device designed to enhance the independent, safe, and efficient mobility of blind and visually impaired pedestrians in outdoor environments. Such device exploits the smartphone’s positioning and computing capabilities to locate and guide users along urban settings. The necessary navigation instructions to reach a destination are encoded as vibrating patterns which are conveyed to the user via a foot-placed tactile interface. To determine the performance of the proposed AT device, two user experiments were conducted. The first one requested a group of 20 voluntary normally sighted subjects to recognize the feedback provided by the tactile-foot interface. The results showed recognition rates over 93%. The second experiment involved two blind voluntary subjects which were assisted to find target destinations along public urban pathways. Results show that the subjects successfully accomplished the task and suggest that blind and visually impaired pedes-trians might find the AT device and its concept approach useful, friendly, fast to master, and easy to use

Needs for Sensory Devices: An Opinion Survey

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TouchScope: A Passive-Haptic Device to Investigate Tactile Perception Using a Refreshable Braille Display

The sense of touch is underrepresented in cognitive psychology research. One of the reasons is that controlling the timing of stimulus presentation, which is a hallmark of cognitive research, is significantly more difficult for tactile stimuli than visual or auditory stimuli. In the present work, we present a system to display tactile stimuli (braille cells) and collect response time with the capability for static and dynamic (passive haptic) stimuli prsentation that will contribute to the development of tactile research. While the system requires some construction, it can be put together with commercially available materials. Here, we present the step-by-step instructions for constructing the tool, the code used to control it, and some basic experiments to validate it. The data from the experiments show that the device can be used for a variety of tactile perception experiments

Integrated low-cost reading device targeting the accessibility to quality education for the visually impaired.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban.The movement of society into the Fourth Industrial Revolution introduces a fundamental shift in how Mechatronic devices are implemented in daily life and the workplace. Terms such as ‘efficiency’ and ‘competitive advantage’ bolster the drive to develop technology that sets one company, business or manufacturer apart from the rest. However, is there a possibility that the same technology can be used to unify society by providing equal opportunity within the workplace, academia, and everyday life? This research addresses the position of the South African visually impaired community within Industry 4.0 and how Mechatronic technology can be used to improve current employment statistics and quality of life. The purpose of the research project was to assess the financial and operational viability of a portable text to braille transcription device with focus on the implementation of novel small-scale Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs). The device was required to transcribe printed characters into braille in real-time. This allowed visually impaired individuals access to books, journals and newspapers without assistance or the need to wait for the production of a braille-embossed printed copy. In addition, the research included an assessment of the current employment and educational circumstances of the blind and visually impaired community of South Africa as well as an investigation of the ideal approach to address multiple key factors using a single device. The design of the selected device was comprised of three major subsystems; the optical character recognition hardware, the software and electronics required to transcribe the characters into a series of voltage outputs and the actuation system of the tactile display. The synthesis and operating conditions of the dielectric elastomer actuators were experimentally assessed. The tactile display was required to be low cost, small-scale, portable, and robust to present a sustainable solution to the challenges presented by the lack of accessible reading material and high cost of commercially available options. Scaled models of the DEA were synthesised. The subsequent experiments included the comparison of elastomer materials, electrode materials, the effect of pre-strain on DEA performance, the effect of different application methods of carbon electrodes and the performance of inflated DEA membranes. The electronic subsystem was simulated to investigate the reaction time of the device. Design challenges included the requirement of a high voltage power supply to actuate the DEA, the insulation of the synthesised membranes, electrical protection of the micro-controller and the incorporation of optical character recognition programmes. This research aimed to assist in the development of actuators with greater portability and scope for miniaturisation than commercially available pneumatic or piezoelectric alternatives while addressing the challenges faced by the visually impaired community of South Africa

Flexible Neuromorphic Electronics for Computing, Soft Robotics, and Neuroprosthetics

© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, WeinheimFlexible neuromorphic electronics that emulate biological neuronal systems constitute a promising candidate for next-generation wearable computing, soft robotics, and neuroprosthetics. For realization, with the achievement of simple synaptic behaviors in a single device, the construction of artificial synapses with various functions of sensing and responding and integrated systems to mimic complicated computing, sensing, and responding in biological systems is a prerequisite. Artificial synapses that have learning ability can perceive and react to events in the real world; these abilities expand the neuromorphic applications toward health monitoring and cybernetic devices in the future Internet of Things. To demonstrate the flexible neuromorphic systems successfully, it is essential to develop artificial synapses and nerves replicating the functionalities of the biological counterparts and satisfying the requirements for constructing the elements and the integrated systems such as flexibility, low power consumption, high-density integration, and biocompatibility. Here, the progress of flexible neuromorphic electronics is addressed, from basic backgrounds including synaptic characteristics, device structures, and mechanisms of artificial synapses and nerves, to applications for computing, soft robotics, and neuroprosthetics. Finally, future research directions toward wearable artificial neuromorphic systems are suggested for this emerging area.