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Literature Review of Computer Tools for the Visually Impaired: A Focus on Search Engines
Published in Kayvan Najarian, Delaram Kahrobaei, Enrique Domínguez, Reza Soroushmehr, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Medicine, 2022
Guy Meyer, Alan Wassyng, Mark Lawford, Kourosh Sabri, Shahram Shirani
The most commonly used application for navigation is JAWS, developed by Freedom Scientific (Scientific, n.d.a). The application is compatible with most Windows applications, including web browsers. Users can browse the web using their preferred web browser and special JAWS2 key commands (Scientific, n.d.b). The user receives web information through dictation synthesized by the JAWS application. A comparable solution is a screen reader tool called NVDA that is gaining popularity as a free-to-use reader with great support, and an evolving community.
Robotic Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Rehabilitation Medicine
Published in Lawrence S. Chan, William C. Tang, Engineering-Medicine, 2019
There are several types of wearable live streaming devices available for people with blindness or low vision. Artificial vision glasses comprised of a lightweight smart camera technology that reads text aloud from any surfaces and recognizes faces and products, are commercially available. Some of them can read either digital or printed materials, such as newspapers, books, restaurant menus, and signs. They can provide real-time face recognition, and identify products, credit cards, etc. Apps such as, AIPoly, and SeeAI, etc., are handheld devices that use AI to identify objects, street signs, and scenery for people who are blind or visually impaired. There are also Apps and systems of way finding maps for blind travelers, which provide both tactile and narrative maps of colleges, hotels, transit systems and other places. They offer step-by-step guidance for indoor and outdoor walking directions (including public transportation, buses, trains, traffic lights, crosswalks, and gasoline stations) and wheelchair accessibility information. These devices serve as visual interpreters, and enable blind people or people with advanced low vision to navigate more independently in the community and perform a wide range of basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Screen-readers have also been developed by many companies and are important tools to provide web and internet accessibility for people with vision impairments.
Life Care Planning for the Visually Impaired*
Published in Roger O. Weed, Debra E. Berens, Life Care Planning and Case Management Handbook, 2018
Roger O. Weed, Rasheeda Wilkins
Higher-technology devices include portable Braille note takers, refreshable Braille displays that can integrate with TDD devices and some Braille displays with Bluetooth capability, and optical character recognition (OCR), which allows a blind or visually impaired person to scan printed text and that information is read back in synthesized speech. OpenBook is one example of OCR software. Descriptive video services are available that will allow a visually impaired person to receive key narrative descriptions of the visual portions of a television program or movie. In order to receive this service, the person must have DVD, or TV and a second audio program channel to receive the descriptive video service. These devices can be considered in every life care plan for a visually impaired person. Computers can be modified or adapted, such as utilizing a screen reader, a speech synthesizer to allow a visually impaired or blind person to access computer programs. Screen readers are available from Microsoft that will read the graphical portion of a computer program. Electromagnetic ovens can be used to heat food without flames or heating elements to reduce the risk of burns. Kurzweil readers, a computerized camera that scans print media and converts it to voice-synthesized output, are available.
Awareness and barriers to adoption of assistive technologies among visually impaired people in Nigeria
Published in Assistive Technology, 2019
Patrick Emeka Okonji, Darlinton Chukwunalu Ogwezzy
Computers are increasingly becoming integral to modern living. The personal computer (PC) can be the backbone of independence for millions of individuals with sensory, physical, and learning disabilities. Thus, it is important that people with disabilities learn how to adapt to new computer-based technologies if they want to be part of the current information society (Agree & Freedman, 2011). The digital revolution and inequality in Internet accessibility have driven many policies for the inclusion of visually impaired users in online service provision (Hollier, 2007), and the need for equitable Internet access has dominated political thinking for over the past two decades (Simpson, 2009; Wentz, Jaeger, & Lazar, 2011). This has been the driver for policies to enhance Internet accessibility for visually impaired people and other Internet users with disabilities (Hollier, 2007; Simpson, 2009). To facilitate Internet access for people with vision impairment, accessible computer devices and technology-based aids have been developed to make it easier for this group to use word processing programs, surf the Internet, and send email. Screen reader programs have been designed to allow visually impaired and blind people to use the computer. These devices convert texts and icons to speech so that one can use a computer without needing to see the monitor. Magnification programs which enlarge text and graphics displayed on computer monitors are also widely developed and used by persons with poor vision or who have difficulty reading.
Access to all components of scanned mathematical documents by vision-impaired students
Published in Assistive Technology, 2018
Azadeh Nazemi, Chandrika Fernando, Iain Murray, David. A McMeekin
Vision-impaired students access text displayed on a screen using a screen reader (Theofanos & Redish, 2003). Screen reader users do not usually have the chance to learn the correct spelling of words—especially uncommon ones, such as medical terms. Although it is possible for the screen reader to spell such words, it is very time consuming and, in some instances, they cannot recognize S’s and F’s (Bohman, 2014). Electronic documents may contain non-textual components (such as charts and graphs), non-linear components (such as tables), not-in-order (papers with more than one column), and multidimensional components (mathematical expressions and chemicals equations). These documents create a number of accessibility issues for those who use screen readers as assistive technology. Wedler and colleagues (2012) utilized a combination of tactile drawings, molecular model kits, existing software, Bash and Perl scripts written in-house, and three-dimensional printing in their approach to help a visually-impaired student to learn about structure–function relationships with minimal assistance from sighted co-workers.
Smartphone-based computer vision travelling aids for blind and visually impaired individuals: A systematic review
Published in Assistive Technology, 2022
Andrius Budrionis, Darius Plikynas, Povilas Daniušis, Audrius Indrulionis
It is important to note that VI individuals are not so different from the visually able population with regard to smartphone use. In fact, due to their condition, VI individuals are even more inclined to use handheld smartphones for social communication and mobility (making calls, chatting, using social media and many other apps, including GPS navigation, and so on). The screen reader interface integrated in modern mobile operating systems is accessible enough for VI people. The number of mobile apps tailored for blind users is also increasing, boosting the use of mobile devices and apps among VI people, and this usage is expected to continue to grow (Griffin-Shirley et al., 2017).