[bcab] Re: Fw: assistive technology - blind and no arms

interestingly, I have a friend who got so fed of jaysay, he went the Dolphin
route.  Serves you right Terry for blatant advertising.
Alan Michael Rayner
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terry Clasper" <Terry.Clasper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 12:46 PM
Subject: [bcab] Re: Fw: assistive technology - blind and no arms


Interestingly Mandy now uses J-Say Technology...


Terry Clasper.
T&T Consultancy Ltd
Suite 5 Imex Technology Park
Trentham
Stoke-On-Trent
ST4 8LJ

Tel: 08452 303015
Fax: 01782 646142
Web: www.tandt-consultancy.com


-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Adrian Higginbotham
Sent: 30 November 2006 12:43
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: Fw: assistive technology - blind and no arms

Similar support is offered by other solutions and for other assistive
technologies, the following is a case study from the dolphin computer access
site which they along with ghg software showcased at Techshare a couple of
years ago.

Case Study No.  B06



Total Hand-Free Accessibility for Visually Impaired computer users from
TalkingPoint Gold and Dolphin

Industry leaders continue to provide innovative solutions for blind and
disabled computer users.


Mandy De La Mare was born partially sighted and without any upper limbs. She
is one of four thousand people world-wide who is disabled as a result of the
thalidomide drug. Since the age of seventeen her eyesight deteriorated to
such a degree that she is now totally blind, yet despite her disabilities
she still manages to bring up her three children, with the help and support
of her family and her husband, Chris.

A beneficiary of the Thalidomide Trust, Mandy has been using a computer
since 1994, initially, using a Braille laptop device. Whilst this gave some
degree of independence, it was limiting because it could only effectively be
used by a blind person and could not be shared with her husband or family.
This made simple tasks such as proof reading documents impossible. What
Mandy really needed was a 'standard' computer system, which she could share
with her family, but could be adapted to allow her to access the information
in the way that she wanted.

After researching different computer access systems, Mandy decided that a
screen reader was the best solution to getting access to mainstream
information. Having reviewed several screen readers, she decided that Hal,
from Dolphin Computer Access Limited, was the best solution for her. So in
1999 Mandy started using Hal. When asked why she chose Hal, Mandy's response
is quite clear, "It was the most stable screen reader on the market and
worked straight from the box without the need for sighted assistance or any
computer configuration. It also supported the latest graphics drivers, which
was very important for my children's computer games." Mandy also enrolled on
a touch typing course at Sandwell College, to become proficient on a
'qwerty' keyboard using only her toes.

Whilst this allowed Mandy to fully access her family's computer and use Hal
as an output mechanism, it was still very tiring and time consuming having
to input information using her toes via the keyboard. What Mandy really
wanted was to be like any other mother who was able to do her shopping on
line. It was this determination that led her to contact the Thalidomide
Trust for help.

In 2001 she was introduced to Alan Summerside, the Development Director, at
the Trust. Alan agreed that The Trust would explore the possible solutions
and work with expert organisations in order to appropriate the technology
required. Mandy would help with the testing and evaluation work. With the
help of Malcolm Grant, the three of them embarked upon a three year crusade,
along with help from the development team responsible for the TalkingPoint
voice interface programme. Their quest, to find the most reliable and stable
solution that allowed people with multiple disabilities, to access a
standard computer.

Initial investigations determined that Mandy needed some form of voice
recognition software as an input mechanism, eliminating the reliance upon
the keyboard. Using leading voice software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking,
was not an option at this time due to the perceived compatibility problems
with screen readers. Alan and Mandy sought expert advice in order to get a
solution that effectively integrated the Dragon software with a screen
reader. They evaluated existing products that were available, such as
JawBone, which failed to live up to their expectations. Alan says, "every
existing product we evaluated that claimed to be able to integrate the
Dragon software with a screen reader failed to deliver the necessary levels
of accessibility for Mandy".

Every expert they approached failed to understand their needs and failed to
deliver a robust and reliable solution. One popular low cost screen reader
that was evaluated, caused so much damage to Mandy's computer that the
Thalidomide Trust agreed to rebuild and reformat it for her. Alan continues,
"this was a very bad experience for us, and taught us a valuable lesson -
you get what you pay for!"

Having spent over two years speaking with experts in the field and looking
at a range of ineffective solutions, Malcolm Grant and GHG decided to
develop their own solution which would integrate Dragon NaturallySpeaking
with a screen reader.

With the primary focus being a stable and reliable solution, the team
decided to approach Dolphin. Mandy had been using Dolphin's Hal screen
reader for over four years by this time, without any problems and having
experienced a range of other screen readers, nothing was as stable or
reliable as Hal. The team needed to develop an interface offering the
ability to switch automatically between the Hal screen reader and Dragon
NaturallySpeaking.

The team initially tried installing Dragon alongside Hal to see how
compatible the two were. The initial findings surprised them all. Without
any modification the two systems appeared to work quite well together,
however, conflicts were apparent. There was no means of easily disabling Hal
when using the microphone. With Malcolm's knowledge and experience, he
decided to develop a software solution that would integrate Dragon
NaturallySpeaking with Supernova and Hal. The total solution also needed to
provide intelligent vocal feedback of operations so that the user would
never lose their place. It needed to provide constant feedback of any
changes and modifications inputted by the user, to ensure all changes could
be easily tracked. All input phrases should be repeated back to the operator
for clarification. And so TalkingPoint Gold was developed.

TalkingPoint Gold enabled the user to access the on-screen information by
using the Synthetic Speech within Hal or Supernova. At the same time the
voice could be used as an additional input mechanism, however there was no
automatic function for suppressing Hal and Supernova when using Dragon.
Malcolm contacted the Dolphin Technical Support staff for help.

The Dolphin Technical Support staff worked with Malcolm to determine the
best way of muting the screen reader speech whilst using Dragon.
Modifications were made to the user files within Hal and Supernova, which
enabled the microphone operation to be controlled by a simple foot pedal.
This was programmed into TalkingPoint Gold which simulated the toggle action
and automatically switched the screen reader voice off when using the
microphone. So now, when the foot pedal is depressed, the microphone is
switched on and TalkingPoint Gold can be used. When the foot pedal is
released the microphone is switched off, TalkingPoint Gold is suspended and
Hal is automatically switched back on.

So what difference has this made to Mandy?
She is now able to dictate directly into the computer. Constructing letters,
reports and emails is now far quicker than she ever thought possible. The
access software package provides Mandy with verbal mouse control functions,
which up until now she had never been able to use.  Mandy is now able to
work with her computer for longer periods of time without getting tired or
suffering strain to her legs and toes, as well as ensuring she has effective
access to more computer functionality for the foreseeable future.


What does Mandy say?
"This has really changed my life. The work that Malcolm and the people at
Dolphin have done is fantastic, it is stable and reliable and the support I
get is first class." Mandy continues, "having spent so long looking for a
solution that allowed me the same levels of access as any other person, I
was surprised to find the answer had always been there in front of me. I now
enjoy my computer more than ever before. None of this would have been
possible without the help and support of everyone involved, especially Alan
Summerside from the Thalidomide Trust."

Steve Palmer, CEO, Dolphin Group, comments "this really does demonstrate the
flexibility and adaptability of our products. It is fantastic to see our
products being used in new and innovative ways along side other products."
Steve continues, "it makes what we do worthwhile when we see how our
products have changed the lives others. We are always pleased to work with
people like Mandy, Malcolm and Alan and together with TalkingPoint Gold,
Dolphin will continue to break down the barriers for people with
disabilities around the world."

TalkingPoint Gold costs £550 and includes a copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Professional and is available directly from GHG Software Developments Ltd,
or any Dolphin dealer. To find out more contact GHG Software Developments
Ltd on 01908 847171 or email Malcolm.grant@xxxxxxxxxx


Adrian Higginbotham
Project manager, Standards

British Educational Communications and Technology Agency - BECTA
Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994.

Email: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/
BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ


-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 30 November 2006 02:05
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Fw: assistive technology - blind and no arms

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucy Mardel" <Lucy.Mardel@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <BlindNews-Owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 12:30 PM
Subject: assistive technology - blind and no arms


I work in a training centre for VI adults in the UAE. Your mailing list is a
lifeline with the outside world on all VI matters. THANK YOU.

My request is for advice on assistive technology available to a blind person
who has no arms. Can they still use the keyboard in any way - or is there
any voice recognition software that would be appropriate?

Regards,



Lucy Mardel

British Council English Teacher / Coordinator

Tamkeen. Knowledge Village.

PO Box 500004.

Dubai. UAE

T +971 (0)50 5516 717

F + 971 (0)4391 1445

 lucy.mardel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:lucy.mardel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



Creating opportunities...building partnerships www.britishcouncil.org/me







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