[AI] need info on road tax examtion
Hi all hope all are doing fine as the subject line says, recently a notification have issue taking road tax exumtion for disable persons since this notification is based on for those who physical disability, that made for specially design vehicle. but I have doubt that, can a Visually Impaired person can also clame for exumtion? for perchasing any 4 wheeler, if so? are their any other criterias have such as annual income, Vision Impairment percentage or any other criteria. Pls share any notification or guied line links for showing such document to 4 wheeler deeler. Thanks and Regards Wahid Raza Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
[AI] Any work around, on latest FireFox update?
Hi all hope all are doing well, as the subject line says, is their any work around? since last night FireFox was suddenly it self get updated as we come to know that, latest version doesn't support 3rd party addOns such as, WebVisum unless the developer it self register to FireFox site for its addOns though it seems a lenthy process, besides that is their any other way? that we indivisually can do so to continue work WebVisum with FireFox does any buddy trying to install previous version for the same? or any other possibility for same, this problem for all windos 7 and later versions have come up, all those who have update there FireFox suddenly or accidently. Regards Wahid ___ Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
Re: [AI] Webvisum.xpi needed
Hey I've also try WebVisum is again enabled thanks MR. Bikrum sir for giving instructions for same and I apologies for creating traffic for my last mail I should read this, before sending the same queri on my last mail. thanks to Bikrum sir, and apologies to list for my last mail Regards Wahid On 12/23/15, Dinesh tholewrote: > Hello, > > It's working fine now. > Thanks a lot. > > Thanks and Regards. > > Dinesh Thole. > > -Original Message- > From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf > Of Bikram > Sent: 22 December 2015 22:27 > To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning > the disabled. > Subject: Re: [AI] Webvisum.xpi needed > > Hi, > > If you've followed the steps correctly, then Firefox should allow the > Webvisum Add-on to run. If not, then please provide the error message or > other such instructions if any. It might help me to have a detailed look at > the specific issue(s) that prevents you from using the add-on. > > Please note that you need nothing to panic about the security vulnerability > caused by disabling that security feature. You are completely safe as long > as you do not install add-ons from untrusted sources. If you're uncertain > about any add-on or toolbar, Do not allow the installation of such stuffs > that come bundled with several third party applications. You might end up > installing such annoying applications if you keep on clicking "next" while > installing softwares without looking at the options to accept or reject the > optional components. > > On Tue, Dec 22, 2015 at 1:59 PM, mukesh jain > wrote: > >> hello, >> i have followed the instructions exactly as mentioned in the mail and >> it worked like charm! >> >> so tuns of thanks, >> >> >> On 12/22/15, Dinesh thole wrote: >> > Hi, >> > >> > I have done as per your instructions. >> > However, firefox still doesn't allow to install XPI files. >> > I have also tried installing through open file option. >> > Please guide. >> > >> > Thanks and Regards. >> > >> > Dinesh Thole. >> > >> > -Original Message- >> > From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On >> Behalf >> > Of Bikram >> > Sent: 21 December 2015 20:52 >> > To: AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues >> concerning >> > the disabled. >> > Subject: Re: [AI] Webvisum.xpi needed >> > >> > Hi, >> > >> > There is an option to override this security setting. In order to do >> > so, >> > you >> > need to change that option through Firefox configuration editor. Please >> > note >> > that you should only proceed with the following steps if you assure >> > yourself >> > that you're not gonna make any unintended change/modification in the >> > configuration settings. Because accidental modification of the values >> > of >> > these advanced settings can be harmful to the stability, security, and >> > performance of your browser. So, please do it at your own risk! >> > 1. Type "about:config" without the quotes in your browser address bar. >> > 2. Click on "I'll be careful, I promise" button. >> > 3. Type "xpinstall" without the quotes in the search box. >> > 4. Use the arrow keys to get the option called >> > "xpinstall.signatures.required". >> > 5. Press the application key to bring up the context menu options. >> > 6. Choose toggle from that menu and press enter. You would discover >> > that >> > the >> > value is set to "false" which was initially "true". >> > 7. Restart Firefox in order for the changes to take effect. >> > 8. After implementing the change in the configuration settings as >> suggested >> > above, You could enable Webvisum again. >> > You can repeat the steps above to revert back to your default settings. >> In >> > that case, click "toggle" or "reset" to set this value to "true". >> > Hope that helps. >> > >> > On Mon, Dec 21, 2015 at 6:32 PM, gufran ahmed < >> gufran.ahmed2...@gmail.com> >> > wrote: >> > >> >> hi amar, if your firefox has been updated to v 43.0.1, then you will >> >> not be ale to use webvisum. because now mozzilla is only authorize >> >> those addons which are signed by mozilla team. hence we should wait >> >> for the webvisum to get it sign by mozilla or we should write to >> >> webvisum. i am also facing the same issue. >> >> >> >> On 12/21/15, Amar Jain wrote: >> >> > Hi List, >> >> > >> >> > Post upgrading to Windows 10, my Firefox reported that Webvisum is >> >> > not compatable hence disabled. In order to enable it, something went >> >> > wrong and it got uninstalled. >> >> > >> >> > Due to firewall limitations,, I am unable to re-install from the >> >> > server directly. Greatful if someone can send the .xpi on my e-mail >> >> > id: amarjain2...@gmail.com >> >> > >> >> > Regards >> >> > -- >> >> > Amar Jain. >> >> > Website: www.amarjain.com >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list
[AI] Fwd: Apple Watch info, about accessibility
Hi all, hope all are doing fine, sharing with you a peace of intrusting article, given subject line above if its already have shared, pls accept my apologies for creating traffic on the list. regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- thought some of you may find this blog interesting. It was written by David Woodbridge. Very nicely written. Thursday, 9 April 2015 Pre-Release notes of my experience with the Apple watch April 8th 2015 Pre-release notes of the Apple watch looking at accessibility When I spent a few hours with the Apple watch on April 8th 2015, I jotted down notes about the Apple watch’s physical description, general overall points, low vision and speech features, hearing, Siri, and Apple watch functions I am most looking forward to using. At the end of this document, I have included a summary from Apple in regards to the Apple watch accessibility features Some initial points In a recent podcast of mine looking at the click wheel on the iPod nano 4/5th generations, and the touch screen access on the iPod nano 6/7th generations, VoiceOver access on the Apple watch has far exceeded my expectations. It is important to note that the Apple watch is a companion to the iPhone and is designed to work in conjunction with the phone. This is the first truly accessible main stream smart watch for people who require various types of accessibility options such as large print, speech output, mono audio etc. When the Apple watch is available for pre-order on April 10 2015 (online or via the Apple Store app), you will be able to make an appointment at an Apple store to look at the different Apple watch’s and associated bands to sort out which combination is wright for you. In addition, you will be able to discuss various features of the Apple watch. Once the watch's are shipped on the 24th of April, you can either get online or in store assistance to personalise and setup your Apple watch. Now on to my notes: Physical description of the Apple watch: 1. The Apple watch is Rectangular in shape with rounded edges. 2. With the Apple watch on your left wrist, holding your arm in front of you: Right edge: round Digital crown at top, and oval side (friends) button at bottom. left edge: across from the digital crown: speaker, and across from the “Friends” button: microphone. Top face: touch screen with the screen ending at the curved sides. Back face: raised convex housing in the middle which contains the magnetic charger plus the sensors. Two pin holes on either side near where the bands connect to allow the bands to be detached by pressing in on them. I.e. the bands fill like they have slotted in to the Apple watch rather than being attached on either side by band pins. General points: 1. During my brief play with the Apple watch, I did not have the opportunity to set the watch up itself: either using the Apple watch and the Apple watch app on the iPhone. In addition, I was more looking at the low vision and VoiceOver experience when navigating the interface, rather than using the apps which are accessible. 2. The Apple watch feels very very nice in the hand, like a smooth square peace of glass. 3. The Digital crown was extremely easy to turn/press, and the friends button just as easy to press. The digital crown does not click when turned, but has a very smooth action. The digital crown itself is bevelled. In actual fact, rather than turning the digital crown around with two fingers, I just found myself using one finger on top of the digital crown to move it. 4. Easy to connect the magnetic charger to the Apple watch. The side of the charger that connects to the Apple watch has an indented edge and the magnet moves the connection to the correct place. Not a hard connection click, quite gentle. 5. I only had an opportunity to look at the leather loop band and the rubber band. The leather loop band felt quite nice, but had some difficulty in doing it up due to the fact that I had to put it on my wrist and then do it up. The rubber band wasn’t a problem putting on as with the leather loop as it was more a point of sliding the band through to get to a point where you could put the pin through, and then tuck it in to the slot on the band to hide the end. 6. The touch screen of the watch is the full face of the watch and stops as you come to the curve around the edges: very easy to identify, and certainly had no problems using gestures on the face of the watch. i.e. didn’t go off the edges when using gestures. 7. Much preferred the wait of the Apple watch over the Apple Sports. The sports is quite a bit lighter. I just prefer a bit of weight on my wrist. 8. As far as using the glass surface on either the Sports or the Apple watch, it didn’t really make any difference in performing gestures. 9. For me, the 42 millimetres Apple watch was a good size, and did not feel to big on my wrist. You can tell the size difference between the 38 and the 42. It may be better for low
[AI] Fw: GW Micro Expands Its Accessibility Services - GW Micro Now Provides Web, Software, and Document Compliance Testing
Hi all, hope all are doing fine, sharing an intrusting news, thought it may intrusted to all. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- GW Micro Expands Its Accessibility Services - GW Micro Now Provides Web, Software, and Document Compliance Testing FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fort Wayne, IN (April 28 2014) - GW Micro (www.gwmicro.com) announced today that it has expanded its services beyond software and hardware for people who are blind or visually impaired. It will now be offering services to organizations who are required to develop, procure, maintain and use electronic and information technology (EIT) that is accessible to people with disabilities. GW Micro's accessibility services will also be available to any person or organization who is interested in making their websites, documents or software accessible and compliant with Section 508 standards, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), or the internationally recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. Many organizations are required by law to have accessible EIT as mandated by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. We continue to see an increasing demand for accessible websites, software, and documents, said Dan Weirich, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GW Micro. There are few companies who have the knowledge and experience to help resolve these issues, and we know GW Micro can fulfill this need. GW Micro develops and sells a screen reader, Window-Eyes, which makes the computer accessible via speech and Braille to a person who is blind or visually impaired. Weirich noted that GW Micro is the only screen reader company to provide these services. Many times, organizations will be required to do testing and determine if their website can be accessed by a screen reader user, and since we develop the technology, this is a great fit. The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has recommended GW Micro as a Web Accessibility Consultant (WAC). We are excited to see GW Micro add their expertise to this area of the marketplace, said Anne Taylor, Director of Access Technology for the NFB. We have had a long-term relationship with GW Micro and are happy to recommend them to organizations that need to ensure they are compliant. Parties interested in receiving a free initial consultation can call GW Micro at (260) 489-3671 or email accessibil...@gwmicro.com. For more information about GW Micro's accessibility services, please visit: http://www.gwmicro.com/Accessibility_Solutions/. Contact: Dan Weirich, VP of Sales and Marketing d...@gwmicro.com (260) 489-3671 ### ___ Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
[AI] Fwd: Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Hi all forwording an article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Ai Squared and GW Micro Join Forces - Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities for Computer Users Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired Manchester, Vermont and Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 1, 2014) - Ai Squared http://www.aisquared.com, the maker of ZoomText and sitecues http://www.sitecues.com; and GW Micro http://www.gwmicro.com, the creator of Window-Eyes, have merged into one company. With this merger, the companies will combine their talents to better assist computer users who are blind or visually impaired. ZoomText is the world's number one screen magnifier and text-to-speech software package that allows people who are visually impaired to use a computer with ease. Window-Eyes is a popular screen reader that enables people who are blind to be fully independent on the computer by translating visual information into speech and/or Braille. Our mission is to provide a full family of computer accessibility solutions for users who are low vision or blind, whether they access digital information via their desktop, the web or their mobile device, said David Wu, CEO of Ai Squared. Earlier this year, we commercially launched sitecues, a product which enables website owners to build accessibility tools right into their websites. Today's merger with GW Micro rounds out our mantra of 'We've got accessibility covered' - with our combined forces, we can now deliver an even wider range of computer access solutions. The need for assistive technology continues to grow. According to the World Health Organization, over 285 million people in the world are considered visually impaired; 39 million of those are blind, and 246 million have moderate to severe visual impairments. The merger of Ai Squared and GW Micro brings together two companies that offer great solutions for the millions of Microsoft customers around the world who are blind or visually impaired, said Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft. We are also delighted that Ai Squared will continue to develop and support the Window-Eyes for Office Offer as many of our customers rely on this screen reading solution to enable access to Windows, Office and other Microsoft products, Sinclair said. Dan Weirich, Co-founder of GW Micro and now Vice President at Ai Squared, said he is thrilled to incorporate Window-Eyes into the Ai Squared product family. It's a natural fit, Weirich said. Combining our companies will strengthen Ai Squared's global presence in the assistive technology industry, allowing us to serve even more customers. Weirich noted that many customers using web and computer accessibility tools inevitably progress further along the visual impairment spectrum during their lifetime. As a result, they will require more advanced assistive technology as their needs change. With the merger, Ai Squared will be in a better position to assist those customers, developing products that provide a seamless transition and user experience as customers adapt to their changing vision. Ai Squared will continue to offer Window-Eyes and its related products as they were previously offered by GW Micro. In addition, a free and fully featured version of Window-Eyes will continue to be available via the Window-Eyes Offer for Users of Microsoft Office as part of the recently announced partnership with Microsoft and GW Micro. The GW Micro team will remain in Indiana as part of the Ai Squared team, which is headquartered in Vermont. About Ai Squared: Ai Squared (www.aisquared.com http://www.aisquared.com) has been the worldwide leader in assistive technology solutions for people who are visually impaired for over 20 years. The product line is available in over 20 languages and sold in 45 countries through a network of over 350 global distributors. Ai Squared's screen magnification and screen-reading products dramatically improve a computer's usability and friendliness for users who are blind or low vision, raising their level of productivity, satisfaction, and independence. The family of Ai Squared products includes ZoomText, ZoomText Large-Print Keyboard, ZoomText ImageReader, ZoomText Mac, Window-Eyes, sitecues, the ZoomReader iOS app, and the ZoomContacts iPad app. About GW Micro: GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com http://www.gwmicro.com) has been a trusted pioneer in the assistive technology industry since 1990; it has led with innovative, customer-driven solutions, and the GW Micro team has always been proud of its description as the Voice of Vision. ___ Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to
[AI] Fwd: CPSD RELEASES ORGANIZATIONAL LETTER URGING PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SECRETARY PEREZ TO APPLY THE MINIMUM WAGE EXECUTIVE ORDER TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS WITH DISABILITIES
Hi all, hope all are doing fine sharing with you all, a peace of info thought it may intrusted to all of you. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- From: CPSD aw...@thecpsd.org Date: Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 9:05 AM Subject: CPSD RELEASES ORGANIZATIONAL LETTER URGING PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SECRETARY PEREZ TO APPLY THE MINIMUM WAGE EXECUTIVE ORDER TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS WITH DISABILITIES To: stephanie.h.del...@vanderbilt.edu Having trouble viewing this email? Click here http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=5f30b379-2628-468e-978f-3f0d2a8bfda6c=9d6a6a30-737d-11e3-8881-d4ae5292b9a6ch=9e3422d0-737d-11e3-88bb-d4ae5292b9a6 [image: Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 2013 *Media Contact:* Allison Wohl Executive Director Collaboration for the Promotion of Self Determination Tel: (301) 789-3565 Email: aw...@thecpsd.org * CPSD RELEASES ORGANIZATIONAL LETTER URGING PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SECRETARY PEREZ TO APPLY THE MINIMUM WAGE EXECUTIVE ORDER TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS WITH DISABILITIES * *Washington, DC*--The Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination (CPSD), an advocacy coalition of 21 national groups, sent a letter today to President Barack Obama and Labor Secretary Tom Perez, stating groups' profound concerns over recent statements suggesting that workers with disabilities employed by government contractors will not be covered by the new $10.10 minimum wage. The 24 national organizations signing the letter urging the administration to not discriminate against workers with disabilities in their executive order include both CSPD members and non-members, among them, the Service Employees International Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the National Organization on Disability the National Down Syndrome Congress, and the Japanese American Citizens League. We must dispel the notion that it is acceptable to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage. These Americans are not less than and they deserve the same worker protections that all other government contractors are afforded. Section 14c of the Fair Labor Standards Act is an arcane provision from 1938 that does not reflect what we know about the capabilities of workers with disabilities today, said CPSD's Executive Director, Allison Wohl. Thousands of workers with disabilities are employed by government contractors holding 14c certificates from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. These certificates, created as an exception to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, permit contractors to pay less than minimum wage to their workers with disabilities. CPSD and its partner groups and allies believe that all Americans should be afforded minimum wage protections, including those workers with disabilities. Recent statements from administration officials, including Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, have suggested that employees with disabilities working for federal contractors with 14c certificates will be excluded from the new $10.10/hour minimum wage and will only benefit to a minimal degree in so far as their subminimum wage compensation will now be calculated as a portion of the higher minimum wage required by the executive order. While a broader end to subminimum wage and Section 14c may require an act of Congress, we believe that the Administration has the authority to end the use of subminimum wage for employees of federal contractors immediately, through the use of the same executive order establishing the new $10.10/hour requirement, said Ari Ne'eman, President of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Networkhttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001hHxPnAdt2OWorJN-JqdyAeaLeJ2tk4-TzvE3zSA2ySLnaTYJUa614mZUdLZoXspTa7zRT2c9etfEhS18VJFAANbvdfL48OWGBZwrn-r6NREfz9-OcoDRmuZxu37zMmSCj4bGnT_lG04aHvwlwDEauSwCN-j1ooFst4TO4QfoXGxjGcYah4dyhA==c=YniK0LjMBpPNNxnWL7dvQnshH1uWB1qROzJoVT7124GIIjlRuZegkQ==ch=l_gA3aL_bxGrM9Nh36QF7BoJ4-DMGsET5R40RheCjwBoyF0BIk2ZOw==, the leading national advocacy organization run by and for Autistic adults. In the last several years, commitments have been made from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon to phase out the use of sheltered workshops - the primary setting where disabled workers are paid less than minimum wage. Vermont ended the use of both sheltered workshops and subminimum wage employment of people with disabilities in 2003. This progress shows that it is both economically sensible and morally just to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the same wage protections as those without. *CPSD is a national non-partisan advocacy network of 21 national organizations who have come together to bring about a significant modernization of the federal adult system of services and supports for persons with disabilities. To learn more about CPSD, visit http://thecpsd.org
Re: [AI] AccessIndia Digest, Vol 59, Issue 1218
On 8/12/13, accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in wrote: Send AccessIndia mailing list submissions to accessindia@accessindia.org.in To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in You can reach the person managing the list at accessindia-ow...@accessindia.org.in When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of AccessIndia digest... Please do not reply to this digest mail. You should put your comments into a new mail with appropriate subject line. ___ AccessIndia mailing list AccessIndia@accessindia.org.in http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Today's Topics: 1. Re: freedom scientific display driver. (SYED IMRAN) 2. Re: Opinion saught for study book reader with navigation (Srinivasu Chakravarthula) 3. Re: Dell laptop. (Harish Kapoor) 4. Re: freedom scientific display driver. (bhawani shankar verma) 5. Audiodescribing B.A. Pass! (Asudani, Rajesh) 6. Re: SBI MOBILE BANKING (Sachit Kumar Sahrawat) 7. Conference for introducing single VI persons to possible spouces for marriage (Preeti Monga) 8. Re: Huawei E355 Data Card (ratheesh kottakkal) 9. Re: Huawei E355 Data Card (Amit Bhatt) -- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:30:01 +0530 From: SYED IMRAN syed.f...@gmail.com To: 'Dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones and Tabs. ' accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: Re: [AI] freedom scientific display driver. Message-ID: 52086bf0.4187440a.63e5.5...@mx.google.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Update the display driver from device manager. If you have intel graphics card then go to windows update, select optional updates, then select and update intel graphics drivers. After that uninstall and re-install jaws from the scratch -Original Message- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of anil reddy Sent: 12 August 2013 10:03 To: accessindia Subject: [AI] freedom scientific display driver. hi friends, how to overcome the error freedomscientific mirror display driver in jaws 14 32 bit. i tried installing jaws with internet and also without internet, but failed to overcome. i even reinstalled display drivers, but no success. looking forword for a solution -- choosing hundred wrong persons may not effect your life, but missing oneright person will live with broken heart through out your life. regards Anil Reddy K, MOBILE 9849479718. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessind ia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. -- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 11:41:06 +0530 From: Srinivasu Chakravarthula li...@srinivasu.org To: Dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones and Tabs. accessindia@accessindia.org.in Cc: Dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones and Tabs. accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: Re: [AI] Opinion saught for study book reader with navigation Message-ID: 85c53a0f-6b42-421e-b000-f3ec12fb7...@srinivasu.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii In that case a net book would be handy. Easy to carry. Regards, Srinivasu http://srinivasu.org Twitter: @csrinivasu Sent from my iPad On Aug 11, 2013, at 7:08 PM, Ekinath Khedekar ekin...@gmail.com wrote: Dear Pranav, Appreciate your kind response. However, i was refering to portable small independant device, like in league of Angel pro etc. Regs, On 8/10/13, Pranav Lal pranav@gmail.com wrote: Hi, A screen reader running on a pc works nicely for tables. I believe voice over can handle tables on webpages but your best bet is a laptop. As far as I know, specialized players do not handle tables very well.
[AI] Fwd: The Blind Community's Fight For A More Accessible Web
Hi all, hope all are doing fine forwording a article, thought it may intrusted to all. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- The Blind Community’s Fight for a More Accessible Web By Tim Sampson July 17, 2013 Imagine being a small business owner who manages a company almost entirely online. You communicate with clients, process payments, and organize meetings all through the Internet. Think about just how many steps would really be involved. There’d be countless login screens and dropdown menus to be navigated. And searching for the right Web pages in the first place could even be a challenge. Now imagine doing all that while wearing a blindfold. That’s the life led by millions of blind or visually impaired individuals who navigate the Web every day. The Internet is as critical to these individuals as it is for anyone else—if not more so, since the Web is often used to avoid the challenges and transit that accompanies daily activities like shopping. But gaining access can often be a costly, frustrating, and litigious matter. Though using the Internet, a primarily visual medium, can be difficult for those who lack the power of sight, its not altogether impossible. The technology exists, mostly in the form of screen reader programs that do just that: read out the contents of a Web page and convert them into an audio or braille format. These programs are essential for people like T.J. Olsen, who are visually impaired but depend on the Internet for their livelihood. “My business is done almost entirely online,” said Olsen, 26, who works as a self-employed music promoter and marketer in New York City. Blind for as long as he can remember, Olsen has been able to trace the progress of online accessibility since the Internet went mainstream in the mid-90s. He received his first computer at the age of 8. Back then, the only way for him to “surf the ‘net” was to copy and paste text into a speech program. The screen readers used today are much more advanced and automated than what Olsen had to utilize back then. The programs automatically decipher pages, including text, photos, and links. Some can even delineate between headers, link menus, and body text to help better organize the information for navigational purposes. The tools, however, are only as good as the information they receive from the websites to which they connect. If a website is designed without accessibility in mind, or new features of the site have not be geared for screen reader interface, it can be a major challenge. “It’s constantly catching up. The technology that allows me to go online is always one or two steps behind,” Olsen told the Daily Dot. “Adapting sites for people like me is an afterthought a lot of the times.” The experience of any visually impaired person online will vary based on the severity of their disability, type of program they use, and other technical specifications. But most who talked with the Daily Dot say their experience is hit or miss. For instance, Olsen said the chances of landing on a site he can easily navigate are about “50/50.” His anecdotal experience is backed up by a study from researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In their study of higher education and government Web pages from 181 different U.N. member states, the researchers found that less than half the websites would receive a passable grade for accessibility. And virtually all the websites had room for improvement in some area. In many ways, accessibility for websites is like accessibility for a building: It’s a few key changes that can make all the difference. Since the early ‘90s, business have been required to meet access requirements laid out in the Americans with Disabilities Act. For brick-and-mortar companies, that’s wheelchair ramps, automatic doors, and braille placards. Similarly, courts have found the ADA applies to the virtual realm in some instances as well. But instead of focusing on ramps and automated doors, online accessibility is focused on coding descriptions and page layout. “There are lots of little things that can be annoying,” said Meredith Ballard, a senior at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Ballard was born with albinism and her vision has slowly deteriorated to the point where she is now legally blind. She said there a lots of slight glitches that can prove to be stumbling blocks for the visually impaired online. “The biggest difference is, we just can’t scan a page for the information we want,” Ballard said. “If there are a dozen links on a page and we want the one at the bottom, it’s going to take listening to all the links be read in order.” Other major obstacles can include link and photo descriptions that are often lacking in clarity. They are usually a byproduct of programmers not taking the time to consider how important such descriptions are to a small portion of their visitors. CAPTCHA security verification can also be a burden if not formated
[AI] Fwd: Mobile Speak V5.81 is now available!
Hi all, pasting below info, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Hi everyone, We are happy to announce the release of v5.81 of Mobile Speak Symbian. It is another free upgrade for users with a v4.0 or later license. This version is a patch release which supports new firmware versions that have recently been released on some devices (Belle Refresh and Belle Feature Pack 2). In addition, some bug general bug fixes and improvements have been included (including support for the latest version of WhatsApp), so all users are encouraged to upgrade to v5.81. No TTS packages have been changed in this release, so there's no need to upgrade your TTS version if you already have the latest one installed. If you currently have v5.80 installed, then you can go into Configure Mobile Speak Options Product downloads Check for updates and follow the instructions to install this release on top of your current version. Please remember to install to the same memory location where Mobile Speak is currently installed. If you are prompted with something like Unable to install. Some applications must be closed first. Close now?, choose OK and the installation should proceed. After a few minutes, the installation will complete and Mobile Speak should be running (a restart of the device is recommended as always). Alternatively, you can download v5.81 from our web page at http://codefactory.es/en/downloads.asp?id=348#version_0_106. The direct link to the installer is http://codefactory.es/download.asp?file=family_4/product_18/version_106/MobileSpeak_S60_v5.81.sisx. That user manual has been updated and can be found here: http://codefactory.es/descargas/family_4/ms581_userguide_symbian.html Here's a list of all the changes in this release: a.. Support for Symbian Belle Feature Pack 2 (FP2). This firmware has recently been made available on the 603, 700, 701 and 808 devices. Changes include: a.. Support for Web Browser. Please check the web browser tips and workarounds for Belle FP2 in the user manual here: http://codefactory.es/descargas/family_4/ms581_userguide_symbian.html#_Toc341688819 b.. Support for Email. c.. Support for Help pages. d.. Fixed problem on 700 and 603 devices where it was difficult to unlock the lock screen. This can now be done on these devices by pressing the Menu key or the Screen Lock key and then doing a swipe left or right on the screen. e.. Automatically closing half keyboard when it appears when entering text, and fixing problem with entering text in Keypad mode. Note however that the text input mode (e.g. alpha, number or predictive) may not be spoken correctly due to a firmware bug, although it can still be changed as always by pressing the # key. b.. Support for Nokia Belle Refresh firmware (recently available as an update on the N8, E6, E7, C7, C6-01, X7 and 500). This will fix the problems where the web browser and email were not working correctly on these devices after updating to Nokia Belle Refresh. c.. Updated to provide full support for the latest v2.8.22 of Whatsapp. d.. Web: Fixed problem where some buttons and images were not being spoken on some pages. e.. Nokia HQ: modified the change made in recent release which stopped vibrations when Nokia HQ voice was selected. Now, the vibrations will still occur if the Nokia HQ voice is not speaking at the time the vibration is meant to occur. However, if the voice is speaking, the vibration will not occur since it would interrupt the speech. f.. Fixed problem where screen reader was using wrong language resources when a program was being used which does not support the current phone language (e.g. Skype in some languages). a.. Braille: On Focus Blue devices, fixed stability and performance with rockers. b.. Braille: Added additional commands for EasyLink/BraillePen devices, to provide an alternative for devices without a joystick: a.. Enter: Space + dots15. b.. Dial: Space + dot7(Shift) + dots15. c.. Hang up: Space + dot7(Shift) + dots125. c.. Braille: Added missing commands for Humanware Brailliant devices (BI32, BI40 and B80): d.. Braille: Fixed problem on some devices where Toggle Help Mode, Toggle Secret mode and Open User Dictionary commands were not working. e.. Latest translations. We hope you enjoy this this latest release! Regards Support Submit Help Desk Ticket at http://www.codefactory.cat/helpdesk/index.php?a=add Code Factory Making mobile phones and PDAs accessible to the blind and visually impaired. Moving Accessibility Forward! www.codefactory.es Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/codefactory and on our blog at http://codefactoryblog.wordpress.com/ To learn more about Mobile Speak 4 visit http://codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=318 ___ Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on:
[AI] Fwd: Guess What? Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 is Now Available!
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below short info, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Oct-22-2012 If you're subscribed to the GW Micro or Guess What podcast feed, you'll automatically receive this Guess What in MP3 format. Check out www.gwmicro.com/podcast for more information. If you want to download the MP3, read this article online, or view more Guess What articles (when they are released), please visit www.gwmicro.com/beta. Enjoy! -- Welcome to GW Micro's Guess What series, an introductory look at the highly anticipated release of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. Today is the day that you have all been waiting for! Today is the day that Windows Safe Mode becomes accessible; today is the day that Window-Eyes starts supporting JAVA applications like OpenOffice. Today, you will get access to Windows 8 and also experience an all new way of accessing the Internet with Window-Eyes. The excitement has been building and we know you are ready to try it out for yourself! But, before we discuss how to get Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1, there are a few important details you need to know about the new version, including both technical and pricing information. First, let's cover the technical details. What operating systems will Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 support? It will continue to support all operating systems that Window-Eyes 7.5.4.1 supported, including XP and above. Additionally, it will support Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. As you know, Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 offers support for all flavors of Windows 8 as well as Windows Server 2012. If you want to try Window-Eyes on a Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 machine, you will need to use the full installation of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. If you are running Window-Eyes 7.5 (including 7.5, 7.5.1, 7.5.2, 7.5.3, 7.5.4, or 7.5.4.1), you can install Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 if you intend to use a non-demonstration copy. A demonstration copy of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 has also been made available, which does not require Window-Eyes to be already installed on your system. Please note that there are some limitations to the demonstration copy version of the beta. For example, you will not be able to use Window-Eyes in Safe Mode. You will need a full copy of Window-Eyes to try this new feature on Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. If you install Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 and you purchase 8.0 or are eligible to receive 8.0 as a part of your Software Maintenance Agreement, you will automatically receive the upgrade via electronic download as soon as it is available. This is yet another new feature in Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. You will also receive the new version on CD. For a complete list of all new features in Window-Eyes, you can find them in the Readme in the Help menu of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. What is the price of Window-Eyes 8.0? The retail price of Window-Eyes 8.0 will remain the same and payment plans are still available for U.S. customers. Additionally, if your Window-Eyes license is already at version 7.5 or higher, you may still purchase a Software Maintenance Agreement (SMA) until the official release of Window-Eyes 8.0. We recommend that you order your SMA as soon as possible to help your investment in Window-Eyes go even further. Find out all of the pricing information and other details by going to www.gwmicro.com/beta. Additionally, you may contact GW Micro at (260) 489-3671. Orders will be shipped on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure to place your order today! Please note that Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta is only available for English copies. And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, you can download Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 starting now at www.gwmicro.com/beta! Raymond Bishop, NV9B Philippians 4:6-7 Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Guess What? Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 Has a New Browse Mode!
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below intresting article, which get from another list. hope all of you like it. Regards WahidRaza -- Forwarded message -- Oct-19-2012 Disclaimer The following message includes information regarding Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. Please note that Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 HAS NOT been released at this time. We are, however, providing you with some small glimpses into the features that Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 will contain. We are currently not answering any questions regarding the functionality of the beta. The only things we're going to talk about will be what we have included in our Guess What series, which will continue up to the beta release date. We will answer all questions at that time. Please be patient; you will be rewarded. If you're subscribed to the GW Micro or Guess What podcast feed, you'll automatically receive this Guess What in MP3 format. Check out www.gwmicro.com/podcast for more information. If you want to download the MP3, read this article online, or view more Guess What articles (when they are released), please visit www.gwmicro.com/beta. Enjoy! -- Welcome to GW Micro's Guess What series, an introductory look at the highly anticipated release of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. We'll be covering a new feature in Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 until its release, so stop by our web site daily (www.gwmicro.com/beta) to make sure you don't miss any of the exciting new features. Since the start of the Guess What series, many of you have been asking Browse Mode. The time has finally come to showcase all of the hard work GW Micro has been doing to improve your web browsing experience. New Supported Web Browsers While it has not yet been officially released, GW Micro is leading the pack with support for Internet Explorer 10! This includes IE the program and IE the modern app when using Windows 8. So, for those of you who are using Windows 8, you will be able to use IE 10 with the power of Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1. Window-Eyes continues to support Mozilla Firefox and we have greatly improved support for both browsers by making web pages load much faster and field names read much better in both browsers. The Tab and Shift-Tab keys are now sent directly to the web browser regardless of whether you are in or out of Browse Mode so that dynamic content that appears will be simple to access. In previous versions of Window-Eyes, the Tab and Shift-Tab keys were intercepted, but this new implementation will help ensure much better access to dynamic content. Auto Browse Mode One of the most noticeable differences you will find while browsing the web with Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 is that Browse Mode will automatically turn off when you Tab or Shift-Tab to a form control that requires Browse Mode to be off. Instead of hearing Browse Off, you will now hear a sound that indicates whether Browse Mode is on or off. If you Tab or Shift-Tab away from the form control, you will be notified with a sound that Browse Mode is back on, but you can continue to easily navigate the page without the entire Browse Mode buffer re-loading. An example of this would be www.google.com. Google.com puts focus in the edit box as soon as you are on the page. You will hear the sound indicating that Browse Mode is off. If you press Tab until you are not on a form control, Browse Mode comes back on, but you can continue to navigate without being back at the top of the page. You will know Browse Mode is on or off by the new Browse Mode sounds, which can be adjusted in the Windows Control Panel. You can choose to have sounds for Auto Browse Mode when Browse Mode turns on or off, you can have Window-Eyes say Browse Mode On or Off, you can have both, or you can turn both of them off. So, if you are a Braille user, you will still be able to easily tell when Browse Mode is on or off by selecting the Indicate with Speech setting. If you prefer to use Browse Mode the way it worked in previous versions of Window-Eyes, you can turn off Auto Browse Mode. This option is called Allow Automatic Form Interaction When Browse Mode is Enabled under the Verbosity then Browse Mode then Autoload Settings. Auto Browse Mode will also help when using the mouse to navigate web pages. When sighted users try browsing the web with Window-Eyes, they often have difficulty understanding why text is not placed in an edit box once they click in it. This is no longer an issue with Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 because when the mouse is clicked inside a form control, including edit boxes, Browse Mode will automatically turn off. When trying to communicate with sighted users about a web page, it has often been difficult for sighted users to understand exactly where something is located on the screen. This can make it difficult for screen reader users to communicate important information on a web page to a sighted user. Window-Eyes 8.0 Beta 1 ensures that the text that is spoken is always visible on the screen.
[AI] FW: U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to Identify U.S. Currency, ED.Gov, October 9, 2012
Hi all, hope all are doing fine though this related with, USA VI persons thought it maybe intrested all of you. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Steve Cook Assistive Technology Consultant SC Commission for the Blind Office: (803) 898-8788 E-Mail: stc...@sccb.sc.gov Subject: [rehab] U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to Identify U.S. Currency, ED.Gov, October 9, 2012 Link: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-new-app-identify-us-currency Text: U.S. Department of Education Announces New App to Identify U.S. Currency U.S. Treasurer Applauds Department of Education's Accessibility Effort October 9, 2012 Contact: Timothy Muzzio, Education Department, (202) 245-7458 Darlene Anderson, Treasury, (202) 874-2229 The U.S. Department of Education announced today the launch of the IDEAL Currency Identifier, a free downloadable application (app) to assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired to denominate U.S. currency on some mobile devices. The IDEAL Currency Identifier was developed by IDEAL Group, IQ Engines, and the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology through a grant from the Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a component of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. NIDRR is the primary U.S. government agency focused on disability and rehabilitation research. Its mission is to generate research knowledge and assistive technologies while promoting their effective use in improving the abilities and opportunities of individuals with disabilities in performing activities of their choice in the community. The initiative supports the Department of Treasury's Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) in its mandate to provide increased access to U.S. currency for persons who are blind and visually impaired. Dr. Charlie Lakin, the Director of NIDRR, issued the following statement: Through our dialogue with the BEP, a special opportunity emerged to fulfill our mission in support of persons who are blind and visually impaired. The IDEAL Currency Identifier uses advanced image recognition technology to read a note and, in a matter of seconds, provides users with an audible response indicating the note's denomination. Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios applauded the Department of Education's role in the app's development. Treasury is committed to providing meaningful access to U.S. currency and, by using technology, we can help hundreds of thousands of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Our collaboration with the Department of Education allowed us to be resourceful and, in turn, more individuals will have the means to independently denominate the U.S. currency they use in daily commerce. The app, which interacts with Google's Eyes-Free applications, can be downloaded for free on more than 1,250 different wireless devices. The IDEAL Currency Identifier was developed by Apps4Android, Inc., a subsidiary of IDEAL Group that develops mobile applications. Android-based devices are produced by 48 manufacturers and distributed by 60 wireless service providers in 136 countries. This new app is one of several measures the government is developing to assist people with vision impairments to denominate currency. In April 2011, the BEP introduced EyeNote(r), a similar currency reading mobile app. There have been more than 8,000 free downloads of the EyeNote(r) app since its introduction. In May 2011, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner approved three measures to provide accessibility to U.S. currency for those who are blind or visually impaired. These measures include implementing a Currency Reader Program to distribute a currency reader device to blind and visually impaired U.S. citizens; continuing to add large high-contrast numerals and different background colors to redesigned currency the BEP may lawfully change; and adding a raised tactile feature to U.S. currency unique to each U.S. Federal Reserve note that BEP may lawfully change, which would provide users with a means of identifying each denomination via touch. For more information about the IDEAL Currency Identifier and other accessibility apps, please visit www.moneyfactory.govhttp://www.moneyfactory.gov/. -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Bluetooth shoes
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below a short article which get from another site. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Footwear for the Blind: Bluetooth shoes The Economist http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/07/footwear-blind JUL 14 2012, 9:09 by A.A.K. ~ Mumbai MORE than 285 million people across the globe suffer from visual impairment. Yet the tools to assist the blind in walking have changed little since the 1920s, when their canes started being painted white to make other pedestrians more aware of their presence. The gizmos that do exist have tended to be expensive and clunky, and have not caught on. This may change if Anirudh Sharma, a 24-year-old computer engineer from Hyderabad, a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has his way. His innovation, dubbed Le Chal (take me along in Hindi) pairs a smartphone app with a small actuator sewn inside the sole of one shoe via Bluetooth. The user tells the phone his desired destination, which is translated into electronic commands using voice-recognition software. The app, which can be programmed to run in the background, fetches the local map of the area. The phone's Global Positioning System (GPS) tracks the person's location in real-time, telling the actuator to vibrate when it is time to turn. The side of the shoe where the vibration is felt indicates which way to go. Mr Sharma opted for a vibrating signal because for the blind, who rely on their sense of hearing to make sense of the environment, audio feedback is a distraction. The system does not require constant internet access. Once downloaded, maps can be stored locally and combined with GPS data. The app uses Open Street Maps (OSM), an open-source rival to Google Maps. OSM allows editing, a helpful feature in updating rapidly changing urban landscapes. A speed-dial function can rapidly retrieve the most frequently visited routes. The shoe pod is also equipped with an obstacle-detection mechanism. A sensor in the tip of the shoe, devised by Mr Sharma's business partner, Krispian Lawrence, scans the vicinity using sonar, which emits ultrasounds that bounce off obstacles, indicating their presence. The shoe sets off a distinct pattern of vibrations to alert the person of any obstruction and guides him around it. For now, the footwear, being tested at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, one of India's biggest eye-health facilities, may be most useful in areas with little or no traffic, such as quiet residential streets or parks. The challenge, Mr Lawrence says, is to get the algorithm to tell an uncovered manhole from a flight of stairs, but he expects it to be able to do so in due course. Dealing with moving obstacles like cars may take longer, though the pair are working on ways to alert wearers not just about cars' presence, but also their speed. To ensure that the final product resembles a regular shoe, fashion technologists are being consulted to help with ergonomics and design. Mr Sharma and Mr Lawrence, who started a company called Ducere Technologies to commercialise their idea, say their high-tech brogues should not cost more than an ordinary, stylish pair. Many of the world's visually impaired will like the sound of that. --- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fw: Georgie, a smartphone app for the visually impaired, now
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another site. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Georgie, a smartphone app for the visually impaired, now available Applications, News, By Chris Parsons | Jul 13 2012 | 2:44 pm | 3 Comments Addressing the smartphone market for the visually impaired is an ongoing task. Over the years, there have been plenty of advancements in this area with the introduction of numerous applications, voice technology and on screen accessibility features but now a new entrant into the market is seeking to help folks as well. Screenreader, a not-for-profit company, has now introduced the Android based Georgie app in the U.K where there 1 in every 30 people suffer from some sort of visual impairment. Using existing Samsung phones like the Samsung XCover and Galaxy Ace 2, picked specifically to be easy to use for blind users, Georgie offers a whole new experience by allowing for such things as managing contacts, using speech input to send text messages and tag previous routes or hazards (like potholes or low hanging branches) using navigation apps. Georgie is available for purchase on the Google Play Store in a number of different packages. The base package with all features is available for £299 with additional feature sets available for £149. You can look at the full press release below or check out the source link for video on how Georgie works on devices. Source: ScreenReader World's first smartphone for blind people available today Georgie, a smartphone designed for blind people, by blind people, is launching today to transform the lives of the almost 2 million people in the UK living with sight loss. Developed by not-for-profit social enterprise Screenreader and available through exclusive partners Sight and Sound Technology, the new smartphone includes apps built specifically to help blind users navigate day-to-day obstacles like catching a bus, reading printed text and knowing their exact whereabouts in unfamiliar areas. Tasks more commonly associated with smartphones like using Twitter, reading text messages and taking a picture have also been updated to be much easier to use and accessible to visually impaired people for the first time. Georgie is available from £299, or the unique features are available to download as an app for anyone with an existing Android smartphone from £149. Founded by blind husband and wife team Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, Screenreader had a clear idea about how a smartphone should be for visually impaired users, so enlisted Alan Kemp as Chief Technical Officer to bring the idea to fruition. Georgie, named after Margaret's first Golden Labrador guide dog, is the work of 18 months of development and testing, working closely with the blind community for their feedback. Georgie makes use of Google's Android operating system and existing Samsung phones like the Samsung XCover and Galaxy Ace 2, picked specifically to be easy to use for blind users. The large buttons on an uncluttered screen, voice feedback whenever the screen's touched and an innovative way to select the desired option also make the basic functions of the phone easier to use for visually impaired people, as well as those unfamiliar with modern technology. I was able to send my very first text just earlier this year thanks to Georgie said Screenreader co-founder Roger Wilson-Hinds. It's exactly that type of digital experience we want to make easily available to people with little or no sight. More than that though, it's also going to help solve every day problems for blind people so they can be more confident about navigating the real world and become independent. Glenn Tookey, CEO of Sight and Sound Technology added Companies like Apple and Google have done a good job of adding accessibility tools to smartphones, but Georgie is the first smartphone solution developed with the visually impaired in mind. For that reason Georgie offers relevant features which, coupled with our expertise in offering customer support to the blind community, makes for a really exciting, well supported product that we're proud to exclusively distribute. Out of the box Georgie comes with features to let users dial a number with the voice assisted touchscreen, manage contacts, use speech input to send text messages and tag previous routes or hazards (like potholes or low hanging branches) using the navigation apps. A variety of additional apps are also available for purchase and bundled into three different packages, Travel, Lifestyle or Communicate, to add more functions to support different aspects of daily life that blind people may currently find challenging. These bundles are available for £24.99 each and include the following extra features: · Travel o Near me - find places of interest - everything from bus stops and cafes to the local zoo o Buses - know when the next bus is arriving and when to get off o Weather - forecasts for
[AI] Fwd: Introducing the NEW Perkins SMART BraillerR
Hi all, hope all are doing fine, pasting below a short info about the new perkens brailler which get from another site. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Thought this might be of interest to a few of you, but be warned that this is a very pricey item - the pre-order price is given as $1,995 for orders from within the U.S., and this is not the APH version that includes the learning software. Please don't ask any questions here concerning this product, as this is all the information I have. Please go to one or more of the links included in the message for additional information. -- Perkins Products logo http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=UW4YX_2qGBhQUCUIvCO7_w HEAR THE WORDS. SEE THE LETTERS. CONNECT THE DOTS. New Perkins SMART Brailler http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=47WwegPGT606kPQ3kZZ7ww We want you to be the first to hear about our new groundbreaking technology, poised to forever change the world's understanding of braille education. Perkins Products is proud to introduce the NEW Perkins SMART BraillerR - the evolution of the Perkins BraillerR from a low-technology, beloved classic to a high-technology learning and teaching tool. Its built-in video screen combined with audio feedback shows and speaks letters and words in real-time as they are being brailled. The SMART Brailler, developed by Perkins Products in conjunction with the American Printing House for the Blind, opens the door to a new, more intuitive way for individuals, both sighted and blind, to communicate, teach and learn braille together. Now teachers in a mainstream classroom can see what their students are brailling. Sighted parents can help their visually impaired children with homework. And students can discover the fun in their own braille education. Sighted or blind, we can all share the learning experience and CONNECT THE DOTS! How does the SMART Brailler do this? It includes: * A video screen for instantaneous audio and visual feedback - displays SimBraille and print * Text-to-speech from Acapela Group so the letters, words and sentences can be read back while brailling * Ability to edit, save and transfer electronic documents via USB * Headphone jack and volume control * Operates as a mechanical brailler for extended use * Rechargeable and removable battery In addition, the APH version of the SMART Brailler also includes the APH Building on Patterns-Kindergarten software - Braille Learning Exercises which offer easy lessons for anyone who wants to learn braille. The Perkins Products version of the SMART Brailler, ordered directly from Perkins Products, does not include Building on Patterns but does include: * The option to use other languages besides English * The ability (coming soon) to download braille learning software for a fee There is no other product on the market that makes learning braille this intuitive and accessible. We invite you to view our introduction video http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=1D2XZRKCP1y90zu-eE2RtA by visiting our new website, http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=fIIsqtcShttnReVG_yrpYw And also to watch our short video on the relevance of braille http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=PzYkxcINs8lysnmjhOJzWQ in a high tech world. We are planning to begin shipments in September of the Perkins Products version of the SMART Brailler and we are taking pre-orders now. We hope you'll join us in spreading the news about this latest way that Perkins Products is unleashing possibility all around the world. Sign up for emails and check out our Facebook page http://support.perkins.org/site/R?i=xodkHM3lXmWP0rAVM8rCRQ Regards, David Morgan signature http://support.perkins.org/images/content/pagebuilder/davidmorgan-sign.jpg David Morgan Vice President General Manager Perkins Products -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: GW Micro and Independence Science Strengthen Partnership to Make Science Accessible to Blind
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fort Wayne, Indiana (May 29, 2012) - GW Micro, Inc. (www.gwmicro.com) and Independence Science (www.independencescience.com) are proud to announce an even stronger partnership. Independence Science (ISci) was the first company to help make science accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired. Because of the innovative work by Independence Science, students who are blind or visually impaired now have access to hands-on science experiments and are able to analyze statistical data for the experiments they perform. The advanced screen reader Window-Eyes, used with the Window-Eyes app for Logger Pro, produced by GW Micro provides the best possible voice access to the Logger Pro PC application for students who are blind or visually impaired. Because of the superior support from GW Micro, Independence Science will no longer maintain updates for JAWS and only provide support for future versions of Window-Eyes. We are very happy to provide top-notch support that enables blind and visually impaired students to access science curricula, said Dan Weirich, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for GW Micro. Independence Science is committed to the best possible access for our customers, which is why we have chosen GW Micro, said Dr. Cary Supalo, President of Independence Science. They provide the best possible solution with maximum support. While we have researched other screen reader companies, none of them have been able to reach the advanced capabilities of GW Micro. The partnership between the two companies continues to grow and this synergy has led to the development of the ISci Lab Solution. The ISci Lab Solution makes the science classroom more accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired. These talking solutions will enable people who are blind and visually impaired to pursue education and careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields where they have been traditionally underrepresented. For more information about the ISci Lab Solution, including a video demonstration of Dr. Cary Supalo (a blind scientist himself) using the product, visit http://www.gwmicro.com/Window-Eyes/ISci_Lab/. GW Micro has been a trusted pioneer in the adaptive technology industry since 1990, and continues to lead with innovative, customer driven solutions. Independence Science is the leading developer of accessible technology for students with visual impairments in the science laboratory. ISci research is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Contact: GW Micro Phone: (260) 489-3671 Email: sa...@gwmicro.com Web: www.gwmicro.com Independence Science Phone: (866) 862-9665 Email: i...@independencescience.com Web: www.independencescience.com Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Find and read text with your iPhone - seeking Beta Testers
Hi all, Pasting below a short article, which get from another list, and this is very intrusted for those, who are IPhone user, please those who are IPhone user, follow the link, which given below, and sign up. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Hi iPhone users, Blind sight, a small RD firm in Berkeley, is developing an iPhone application that can detect and speak out text - be it a sign around you or a handout you need to identify. The application uses the built in camera to capture the area the phone is pointed at. It's patented text detection algorithm analyzes the video stream and tells you whether there is text or not. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and VoiceOver will do the rest and speak the text that was detected - all within seconds. You can be the first to use text detection and recognition in your day-to-day life before anyone else! Sign up here if you are interested (participation is limited to 50 users): http://blindsight.com/handsight/beta-signup/ - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: indoor navigation system for blind
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Scientists design indoor navigation system for blind May 18, 2012 Enlarge Human-computer interaction researcher Eelke Folmer of the University of Nevada, Reno, watches as Dora Uchel, a university student, demonstrates the indoor navigation system for the visually impaired developed by Kostas Bekris and Folmer of the Computer Science Engineering Department. She was one of several visually impaired students and community members who helped test the low-cost accessible system that operates with a standard smartphone. Credit: Photo by Mike Wolterbeek, University of Nevada, Reno University of Nevada, Reno computer science engineering team Kostas Bekris and Eelke Folmer presented their indoor navigation system for people with visual impairments at two national conferences in the past two weeks. The researchers explained how a combination of human-computer interaction and motion-planning research was used to build a low-cost accessible navigation system, called Navatar, which can run on a standard smartphone. Existing indoor navigation systems typically require the use of expensive and heavy sensors, or equipping rooms and hallways with radio-frequency tags that can be detected by a handheld reader and which are used to determine the user's location, Bekris, of the College of Engineering's Robotics Research Lab, said. This has often made the implementation of such systems prohibitively expensive, with few systems having been deployed. Instead, the University of Nevada, Reno navigation system uses digital 2D architectural maps that are already available for many buildings, and uses low-cost sensors, such as accelerometers and compasses, that are available in most smartphones, to navigate users with visual impairments. The system locates and tracks the user inside the building, finding the most suitable path based on the users special needs, and gives step-by-step instructions to the destination. Nevertheless, the smartphone's sensors, which are used to calculate how many steps the user has executed and her orientation, tend to pick up false signals, Folmer, who has developed exercise video games for the blind, said. To synchronize the location, our system combines probabilistic algorithms and the natural capabilities of people with visual impairments to detect landmarks in their environment through touch, such as corridor intersections, doors, stairs and elevators. Folmer explained that as touch screen devices are challenging to use for users with visual impairments, directions are provided using synthetic speech and users confirm the presence of a landmark by verbal confirmation or by pressing a button on the phone or on a Bluetooth headset. A benefit of this approach is that the user can leave the phone in their pocket leaving both hands free for using a cane and recognizing tactile landmarks. This is a very cool mix of disciplines, using the user as a sensor combined with sophisticated localization algorithms from the field of robotics, Folmer, of the University's Computer Science Engineering Human-Computer Interaction Lab, said. The team is currently trying to implement their navigation system in other environments and integrate it into outdoor navigation systems that use GPS. My research is motivated by the belief that a disability can be turned into an innovation driver, Folmer said. When we try to solve interaction design problems for the most extreme users, such as users with visual impairments, there is the potential to discover solutions that may benefit anyone. Though the navigation system was specifically developed for users with visual impairments, it can be used by sighted users as well. For their work on the indoor navigation system for the blind, Bekris and Folmer recently won a PETA Proggy Award for Leadership in Ethical Science. PETA's Proggy Awards (Proggy is for progress) recognize animal-friendly achievements. The navigation system was deemed such an achievement because it could decrease the need to rely on guide dogs. They presented and demonstrated their research at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in St. Paul., Minn. on May 15 and on May 7 at the CM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, which is the premier international conference on human-computer interaction. More information: For more information on the system, visit http://eelke.com/navatar Provided by University of Nevada, Reno - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Cell jab restores sight in mice
hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Cell jab restores sight in mice Published on Wednesday 25 April 2012 16:24 Experimental cell transplants can improve the sight of visually impaired mice, it has been widely reported. The Independent called the research behind the news a major step towards cure for blindness, while The Guardian said the work is the first demonstration that cell transplants can restore useful vision. During the research, scientists used mice bred to lack working light-sensitive rod cells in the back of their eyes. These cells normally allow us to see in low-light conditions. These visually impaired mice were then injected with immature cells extracted from the eyes of young mice with normal vision in the hope that this would improve their sight. Following treatment, the mice were tested in a simple maze featuring visual indicators of the location of the exit. Visually impaired mice that were not treated struggled to find the exit, while some of those given transplants successfully identified the exit 70% of the time. The researchers concluded that treatment with these immature rod cells can improve vision, but that significantly more research is needed before this treatment would be suitable for use in people. This early-stage research supports the continued study of immature (or 'precursor') rod cell injection as a possible treatment for a specific type of blindness. However, it is unknown at this stage whether similar results will be achievable in humans. Also, there are many different causes of blindness and sight loss. Even if this technique eventually reaches humans, there is no indication it would help with vision problems that are not related to rod cells. Where did the story come from? The study was carried out by researchers from University College London, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Cornell University in the US. It was funded by the Medical Research Council UK, the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society and The Miller's Trust. The study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature. Generally, the media reported the story accurately, with the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and The Independent all reporting that research in humans is likely to be years away. They also correctly emphasised that the mice were not completely blind before their cell transplants but, instead, lacked the cells needed to see in low-light conditions. What kind of research was this? This was an animal study that examined the effectiveness of eye cell transplantation for restoring vision in sight-impaired mice. Within the human eye, two types of light-sensitive cells work together to enable vision a.. rod photoreceptors are responsible for vision in low-light conditions, or night vision b.. cone photoreceptors allow us to see colours and fine details, and to see in bright conditions When we look at an object or scene, the lenses of the eye focus light from what we are viewing onto the retina, a structure at the back of the eye that is lined with rod and cone cells. As these detect light, they produce information that is then sent down the optic nerves and decoded by the brain. The mice used in the study had a genetic mutation that results in a lack of functioning rod cells, and these mice serve as a model for studying genetic night blindness. Mouse research of this type is commonly used to prove that the concept or theory underlying a new treatment approach is sound, and that the experimental procedures are safe. Once this is established, small-scale human studies can be undertaken to establish the effectiveness and safety of the treatment in people. However, as this was an animal study, at this early stage of research we cannot be sure that the results will also hold true in people. In this case, it is particularly true as mice see in a slightly different way from humans. Research suggests they generally have a low number of colour-sensitive cone cells that enable full-colour vision, and instead have a higher proportion of rod cells to help them see nocturnally. What did the research involve? The research had two parts. First, researchers examined a group of 29 mice with the genetic mutation that results in night blindness and compared them to nine normal mice with functioning rod cells. The researchers then collected precursor rod photoreceptor cells from another set of normal mice aged four to eight days old with functioning rods cells. Precursor rod cells are those that have not yet matured into adult cells, although they have already started to show some of the properties that adult cells do. These extracted precursor cells were then injected into the retinas of both the night-blind mice and the normal mice. The researchers then compared the two groups of mice in terms of how well the
[AI] Fwd: Photoreceptor transplant: New Hope For Restoring Eyesight
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Photoreceptor transplant restores vision in blind mice Posted by: Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity 18th April, 2012 GOSHCC Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Jane Sowden, is part of a research team who have shown for the first time that transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually impaired mice can restore their vision. She hopes this exciting development will pave the way for similar approaches in humans, and clinical trials of new therapies to treat degenerative and inherited retinal diseases that cause a third of cases of childhood blindness. Transplanting photoreceptors The research, led by Professor Robin Ali and a joint team at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) (and published in Nature) suggests that transplanting photoreceptors - the light-sensitive nerve cells that line the back of the eye - could form the basis of a new treatment to restore sight in people with degenerative eye diseases. The type of blindness we've been researching is common, says Professor Jane Sowden, who heads up the ICH team: Retinal diseases that cause the loss of photoreceptor cells are one of the major causes of untreatable blindness, which include inherited retinal diseases that affect around 1 in 3000 people, and are responsible for around the third of cases of childhood blindness. We have been aiming to develop new therapies for retinal diseases which would involve transplanting new photoreceptor cells to replace those that are lost through disease. Over the last decade we've been developing ways to transplant photoreceptor cells into the retina. Remarkable tests In this new study we've been able to show that by transplanting photoreceptors into the retina of mice who are born with a form of blindness that the new cells are able to make connections that are functional. Not only this, but after four to six weeks, the transplanted cells appeared to be functioning almost as well as normal photoreceptor cells. They had also formed the vital connections needed to transmit visual information to other cells in the retina, and onwards to the brain. Jane continues: We performed a number of different tests, but one of the most remarkable was the fact that the treated animals were able to navigate their way through a maze, whereas the untreated animals were not, demonstrating that the cells were functioning. So the treated animals were using this visual information to modify their behaviour. Promise for the future She thinks this shows exciting promise for future research and potential treatments: What we've shown for the first time is that the transplantation of new photoreceptor cells can restore vision. What we hope is that it will be possible to develop similar approaches for the treatment of human blindness. There are many steps we need to undertake before we're in a position to do that, but based on the similarities between the mouse and the human retina we think that this may be a future treatment for currently untreatable retinal disease. You can view the full Nature paper here. The research was funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society, Alcon Research Institute and The Miller's Trust. Professor Jane Sowden is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. watch video clip: Photoreceptor transplant restores vision in mice - Jane Sowden GOSHCC Professor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Nn7eLFE0wfeature=player_embedded Uploaded by GOSHCharity on Apr 18, 2012 GOSHCC Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Jane Sowden, is part of a research team who have shown for the first time that transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually impaired mice can restore their vision. She hopes this exciting development will pave the way for similar approaches in humans, and clinical trials of new therapies to treat degenerative and inherited retinal diseases that cause a third of cases of childhood blindness. -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] FW: Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook, @ FreedomScientific News March 30 2012
Hi all , hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook, @ FreedomScientific News March 30 2012 Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2012 2:35 PM EDT Having trouble viewing this email? Click http://www.freedomscientific.com/news/2012-03-31/fs-releases-new-improved-ocr-software-openbook-jaws.html here to view in a browser. For Immediate Release: Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook Today, Freedom Scientific, one of the world’s leading screen reading and blindness product makers, has just recently developed and released a new breakthrough in its line of products of assistive technology for blind and visually impaired computer users. Have you ever wanted to take OpenBook® with you at all times anywhere you can possibly go with it? Or even better, have you always wanted to be able to pick up a handwritten note on a piece of paper and be able to read it instantly just like anybody else? Or maybe you are one of those frustrated students that are inundated with printed or handwritten material that you can’t read in or out of a classroom setting and you have to wait even hours or days for somebody to read to you. Maybe you are at a conference, you are given a business card or a simple handout that is important, and you need to fill out or read along? Well, wish and wonder no more! Freedom Scientific now has the solution! Due to popular demand, and numerous emails and feedback requests from our users, Freedom Scientific has decided to step forward. We have released a new, updated, and improved OCR recognition engine for both, our Openbook® and JAWS® products. This bran new release includes many new features, which include, but not limited to: * The ability to recognize smaller type font and better recognition of columns in sophisticated tables, which can easily be confusing to read. * The ability to recognize print on smaller pieces of print paper, such as note slips or contact cards on the spot, with better print focus and not the scanner bed or camera. * Finally, the ability to recognize handwriting with about 85-90% accuracy! Yes, that’s right! Our new OCR engine has built-in support for handwriting recognition. That means that you can either scan or place a handwritten note from a co-worker, a spouse, or from a door, into your camera or scanner of your choice, and Openbook® will automatically recognize it and be able to read it with speech and / or Braille output from your preferred synthesizer or Braille display! Not only this. You can open a .pdf, .jpg, or .png image that someone sent you with handwriting over the email on your computer, perform the OCR recognition command (JAWS 13 and later only), and bingo! You will hear the handwriting being spoken out to you or sent to your Braille display. Please note that these new features offered by this improved version of the OCR engine for JAWS® or OpenBook® software are only compatible with Openbook versions later than 8.0 and JAWS version 13.0 or later. Please note users of JAWS earlier than 13.0, we will release a version of the new OCR engine that we released with JAWS 13.0 later this month, with the same features as the ones offered now, so you aren’t left out on these new features! This update to the OCR engine can work with both 32- and 64-bit operating systems. Want some even more awesome news from our OpenBook® development team? We have released OpenBook Mobile®, a scanning and reading solution app for your iOS device! This means that you can use our popular scanning and reading solution right from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, using VoiceOver and the camera of your device! Yes, that’s right, OpenBook® is going mobile, and you will be able to take it anywhere you go that you find printed material that you cannot read. You will be able to go on a trip, be given an airport boarding pass, and you will no longer need sighted assistance to see whether your plane was gone before you knew it, or to see your flight information. You will be able to go to a church service and be able to access printed booklets of hymns or group prayers easily and independently without requesting sighted help. Even more fantastic, you will be able to walk into a classroom door that appears to have no one waiting with you, bump into a little sticky note with your finger below or above the Braille marking of the classroom number, and not have to wait so many hours and precious study time trying to find out if the instructor canceled the class or whatever other scheduling conflict that might have occurred with that instructor. If you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you will get it out, snap a photo of that little sticky note, and you will be able to find out what’s wrong quickly, independently and immediately with the
[AI] Need suggestions regarding MTNL brodband
Hi all, hope all are doing fine I need some suggestions regarding MTNL internet 1. Does MTNL provide cunsation for Blind persons? 2nd. If yes, how much percent they provide? I am asking this because, i asked them regarding cunsation for blind to their offices, they told me that blind or any other phycical disable persons doesn't get any kind of cunsations please help me in this matter and if circulares are available in this issue, pls provide me there lincs or any sites where i can download it, so i can show them that cunsations are available in this issue also. Hope to heare from all of you soon. Regards Wahid Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Technology Leads The Blind
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Technology Leads The Blind By ANGELO G. GARCIA March 12, 2012, 3:23am THREE-IN-ONE - This multi-functional prototype for the visually impaired can detect obstacles to prevent any accidents and can also be used as a mobile phone for sending and receiving calls and text messages with it's own unique Braille keypad. MANILA, Philippines - Technology has come a long way, even for persons with disabilities (PWD). There are mobile applications where speech may be converted to text and vice versa, thus making it easier for persons with visual impairment to send and receive text or email messages. Engineers are also developing the use of robotic exoskeleton to enable paraplegics to be mobile again. Recently, a group of graduating Computer Engineering students from the Mapua Institute of Technology stumbled upon an idea to help persons with visual impairment communicate better and easier through an innovative mobile invention. The students designed the Wearable Obstacle Detection System, a device that can detect obstacles in front of the user, and the Braille Cell Phone that is equipped with a Braille keypad. We saw a blind person using her cell phone and we noticed how she held the phone by her ear to listen to messages. It took her a long time to type a message because of repeated mistakes. So we came up with an idea to make a product that can make it easier for the blind to use a mobile phone and at the same time help their mobility, explains team member Girly Perando, 21. MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS IN ONE DEVICE The device has three main functions - call, text, and obstacle detection. It detects obstacles using a simple infrared sensor, Perando explains. For five months, they toiled to create the prototype - a box-like device, the size of a notebook, that is two inches thick. It is connected to a sensor and attached to a metal cane. It has a mobile GSM module inside to enable it to send and receive calls and text messages. The simple box has a numeric keypad in the middle, five function buttons below it, and a Braille keypad above the numeric keypad. The obstacle detection sensor is connected to the box device via wire. The sensor has two ''eyes or infrared sensors that detect obstacle up to five meters. It vibrates to warn the user. On the other hand, the Braille keypad has six small knobs that bob up and down to create the Braille character. A message that the device receives is converted to Braille, which can then be read by the user. The team had a difficult time designing the actual device since it has multiple functions. We had a difficult time thinking how we would be able to fit the components, make it smaller and integrate the main functions in a single device, explains team member Kristine Emy Matabang, 20. The team tested the prototype by collaborating with the Give Love Assoociation for the Blind, Inc. A WINNING PROJECT The device is still in the prototype stage and needs a lot of work but it was interesting enough for the judges of the 8th Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) Innovation and Excellence Awards to choose it to receive the championship trophy. The team from Mapua was named as the overall champion in the recent student competition which is an annual search for the most innovative wireless applications conducted by Smart Communications. The Mapua team bested 142 other entries submitted by student-teams from Smart's partner schools under SWEEP. The team received R500,000 as cash prize, while their school received a grant in the same amount. We believed in the value of our design. We were so overwhelmed because it made us feel that hard work really pays off, says team leader Janiena Roxanne Dirain. They plan to continue developing their prototype so it will actually benefit the blind community, the main inspiration for this project. They hope to see the day when the device is being used by persons with visual impairment in the future. To people with visual impairment, you are the inspiration behind our project. We are doing our best to make it available for you in the near future, 21-year-old Dirain says. Since we are all graduating students, we are looking forward to work on the product even after school. We believe that this will open doors to greater opportunities, Matabang ends. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Phone For Blind Uses Braille
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Phone For Blind Uses Braille By ELLSON A. QUISMORIO March 10, 2012, 4:06am MANILA, Philippines - Girly Perando, Janiena Roxanne Dirain and Kristine Emy Matabang call it their baby. But it could very well be the most valuable companion a blind person could ever have. The three computer engineering students have come with a Braille Cell Phone for the blind with a dedicated Wearable Obstacle Detection System. Last month, the device won for the three Mapua Institute of Technology students the grand prize in the 8th Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) Innovations and Excellence Awards. The specialized mobile phone allows the user to receive and read text messages via the centuries-old Braille system in the form of a small rectangle containing two columns of three dots each. Placed on top of this rectangle is a traditional keypad. The phone vibrates when it receives a text message. The message can be read (by character) with the dots, which raise automatically, explained Girly, 21. Incoming and outgoing calls are facilitated through a headset. Like a normal mobile phone, the Braille phone also uses a subscriber identity module (SIM) card and is rechargeable. The main console is quite bulky and must be worn over the shoulder through a sling bag. But then, it is more than just a communication device. Hardwired to the console is a four-inch-long sensor, which by design is attached to a walking stick-a necessity for blind or visually-impaired individuals. If the sensor detects that there is something in front of the person, or is about to bump into something (like a wall), the phone vibrates and gives off a buzzing sound, said Janiena, 21, as she waved her hand in demonstration. The sensor, the students said, can detect an object as far as five meters away. The overall concept and design earned the all-female group P500,000 in cash as top prize in the competition. Twenty-year-old Kristine said building the phone was not easy. We took it one step at a time. We tried to finish one phase before moving on to the next, she said. But more than cash prizes and accolade, the three want their baby to realize its full potential to be a useful tool for the blind. Ayra Panganiban, the group's adviser, recalled her initial reaction upon hearing about the Braille phone. When I saw that their target the visually-impaired, and that this device would end up helping a lot of these people, I told them to go for it, she said. Panganiban said the challenge now is to design and build a more compact Braille phone, with wireless connectivity to the walking stick sensor. Voice recognition would also be useful feature. Dr. Felicito Caluyo, the dean of Computer Engineering in Mapua, said the school is now moving forward with the students' achievement with the Braille phone. We're now in the process of looking for additional investors so we may be able to produce more Braille phones to be donated to beneficiaries, Caluyo said. He noted that some foreign investors, particularly from Canada, have expressed interest. Apparently, some blind or visually-impaired individuals who sampled the Braille phone during its testing phase can hardly wait to get one of their own. They asked us if the phone was out in the market already. They seemed to like it. The feedback was good, Girly said. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: App will help visually impaired navigate streets
Dear all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- App will help blind, visually impaired navigate streets The app tells pedestrians what direction they are traveling. February 28, 2012 A University of Minnesota researcher is developing an app that would tell the blind and visually-impaired not only when to cross the street, but which direction they're going and how many lanes they have to cross. The app, which will be free to download, will also tell users the name of a street if the user taps the phone and points it in any direction, said Chen-Fu Liao, a senior assistant engineer at the University. Users tap the phone again to request a walk signal so they don't have to struggle to find a button to push. The system will tell users when to cross and how much time they have. Currently, Accessible Pedestrian Signals help visually-impaired people know when to cross a street with a countdown. Liao works at the Minnesota Traffic Observatory on several transportation studies using Intelligent Transportation Systems and has developed web-based simulations for transportation courses. Research for the app began two years ago with a pricetag of about $100,000 each year, Liao said. To get started, he and a colleague interviewed 10 visually-impaired people about what they'd like in the product and what format would work best. I'm really excited about the whole project, said Ken Rodgers, president of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota. Rodgers said while there are lots of benefits to the app, there are also drawbacks. While it gives visually impaired people more information than does the APS system, not everybody has a smartphone. He said the more types of platforms that the app works on, the better. The app will eventually tie right into traffic technology and have the potential to alert drivers that a visually-impaired person is in the vicinity, Rodgers said. The app is a complement to the APS system but is a completely separate tool. Rodgers said he's afraid that if the app gets too popular, cities might stop installing APS. Signals and traffic crossings owned by the city, state or county are obligated by federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulations to make the visual elements accessible to people that can't see. Right now, they do that by installing Accessible Pedestrian Signals, Rodgers said. The app will not relieve cities of this obligation to provide alternative ways of accessing the crosswalks, he said. The prototype of the product will be tested in Golden Valley, Minn., beginning in late March or early April. Linda Spaulding, a certified orientation and mobility specialist, chose the testing sites. The crosswalks needed to have stoplights, and one has APS while the other does not. Both needed to be close to the Twin Cities, she said. Researchers wanted the testing sites to be close to the Twin Cities since the people involved in the testing would be visually impaired and would have difficulty traveling far. Spaulding also worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to determine which intersections would be safest to use. There isn't yet a launch date for the app. Research will continue to improve on its current prototype by looking for ways to help prevent users from veering while crossing the road, Liao said. A bigger version would include door-to-door guidance that would help users get to bus stops, know when buses are coming and when they're approaching. I think the app is totally cool, said Rodgers. It will really help us navigate the streets. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: DrawBraille Is a Smartphone for the Blind
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below a short and intrusting article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- DrawBraille Concept Is a Smartphone for the Blind By Joshua Schnell, PCWorldFeb 23, 2012 12:03 PM [Photo: Shikun Sun/Yanko Design]For many people, smartphones are an indispensable part of their lives: Email, games, music, a camera--all instantly accessible wherever you go. But not everyone can fully enjoy the benefits of a smartphone. For the visually impaired, a lot of the convenience of a smartphone is lost. That's where a new concept smartphone comes in: DrawBraille is a smartphone concept that's tailored for the visually impaired. The left side of the DrawBraille phone is the display; it has a series of mechanical dots in groups of six that can display Braille characters for you to read. There are five rows, each containing seven groups of six dots. For messages that cannot be conveyed in that space, there are page up and down buttons to the left of the display area for scrolling. The right side of the phone is the input area and contains twenty touch-sensitive squares arranged in five rows of four. The middle six squares represent the six possible dots that form a Braille character. You enter each character by touching the correct squares, sliding your finger from one to the next either within the six squares that represent the Braille character, or if the dots are not connected, by using the outside squares. Lifting your finger completes the character, allowing you to move onto the next. Five dots along the side of the device signal battery life, with each dot representing 20 percent of the battery's charge capacity. In addition to making calls, you can use the phone for email, music, and book reading. In this concept, the input area would come programmed with a variety of commands that would let you navigate a series of menu options. Head on over to Yanko Design for lots of mockups of what this phone would look like. Voice command functions certainly allow the visually impaired to make use of current smartphones, but DrawBraille has the potential to increase functionality and ease-of-use, customizing the experience. It would be interesting to see the types of apps that could be developed for such a phone, further enhancing its functionality and perhaps given it a few advantages over current smartphones. [Yanko Design via Ubergizmo] --- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To Smartphones : All Tech Conside...
Hi all, Folks: hope all are doing fine pasting below a intrusting article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Braille comes unbound from the book: how technology can stop a literary crisis Apple is at the vanguard of a push behind technology that's helping old-fashioned Braille replace text-to-speech audio for the blind - and it couldn't have come at a more critical time By Saabira Chaudhuri guardian.co.uk 14 February 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/14/technology-brings-braille-back -apple On a lazy Sunday afternoon, Chancey Fleet reads the menu of Bombay Garden to four friends gathered at the back of the Chelsea-based Indian restaurant in New York City. Although she is reading aloud, there are no menus on the table. They aren't necessary, because Fleet is blind. Instead, she reads using a Braille display that sits unobtrusively on her lap and connects to her iPhone via Bluetooth, electronically converting the onscreen text into different combinations of pins. She reads by gently but firmly running her fingers over the pins with her left hand while navigating the phone with her right. The iPhone is the official phone of blindness, she told the Guardian. Until recently, technology, especially that which converts text to audio, has been hastening the demise of Braille, which educators say is a bad thing. Students who can read Braille tend on average to acquire higher literacy rates and fare better professionally later on. But Apple's push into the field - coupled with increasingly affordable Braille displays - has the potential to bring Braille back in a big way. Fleet's iPhone has a built-in screen reader called VoiceOver that works with all native applications. It tells Fleet what her finger is touching, allowing her to download the restaurant menu and read it, access her email, and do anything else she needs to with the phone, either by converting text into Braille on the separate display or by reading out loud to her. (Here's a video of the process at work.) Fleet also uses her display to type, rather than navigate with her iPhone or computer keyboard. It has a spacebar and with eight thumb-sized keys - one that works as a backspace key, another as an enter key, and the remainder that function as the six dot positions that comprise a Braille character. When Apple released the first accessible iPhone in 2009, it took the blind community by storm, said Fleet. We didn't know, nobody knew, that Apple was planning an accessible device. The device went from being an infuriating brick to a fluid, usable, opportunity-levelling device in one iteration. Apple has shown that devices aren't inaccessible because they have to be, but because companies made them with a lack of imagination, said Fleet. Apple proved that a blind person could use an interface that didn't have physical buttons. Anne Taylor, director of access technology for the National Federation of the Blind, agrees. Apple has set the bar very high, she said. No other mobile OS provider, such as Google or Microsoft, has made Braille available on their mobile platform. Apple's iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third generation iPod Touch already support more than 30 Bluetooth wireless Braille displays. And the company's recent push into digital textbooks could greatly reduce the time it takes for Braille textbooks to be available to students, not to mention reduce their cost and size: a single print textbook must be transformed into several volumes of Braille. Ebooks can be a game changer if they're properly designed because it would allow us to get access to the same books at the same time at the same price as everyone else, said Christopher Danielsen, spokesman for the NFB. Publishers and manufacturers have to ensure they are designed to be accessible to work with braille displays. That's what Apple has done. Apple is not perfect but they're way, way ahead of everybody else in this area. The benefits of Braille Apple's accessibility efforts come at a pivotal time. For decades now, the number of Braille users has been on the decline. Data from the American Printing House for the Blind's annual registry of legally blind students shows that in 1963, 51% of legally blind children in public and residential schools used Braille as their primary reading medium. In 2007 this number fell to just 10%, while in 2011 it stood at under 9%. While there are many reasons for the decline of Braille, technology that converts text to speech has been identified as a major factor. In a nationwide sample of 1,663 teachers of visually impaired and blind students conducted in the early 1990s, 40% chose reliance on technology as a reason behind Braille's decline. When we experienced the tech boom in the nineties, I was led to believe speech was the way forward, that Braille was becoming obsolete, said William O'Donnell, a
[AI] Fwd: Gene Therapy For Inherited Blindness Succeeds In Patients' Other Eye
Hi all, folks: pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Gene Therapy For Inherited Blindness Succeeds In Patients' Other Eye February 10, 2012 In 3 Adults, Repeat Dose Safely Improves Vision Gene therapy for congenital blindness has taken another step forward, as researchers further improved vision in three adult patients previously treated in one eye. After receiving the same treatment in their other eye, the patients became better able to see in dim light, and two were able to navigate obstacles in low-light situations. No adverse effects occurred. Neither the first treatment nor the readministered treatment triggered an immune reaction that cancelled the benefits of the inserted genes, as has occurred in human trials of gene therapy for other diseases. The current research targeted Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a retinal disease that progresses to total blindness by adulthood. Scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia led the study, published Feb 8 in Science Translational Medicine. Patients have told us how their lives have changed since receiving gene therapy, said study co-leader Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., F.M. Kirby professor of Ophthalmology at Penn. They are able to walk around at night, go shopping for groceries and recognize people's faces-all things they couldn't do before. At the same time, we were able to objectively measure improvements in light sensitivity, side vision and other visual functions. Other objective results came from brain signals seen in neuroimaging. When a dimly flickering checkerboard pattern flashed in front of a patient's recently treated eye, an area in the brain responsible for vision lit up during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This finding is telling us that the brain is responding to the eye's sensitivity to dim light, said radiology researcher Manzar Ashtari, Ph.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the study's co-leader. LCA is a group of hereditary retinal diseases in which a gene mutation impairs production of an enzyme essential to light receptors in the retina. The study team injected patients with a vector, a genetically engineered adeno-associated virus, which carried a normal version of a gene called RPE65 that is mutated in one form of LCA. The researchers in the current study previously carried out a clinical trial of this gene therapy in 12 patients with LCA, four of them children aged 11 and younger when they were treated. Exercising caution, the researchers treated only one eye-the one with worse vision. This trial, reported in October of 2009, achieved sustained and notable results, with six subjects improving enough to no longer be classified as legally blind. The Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics (CCMT) at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia sponsored both the initial clinical trial and the current study, and manufactured the vector used to carry the corrective gene. Katherine A. High, M.D., a co-author of both studies, is the director of the CCMT, and a pioneering gene therapy researcher. The research team's experiments in animals had showed that readministering treatment in a second eye was safe and effective. While these results were encouraging, the researchers were concerned that readministering the vector in the untreated eye of the patients might stimulate an inflammatory response that could reduce the initial benefits in the untreated eye. Our concern was that the first treatment might cause a vaccine-like immune response that could prime the individual's immune system to react against a repeat exposure, said Bennett. Because the eye is immune-privileged -relatively isolated from the body's immune system-such a response was considered less likely than in other parts of the body, but the idea needed to be tested in practice. As in the first study, retina specialist Albert M. Maguire, M.D., a study co-author and professor of Opthalmology at Penn, injected the vector into the untreated eyes of the three subjects at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The patients had been treated one and a half to three years previously. The researchers continued to follow the three patients for six months after readministration. They found the most significant improvements were in light sensitivity, such as the pupil's response to light over a range of intensities. Two of the three subjects were able to navigate an obstacle course in dim light, as captured in videos that accompanied the published study. There were no safety problems and no significant immune responses. There was even an unexpected benefit-the fMRI results showed improved brain responses not just in the newly injected eye, but in the first one as well, possibly because the eyes were better able to coordinate with each other in fixating on objects. The researchers caution that
[AI] Fwd: new talking glucose meter
Hi all, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- New Blood Glucose Meter for Visually Impaired is Available New Blood Glucose Meter Helps Visually Impaired Test Their Blood Glucose Levels. Simple Diagnostics, a diabetes supplies manufacturer that specializes in diabetes supplies for blind and visually impaired monitor their diabetes, has released a new talking glucose meter, Clever Choice Voice+ for blind helping them monitor sugar levels without the help from care takers. According to a recent survey conducted by Simple Diagnostics, many blinds and visually impaired are unable to keep their blood glucose levels under control because of dependency on care provider. English/Spanish talking Glucose monitor, which is a no code glucose meter helps them over come this obstacle with little or no help from others. Clever Choice Voice+ offers error free alternate site testing which enables patients to take blood from sites other than their fingers. No code feature allows simple insertion of glucose test strips into the blood glucose meter and application of blood drop in mere seconds for quick pain free blood glucose monitoring. This is Simple Diagnostics' second generation talking blood glucose meter. This device builds on the high standards seen in the original Clever Choice Voice® glucose meter but also provides additional benefits and features for patients, based on feedback we have received from both doctors and patients currently using a Simple Diagnostics glucose meter. It took us 3 years to deign this state of the art talking blood glucose meter with the help and feedback from our clients, their physicians and care providers. says Larry Sneir, the general manager of Simple Diagnostics. We started from scratch when we began this project. We went through clinical trials after trials until we perfected this glucose meter, and were sure we have a practicle and durable blood glucose meters for our patients, Our clients demanded quality products and we listened. Result was one of a kind talking glucose meter, Clever Choice Voice+, which will serve our clients years after years. Clever Choice Voice+ talking glucose meter comes with easy to follow visual and audible instructions. For more information about talking glucose meter visit SimpleDiagnostics.com -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Engineers create touchscreen Braille writer
hi all, hope all are doing fine, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Engineers create touchscreen Braille writer Posted By ScienceFeed On Friday, January 27th 2012. Under Mathematics Each summer, under the red-tiled roofs and sandstone of Stanford, the Army High-Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) invites a select group of undergraduates from across the country gather for a two-month immersion into the wonders of advanced computing. Some of the undergraduates are gathered into teams. Some work alone. All are assigned mentors and tasked with a challenge. They compete, American Idol-style, for top honors at the end of the summer. The competition is made possible in part by a collaboration between the U.S. Army and several university and industry partners that makes up the AHPCRC. Adam Duran is one such undergraduate, a student both lucky and good. He is now in his senior year at New Mexico State University. Last June, he came to Stanford at the suggestion of one of his professors. His mentors were Adrian Lew, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Sohan Dharmaraja, a doctoral candidate at Stanford studying computational mathematics. Originally, our assignment was to create a character-recognition application that would use the camera on a mobile device - a phone or tablet - to transform pages of Braille into readable text, said Duran. It was a cool challenge, but not exactly where we ended up. Bigger fish Even before Duran arrived for the summer, Lew and Dharmaraja began to talk to the Stanford Office of Accessible Education, people whose profession is helping blind and visually impaired students negotiate the world of higher learning. It became clear that there were bigger fish to fry. While a Braille character reader would be helpful to the blind, Lew and Dharmaraja learned, there were logistics that were hard to get around. How does a blind person orient a printed page so that the computer knows which side is up? How does a blind person ensure proper lighting of the paper? said Duran. Plus, the technology, while definitely helpful, would be limited in day-to-day application. It was a nice-to-have, not a must-have, said Dharmaraja. So, the three began to ask questions. That is when they stumbled upon a sweet spot. The killer app was not a reader, but a writer, said Dharmaraja. Imagine being blind in a classroom, how would you take notes? said Lew. What if you were on the street and needed to copy down a phone number? These are real challenges the blind grapple with every day. There are devices that help the blind write Braille, to send email and so forth, but they are essentially specialized laptops that cost, in some cases, $6,000 or more. All for a device of limited functionality, beyond typing Braille, of course. Your standard tablet has more capability at a tenth the price, said Duran. So, we put two and two together. We developed a tablet Braille writer, said Dharmaraja, A touchscreen for people who can't see. First, however, the student-mentor team had to learn Braille. Originally developed for the French military, Braille is a relatively simple code with each character made up of variations of six dots - or bumps, really - arranged in a 2-by-3 matrix. The blind read by feeling the bumps with their fingertips. As any computational mathematician will tell you, such a matrix yields two-to-the-sixth minus one variations, or 63 possible characters. These 63 characters are enough for a Western alphabet plus 10 numerical digits, with several left over for punctuation and some special characters. Over the years, however, those 63 characters got quickly gobbled up - through the addition of character-modification keystrokes, the total grew and now includes chemical, mathematical and other symbols. Challenge A modern Braille writer looks like a laptop with no monitor and an eight-key keyboard - six to create the character, plus a carriage return and a delete key. Duplicating the Braille keypad on a touch-based tablet seemed simple enough, but there was at least one significant challenge: How does a blind person find the keys on a flat, uniformly smooth glass panel? Dharmaraja and Duran mulled their options before arriving at a clever and simple solution. They did not create virtual keys that the fingertips must find; they made keys that find the fingertips. The user simply touches eight fingertips to the glass, and the keys orient themselves to the fingers. If the user becomes disoriented, a reset is as easy as lifting all eight fingers off the glass and putting them down again. Elegant, no? said Lew. The solution is so simple, so beautiful. It was fun to see. Beyond the price difference, touchscreens offer at least one other significant advantage over standard Braille writers: They're customizable, Dharmaraja noted. They can accommodate users whose fingers are small or large, those who
[AI] Fwd: Phone support now offered for NVDA users
Hi all, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Phone support now offered for NVDA users Saturday, 28 January 2012 1:35am NV Access, organisation behind the NVDA screen reader, has announced it will provide phone support for its services. The NVDA screen reader is free, open source screen reader software for Windows computers. The software can be downloaded to a USB and used on multiple computers. The NV Access phone-based support will provide training on how to use the screen reader, including its advanced features. This support for the NVDA screen reader will further increase access to the internet for people who are blind or vision impaired and require assistive technology to use the internet. The introduction of phone-based support for NVDA will support the growing number of people who are choosing to use NVDA as their primary screen reader. In a screen reader survey by WebAIM, the number of people using NVDA as their primary screen reader increased by nearly 300% over a 14 months period. The introduction of phone-based support for NVDA will not only benefit current users but also those who thinking about adopting NVDA as an affordable alternative to expensive commercial screen readers. The phone service is charged at a flat fee of $59.95 per hour and a minimum of 10 minutes phone support is required. The phone-based support is open weekdays from 9am-5pm. Face-to-face training for organisations and groups is also available. A comparison of free and low cost screen readers is available in the Digital Technology section. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS Device
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Warm Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS Device helps the blind navigate public spaces better By Asmita Prasad /4 hrs ago The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device for Blind by designer Soonjae Kwon uses sound, auditory functions and Braille to allow he blind with the independence to serve as productive members of he society. In the U.S. alone, there are over ten millions people who have lost their sight or who suffer from severely lowered vision. The number of blind people is increasing at an alarming rate and a high percentage of them are seniors. However, public spaces are still not equipped with enough supportive infrastructure to allow the non-sighted part of the population to serve as regular members of the society. The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device looks to ensure social equality to the blind. Sonicane by Soonjae Kwon The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device offers an ease of usability that lets the blind live independently and productively. The simple interface of the device allows the blind to maintain their performance at home and at work and even opens up new career avenues for them. This helps the blind to benefit from opportunities that have so far been limited only to people with normal vision. The device helps people with visual disabilities to develop their mobility and gives them a distinct sense of independence. Picture Gallery Ultimate Sound GPS for Device for Blind Ultimate Sound GPS for Device for Blind Using a radio frequency identification (RFID tag) for the purpose of identification and tracking, the Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device helps the blind navigate public spaces on their own. A 3-step system of buttons allows uses to push a button backwards and forwards to obtain pre-information about the next step on their route and select the ultimate direction they need to proceed in. The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device is fitted with am LED light to allow the sighted to recognize and identify the user at night. An 8-way vibrating indicator lets the user decide the direction they need to move in. The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device features a telescopic stick made of 12-56 flexible carbon fiber. The portable stick is comfortable to use and provides a stable support to the blind while they are on the move. The core of each refreshable Braille display device comes fitted with a proprietary technology that uses printed circuit boards to display information. This allows the users to read the info on the device and take actions accordingly. The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device features a plug-in charge function. The device comes with a niche magnetic battery that provides more sustainable, simpler and easier charging. The Sonicane 2.0 Ultimate Sound GPS for Device also comes with a silicon rubber surface that ensures better handling and protects the device from water. Via: Coroflot - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Free 3 Application Screen Reader
hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Free 3 Application Screen Reader for the Blind Screen reader applications (screen reader) is the software used to operate the computer with visual impairment. Unfortunately, the average price is exorbitant commercial screen readers, so many blind people who can only feel the demo version only. Well, this time the author wants to share information about some free screen readers that blind people can be utilized without the need to pay a dime! If I may say, a screen reader is the eye for the blind in operating computers. With these applications, the blind can get information about the text shown on the monitor screen. Text is converted into sound using a speech synthesizer technology, so the results can be heard by blind people. Thus, it can be ascertained if the access to information for blind people became more open. Thanks to the help screen reader, they can browse, work, making presentations, and even enjoy entertainment on a PC or Notebook. However, it turns out to obtain a screen reader cost is quite expensive. The cheapest price is around $ 399, and the most used price can exceed $ 1,000. For the value of it, perhaps only large institutions or certain circles who can afford it, while individuals with visual impairments may have to sacrifice ten or twenty months' salary to be able to buy it. As an alternative, usually blind people use screen reader demo versions of commercial. The demo version allows the visually impaired use a screen reader for 30 or 40 minutes. After that, the screen reader will be non-active and to reactivate the computer must be restarted. Of course this is a practice which is less practical. Here are some free screen reader that can be used as a solution to the above problems. Although its features can not complete commercial screen readers, but it was enough to be used as a tool for everyday computing activities. However, the author will not discuss in detail since it would lengthen this article. The author just wanted to introduce it, so that people can share this information to the needy. The criteria that I use in choosing a free screen reader is as follows: - Always update. Some screen readers have fallen free, so it is no longer updated, and certainly can not be used on the current operating system. - Stable. This free screen reader running smoothly, at least for computers with the latest specifications. - Supports the general computing activity (Jump to the operating system, Office applications, and internet). The author ensures visually impaired can enjoy the entertainment or working in the office by utilizing this free screen reader. 1. Voice Over Voice Over screen reader is made to the default output of Apple products, both Mac and iDevice. Screen reader can be directly used as a Mac or iDevice enabled. For first-party applications such as the program default operating system, Voice Over run smoothly without a hitch. In other words, blind people will not encounter difficulty in accessing basic features of the device. Mac (iMac, Macbook): Press the shortcut Command + F5 or switch from the setup menu (accessibility). iDevice (iPod, iPhone, iPad): Enable the option Settings General Accessibility. Can also be activated from iTunes through the Universal Access option (after the iDevice is connected to a PC or Notebook). 2. System Access To Go System Access To Go is a screen reader for free from the commercial version, System Access. To be able to use the internet connection is required, because the screen reader is not installed, it goes online. To run it, please go to the site www.satogo.com. It will be a voice that will guide the visually impaired user in installing the System Access To Go. System Access To Go can deal with both the existing Windows applications, and some common applications like Microsoft Office, WinAmp, and Skype. Well, the screen reader is very useful when blind people traveling public facilities such as a library or Internet cafe. System Access To Go does not require installation, then the computer is used as the host does not need to be tampered. However, perhaps be a little difficult when the host computer does not give permissions to execute the EXE file, because the System Access To Go need to download and execute the main application file (size 3MB). Weaknesses of the System Access To Go, of course, lies in the matter of the Internet connection itself. If the connection is slow or broken, then the System Access To Go will silence a thousand languages, and it certainly makes blind people lose contact with his computer. 3. NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) NVDA is a licensed open source screen reader made by NV Access. To get it, please access its website at www.nvda-project.org. Although free, the ability of NVDA should thumbs up. In addition to having functions similar to the System
Re: [AI] New iPhone a breakthrough for blind people
Hi Shona Man, answer of your 1st querie No, I Phone doesn't come any key pad, its a fully touch screen phone but its inbuilt screen reader Voice over is awsam, but when you starting using it you may have some difficultys to operate it, because we always used qwerty key pad phones newly when you switch to touch screen phone it will take little bit time to understand the interface of I phone, but im sure you will enjoy it much as like qwerty key pad phone. I phone 4s which comes talking feature called seeri is not lonch yet in india if you wait for 2 ,3 months it may be lonch, we can only hope that Apple lonch it because, in december Apple will going to lonch it about 70 countrys we can hope these 70 countrys include india also but not sure about it if you can't wait you can go with I phone 4g which is awsam product, it already lonched in india about 32 thousand, but if you can't afort, you can wait or look any other nokia phone, but pls pls don't buy nokia e7, because it touch interface was not good and its very big, bulky, not useful so much. you can go any other nokia handset. Hope this will helpful for you. Warm Regards Wahid Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Braille Keyboard for Tablets
Hi all, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Braille Keyboard for Tablets by Richard Brooks on October 21, 2011 For several years, smooth, sleek touchscreens have dominated the tech gadget world. Touchscreens are said to me more intuitive than other input methods, as even infants instinctively know how to use them. However, the touchscreen revolution has left one group of people sitting on the sidelines: those who can't see the shiny screen or its colorful array of icons. Now, a research team participating in a development competition at Stanford University has created the first-ever touchscreen Braille keyboard. Stanford Professor Adrian Lew, one of three researchers on the team, told the BBC that the application developed during the competition could be a big help to the visually impaired once it becomes widely distributed: Imagine being blind in the classroom, how would you take notes? What if you were on the street and needed to copy down a phone number? These are real challenges the blind grapple with every day. The touchscreen Braille writer makes all of these tasks simple. But how can blind people type in Braille, which depends on texture, using a perfectly smooth keyboard? The team came up with an elegant solution: instead of the user having to find the keyboard, the keyboard forms itself around the user's fingers once they are placed on the touchscreen. Team member Sohan Dharmaraja noted that if they can be made accessible, tablets could have tremendous advantages over the tools currently available to blind people. As he explained to the BBC, Current physical note takers are big and clunky and range from $3,000 (£2,000) to $6,000 (£4,000). Tablet PCs are available at a fraction of the cost and do so much more. In an interview with CNET, Dharmaraja noted that another advantage of the software is that it can accommodate users whose fingers are small or large, those who type with fingers close together or far apart, even to allow a user to type on a tablet hanging around the neck with hands opposed as if playing a clarinet. There's no word yet on when the software will be available to the public, but Robin Spinks, the Royal National Institute for Blind People's manager of digital accessibility, told the BBC that his organization is looking forward to testing it. - Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Connect} News -breakthrough approaches to vision restoration
Hi Friends, Giving here for your info the news about possible future treatment for RP ,AMD , publised on net 18-10-2011 being press release.. -- Wayne State announces license agreement for breakthrough approaches to vision restorationOctober 18th, 2011 RetroSense Therapeutics, LLC, a Michigan-based company, announced that it has executed its exclusive, worldwide option and signed a license agreement for novel gene-therapy approaches for treating blindness developed at Wayne State University's School of Medicine. Zhuo-Hua Pan, Ph.D., professor of anatomy and cell biology in the School of Medicine, along with colleagues at Salus University in Pennsylvania, developed the breakthrough therapy and follow-on approaches that offer promise to people suffering with incurable blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) - retinal degenerative disorders that are currently incurable. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people older than 60, affecting more than 8 million people in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, 500,000 individuals lose their eyesight annually to AMD, which is the result of progressive deterioration of photoreceptor cells in the macula, the central portion of the retina. RP is a genetically-determined eye disease caused by mutations in more than 100 different genes. An estimated 100,000 people in the U.S. have RP, which typically manifests as night blindness and progresses to tunnel vision and sometimes complete blindness. Pan's novel strategy focused on genetically converting light-insensitive inner retinal neurons into photosensitive cells — thus restoring light-sensitivity to retinas that lack photoreceptors. Using a virus that delivers a photoreceptor gene from green algae called channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), Pan found that ChR2 made the inner retinal neurons become light sensitive, and that it persisted for long periods in the neurons, ultimately leading to restored responses to light in the visual cortex of the brain. With this technology, combined with the business and drug development expertise of RetroSense's seasoned management team, Pan is hopeful his breakthrough treatment is on the fast track to restoring a vital part of the human experience to people suffering from retinal degeneration worldwide. Our research has demonstrated the feasibility of restoring visual responses after the loss of light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in animal models, said Pan. The ChR2-based gene therapy is a promising strategy for treatment of blindness caused by the death of photoreceptor cells in humans. We are delighted to enhance our position in this space by licensing these novel approaches to vision restoration, said Sean Ainsworth, founder and CEO of RetroSense. Channelrhodopsin-based approaches to vision restoration are garnering a great deal of attention from academia and industry right now. It's a very hot field and we are quite pleased to be aligned with Dr. Pan and his colleagues who pioneered the approach. Ainsworth licensed the technology from Wayne State University in an effort to eventually test the technology in humans. While there are several years of research and testing needed before anything can be brought to the market, Phase I clinical trials could begin in early 2013. This license agreement with RetroSense is an exciting example of how critical research is to making discoveries, then getting those discoveries to the market, said Hilary Ratner, vice president for research at Wayne State University. Life-changing developments often happen because of university research, and relationships with companies such as RetroSense are critical components of taking a faculty member's ideas and inventions to the next level for creating commercially viable products and processes. We are pleased to welcome RetroSense to the Wayne State University community. Provided by Wayne State University --- Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: 'Smart cane' to guide visually impaired in hills
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- 'Smart cane' to guide visually impaired in hills Ashwani Sharma Posted: Oct 15, 2011 at 0009 hrs IST Shimla Developed by IIT-Delhi, stick to have sensors to alert danger, also inform size, shape, type of obstacles White canes will soon be passe. Now, visually impaired persons can depend on smart stick to guide them through hills and crowded roads. Fixed with sensors, it will alert the user about the lurking danger via vibrations and also inform about the size, shape and type of obstacles. Developed by IIT-Delhi with the help of Delhi-based NGO Saksham, the first phase of week-long trials of smart cane for the hills involving six students, including three Class XI girls of local Portmore School, ended here on Friday. A smart cane for the blind was already at final stage after the trials done at major cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Dehradun. This smart stick is plain, developed with the help of pharmaceutical company Phoenix Medical Systems. There requirements of the blind in the hills are very different as these places have problems like deep gorge, cliffs, mountainous paths, hair-pin curves, narrow passages and depths. Here, we needed a smart cane addressing all these issues, said Ajai Srivastava, head of Umang Foundation-a organisation working for the blind. Yogesh Taneja, a software developer and visually impaired, working on the project said, Smart cane being designed for the blind will make a seachange in their lives and would help them to navigate mountain roads. If there is a sharp cliff,curve or depth, sensors will send vibrations to the user about the danger. Some of the students-three of them from blind school at Dhalli in Shimla and the three girls- sounded excited about the smart cane. We get injured while walking as sticks or white cane we use doesn't alerts us about the objects above knee height. However, the smart cane will start sending vibrations about the object up to 3 metres, thus giving us a response time, said Bhupesh. Anisha said they should develop a can that spells out the danger rather than just sending vibrations, as it will be more useful. In the second phase of trials, the students will it for 15 days and the team will return after a fortnight and get their feedback. Bhupesh said some of the devices available in foreign countries cost up to Rs 40,000 and are unaffordable. The effort of the organisation-Saksham-is to make it affordable. The white cane in India costs between Rs 60 and Rs 200. This stick could be a little higher maybe around Rs 2,000, he said. The smart cane will determine the object that is in front of the user and depending on its nature-whether tall or short, and level from the body (head or knee level). There there will be different combinations of long and short vibrations on the handle of the stick. --- Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Research could lead to wearable sensors for the blind
Hi all, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Research could lead to wearable sensors for the blind September 28, 2011 Wearable sensors that allow the blind to see with their hands, bodies or faces could be on the horizon, thanks to a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to researchers at The City College of New York and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). The grant, through the NSF Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program, will fund a multidisciplinary team investigating devices for alternative perception and the principles underlying the human-machine interaction. Alternative perception emulates vision by combining electronics and input from the other senses. In addition to aiding the visually impaired, the researchers expect the findings to lend themselves to other applications, such as the development of intelligent robots. The grant is the first to result from a collaboration supported by CCNY's City SEED Grants program, an internal award of $50,000 in seed money to promote interdisciplinary faculty research partnerships. The program, initiated in the fall of 2010 by President Lisa S. Coico, requires grant recipients to include a plan to expand their projects and apply for further funding from other organizations. The initial collaboration involved Dr. Zhigang Zhu, professor of computer science and computer engineering in City College's Grove School of Engineering, the principal investigator on the NSF grant, Dr. Tony Ro, professor of psychology and director of the Program in Cognitive Neuroscience, and Dr. Ying Li Tian, professor of electrical engineering. The whole project needed something more interdisciplinary, so I looked for complementary research and found my neighbor Tony (Ro's laboratory) is right next door, said Professor Zhu. (This) was truly a good example of an interdisciplinary proposal and members with a complementary expertise -- not just similar overlapping expertise -- which is unusual, said CCNY Associate Provost for Research Larry Bank, who oversees the City SEED Grants program. We must integrate input from the sciences, engineering and, often, art and humanities, to have a true understanding of phenomena. The researchers joined forces to disentangle how humans learn to coordinate input from their senses -- e.g. vision, touch -- with movements, like reaching for a glass or moving through a crowded room. They will then map out how machines, such as robots and computers, learn similar tasks, in order to model devices that can assist humans. The team, which combines expertise in engineering, computer science, neuroscience, motor control and biomechanics, envisions a multifunctional array of sensors on the body and has already developed prototypes for some of the devices. The full complement of wearable sensors would help a sightless person navigate by conveying information about his or her surroundings. Professor Zhu works on navigation and obstacle detection by robots. For the project, he will focus on machine sensing and computer learning to understand the human-computer interaction. He will also refine displays that would feed information from electronic sensors to the human wearer of the device. His lab is already testing a sensor that can detect proximity to an object and convey its distance with vibration on the hand or other body part. As one gets closer to a table, for example, it gradually increases the intensity of the stimulation. Professor Ro, a neuroscientist, will provide a window into what is going in the brain as sighted and visually impaired individuals navigate a room or virtual environment with and without devices to assist them. Using Professor Zhu's distance sensor, he is now testing how sensitive people are in discriminating vibrations to the hand that tell them how far it is from an object. He will determine whether they can make accurate judgments and whether they might be using the visual parts of the brain. Professor Tian works on higher-level visual understanding by machines, such as detecting and identifying doors, exit signs, colors or stairs in a room. A system like this could audibly tell the wearer that an object on the floor was a cat or a footstool, for example. Dr. Kok-Meng Lee, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics Research Laboratory at Georgia Tech, who has expertise in mechanotronics -- the combination of mechanics and the electronics of information systems -- works on machine vision and novel sensor designs. He will help develop the theory and methods for detecting objects thermally and magnetically and find out how this affects walking. This will help break down the essentials of orienting oneself in a new environment and navigating through it. Dr. Boris Prilutsky, professor in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech, studies sensory feedback in motor
[AI] Fwd: New Sonar Designed To Help Blind People
Hi all, pasting below intrusting article which get from another list. Warm Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- New Sonar Designed To Help Blind People September 24, 2011 by newtec We've seen a number of devices - such as the UltraCane and EYE 21 system - that combine sonar and haptic or audio feedback to let the visually impaired see their surroundings through the senses of touch or hearing. Tacit is a similar device that also uses sonar to measure the distance to objects and provide users with a 'view of their surroundings through haptic feedback. But unlike previous devices we've looked at, Tacit is mounted on the wrist so it doesn't impair a user's hearing or interfere with the use of other assistance devices such as canes. The prototype Tacit device developed by Steve Hoefer at Grathio Labs consists of four ultrasonic range finding sensors connected to a microcontroller that calculates the distance to objects by reading how long it takes for the ultrasonic pulses to return to the device. The distances are then translated into force feedback on the back of the user's wrist through servo motors, with the force of the pressure indicating how near or far the detected objects are. By waving their arm around an area, the wearer is able to get the lay of the land and navigate complex environments. In coming up with the prototype Hoefer says he considered various designs and the use of various technologies. His initial version was a headband that had ultrasonic sensors and vibration motors embedded around its circumference. However, he found that the most dangerous obstacles weren't positioned at head level and that having vibrating motors pounding against your skull isn't the most enjoyable experience. Placing the device on the hand also lets the wearer easily point it in any direction. He also experimented with infrared sensors, which are smaller and easier to focus than the ultrasonic sensors, but interference from sunlight, remote controls, security cameras and absorbent surfaces confused the sensors. He says he will do some more tests with infrared using different wavelengths and polarizing filters, but for the time being the ultrasonic sensors, which have a range of 1-inch to 10 feet (2.5 cm to 3 m), are the most cost effective option. Lasers, which would be the most accurate, were also rejected as being too expensive. Hoefer also went through a number of iterations in designing the gauntlet that supports the electronics. To allow the wearer to retain their sense of touch in not only their fingers but also their palm, gloves were rejected in favor of a design that uses a loop that slips over the wearer's middle finger and a Velcro wrist strap. The resultant one-size-fits-all prototype, which is made from neoprene, is easy to put on and can be worn on the left or right hand. Although Hoefer admits the current Tacit prototype isn't perfect and is a little bulky, he says it works and could easily be made to be about half the current size. Additionally, the replaceable batteries currently used to power the device would be replaced with rechargeable batteries with a blind-friendly charging method, such as wireless induction charging or a magnetically-aligning power plug. One of Hoefer's main aims in developing an assistance device for the visually impaired was to keep the costs down. With the cost of the materials used in his prototype totaling around US$65 he seems to have achieved this goal. Hoefer says he will continue to refine the device and provides instructions on how to build Tacit on the Tacit Project page. He has also released the Tacit circuit and software under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. watch video: Project Tacit: Giving Sonar To The Blind ookseer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPkYzUpUyUUfeature=player_embedded Uploaded by ookseer on Aug 18, 2011 Project Tacit is an open source device that measures distance to surroundings with ultrasonic pulses and translates that to pressure on the wearer's wrist. Much more detail and other information at http://grathio.com/tacit --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 110924-1, 09/25/2011 Tested on: 9/25/2011 10:08:02 AM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2011 AVAST Software. http://www.avast.com Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Facinating:- 32-hour-old is youngest eye donor
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article which get from another listt. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Facinating:- 32-hour-old is youngest eye donor Mumbai: When their newborn daughter met an untimely death a mere 32 hours after birth, bereaved Kandivli couple Hetal and Dhimant Shah took a pledge -- they would take all their sorrow and turn it into the most precious gift: the gift of vision. They decided that their beloved infant would live on in the eyes of others, who would think of her every time they enjoyed the wondrous beauties of the world. With no hesitation in their minds, the couple decided to donate their infant's eyes, making her the youngest ever eye donor in the city, and perhaps in the world. The infant's death came as a big blow to the Shah family, who had been waiting with bated breath for her birth. The family's euphoria, however, was cruelly nipped in the bud, when she was diagnosed with a heart ailment within hours of her birth. She had to be put on ventilator support immediately, as her condition was critical, said Dr Dilip Raichura of the Raichura maternity hospital in Kandivli. When the family learnt that their newborn might be snatched from them soon, they decided to preserve and perpetuate at least one part of their bundle of joy. My father has always encouraged and supported eye donation. When my uncle Ramesh passed away, we had also donated his eyes. So we decided that my daughter's eyes too would be donated. She would live on, not only in our memory, but in the eyes of others, said the donor's father Dhimant, who works as a chartered accountant with a private firm. The donor's mother Hetal Shah (24) said, My daughter has brought back the gleam of recognition in the eyes of no less than six people. Perhaps she was sent to this world to serve this very purpose. God sent her here to perform thus selfless act. She has lived for only 32 hours, but in the short life span, she has made me proud. According to Raichura, who runs the Netradan Jagruti Centre in Kandivli, the deceased newborn is perhaps the youngest eye donor in the country. The parents have done something truly admirable. Other parents should take inspiration from them and start pledging their eyes, and instructing their kids to do the same. A single cornea can give the blessing of eyesight to three individuals. Thus the infant's eyes will illuminate the lives of six recipients, he said. In the past few years, Raichura has encouraged over 400 people to donate their eyes. In the city of Navsari in Gujarat, people have made the greatest number of eye donations in the nation, said Raichura. Dhimant's father Vijay, who is actively involved in the eye donation awareness drive spearheaded by Raichura, said, Superstitions and religious beliefs hold back people from donating eyes. But we firmly believe that by granting vision to others, she is doing work for the welfare of others, even in death. Expert speak Renowned ophthalmologist Dr T P Lahane, head of the ophthalmology department at JJ hospital, said, She is the youngest donor; before this, I had heard of a nine-month-old child's eyes being donated. It is a beautiful, selfless gesture on the part of the family members. Such acts should be encouraged. First couple donates eyes On September 8 this year, on the occasion of National Eye Donation Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur took a pledge to donate their eyes. The couple said in a joint statement: We are aware that there are innumerable cornea-blind patients in our country, for whom the gift of sight will be a priceless one. We hope that people across the country will rise to the occasion and support the National Program for Control of Blindness and help their fellow brethren. They also lauded the National Eye Bank and corneal transplantation teams across the country for their efforts to bring back the gleam of vision in the eyes of those in need. 284 million The total number of visually impaired people in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. 4.6 million The number of sightless people in India 1/4th The world's total visually impaired population is Indian 39 million The number of blind people in the world 245 million The number of people afflicted with low vision 1919 The BSNL/MTNL toll-free nation-wide number you can call to be connected to the nearest eye bank. -- Register for AccessIndia convention 2011(November 12-13) at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/convention.htm Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: 18 Free Online Sources To Learn Web Design
Hi all, pasting below very intrusting article which get from another list. Warm Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- 18 Free Online Sources To Learn Web Design Posted by Daren in Web Development Marketing on July 21, 2011 | 8 comments Have you ever wanted to go back to school, but just couldn't afford it? Or maybe you've been wanting to learn how to design a website, but don't have the time or funds for training? Unfortunately, many people deal with these dilemmas on a regular basis. Many design jobs require you to have some type of experience and most prefer a degree, but if you can't afford to get a degree what are your other options? Well, thanks to the Internet, education doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming; as-a-matter-of-fact you can get it for free and in only a few hours a day. This list of 18 free online sources will help you learn about web design and everything related to it. With all of these free online courses and tutorials, there really is no excuse for not knowing anything about web design. Unless you need an actual degree for job-related purposes, these are the best sources you'll find and are practically just as good as college courses. Additionally, some of these sources even offer certification for low prices. So get your notebooks out and block off some time on your schedule, because these 18 resources will be taking you back to school. * All links open in new window Online Web Design Course Online Web Design Series (OWDC) offers a huge collection of lessons, articles, resources and a forum. It's set up as a blog, so you can subscribe by RSS for new updates. There is also a huge Web Design series with topics on background alteration, text formatting, HTML, images, tables, web colors, and more. Each lesson offers step-by-step instructions and code snippets for you to use on your own site if needed. Visit Online Web Design Course W3Schools W3Schools is the world's largest web development site and one of the top free resources for tutorials (HTML, XML), scripting (browser, server), and web building (services, multimedia). Whether you're just learning or are a true expert, this site has in-depth tutorials and exercises where you can try out these techniques yourself. You'll also find links to outside resources and can even get certified in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, XML, ASP, or PHP. Visit W3Schools Java Programming If you're looking just to learn Java, then this beginners course by Stephen Gilbert of Orange Coast College may be just up your alley. It's an actual freshman level college course with 5 hours of lessons and 8 hours of homework. You'll have access to the syllabus, schedule, lessons, assignments, and resources for the course. Each lesson is broken up by topic and then into sections within that topic, complete with images and examples. Visit Java Programming About.com Web Design Course About.com has a free Web Design and HTML course that is sent out weekly via email (though they do also have a daily lesson option). As stated on the site, the Web Design Class will not talk as much about how to build Web pages as the skills and techniques behind designing Web pages. You'll learn basic design techniques such as how to effectively use color and fonts, designing navigation, creating distraction-free graphics, and using multimedia. Visit About.com Web Design Course E-Learning Center At the E-Learning Center you can learn the basics of HTML and XHTML for the purpose of web designing and publishing. While this course is free, most of the other courses they offer are not. However, you can really get a good idea of how their courses are setup and see if they're worth paying for. The other free courses include: JavaScript, PHP and MySQL, and Visual Basic .Net. Best of all, these are full courses (not demos) with 2-6 hours of online training provided for each. Visit E-Learning Center Home Learn Home Learn offers free programming courses and tutorials on Visual Basic .Net, C# .Net, Java, PHP, and web design, which are all geared toward beginners. You'll learn everything you need to know about creating your first web page such as inserting images, formatting your text, adding links, and creating forms. If you create an account, you'll also be able to take free exams on the site and earn certificates. Visit Home Learn Free Video Lectures Free Video Lectures is great for visual and auditory learners. There are 5 different web design courses and 3 of the 5 courses have a whopping 40 videos. The 5 courses are: Developing Mobile Apps with Web Technologies; Building Dynamic Websites; Internet Technology; Database Design; and Principles of Programming Languages. Most of the video lectures are an hour-long and have a rating of 3+ stars, so you can be sure that you're getting ample amount of professional training. Visit Free Video Lectures Tutorial Outpost Originally started in November 2003, Tutorial Outpost is a blog dedicated to
[AI] Fwd: Growing Nanoflower could restore eyesight....
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- *this is news published in laser world that growing nanoflowers may restore eyesight.* *-Eugene, OR*--Nanoflowers seeded from nano-sized particles of metals that grow or self assemble in a natural process--diffusion limited aggregation--could communicate efficiently with neurons and restore sighthttp://www.optoiq.com/index/biophotonics/display/bow-article-display/9780225150/articles/optoiq2/biophotonics-/specialties-/ophthalmology-/2011/04/multiphoton-microscopy-enables-insights-that-promise-regenerative-medicine-treatment-for-blindness.htmlto the visually impaired. University of Oregon (UO) researcher Richard Taylor is on a quest to grow these fractalhttp://www.optoiq.com/index/photonics-technologies-applications/lfw-display/lfw-article-display/0543734948/articles/optoiq2/photonics-technologies/news/detectors-and_imaging/2011/5/novel-plasmonic_nanoantennas.htmlnanoflowers that could help people who have lost their sight (to age-related macular degeneration or AMDhttp://www.optoiq.com/index/biophotonics/display/bow-article-display/365790/articles/biooptics-world/news-analysis/study-shows-laser-treatment-could-prevent-onset-stop-progression-of-wet-and-dry-amd.html, for example) to see again. Fractals are a trademark building block of nature, Taylor says. Fractals are objects with irregular curves or shapes, of which any one component seen under magnification is also the same shape. In math, that property is self-similarity. Trees, clouds, rivers, galaxies, lungs and neurons are fractals, Taylor says. Today's commercial electronic chips are not fractals, he adds. Eye surgeons would implant these fractal devices within the eyes of blind patients, providing interface circuitry that would collect light captured by the retina and guide it with almost 100% efficiency to neurons for relay to the optic nerve to process vision. In an article titled Vision of beauty for *Physics World*, Taylor, a physicist and director of the UO Materials Science Institute, describes his envisioned approach and how it might overcome the problems occurring with current efforts to insert photodiodes behind the eyes. Current chip technology is limited, because it doesn't allow sufficient connections with neurons. The wiring--the neurons--in the retina is fractal, but the chips are not fractal, Taylor says. They are just little squares of electrodes that provide too little overlap with the neurons. Beginning this summer, Taylor's doctoral student Rick Montgomery will begin a yearlong collaboration with Simon Brown at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand to experiment with various metals to grow the fractal flowers on implantable chips. Taylor's theoretical concept for fractal-based photodiodes also is the focus of a U.S. patent application filed by the UO's Office of Technology Transfer under Taylor's and Brown's names, the UO and University of Canterbury. The project is based on the striking similarities between the eye and the digital camera. The front end of both systems, says Taylor, consists of an adjustable aperture within a compound lens, and advances bring these similarities closer each year. Digital cameras, he adds, are approaching the capacity to capture the 127 megapixels of the human eye, but current chip-based implants, because of their interface, are only providing about 50 pixels of resolution. Among the challenges, Taylor says, is determining which metals can best go into body without toxicity problems. We're right at the start of this amazing voyage, Taylor says. The ultimate thrill for me will be to go to a blind person and say, we're developing a chip that one day will help you see again. For me, that is very different from my previous research, where I've been looking at electronics to go into computers, to actually help somebody … if I can pull that off that will be a tremendous thrill for me. Taylor also is working under a Research Corp. grant to pursue fractal-based solar cells. *SOURCE:* University of Oregon; http://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/news-release/2011/5/forecast-calls-nanoflowers-help-return-eyesight *Posted by:* Gail Overtonhttp://www.optoiq.com/index/photonics-technologies-applications/lfw-about-us/lfw-contact-editorial-staff.html#gailoverton Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Braille Mobile Phone
Hi all, pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Braille Mobile Phone Concept For the Blind DrawBraille Phone concept from designer Shikun Sun at UK's Sheffield Hallam University is a mobile phone dedicated to work for the visually impaired. The phone provides haptic feedback to the user by means of mechanically raised dots at one end, touch sensitive dots on the other, and raised dots on the phone's edge indicate battery life. There's a small braille text display analogous to visual displays in conventional phones. This display outputs five rows at a time, and up-down buttons in the corner could allow users to navigate through the display. DrawBraille touch-enabled cellphone for the visually impaired DrawBraille PhoneDrawBraille Phone by Shikun Sun Although most of us in the sighted world almost never think about it, but recent developments in technology have been a tad discriminating when it comes to people with disabilities. One such development that stands out more than the others is the cellphone segment which simply cannot be used by people with visual disabilities. However, there are innovators who are developing concepts that look to level the playing field. DrawBraille touch-enabled cellphone is one of the more revolutionary products in this category that we have seen in quite a while. Picture Gallery DrawBraille Phone DrawBraille Phone by Shikun Sun The phone basically uses the Braille alphabet embossed on the surface of the phone to aid both input and output functions. With mechanical dots forming the input area and larger square patterns serving as the display, the phone offers regular-cellphone like functionality to the device without ever becoming inaccessible for the visually disabled. There are 210 mechanical dots on the phone's reading area that represent the 35 Braille alphabets in 5 rows. Users simply have to slide their fingers over these dots to read phone menu, access the phonebook, read emails and text messages as well as e-books and even potentially surf the net using this Braille reader. Developed by designer Shikun Sun, the touch-enabled phone also uses touch-input functions to make phone usage simpler for the blind. Other innovations on the product include functions like checking battery status via Braille, locking the touchpad and even locating nearby public facilities and using the phone as a music player. -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Intel Reader
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Intel Reader Increases Independence for Visually Impaired Posted in E Reader Recently, Intel start to sell a new portable handheld e-reader that can snap pictures of books and newspapers and then read them back to people who have a hard time reading the printed page. Called the Intel Reader, the device can assist the people with reading-based disabilities, such as dyslexia or low-vision, or for those who are blind. The Intel Reader, about the size of a paperback book, has a high-resolution 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a focus range of up to one meter. With the power of an Intel Atom processor, allowing users to point, shoot and listen to printed text. For large amounts of text, Intel offers a separate device called a portable capture station that makes it possible to use the reader as a scanner for more quickly capturing and converting multiple pages from a book or large documents. For people with low vision, the Reader's 4.3 inch LCD display (16:9 aspect ratio) can zoom in and out of text, the size of which can be easily adjusted, according to Intel. Prototypes of the paper-back sized device were tested with more than 400 visually-impaired users, including some who were completely blind. The reader can adjust the speed of reading, and it's 2GB of storage can hold about 500,000 pages of text; roughly 600 pages of scanned books, claims Intel. - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Windows 8 as revolutionary as Win 95: Microsoft
Hi all, pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Windows 8 as revolutionary as Win 95: Microsoft TOI TechTOI Tech | Aug 17, 2011, 03.20PM IST Microsoft has revealed that Windows 8 will be available for public testing in the coming monthsNEW DELHI: What Microsoft Windows 95 did to PC industry 16 years ago, the upcoming Windows 8 is set to do the same! At least that's what the world's biggest software maker, Microsoft, is hoping. In its Windows 8 development blog called Building Windows 8, or B8, the company has invited people to discuss and will provide details about the upcoming OS. The software major plans to offer insights into how it focuses on performance, reliability, compatibility, security and quality of Windows 8. In the blog post, Microsoft President (Windows division) Steven Sinofsky has claimed Windows 8 will be as revolutionary as the legendary Windows 95. Microsoft intends to post regularly throughout the development of Windows 8, and to focus on the engineering of the product. Though Microsoft has remained tight-lipped on the release date of Windows 8, the company has revealed that it will be available for public testing in the coming months. The company also reinforced that Windows 8 will support the hardware that is compatible with over 400 million Windows 7 licenses already sold and all the Windows 7 yet to be sold. Though the blog doesn't offer a glimpse into the features and design of the upcoming OS, back in June, the software maker had previewed a touchscreen version of Windows 8 that can run on tablets and desktop computers. The design of the upcoming OS is similar to the tile interface on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 mobile-handset software. The company had then previewed Windows 8 on tablets, notebooks and desktop systems made by Dell Inc, Asustek Computer Inc, and Quanta Computer Inc using chips and technology from ARM Holdings Plc (ARM), Qualcomm Inc, Texas Instruments Inc and Nvidia Corp. Microsoft also plans to host a conference BUILD in September, which will provide more details about the full spectrum of tools and capabilities available on Windows 8. Microsoft, which for long has been shying away from giving out information on Windows 8, promises to give more information on the features of the OS in the coming weeks, from fundamentals to user interface to hardware support. -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Speed Dots screen guard for iPhone
Hi all, pasting below a very good news, hope you all like it. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Speed Dots screen guard for iPhone help the visually impaired Friday, 05 August 2011 14:40 Kunal Khullar Apple Speed Dots a company that specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of tactile screen protectors for use with the Apple line of products has come up with a custom screen overlay which provides guidance and facilitate navigation of touch screen devices by placing a single dot over each letter and control, making it easier for blind and visually impaired individuals using the Voiceover screen reader to orient and input text and access screen controls quickly and efficiently. It is available for the iPod touch and iPhone and will be available for the iPad soon. The following functions can be accessed: Top Left: Back/Cancel Top Right: Ok/Done Below Ok: Add contact from address book in SMS/email Top Center: Search/Heading/Safari address bar Center of Screen: Number “5″ on the phone pad Middle Right: Send button for text messages Across the Bottom: 5 evenly spaced dots representing soft key functions Lower Left: Shift Lower right: Delete/Backspace -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Seeing with your ears
hello, pasting below article, which get from another list. Warm Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Scientific breakthrough: Seeing with your ears Thanks to a prototypical device, blind people can now scan their environment with special software that translates obstacles into sound warnings posted on August 5, 2011, at 3:50 PM The combination of a special pair of glasses, a webcam, and a smartphone can help the blind see again. Photo: Michael Proulx A neuroscientist has unveiled an amazing new device that could allow the blind to visualize what's around them, helping them to navigate through their surroundings. Though it's still just a prototype, the device, named the vOICe, was unveiled this week at the American Psychological Association meeting in Washington, D.C. It combines a set of goggles, a webcam, a smartphone, and earbuds to convert visual information into sound. Here, a brief guide to this innovation: How does the vOICe work? A webcam that's mounted in the goggles takes a snapshot, which is scanned from left to right by the smartphone's vOICe software program. Objects in the snapshot are assigned different frequencies and volumes, based on where they're located. Then the listener hears a soundscape where the changes in frequency and volume correspond to the objects in the snapshot image, again from left to right, says neuroscientist Michael Proulx, as quoted in Discovery News. If there's an obstacle such as an ottoman on the user's left, it will be represented by a shift in tone and frequency that occurs in the first part of the recording. Is this all new technology? Not really; the technology to convert visual signals into audio has been around for about 15 years, but with advances in phone technology, mobiles are now smart enough to handle the required imaging software, says Tibi Puiu on ZME Science. Also, the small size of newer smartphones is what makes this technology easily portable for the first time. Is the vOICe easy to use? Not at first: The developer has found that one of the biggest challenges is that it takes people three months of training to use it. But once a blind or visually impaired person gets used to the device, it's expected to give them much more independence than they would otherwise enjoy. Sources: Discovery News, ZME Science --- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: College-Made Device Helps Visually Impaired Students See
Hi all, pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- College-Made Device Helps Visually Impaired Students See and Take Notes August 1, 2011, 5:51 pm By Rachel Wiseman College students with very poor vision have had to struggle to see a blackboard and take notes-basic tasks that can hold some back. Now a team of four students from Arizona State University has designed a system, called Note-Taker, that couples a tablet PC and a video camera, and could be a major advance over the small eyeglass-mounted telescopes that many students have had to rely on. It recently won second place in Microsoft's Imagine Cup technology competition. There are roughly 75,000 students at colleges and trade schools who are visually impaired. The telescopes allow students with low vision to see the blackboard, but they can only focus on one section at a time. Then they have to take off the telescope, write notes, and then go back to the board and try and catch up with the lecture. David S. Hayden, who graduated from Arizona State in May, understands these challenges-he can only read texts if he gets about two inches away from the material. Mr. Hayden, the lead designer of Note-Taker, says he faced a morbid tradeoff in class. Using the assistive technology that was available to him, he could either take notes or listen and absorb the information, but never both. After he had to withdraw from three senior-level math classes, he says, I realized the existing technologies weren't going to assist my needs, so I had a project on my hands. The result was Note-Taker, which connects a tablet PC (a laptop with a screen you can write on) to a high-resolution video camera. Screen commands get the camera to pan and zoom. The video footage, along with audio, can be played in real time on the tablet and are also saved for later reference. Alongside the video is a space for typed or handwritten notes, which students can jot down using a stylus. That should be helpful in math and science courses, says Mr. Hayden, where students need to copy down graphs, charts, and symbols not readily available on a keyboard. Mr. Hayden built a prototype of the device with the help of John A. Black Jr., a researcher specializing in computing and human visual perception at the university's Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing. The project was then awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation and refined with the help of Michael Astrauskas, Shashank Srinivas, and Qian Yan, who are Arizona State students. It's unlike what I've seen, says Clara Van Gerven, an access-technology content specialist with the National Federation of the Blind. The handwriting feature seems valuable, and she has not seen it in other computer-compatible video-recording systems. Note-Taker, she says, uses existing technology to its advantage and then adds the rewind feature and the manual note-taking to that. It seems like it would be a useful tool. But no tool can replace institutional support, says Chris S. Danielsen, director of public relations for the federation. The university is always going to have to make sure that whatever technology it uses is accessible to blind and low-vision students, he says. (Arizona State U. has gotten in hot water in the past in just this area.) The team continues to develop the Note-Taker-a fourth-generation model is already in the works-and is looking into ways to get it on the market. Though the prototype is prohibitively expensive, the designers hope to bring the price tag down to $1,000 per camera unit (the tablet PC would be purchased separately), so that it will be affordable to more consumers. Their second-place finish a few weeks ago in the Imagine Cup's software-design category may also attract some interest. Mr. Hayden is starting graduate school in the fall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He's taking one of the Note-Taker models with him to use when classes resume. - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Robotic navigation aids the visually impaired
Hi all, pasting below very important article which get from another list. Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Robotic navigation aids the visually impaired Compiled by Photonics Spectra staff LOS ANGELES - A robot vision-based mobility aid that was shown a year ago is now being further developed to help the visually impaired navigate city streets, neighborhoods, offices and other complex locations. This robotic navigation system has a binocular camera that is linked by sophisticated direction-finding software to a vest that directs the wearer around obstacles. Images courtesy of USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Most visually impaired people still rely on a very rudimentary technology - a simple cane - to navigate the world. Meanwhile, engineering researchers at the University of Southern California have developed software that sees the world. The software is linked to a system that provides tactile messages that alert users about objects in their paths, such as low-hanging branches. The system uses a camera that is worn on the head and connected to a PC that uses simultaneous localization and mapping software to build maps of the environment and to identify a safe path around obstacles. The route information is then conveyed to the user through a guide vest that has four micromotors located on the shoulder and waist. They vibrate like a cell phone. Simultaneous localization and mapping software analyzes data from stereo camera views (above) to create 3-D renderings of the scene (below) and to map a path through it. If a low-hanging branch, for example, is to the left of a visually impaired person, a micromotor will vibrate on the left shoulder. Scientists say that this technology, unlike a cane, will enable the user to avoid falls and other serious injuries when approaching larger objects. The researchers tested the system on blind subjects at the Braille Institute and received positive feedback. They are now working on ways to improve the prototype. Because the head-mounted camera is bulky, they are working on a microcamera system that could be attached to glasses. The goal is to have the system in place by the end of the year. Less bulky than the current head-mounted camera, the next-generation system the team is working on, pictured here, will use a microcamera that could be attached to glasses. Funding for the research - which will be used to help veterans who have been blinded during their military service - was provided by the National Science Foundation, the US Army and the W.M. Keck Foundation. --- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Looking beyond Microsoft Outlook Gmail
Hi all, pasting below article, which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Big companies tend to rely on Microsoft Outlook for their email. Private users tend to favour free Webmail services. BERLIN: Big companies tend to rely on Microsoft Outlook for their email. Private users tend to favour free Webmail services. But there is a way to combine aspects of both to get the best of both worlds for private users. Webmail is universal these days, mostly because basic versions of so many systems are free online. But there are a lot of services out there beyond Google and Yahoo, the two biggest names in the field. The advantages are obvious. You can get your mail from any computer with an internet connection and the files don't have to be downloaded onto the computer, which can take time with bigger attachments. Plus, the services filter out spam, which makes up the majority of today's email traffic. That would be enough for a perfect world. But, although many people use webmail and are happy with it, online forums are full of complaints about slow reaction times, poor search functions, bad management, overzealous or lackadaisical spam filtering, floods of ads or too little storage space. And, at the core of it, is the fact that you have to be online to do anything with your mail. Plus, many people have collected mailboxes at different services over the years, all of which have to be checked individually. That means that, more often than not, people find they need some kind of client software for their webmail, so they can save and manage their email. Microsoft Outlook is the classic, but it's not free. And, in the newest versions of Office, from 2010, Outlook is not packaged in with the cheapest set, Home and Student, which costs 90 euros (127 dollars). To get Outlook, customers need to seek out Home and Business, which costs 260 euros. But there are free alternatives. Mozilla, the designer of the Firefox browser, offers its free client, Thunderbird. One advantage of its newest offering, Version 5, is an assistant to set up email accounts. Previously, users had to know the protocols like POP3 or IMAP or STMP for each service during setup, which was a high hurdle for some. The new function only requires name, email address and password to be entered. The assistant finds the rest in its database. Just like in a web browser, Thunderbird can be used to open individual mails in tabs, stacking them on top of one another. The search engine has been outfitted with a quick filter, which immediately shows results as the search is typed in. There is also a timeline for helping people to quickly get to the right message. There is a news archive for permanent storage. There's also a group folder where users can put together incoming mail from diverse mail accounts as well as sent or archived messages. And, just like Firefox, there's a bunch of additional add-ons for extra functions. Norwegian browser specialist Opera integrated its email client right into its browser. Even though it looks like a webmail service, the mails are saved directly onto the hard drive and are accessible offline. As soon as an internet connection is available, Opera synchronizes the machine with the mail server. Instead of the normal folders, Opera Mail uses filter views, for example, for news or for specific people or topics with a programmed keyword. - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
Re: [AI] Phone softwear
Hi all, hope all are doing fine those who are looking for I phone they can , perchase it only 19 to 20 thousand I phone 3gs and another good news is that comes with unlocked network, it means you can use any network on I phone whether it is Airtel, Voda phone or any other service provider. Yet I phone 4gs is newly lonched phone but it prise is very high but in India where 3g service is not developed cumpletly, is not a big issue between 3g or 4g, and we every one knows that I phone accessibility is fantastic, not a singal problems comes durring using it, so, you can go with I phone 3gs without any doubts. Regards Wahid Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Israeli invention gives 'sight' to blind population
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Israeli invention gives 'sight' to blind population By Viva Sarah Press Monday, 25 July 2011 Within days of exhibiting its virtual cane device for the blind, Hebrew University scientists grabbed headlines for a little gadget about to change the lives of millions of people across the globe. From left are Lior Reich, Dr. Daniel-Robert Chebat, Dr. Amir Amedi, Shachar Maidenbaum, Sami Abboud and Uri Hertz. Amir is holding the Yes-Eye-Cane device. [Amir Amedi photo] It's dubbed Yes-Eye-Cane, and it's meant to replace the traditional white cane used by the sight-impaired population for getting around. It was developed by Dr. Amir Amedi - of the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - and his team to improve orientation and mobility of the sight-impaired by helping them estimate the distance and height of obstacles in their path. It enables the detection of obstacles that are much farther away than the one-metre radius of the regular white cane, Dr. Daniel-Robert Chebat, who works in Amedi's Laboratory for Multisensory Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told The CJN. The user does not need to actually touch an object with a stick to feel it. The sensors of the device do this instead. This device is much more discreet and avoids clumsily hitting objects with a stick to sense their presence. Chebat, 32, who grew up in Montreal, heard about Amedi's research while working on his doctorate at Université de Montréal, at the school of optometry in neuropsychology. I was working with a different sensory substitution device, and I was interested in navigation in blind people using sensory substitution, said Chebat, an Azrieli Post-doctoral Fellow in the department of medical neurobiology at Hebrew U. I wanted to continue exploring this fascinating topic of sensory substitution and brain plasticity after finishing my PhD [in 2010]. I had heard of the amazing research Dr. Amir Amedi had been doing. and I quickly realized that this dynamic and creative lab was the very best place in the world for me to pursue my scientific aspirations and ambitions as a researcher. Israeli universities are reputed to be on the cutting edge of science and constantly searching to apply this science to everyday life. Chebat - along with other members of Amedi's team - demonstrated how to use the Yes-Eye-Cane at the recent Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem. The device was unveiled as part of a larger exhibition presented by Yissum, the technology transfer arm of Hebrew U. Dr. Amedi's promising invention can endow visually impaired people with the freedom to freely navigate in their surroundings without unintentionally bumping into or touching other people and thus has the potential to significantly enhance their quality of life, said Yaacov Michlin, CEO of Yissum.??So, here's how it works. Users point the hand-held unit, which emits an invisible focused beam, in the direction they are walking. The cane incorporates several sensors that estimate the distance between the user and the object it is pointed at. That information is then relayed to the user by a series of vibrations, allowing the blind person to reconstruct an accurate image of the surroundings and navigate safely. The virtual cane is easy to carry, can function for up to 12 hours and is easy to charge. It is also highly intuitive, and a user can learn to handle within just a few minutes. Scientifically, the device has given researchers a window into the workings of the brain. The amazing thing about these devices is how the brain of someone who is born blind reacts to them. The visual parts of the brain treat this information as if it were real vision coming from the eyes, said Chebat. Basically, there is a conservation of function in the brain and the parts of the brain that normally are used to see with the eyes are co-opted to analyze the visual information now coming through the ears. So, it is not just sound with the properties of vision, if the brain is treating it like visual information and people using these devices can detect objects, recognize shapes and do all kinds of tasks that we normally do with vision. It is possible to say that they are seeing with sound, or seeing with touch. There are nearly 200 million visually-impaired people globally and 40 million of whom are legally blind. According to the National Coalition for Vision Health, there are 278,000 Canadians who are visually impaired and 108,000 who are legally blind. The Yes-Eye-Cane device is designed for people who are completely blind from birth, people who became
[AI] Fwd: Ford teaches blind people how to drive stick
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below a very intrusting article which get from another list. Regards Wahid -- Forwarded message -- Ford teaches blind people how to drive stick Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 at 7:20 am Ford teaches blind people how to drive stick, Filed under: Etc., Europe, Ford Ford recently invited 30 visually-impaired individuals to its Merkenic Development Center test track in Cologne, Germany to put them behind the wheel for a few high-speed exercises. The program was designed to give the disabled individuals a better understanding of how vehicles behave in traffic and how they react to driver input at speed. According to Ford, since the blind rely on sound to gauge how fast a vehicle is approaching, they may not always calculate accurately. Ford allowed the individuals to build up speed with the help of a driving instructor, and the company says that the fastest driver of the day ratcheted the vehicle all the way to 74 miles per hour. The blind weren't just behind the wheel of vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, either. In many cases, participants had never driven a manual transmission before, but the instructors said that they took to the mechanics quicker than most licensed drivers. Being forced to listen to the engine and feel the vehicle under you likely goes a long way toward improving your third-pedal learning curve. This isn't Ford's first foray into helping blind people live their dream of driving. In 2009, the automaker put Roger Keeney who has been blind since 1990, behind he wheel of a brand new 2010 Mustang convertible, which he then proceeded to have quite a bit of fun with. as you can see in the included image gallery. Ford says that with the advent of radar-based driving aids, it could be possible to help the visually-impaired drive on their own in the near future. Head over to The Ford Story for the full tale. Ford teaches blind people how to drive stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. -- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: What’s new @ Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail
Hi all, pasting below a very useful article which get from another list . Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- All major free email services have added several new features. Here's how to make the most of it. Yahoo Mail offers unlimited storage for users. No more worrying about how many heavy attachments have been sent to you. With Yahoo, you can send free text messages to cell phones. Simply enter the phone number or choose a contact from your list and type out the SMS. The recipient can reply to the SMS to send a message back. It offers the option to view mail, SMS or Chats as a conversation for easy reading and reference. You can attach up to 25MB in a mail, however, Yahoo has tied up with Yousendit.com to send files up to 2GB in a mail. Attachments are stored on Yousendit servers and can be downloaded for 30days. You also get 1GB online cloud storage with Yahoo as they have a tie up with ZumoDrive. A quick sign-up is required first time to integrate ZumoDrive with Yahoo Mail. After that, you can upload, download from within the mail window itself. In terms of social networking , there is integrated Facebook chat as well as a tie up with Sobees. Sobees allows access to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Myspace. You can view the feeds from various networks and update status on multiple networks in one go. There are a variety of layout options available as per your choice. Yahoo Mail also has a stationery feature, which allows mails to be created with various custom backgrounds to give it a funkier look. Another tie-up with Fontself allows you to send mail in various fonts. An integrated notepad allows you to save notes to yourself, and sort them into folders for later use. Gmail’s 7GB+ storage is constantly expanding. Plus, you can purchase an additional 20GB of space for only $4.99. Gmail’s built in audio/video chat is used by many - plus it can save all chat history. Numerous experimental 'labs ' features are available to all users. Many useful features like ‘undo sending’, custom keyboard shortcuts and mouse gestures can easily be enabled from the labs menu. Completely integrates with Google Docs, Google Calendar, Picasa, Google+, Google Buzz. Gmail’s activity tracker lets you track which IP address has accessed your account, to look out for suspicious activity (such as access from another country). For additional security of your account, Gmail offers free two-step authentication - with a password sent via sms. You can download any Google account data as a .zip file (for backup) or to free up used space in the ‘data liberation’ section. Gmail’s contact manager has powerful editing features - it also automatically gets synced to any Android device (when you sign in with your Google account). Advanced email filters, mail sorting features (priority inbox, labels, stars, markers ) make it easy to manage emails. You can pull email from any account, but also ‘send as’ from another account. GMX offers unlimited storage, 50MB attachments on each email and an uncluttered interface with a preview pane. You can add widgets to the home page (daily comic strips, Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, games and so on). These are visible as soon as you sign in. The built in mail collector feature can pull in email from various accounts - to read all your mail within GMX itself. Before you decide to go with GMX, you can check for available usernames on the homepage itself - without going through any of the sign up process. GMX includes built in file storage - an additional 2GB of storage for any files. It essentially works like a virtual drive in which you can create folders, share folders with others and download contents as zip files. Once you sign in, you get access to the GMX forum, where you can post your questions about GMX or read guides and get support on various features. You can open email in tabs within the same browser tab/window. This allows you to read/compose multiple emails at the same time. It integrates with Facebook to allow wall posting and sharing of photos. Free Pop3/IMAP access is offered, so that you can access mail offline using any email program. The user labs feature lets you suggest new features and improvements in the platform. Once you’re a part of the community, you can activate experimental features for your account and give feedback. GMX claims to only use clean energy to power data centers. Hotmail storage expands as per your need. In theory, this is unlimited storage that keeps growing as you store more mails in your inbox. You can group mails from the same sender in a conversation view. This way if there are multiple emails being sent to and fro, it is easier to follow up and read. You can connect with Facebook, Myspace and Linkedin to view feeds on the home page of Windows Live. However, if you have set Hotmail to go directly to your inbox, you will have to go back to ‘Home View’ to view the connected feeds. Hotmail Plus allows you to create as many
[AI] Fwd: Magic Glasses Could Help the Blind See
Hi all, pasting below a very intrusting article. Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Magic Glasses Could Help the Blind See Sunday, July 10, 2011 by dxvison Bionic glasses that could help hundreds of blind people to see this again soon sold. Oxford University researchers who contributed to developing these glasses. 'smart glasses' uses a tiny camera and a pocket computer to alert users to the object and the person in front of him. These glasses will facilitate the visually impaired when they go shopping and to the train station. In fact, this tool can make the blind 'read' bus number and the computer display on the ATM. If the test is successful, these glasses can be found on the market in 2014. According to the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, the most important thing, the price is less than £ 1,000 (Rp13, 7 million) will make these glasses can reach many people. clinical neuro science researcher Dr. Stephen Hicks which received funding from the Ministry of Health said, These glasses are very satisfactory and will be manufactured at a price that could reach everyone. Currently, as reported Dailymail, Hicks claimed to have been working on prototype versions of these glasses. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: TEN THINGS ABOUT GMAIL.
Hi all, pasting below article from another list Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Gmail is one of the most widely used email service worldwide. There are various reasons for its popularity such as storage space, fast user interface, free sign-up, and a seamless integration with other Google services. However, there are a lot of features that can enhance the user experience of the mail service by manifold. Most users are aware of the features that are enabled by default and use them regularly. Here are 10 of the lesser-known enhancements available in Gmail that are disabled by default, but are extremely useful. By default, Gmail gives you the option of only attaching images to an email. However, with this feature enabled you can embed images from your computer or from a website directly into the mail body. Go to Settings, click on Labs, scroll down to the feature that says Inserting Images and enable it. You will notice the new insert image box in your mail composer right next to the emoticon icon. Pressed the send mail button too quickly? Gmail Labs has a feature that gives you a few seconds to stop the mail from going out after you press the send button. Go to Settings, click on Labs and enable the option that says Undo Send. Click General under Settings and here you can select the time (up to 30 seconds) for which the email can be stopped after it is sent. When you press the send button and the inbox comes up, you would see a yellow box saying, Your message has been sent. Undo or View message on top. Click on undo to cancel sending the mail and get the draft back. You can then make the necessary changes to the text or add the recipients you forgot and send again This feature is useful for people who have multiple Gmail address or who want to grant read/write permission for their account to another user. Go to Settings, click on Accounts and Import, at the bottom you will see an option that says Grant Access to your account. Click on Add Account and enter the Gmail address of the person you want to grant access. Once the person accepts the verification mail, he/she can access your account by clicking on the arrow next to his own mail ID on top right and selecting your mail ID. The access allows the user to read, write and delete mails. Gmail's default reply button composes the mail to the person who has sent the mail ignoring all the people who were put in CC. If you have to do a reply all, you have to press the arrow next to the reply box and then select reply to all. Instead, you can set the reply to all function as default. Go to Settings, click on Labs and enable Default reply to all feature. It is far simpler to just remove selective email IDs from the CC box than selecting reply to all from a drop down box every time. While communicating with friends, family or colleagues in different parts of the world, we sometimes forget about time zones. While it is mid-afternoon for you, it might be midnight for the recipient and hence an immediate reply will not come. To know the difference in time zones for both parties, enable the Sender Time Zone feature by going to Settings and clicking on Labs. Now, when you click on show details in the mail, you can see the time at which you have sent the mail and what time is at the receiver's end and vice versa. Sometimes, you want to just have a quick look at the mail without opening the whole conversation. Gmail Labs enables you to do this with a simple tweak. Go to Settings, click on Labs and enable the Message Sneak Peak feature. Now, when you right click on any mail from the inbox, it will show you the latest mail received or sent in the conversation along with options to delete or mark as read, you don't have to open the entire conversation. You've probably noticed those little one, line ads that keep rotating on the top of the inbox above the various buttons. Not only are they unobtrusive, but also they can be rather helpful, sometimes offering relevant information. Those ads are called Web-Clips and Gmail gives you the option to select what kind of content you want to see there. Go to Settings, click on Web-Clips and here you can remove all the topics that Gmail has added by default. Instead add the topics that you want to read about from the available selection. You can also add the RSS feed of your favorite website by entering it in the search box on the left and adding the feed. While checking your mail or going through results of searched mail, when you delete or achieve a conversation, Gmail takes you back to the inbox or search results listing. Wouldn't it be great if instead of going back to the listing, Gmail would open the next or previous mail? Go to Settings, click on Labs and enable the Auto-Advance feature. Now click on General and there select if you would like Gmail to take you to the next mail, previous mail or back to the listing interface when you delete or archive a mail. Depending on your preferences
[AI] Fwd: EYE 21 system lets the blind see through sound
Hi all, Pasting below the article which get from another list. Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- EYE 21 system lets the blind see through the use of sound By Tyler Lee - 07/07/2011 06:37 PDT It seems that there have been quite a lot of new technologies that coming up directed at those who are visually impaired or blind, and that can only be a good thing! We had previously reported on a virtual cane that made use of sonar to help map out obstacles and objects, and only a couple of hours ago we wrote a post on a prototype high-tech glasses that makes use of augmented reality to help the visually impaired see. Now we have the EYE 21, developed by engineers from the Research Center for Graphic Technologies at Spain's Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), which seems to work somewhat similarly to the virtual cane. Much like the virtual cane, EYE 21 relies on the use of sound to help guide those who are visually impaired or blind. The sunglasses come with two built-in micro video cameras, a computer and a pair of headphones. The cameras then analyze the space in front of the wearer and then proceeds to create a three dimensional model of it, and sounds are then assigned to various surfaces in that space, which are then played back through the headphones. Users who have tested out the prototypes have reported that they are able to hear space thanks to their brain which has managed to turn those sounds into shapes. We have no idea when the EYE 21 will be put to mass production, but at least it's in its prototype stage, rather than just being a concept. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Facebook, Skype to launch video chat service: Report
Hi folks, pasting below the article which get from another mailing list Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Facebook at present is the most influential and one of the biggest social networking sites in the world having over 500 million active usersHOUSTON: Just as Google's next big thing ' Google Plus' is all set to launch, Facebook and Skype are about to strike a deal that would bring the video chatting service to the social networking site. With Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promising an awesome new feature on July 6, Skype, which was recently purchased by Microsoft for a whopping $8.5 billion, could become a fixture on the world's largest social network. The beta version of Google's social network, Google Plus, debuted last week to rave reviews, especially for its +Hangouts feature that allows for multi-user video chat. At present, Facebook users update message and status through their profile, and share photos but the addition of video chat will bring an interesting change to their account. Editor of Tech Crunch, Michael Arrington stated in the Next Week that Facebook, in collaboration with Skype, will unveil its video chat option which will be powered by Skype. This move will strengthen Facebook's position in the social networking market. Facebook at present is the most influential and one of the biggest social networking sites in the world having over 500 million active users. This isn't the first time that Skype has been linked to Facebook. Back in September 2010 the same rumour reared its head and this March it was reported that talks had resumed between the two companies. Citing an insider source, Techcrunch announced the news, describing the powered-by-Skype Facebook video chat: The product has been built on Skype and will include a desktop component. It's not clear to me whether that means it will just work if a user has Skype already installed on the computer, or if additional software will need to be downloaded even if the user already uses Skype. But it's clear that there's very deep integration between the products, and from the user's perspective, the product will be an in browser experience. Official word will come out tomorrow when Facebook holds an event at its Palo Alto headquarters. --- Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Fw: Survey on Assistive Technology Use in India (For Working Visually Impaired Users but Non-Programmers)
Hi all, pasting below the information plzz read carefully and support the servay and forword to others. Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Dear All nbsp; Below is an email by Ms. Tanvi Marballi, a Masters student at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (USA) who is conducting a survey on the use and effectiveness of Assistive Technology in India, related to vision impairment. nbsp; There are three different surveys for different sections of the demography as mentioned in the subject line. 1) For non-working visually impaired users 2) For Working Visually Impaired Users and Programmers 3) For Working Visually Impaired Users but Non-Programmers nbsp; Kindly fill in the survey that suits your employment status as per the instructions given below. nbsp; Thanks.XRCVCSt.Xavier's College,Mumbai - Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:54:39 +Subject: Survey on Assistive Technology Use in India (For Working Visually Impaired Users but Non-Programmers)From: tanvimarballi@gmail.comTo: s...@xrcvc.org If you have trouble viewing or submitting this form, you can fill it out online: https://spreadsheets1.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGtJVEo3d05FMy1uOG9kRk00UWIwTkE6MQ Survey on Assistive Technology Use in India (For Working Visually Impaired Users but Non-Programmers) Purpose of the Survey: Hi, I am Tanvi Marballi,a Masters student at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (USA) and I am conducting a survey on the use and effectiveness of Assistive Technology in India, related to vision impairment. Following are a set of close-ended questions that relate to your use of assistive technology, primarily related to computing interfaces such as screen readers, text-to-speech, and braille displays. The ob-jective of the study is to help come up with the right set of questions and frameworks to better understand the current state of assistive technology use in India, and consider some future directions for technological development and social science research in this space. All surveys are completely anonymous and no personally identifiable information will be gathered in the process of this survey. I. DEMOGRAPHICS MODULE Please note, all check-boxes are located before, i.e to the left of the options noted, and text boxes where needed are located after, i.e to the right of the options noted. 1. Age 2. Gender Option 1:Male Option 2:Female 3. Location (City, State, Zip, Country) 4. Education: Please enter the highest level of formal education completed Option 1:Primary School Option 2:Secondary School Option 3:Some college, but no degree Option 4:Vocational degree Option 5:Bachelor's degree Option 6:Master's degree Option 7:Professional degree or Doctoral degree 5. How would you cl-assify your visual acuity? Option 1:Mild vision loss: (20/30 to 20/60) vision Option 2:Moderate vision impairment: (20/70 to 20/160) vision Option 3:Severe visual impairment: (20/200 to 20/400) vision Option 4:Profound to near total: (20/500 and above) vision Option 5: No Light Perception: Total visual impairment or total blindness Other: II. HISTORICAL USE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY Please note, all check-boxes are located before, i.e to the left of the options noted, and text boxes where needed are located after, i.e to the right of the options noted. 6. Can you yourself use a computer without another person's help? Option 1:Yes Option 2:No 7. Which of the following describes your primary interface with a computer? (i.e. that which you use most frequently while on a computer) Option1: Screen reader and audio (Headphones, speakers etc.) Option 2:Screen reader and tactile output (Braille displays) Option 3:Magnification Option 4:Roughly equally both magnification and screen readers Other: 8. How many hours, on average, would you say you use the computer per day? 9. How long have you been using a computer (in years)? 10. How long have you been using a screen reader? 11. What computer platform (or platforms) do you regularly use? (Windows,Linux etc.) 12. Where did you first use a computer? Option 1:School Option 2:College Option 3:Home Option 4:NGO / Training Center Option 5:Computer cl-ass Option 6:Office Other: 13. Where did you first use Assistive Technology? Option 1:School Option 2:College Option 3:Home Option 4:NGO / Training Center Option 5:Computer cl-ass Option 6:Office Other: 14.Were you already a computer user before acquiring a visual impairment? Option 1:N/A - I have always been visually impaired Option 2:Yes Option 3:No 15. Do you own a computer, if yes what kind? Option 1:Own a desktop Option 2:Own a laptop Option 3:Both Option 4:N/A - I do not own a computer 16. Where do you typically use a screen reader? Option 1:School Option 2:College Option 3:Home Option 4:NGO / Training Center Option 5:Computer cl-ass Option 6:Office Other: 17. How did
[AI] Fwd: a virtual cane for the blind
Hi all, hope all are doing fine pasting below a very intrusting information. Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- Israeli researchers develop a virtual cane for the blind English.news.cn 2011-06-22 06:14:40 JERUSALEM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- A cane that works as a virtual flashlight to help the visually impaired with spatial navigation was displayed at the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday. Developed by Amir Amedi of Medical Research Israel-Canada, and the Department of Medicine of Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) , the device uses sensors to detect objects in the users path. The cane modulates the strength of its vibration, harder or softer, as the user either approaches or moves away from an object. Its developers say the device is significantly more efficient than the traditional white cane. The virtual flashlight also allows the blind person to assess the height and distance of various objects around them, and reconstruct an accurate internal image of the surroundings in order to navigate safely. Presented as part of the exhibition of HU's Research Today for a Better Tomorrow, a blindfolded exhibitor used the virtual cane to successfully walk through a small maze, using only the cane for cues. The virtual cane, Amedi told Xinhua, is extremely small, easy to carry, accurate, can function for up to 12 hours and is easy to charge, adding that using the device is highly intuitive and can be learned within a few minutes. Other HU achievements touted at the exhibition included a computer chip that can contain a data of a person's metabolism and physiology, and may eliminate the need to conduct tests on humans or animals. Another invention will improve safety at security checkpoints at airports by remotely sensing a person's stress levels through heart rate and blood pressure. The exhibition was presented by Yissum, HU's technology transfer company, which commercializes the university's scientific discoveries. - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: here is the article about windows 8
Hi all, pasting below a intrusting article. Best Regards Wahid Raza -- Forwarded message -- a.. The changing Landscape, review of windows 8 build 7989 Respected readers, Once again, the time has arrived to provide more details on your ride. Which ride, you ask? I call it the ride of the future, for what I write about today could very well, and is likely to, become what you will see 2-3 years down the road from today. We all like to think of the future, right? Earlier last month, I wrote up a comprehensive review of Windows 8 build 7850. That was a long time ago, when looking at today's standards. Then, late last month, I created a podcast of Windows 8 build 7955. You can find it, still in it's original unedited form, at http://goo.gl/2Vv2b and it details some of the features I described in build 7850, including the new narrator. A lot of people have asked me, Why didn't you do a write-up of 7955? and I have a simple answer for them. I am a lazy person and writing one up would have taken too much time!. Actually, all joking aside, I saw my opportunity with a podcast to be greater than writing one up in text form. This is because in order for people to grasp windows 8, you have to see it in action. This, at the time, mostly applied for the new narrator interface, but no doubt in the future there will be another podcast covering some of the more significant features of this coming Operating system. And new features there are. There is a lot that will be different with Windows 8. I would compare it to being a highly evolutionary release, but not as Windows Vista was to Windows XP. The magnitude here is greater than Windows vista to 7, however Microsoft is really trying to show the world that they have learned from their Vista mistakes. To date, they have delivered all announcements on schedule, and we can only hope that this will continue on throughout the development of Windows 8. The beta is supposed to drop on September 13, at which time it will be given to developers and hopefully the general public as well in limited quantities. Windows 8: The name. At the end of May, Microsoft had a d9 conference where Steven Sinofsky, who leads the Windows devision over at Microsoft, talked about Windows 8 in great detail. (I recommend you visit http://www.winsupersite.com/article/Windows8/windows-8-sinofsky-d9-transcribed-139555 for a transcript of this fascinating discussion. We found out that Windows 8 will probably not be the final name of the product. Instead, it's a codename, much like Longhorn was a codename for Windows Vista at the time. I'm not sure when we will find out the final name of Windows 8, but my bets are on late 2011 as a Christmas gift or early 2012. In a year's time from now, we will be tentatively waiting for the OS to be given to computer manufacturers and hardware makers. There's a rough year ahead, but only if you plan on installing Windows 8 on your computers and evaluating every copy that leaks to the internet. I have said that I'm walking a tight line here, but as always I feel it very necessary to let the public know of what's ahead. This, in my opinion, applies both as equally for the sighted as it does universally to the world of assistive technology. If the public isn't aware of how their next computers might look and function, they might be in for a shock come 2013. Either that, or everyone sticks with Windows 7, which will, by the time, be almost 4 years old. And XP, well, XP will be like Windows 2.0 was during the XP days, in terms of age. We all must acknowledge that we can't stay stuck for too long with the best thing, otherwise the thing that was the best will slowly become deprecated over time. I would imagine that for 3-5 years once windows 8 is released, windows 7 will enjoy mainstream support. But by that time, we'll be looking forward to the next Windows, and only time knows what changes that will usher into the desktop and the tablet. I have talked about the concept which is being engineered behind Windows 8 before, for a long time. The idea of Windows everywhere. Basically, Microsoft is now realizing what Apple realized 3 years ago: In order to make a well-designed and streamlined product, they have to make life more universal for all the devices it runs on. Whether this strategy will be successful for them is up for debate, but it's even said that the next version of Windows phone could possibly be a scaled down copy of Windows 8. All this is just the roomermill, though, so take that with a grain of salt. About Build 7989: Build 7989 was compiled on April 21st, 2011, and won't expire until March 15th, 2012. When compared to 7955, it sports many internal changes, which for me, so far, make it the most stable Windows 8 build I have ever run. It is an x64 release, meaning that it cannot run on my old Thinkpad t60. Oops. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not done anything to change the poor state of x64 Windows. Your program Files folders are still split
Re: [AI] require books please help if u can
Hi Austin, the books which you have mentioned in your mail did you check on Bookshare? If not, check it once may be you get it. Regards Wahid Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: [blindCity] contacting the facebook accessibility team via email:
Hello all, pasting below a very intrusting information Plzz spread the message to others, its very helpful. Best Regards Wahid Raza --- Hello for fellow blind and vision-impaired peeps on FB here is how you can contact the facebook accessibility team via email rather than a form of submition from the help center via the regular facebook site versus the m.facebook.com site here is the email address you write to keeping in mind give them 2 or three business days to respond perhaps a bit longer if understaffed or holiday season and tell them the computer you use and any assistive technology and version and such and the problem and the steps you did to get the problem so they can test it on their end as well: accessibility+0wzw...@support.facebook.com Happy facebook problem reporting, all and have a fantabulous day! Lord Medo: When You Are In The Light, Everything Follows You, But When You Enter Into The Dark, Even Your Own Shadow Doesn't Follow You. - Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Fwd: Windows 8 for PCs, tablets in 2012
Hi all, pasting below a very intrusting news must read it. Microsoft has now entered into a strategic tie-up with Nokia which will adopt the Windows 7 Phone as its main smartphone strategyNEW YORK: Microsoft will ship Windows 8 for desktop computers and tablets next year and the updated Windows Phone 7 will have 500 new features. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors. The Microsoft chief, who was addressing a developers' meet in Tokyo, also said that the upgraded Windows Phone 7 -- to be announced -- will also have 500 new features. Announcing that the company has sold over 350 million Windows 7 PCs this year, he said, We have done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand-new user interface. We have added touch and ink and speech. And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there is a whole lot more coming. Calling the release of Windows Phone 7 in November about a year later than I wish we had, the Microsoft chief said, But we are moving forward very actively. We launched Windows Phones last November. We have done a set of upgrades. We have a release that will come to market later this year in Japan. Not only is it a new release that is now much more global, but we have added over 500 new features to Windows Phone. Interestingly, Microsoft had played up Windows Phone 7 at the November launch by dubbing iPhone and Google Android devices as 'faulty' in design. It (Window Phone 7) really speaks to our commitment to understanding what consumers want, and our resurrection in the mobile category, Todd Peters, corporate vice president of the Mobile Communications Marketing Group, had said. He had described Windows Phone 7 as Microsoft's answer to poor smartphone design that keeps people fumbling with their phones as they walk down the block or sit down to dinner with family. But this strategy didn't pay off. The software giant has now entered into a strategic tie-up with global handset market leader Nokia, which will adopt the Windows 7 Phone as its main smartphone strategy. - Regards Wahid Raza Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
Re: [AI] Charector Navigation
Hi Renuka mam, change your talks kurser to kurser mode letters i have dun this its works. same problem i am also facing hope its helpful. best regards Wahid Raza Email: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Need help for talks
Hi all, hope are every thing is fine. I am facing problem with talks in my n79 handset. When ever I open any long sms or mail on my phone, talks stop the reading text. I shown sighted person to see any errar message is appeared, but there is no errar message is come I have uninstall the talks and install 2 3 timesbut nothing is happened, pls guide me what should I do? When talks stop working I restart my phone and talks start working again normally. Waiting for your response. With regards Wahid Raza Email: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
Re: [AI] Looking for new phone
Hi Austin, e63 is good phone but its don't have builtin Gps and it have slow processer, but as a budget phone its best feature pack hand set in E series. If you want to look in E series you can check E72 its very good phone it have all the feature which you looking in a ideal phone its cost around 12 to 13 thousand its very a good opption. Hope it will helpful for you. Best Regards Wahid Raza E-Mail: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] thanks to Allarakhi
Hi Allarakhi, thanks for throing some lights on this subject I realy appreciate your advice, once again thanks for giving some information on it. And I would also request to others AI members to throw some lights on it. with regards Wahid Raza Email: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Scope of Economics for blind students
Hello AI members, 1st of all wishing all of you a very happy and colourful Holi. Now I come to my point, that the blind student can take the Economics subject for graduation (B.A) and pos graduation (M.A) in Arts? and 2nd dout is my that does Economics subject B.A and M.A hard mats and graphical diagrams have? If yes, then how can be a blind student manage them? Because I want to take Economics for B.A graduation plzz all seniears of AI members guide me. Regards Wahid Raza Email: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Problem with daisy to go app on n79
Hello, sir i have installed lisence copy of talks but after installing and enter the serial key talks have been run on my phone successfully, i have perches the lisence copy of talks through saksham under special skiem. But its still facing the problem with daisy to go. plzz guide me what should i do. with regards Wahid Raza Mail: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] problem with installing, daisy to go app on n79 phone
Hello, I am facing a problem with daisy to go app installing on my n79 phone. 1st I've install talks 5.2 latest version then i am trying to install daisy to go app but it shown me a errar maessage that please contact the application supplyer and installation gets faled, what should i do? plzz guide me with regards Wahid Raza mail: wahid...@gmail.com To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Quary about black berry
Hi folks, hope all are doing well I want to bye a black berry phone, i, want to know that talks or mobile speak does support BBA hand sets? If yes which hand sets are their, and my 2nd question is, talks and mobile speak supports only symbion OS phones, which BBA hand sets are their which running on symbion OS? Thanks in advance, with regards. Wahid Raza. E-Mail: wahid...@gmail.com Get numbers right this time, help the census with correct disability info!
[AI] Very inspiring story
Hello Pradeep sir Thanks for share with us this story it was very inspiring artical i like it very much please sir if you got some more this kind of artical please share with us on Access India with regards Wahid Raza. To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Happy Diwali
Hello Access Indians wish all of you and your family a happy diwali. Wahid Raza To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Thanks for guidance
Dear srikanth sir thanks for guide me thanks a lot. To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Which is good dvd writer
Hello Access Indians i want to know that which is the good dvd writer and burner soft ware and its support with Windos7 32bit o.s and its easy to use with jaws and another things i want to know thatGoogle talk, Yahoo messenger, Windos live messenger and skyep this all applications are support with Jaws and how can i use all this application and any kind of application i need to download please guide me thanks in advance with regards. Wahid Raza E-Mail: wahid...@gmail.com mobil: +919819747932. To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] download youtube videos
hi there is no need any kind of software just follow some simple steps 1. log in to http://www.youtube.com search the video which you want to download when the page is open of your video 2. press insert +f1 you will shown a u,r,l press down arrow key jaws will read the address of the currant page is is called u,r,l just copy that u,r,l 3, log in another web side http://www.keepvid.com there is a u,r,l edit box pasted that u,r,l on the edit box note before you click on the download button erase that words which are also copy the address of the curront page isjust erase this words and u,r,l which start from http that is your u,r,l now click on the download button or press enter key then the download page open is open 4, select which file format video you want click on the download link or press enter download dialogbox is come select where you want to download safe the video like desktop or other place the video is download note the download it depends on you internet speed how much time will take the download complete in just few minits 5, enjoyed youtube video with best wishes from Wahid Raza . e-mail: wahid...@gmail.com mob:+919819747932. Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
[AI] Hello Access Indians
Hello Access Indians I wish to all of you happy friendship day dear friends I heard about that blind persons can use A,T,M banking services how can a blind person take benefits of A,T,M and credit card banking services how does its work and what are the advantage or disadvantage and this all services are safe for the blind person please somebody give me my question answer with thanks in advance all of the Access India members thank you. Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in