Transcript IEAust
Universal Access
Iain Murray
Curtin University of Technology
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Laboratory
Introduction
Project Descriptions & Definitions
Motivation & Strategy
Access Methods
Assistive Devices both High Tech and Low
Braille displays to pipe cleaners
Current Development
What now?
Rehabilitation Engineering is the systematic
application of engineering sciences to design,
develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and
distribute technological solutions to problems
confronted by individuals with disabilities in
functional areas, such as mobility,
communications, hearing, vision, and cognition,
and in activities associated with employment,
independent living, education, and integration
into the community.
(US Rehabilitation Act of 1973)
Who?
Rehabilitation Engineering is a multidisciplinary
science and may include any or all of the
following professions or areas of expertise.
Physical Therapist
Occupational Therapist
Rehabilitation Engineer
Rehabilitation Engineering Technician
Prosthetist
Physician
Why?
19% of the Australian population have disabilities or
functional limitations, which a major cause is aging (ABS,
1998).
Includes those.
born with disabilities.
whose abilities diminish during their lifetime through disease,
accident or ageing.
There is a demographic trend toward a growing elderly
population (particularly as the "babyboomer" generation
ages).
Raises the prospect of a large number of consumers with
decreasing abilities.
Demographics
67% of Vision Impaired (VI) have another
permanent illness or disability
35% of VI experience difficulty in hearing normal
speech (50% for those over 75)
56% of VI children have at least one other
impairment
Over half of VI people (in the UK) live alone
(Gill, 2004)
Motivation
Develop systems and methodologies to
assist people with sensory disabilities to
gain access to education and technology
Resources
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Laboratory
Researchers
2 academic staff
1 technical staff
6 Postgraduate students
2 Masters and 4 PhD
Over 30 Honours students (4th & 5th year engineering)
Industry & consumer advisors
Current Access Methods
For low vision users.
Screen enlargement.
Zoomtext, Magic.
Screen review programs.
Jaws, Slimware, Artic.
Two output methods - speech and Braille displays.
Screen review software must rely on text output.
Tactile Graphics
PIAF
Printed Braille and Audio recordings
Access Methods
Other Disabilities
Quadriplegics.
Morse, Eye tracking, scan boards.
Emphasis on keyboard/mouse replacement issues.
Deaf.
Subtitles, visual alerts, transcription of
conferences/video.
Many others.
Current Research Projects
Cisco Access for the Vision Impaired (CAVI)
Curtin University Brailler (CUB)
Wireless Stereo Headset
Parakeet -Apple OS X Accessibility
iView - Classroom Aid for Low Vision Students
Dasher
Auslan to Text
Currency Identifier for the Blind
Braille Scanner
Ultrasonic White Cane/Seeing with Sound
7 Segment reader and colour sensor
Curtin University Brailler (CUB)
Perkins Brailler
Mechanical only
Qui ckTime™ and a
TIFF ( LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this pi cture.
Mountbatten Brailler
Electronic, very old technology
Curtin University Brailler (CUB)
Low Cost
Modern Materials
Forward & Back Translation
Use by Deaf/Blind
CUB
Braille Scanner
Aimed at Sighted non-Braille Readers
Converts Braille to Expanded Text in real
time
Purpose of the Device
To overcome the written communications barrier
between seeing and blind person’s
Schooling system
Workplace
As an aid to persons with Diabetic Peripheral
Polyneuropathy (diabetes being the major cause of
blindness is Australia)
No feasible commercial product exists for the portable
translation of Braille into other mediums
Prototype Implementation
Image Capture
Image Capture Operation
QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
DSP Braille Recognition
Conclusion
Once commercialised, the device has
potential to act as a written
communication’s gateway between seeing
and vision impaired person’s.
A Secure Dual Channel Wireless
Headset for Multi-user
Environments
Funded by Dept. of Training
Science & Technology Grant
Joint Project
Association for the Blind WA
RAC (WA)
Project Objectives
Aim: To increase labor market
opportunities for vision impaired persons
(VIP’s) in call center environments.
(Department of Training, 2002)
Why Wireless:
VIP’s have prevailing difficulties
with cable entanglement and cable jack damage
Why Secure:
Call centers often deal with
sensitive information, ie banking, government etc,
and device must be protected against eavesdropping
Additional Criteria
High quality, real time, duplex, stereo audio
Low Power: Must be able to run for > 8 hours on single
battery charge
Ergonomic: Low Headset weight (subject to regulations).
ie battery mAh/weight compromise
Flexible: System must be able to accommodate
encryption, communications medium upgrades
Low Cost
Robust Sound Quality: Device must operate in multi-user
environments
Communications Issues
RF / 802.1x
Security an issue for call center operations involving banking
details
Bandwidth issues for quality real time audio
RAC Joondalup Call Center has over 300 operators
Power consumption
Current 802.11g devices draw over 300mA, ⇒ batteries for all day
operation would be impracticably large
Infrared
Less Ergonomic (user movement restriction)
Inherently secure, robust, lower power
Satisfies System Requirements
Proof of Concept Prototype
Dual channel, two-way,
high quality, low power
infrared headset
prototype which has
been field tested by
the ABWA and
certified.
DSP based system
Upgradeable, flexible
Ultra Low Power
Secure comm’s
Current BOM < $150
…IR TxRx’s < $3
Cellular Architecture
Current Form
Ideal Form
The Future
Infrared / 802.1x Hybrid
Keep low power, security, and bandwidth benefits of
infrared, but combine with 802.11g to overcome
infrared mobility issue.
Commercialisation
Packaging
Alternative markets
Navy
Parakeet
The project involves designing, building and
testing a screen reader application for Mac OS X
operating system.
A screen reader is an application that allows a vision-
impaired person to use a graphical user interface by
providing audible feedback in the form of speech.
The screen reader interrogates the actions of the
user via the Accessibility APIs and produces
speech output using the text-to-speech (TTS)
APIs.
Both of these APIs are provided by Apple as part of
Mac OS X.
Dasher
Information-efficient text-entry interface
driven by natural continuous pointing gestures.
operating a computer one-handed
with zero hands (i.e., by head-mouse or by eyetracker).
The eyetracking version of Dasher
allows an
experienced user to write text as fast as normal
handwriting - 25 words per minute; using a mouse,
experienced users can write at 39 words per minute.
Auslan to Text
Auslan to Text
QuickTime™ and a
Video decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Currency Identifier
Australian Polymer notes are of a similar size
Hard to distinguish denomination if totally blind
Utilises the unique pattern in the clear window
Ultrasonic White Cane
Augments the standard long cane
Warns of
Head height obstructions
Drop off (e.g. Stairs)
Simple user interface
Qu ickT ime™ an d a M icro soft Vide o 1 d eco mpre ssor are need ed to see this pict ure.
Earcons
Earcons were first proposed by Meera Blattner in
1989.
They are abstract, musical tones that can be
used in structured combinations to create
auditory messages.
"non-verbal audio messages that are used in the
computer/user interface to provide information
to the user about some computer object,
operation or interaction"
They are based on musical sounds.
CAVI
The Networking Academy program is an
e-learning model that delivers Web-based
educational content, online testing,
student performance tracking, and
instructor training and support, as well as
hands-on labs. (Cisco,2002)
CAVI Project Description
Develop a method of course delivery to
vision impaired students
Standard Curriculum
Existing lab bundles
CCNA initially
Long term aim to include other academy programs
Create a “bridge” between the curriculum and
assistive technology
Includes instructor training
Student Motivation
Self Esteem
Independence
Employment Opportunities
Ease the problems for other VIPs
Curriculum Access
Use text documents
Explain diagrams
Stress important but uniquely difficult points
The OSI model
Layer 2 technologies
Tactile objects
Network dominoes
Pipe cleaners
Function Generator
Some of the Students
QuickTime™ and a DV - PAL decompressor are needed to see this picture.
Number Systems & Subnetting
QuickTime™ and a DV - PAL decompressor are needed to see this picture.
Access Methods
Speech Output
JAWS screen review software
Synthesised speech
Screen Magnification
Zoomtext and MAGic
Braille
Printed and displays
Tactile Graphics
PIAF
And lots of home made aids
The OSI Model
Other Props
Braille Display
Diagrams
Host A sends SYN (seq =x)
Host B receives SYN (seq=x) and sends SYN(seq=y,
ack=x+1)
Host A Receives SYN (seq=y, ack = x+1) and sends ACK
(ack = y+1)
Host B Receives ACK (ack = y+1)
Other CAVI Applications
Speech Friendly Packet Sniffer
Braille Transcription Software
Router Simulator
XML to Descriptive Text
Conclusion
Cavi Project is a test bench
Includes most of the devices/techniques
currently being researched
Final outcome
Deliver an “Academy in a Box”
For Academies that wish to teach vision impaired
students
Questions?
http://www.ece.curtin.edu.au/~iain/accessibility
http://cisco.netacad.net
http://www.seeingwithsound.com/voice.htm
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
www.tiresias.org (John Gill)
AsTeR
Audio System For Technical Readings
A computing system for rendering technical
documents in audio
Developed by T.V. Raman
The Target Demographic
In Western Australia
8,800 legally blind
Nearly 2,400 under 65
The Association for the Blind
75 new clients each month
411 clients per year in technology training
(ABWA annual report 2001)
Extrapolate to the world market
Third world countries have higher rates of vision
impairment
Disability Discrimination Act
DDA is administered by the Human rights and
Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC).
Accepts that some differential treatment is
unavoidable.
Commonwealth Departments and Agencies must
develop action plans.
Emerging DDA standards on “Electronic
Communication”.
Economic or Humanitarian?
Should the mainstream design of products
include consideration of people who have
disabilities or are elderly?
From a humanitarian standpoint.
This must also be considered in terms of
effects on personnel, curricula and economic
perspectives.
Disabled and Elderly Persons
Can't the Needs of Disabled and Elderly Persons
Be Handled Separately or As Exceptions?
Many small groups together represent a large portion
of the population.
Is it both economically and practically feasible
to include disabled and elderly persons in the
design process for mass market products?
Aging wealthier population.
OS&H considerations and employee comfort.
Discrimination suits.