[accessibleimage] sculpture, china, geography, stroke dialing and androids

Hi,
A mix of links to articles. One particularly interesting about stroke dialing on an screen leads to thoughts about possibilities 
of other types of impute to a screen - shapes etc - might be useful for vi.

Regards,
Lisa


Metalwork sculpture leaps into life at RNC in Hereford
A FUTURISTIC painting of a running man has made the leap from paper to reality.
Herefordshire artist Walenty Pytel has overcome memory loss to produce Futuristic Runner.
The piece was commissioned by the RNC (Royal National College for the Blind) and is based on a painting by former student Sarah Withers. 

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/4433949.Metalwork_sculpture_leaps_into_life_at_RNC_in_Hereford/

article


Armed with a camera, the blind capture their world
It's an almost counterintuitive question: Can the physically disabled become artists? The answer depends, to a certain extent, on how one defines art. As the expression of one's personal interpretation of the world around him, art can be created by just about anyone. And, after all, if Beethoven could produce musical masterpieces without hearing them, surely the visually impaired staff of Beijing One Plus One Cultural Exchange Center can become photographers.
And so they did. One Plus One, an organization run by people with disabilities that aims to provide media outlets and support for the disabled, teamed up in May with the international group PhotoVoice to train eight of its staff to use photography as a way to communicate their experiences of the world around them 


http://www.china.org.cn/culture/2009-06/11/content_17928906.htm


article

Braille Literacy: Insights from a Michigan Home School
...she received permission from Milton Bradley to adapt the Twister board, using fabrics which were the same color as the areas on the board but had rich texture like velvet, felt, thick corduroy and terrycloth. 

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/105637


article



Artist who lost her sight but not her vision
lthough she always dabbled in drawing it remained a hobby, a creative outlet she simply enjoyed. Ironically, it was only after she began to lose her vision nine years ago that she recognized her penchant for drawing as a gift.
“When I realized that I would no longer be able to work at a desk job I found myself needing something to keep me going. A friend suggested that I take an art course just to keep my spirits up,” said Suzanne, now age 43.
Suzanne, who has had juvenile diabetes since age seven, developed a complication of the disease called diabetic retinopathy and two years after her diagnosis, was declared legally blind.
“When I started to lose my vision I was a little scared about what I would do with my life but I also saw it as an opportunity to re-invent myself, to try something new,” she says.
Initially, Suzanne began experimenting with classes in different art techniques, ranging from sculpture to painting, but it was acrylic painting that seemed to suit her developing style the most. 


http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17080&Itemid=86


artcle

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2009/090611/full/nj7248-877a.html
Blinded in 1984, geographer Reginald Golledge was this year named Faculty Research Lecturer by the University of California, Santa Barbara. 
Q&A

How did you begin on your career path?
In the 1960s, I discovered that a theoretical and quantitative revolution was transforming the previously descriptive field of geography, so I decided to research how people acquire spatial knowledge. 

How did sudden blindness affect your career?
I was completely lost. I had no idea how I was going to teach without access to notes, prepared lectures or overheads. Figuring out how to continue my research was even more difficult. One day, two psychologists — Jack Loomis and Roberta Klatzky, both then at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) — asked if they could help. Roberta suggested I find ways to build on my previous mental-map research. They agreed to meet with me weekly and we began 25 years of intense collaboration, which took my research in a new direction towards dissecting spatial cognition. In the process, I became more competent and was able to continue my academic life while helping other blind people around the world. 

What is your greatest scientific achievement?
I pioneered a behavioural approach to human geography to study how humans find their way in the world. More than anything else, I think I opened the field's eyes to the fact that the geography you carry in your mind, your mental map and the way you process spatial information, are just as important as recording the facts of human existence on the surface of Earth. In addition to an objective reality, there is also subjective reality — what is stored in your mind's mental model of the world. 

What has given you the most career satisfaction?
I've been developing a personal guidance system for blind travellers that allows them to be completely independent of guides or guide dogs. Our prototype got a great deal of recognition, and now companies in many countries are producing these guidance systems. They're similar to vehicle-guidance systems, which use GPS and spatial databases or electronic maps. 

Do you have any advice for disabled people who want to be scientists?
Disabled people can make long-term career plans, but it takes a strong commitment to their work. ...... 



site


Fair Use Lab

Mark Willis Re-Imagines Accessibility Through Free Culture



http://fairuselab.net/



article
Android Might 'See' an Eyes-Free Interface
Stroke dialing article
and youtube video
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Might-039-See-039-an-Eyes-Free-Interface-113647.shtml

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