Universal Access

1. Universal Access Iain Murray Curtin University of Technology Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Rehabilitation Engineering Research Laboratory

2. Introduction • Project Descriptions & Definitions • Motivation & Strategy • Access Methods • Assistive Devices both High Tech and Low • Braille displays to pipe cleaners • Current Development • What now?

3. Rehabilitation Engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities in functional areas, such as mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and in activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community. (US Rehabilitation Act of 1973)

4. Who? Rehabilitation Engineering is a multidisciplinary science and may include any or all of the following professions or areas of expertise. • Physical Therapist • Occupational Therapist • Rehabilitation Engineer • Rehabilitation Engineering Technician • Prosthetist • Physician

5. Why? • 19% of the Australian population have disabilities or functional limitations, which a major cause is aging (ABS, 1998). • Includes those. • born with disabilities. • whose abilities diminish during their lifetime through disease, accident or ageing. • There is a demographic trend toward a growing elderly population (particularly as the "babyboomer" generation ages). • Raises the prospect of a large number of consumers with decreasing abilities.

6. Demographics • 67% of Vision Impaired (VI) have another permanent illness or disability • 35% of VI experience difficulty in hearing normal speech (50% for those over 75) • 56% of VI children have at least one other impairment • Over half of VI people (in the UK) live alone (Gill, 2004)

7. Motivation • Develop systems and methodologies to assist people with sensory disabilities to gain access to education and technology

8. Resources • Rehabilitation Engineering Research Laboratory • Researchers • 2 academic staff • 1 technical staff • 6 Postgraduate students • 2 Masters and 4 PhD • Over 30 Honours students (4th & 5th year engineering) • Industry & consumer advisors

9. Current Access Methods • For low vision users. • Screen enlargement. • Zoomtext, Magic. • Screen review programs. • Jaws, Slimware, Artic. • Two output methods - speech and Braille displays. • Screen review software must rely on text output. • Tactile Graphics • PIAF • Printed Braille and Audio recordings

10. Access Methods • Other Disabilities • Quadriplegics. • Morse, Eye tracking, scan boards. • Emphasis on keyboard/mouse replacement issues. • Deaf. • Subtitles, visual alerts, transcription of conferences/video. • Many others.

11. Current Research Projects • Cisco Access for the Vision Impaired (CAVI) • Curtin University Brailler (CUB) • Wireless Stereo Headset • Parakeet -Apple OS X Accessibility • iView - Classroom Aid for Low Vision Students • Dasher • Auslan to Text • Currency Identifier for the Blind • Braille Scanner • Ultrasonic White Cane/Seeing with Sound • 7 Segment reader and colour sensor

12. Curtin University Brailler (CUB) • Perkins Brailler • Mechanical only • Mountbatten Brailler • Electronic, very old technology

13. Curtin University Brailler (CUB) • Low Cost • Modern Materials • Forward & Back Translation • Use by Deaf/Blind

14. CUB

15. Braille Scanner • Aimed at Sighted non-Braille Readers • Converts Braille to Expanded Text in real time

16. Purpose of the Device • To overcome the written communications barrier between seeing and blind person’s • Schooling system • Workplace • As an aid to persons with Diabetic Peripheral Polyneuropathy (diabetes being the major cause of blindness is Australia) • No feasible commercial product exists for the portable translation of Braille into other mediums

17. Prototype Implementation

18. Image Capture

19. Image Capture Operation

20. DSP Braille Recognition

21. Conclusion • Once commercialised, the device has potential to act as a written communication’s gateway between seeing and vision impaired person’s.

22. A Secure Dual Channel Wireless Headset for Multi-user Environments • Funded by Dept. of Training • Science & Technology Grant • Joint Project • Association for the Blind WA • RAC (WA)

23. Project Objectives • Aim: To increase labor market opportunities for vision impaired persons (VIP’s) in call center environments. • (Department of Training, 2002) • Why Wireless: VIP’s have prevailing difficulties with cable entanglement and cable jack damage • Why Secure: Call centers often deal with sensitive information, ie banking, government etc, and device must be protected against eavesdropping

24. Additional Criteria • High quality, real time, duplex, stereo audio • Low Power: Must be able to run for > 8 hours on single battery charge • Ergonomic: Low Headset weight (subject to regulations). ie battery mAh/weight compromise • Flexible: System must be able to accommodate encryption, communications medium upgrades • Low Cost • Robust Sound Quality: Device must operate in multi-user environments

25. Communications Issues RF / 802.1x • Security an issue for call center operations involving banking details • Bandwidth issues for quality real time audio • RAC Joondalup Call Center has over 300 operators • Power consumption • Current 802.11g devices draw over 300mA, ⇒ batteries for all day operation would be impracticably large Infrared • Less Ergonomic (user movement restriction) • Inherently secure, robust, lower power • Satisfies System Requirements

26. Proof of Concept Prototype • Dual channel, two-way, high quality, low power infrared headset prototype which has been field tested by the ABWA and certified.

27. DSP based system • Upgradeable, flexible • Ultra Low Power • Secure comm’s • Current BOM < $150 • …IR TxRx’s < $3 • Cellular Architecture

28. Current Form Ideal Form

29. The Future • Infrared / 802.1x Hybrid • Keep low power, security, and bandwidth benefits of infrared, but combine with 802.11g to overcome infrared mobility issue. • Commercialisation • Packaging • Alternative markets • Navy

30. Parakeet • The project involves designing, building and testing a screen reader application for Mac OS X operating system. • A screen reader is an application that allows a vision-impaired person to use a graphical user interface by providing audible feedback in the form of speech. • The screen reader interrogates the actions of the user via the Accessibility APIs and produces speech output using the text-to-speech (TTS) APIs. • Both of these APIs are provided by Apple as part of Mac OS X.

31. Dasher • Information-efficient text-entry interface • driven by natural continuous pointing gestures. • operating a computer one-handed • with zero hands (i.e., by head-mouse or by eyetracker). • The eyetracking version of Dasher allows an experienced user to write text as fast as normal handwriting - 25 words per minute; using a mouse, experienced users can write at 39 words per minute.

32. Auslan to Text

33. Auslan to Text

34. Currency Identifier • Australian Polymer notes are of a similar size • Hard to distinguish denomination if totally blind • Utilises the unique pattern in the clear window

35. Ultrasonic White Cane • Augments the standard long cane • Warns of • Head height obstructions • Drop off (e.g. Stairs) • Simple user interface

36. Earcons • Earcons were first proposed by Meera Blattner in 1989. • They are abstract, musical tones that can be used in structured combinations to create auditory messages. • "non-verbal audio messages that are used in the computer/user interface to provide information to the user about some computer object, operation or interaction" • They are based on musical sounds.

37. CAVI • The Networking Academy program is an e-learning model that delivers Web-based educational content, online testing, student performance tracking, and instructor training and support, as well as hands-on labs. (Cisco,2002)

38. CAVI Project Description • Develop a method of course delivery to vision impaired students • Standard Curriculum • Existing lab bundles • CCNA initially • Long term aim to include other academy programs • Create a “bridge” between the curriculum and assistive technology • Includes instructor training

39. Student Motivation • Self Esteem • Independence • Employment Opportunities • Ease the problems for other VIPs

40. Curriculum Access • Use text documents • Explain diagrams • Stress important but uniquely difficult points • The OSI model • Layer 2 technologies • Tactile objects • Network dominoes • Pipe cleaners • Function Generator

41. Some of the Students

42. Number Systems & Subnetting

43. Access Methods • Speech Output • JAWS screen review software • Synthesised speech • Screen Magnification • Zoomtext and MAGic • Braille • Printed and displays • Tactile Graphics • PIAF • And lots of home made aids

44. The OSI Model

45. Other Props

46. Braille Display

47. Diagrams Host A sends SYN (seq =x) Host B receives SYN (seq=x) and sends SYN(seq=y, ack=x+1) Host A Receives SYN (seq=y, ack = x+1) and sends ACK (ack = y+1) Host B Receives ACK (ack = y+1)

48. Other CAVI Applications • Speech Friendly Packet Sniffer • Braille Transcription Software • Router Simulator • XML to Descriptive Text

49. Conclusion • Cavi Project is a test bench • Includes most of the devices/techniques currently being researched • Final outcome • Deliver an “Academy in a Box” • For Academies that wish to teach vision impaired students

50. Questions? • http://www.ece.curtin.edu.au/~iain/accessibility • http://cisco.netacad.net • http://www.seeingwithsound.com/voice.htm • http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/ • www.tiresias.org (John Gill)