wow! what an idea, I am sure once the software is released, screen reader
companies wil copy this one as well, similarly they did for web access,
where in they copied homepage reader.
- Original Message -
From: Viraj Kafle [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:10 AM
Subject: [AI] IBM sets out to help the visually challenged
IBM sets out to help the visually challenged
London, Mar.31: Technology and software giant IBM has announced plans to
launch a multimedia browser to make audio and video content accessible to
the visually
challenged.
Codenamed Accessibility Browser, or A-Browser, the software is being
created by Dr. Chieko Asakawa, a blind IBM employee in Japan.
The A-Browser, according to the BBC and The Times, will give blind and
partially-sighted people the same control over multimedia content that
sighted people
have using a mouse.
IBM says it will be available later this year and hopes it will be free.
Dr Asakawa says that she was becoming increasingly frustrated by the
amount of web content that she was unable to access, and this propelled
her to work
on software friendly to the visually impaired.
For the time being, she and her team are concentrating on content that is
compatible with Real Player and Windows Media Player.
Using the A-Browser, a vision-impaired person can control media content by
using predefined shortcut keys, rather than having to look for the control
buttons
using a mouse.
The browser also allows video to be slowed down, speeded up and can
accommodate an additional audio description or narration track that is
often included
to make films and television programmes more comprehensible to blind
people.
The volume controls also allow the user to adjust the sound of various
sources independently - for example the main audio track, an audio
description track
and output from a screen reader.
We're beginning to look at accessibility as a very important business
area, said Frances West, director of IBM's Human Ability and
Accessibility Centre.
It is estimated that there are over 160 million blind and partially
sighted people around the world who could benefit from such a development.
IBM is yet to decide whether the A-Browser will have a worldwide launch or
whether it will be introduced in selected countries first.
Copyright Dailyindia.com/ANI
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/129893.php/IBM-sets-out-to-help-the-visually-challenged
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