2.  Problem description  Customer base  Competition  Solution  Technology  Difficulties  Conclusion 2 September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin

3.  Computers are very visual devices  Software companies aim to please the masses, not necessarily to help the minorities  As touch devices become more and more prevalent, blind users are left behind  Current assistance software cannot keep up with the progress of major corporations’ design 3 September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin

4.  Blind unemployment is on a decline *  Unemployment still at 70% **  Workplaces rely on a person’s ability to quickly use computer systems  Interactive systems are not designed for assistance software *Forbes: Blind people in the workplaceForbes: Blind people in the workplace **Bnet: America’s blind unemployment…Bnet: America’s blind unemployment… 4 September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin

5.  1.3 million blind adults in United States as of 2002  93,600 blind school age children  Estimated 1.6 million blind adults by 2015 and 2.4 million by 2030 September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin5 Data provided by: National Federation of the BlindNational Federation of the Blind

6.  Vario Connect series ◦ Translates typed text and output into Braille ◦ Basically a Braille command line ◦ Does not fix the problem of interactive menus September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin6 Images from: Baum Braille DisplaysBaum Braille Displays

7. September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin7

8.  Tactile Response ◦ Concept for a Braille display ◦ Only exists in drawings ◦ Does not recreate screen, only displays its own software ◦ Too small for large interactive applications ◦ Uses primitive technology September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin8 Images and information from: Tactile ResponseTactile Response

9.  Combination of the two technologies ◦ Use the small plastic dots from the Vario devices and place them into a larger grid using the concepts from the Tactile Response device. ◦ Three states of a dot  Depressed  Normal  Raised ◦ Allow user to press down on any dot and have it register to the computer that an action was performed September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin9

10.  Hardware ◦ Device to raise and lower a grid of dots and sense when any of them are depressed ◦ Covered with a plastic sheet to protect dots and minimize wear and tear September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin10

11.  Find edges of on screen items, redisplay them as patterns of dots.  Translate text into Braille for display on the screen September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin11

12.  Need for new hardware ◦ Proof of concept is simple enough to create ◦ Full sized device will be extremely difficult  Braille translators are still very primitive ◦ Does not recognize special characters ◦ Total of 256 Braille characters in the 8 dot system ◦ Numbers and character cases are difficult to accurately display  abc = abc  ABC = abc  123 = 123 September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin12

13.  Computers are increasingly difficult for blind users to utilize  Visual GUIs designed around a user’s ability to see are getting more and more complicated to the point that accessibility software can no longer keep up  We need a device that will translate visuals into a physical form that blind people can feel and interact with the same way we do with a screen September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin13

14. September 21, 2009 Joseph Conlin14