TOOLS TO ASSIST VISION

Not all vision problems can be treated or corrected by visual aids. Therefore, it is only logical to mention other tools or methods which can improve the quality of life.

Basic speech recognition

For those people who do not want to spend the money for a full professional speech recognition program some of the newer operating systems include basic speech recognition abilities.

For example; Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7 packages come with basic speech recognition utilities which can be used to both control basic computer functions as well as allow basic dictation and editing abilities.

In order for a person to use speech recognition software, a microphone is required to be installed on the computer. There are many types of microphones available. digital microphones (plug into the USB port) are the best for speech recognition. Among these, headset microphones are the preferred microphones as they stay right by the mouth even with head movement. However, a qood quality desktop or clip-on microphone should perform well as long as the voice is directed toward it.

A fast processor (1.5ghz or greater) and plenty of memory (2gb or greater) is also a requirement for reliable recognition. Many people who use speech recognition also use screen reader software, in which case a sound card with headphones or speakers is also required.

Speech recognition works by matching patterns in the voice spoken through the microphone with a set of patterns for letters or word combinations. Therefore training is required for proper recognition. A person must speak clearly to provide reliable recognition. Even after several hours of training, there is a good chance that mistakes will be made in the recognition process. The software will continue to learn as it is used and will also learn as corrections are made to recognition results.

People with low vision may find the use of speech recognition to be very helpful to them while performing routine tasks or creating basic text documents. Using voice to select objects on the screen is often faster than locating the mouse pointer. Using voice to enter text into documents is also faster than locating keyboard keys and can be useful for having the speech recognition software enter the text with proper spelling automatically.

Keep in mind that there are limitations to speech recognition advantages. For example, I used speech recognition to create the text of this document. However, I was not able to enter in the HTML codes as none of these are in the dictionary used by the software. The best advice is to use speech recognition where practical and fall back on traditional keyboard and mouse activities in all other situations.

Braille:

Braille is a system of using raised dot patterns to indicate letters or words. Once a person learns the patterns and their meanings, they have access to a growing supply of braille ready material. Reading braille requires a decent amount of sensitivity feeling in touch to accurately interpret the patterns.

Books on tape:

Several libraries offer books on tape. There is a growing number of titles that are available. There are even some services which provide mail delivery service, which allows the person to receive and send back these tapes from their own mailbox.

Check guides:

Many places that sell visual aids also sell tools that help people perform common tasks. There are plastic templates designed to put checks into which make it easier to distinguish where each field for writing is. Several other templates are usually available for other types of paperwork.

Computer software:

There are several places which sell items such as screen magnifiers, screen readers, and even document readers (usually using a flatbed scanner). The readers usually include an external box which speaks the text, although some use the computers sound card. The quality of available voices has improved over the last few years.

Many of these places will also carry voice recognition software. This allows the user to speak commonly used commands instead of typing or clicking. These are usually restricted by the number of commands they can store and the ability to detect speech. If you have a cold for instance, they may not pick up the commands.

Guide dogs:

Guide dogs (formerly seeing eye dogs) have been used for quite some time to assist people as they move around. These trained dogs can also retrieve items such as a ringing telephone. They can give an audible indication of certain situations also. Other animals can also be used to perform some tasks.

Identity devices:

Some people use little plastic molds that can resemble many different objects. Some are related to food objects and can be strapped around canned goods with rubber bands to identify what is in the can. Others can be used on boxed goods to indicate what is in the box, etc.

Brightly colored stickers can also be helpful in identity of products. Some people can identify the sticker but could not read the label. This type of marker system has been used for a variety of products such as buttons on tape recorders (red for record, blue for play, etc) and the controls on microwave ovens (green for start, red for stop, blue for timer setting, etc).

Stamps:

Many office supply stores sell rubber stamps that are used with ink pads. These stamps can have a wide range of information impressed into them to replace having to write out common things. One of the most popular is the signature stamp, which a person can use most of the time they need to perform a signature. People should check with their bank before using stamps on checks or credit card purchases as some banks don't feel a stamp is a valid signature.

Talking devices:

More appliances are being made to speak to us lately. Talking watches and clocks have been saying the date and time for many years. Talking thermometers and weather stations came around later. Today some bigger things can speak, such as refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, washing machines, and even dishwashers. Many talking devices have a interactive menu system and some even have braille coded keypads to help in the navigation.

Tape recorder:

One favorite device of visually impaired people is the simple tape recorder. You can get a micro cassette recorder that easily fits in the palm of your hand for portable use. These can be used to record any thoughts or information on the spot without the need to write down things. Playback replaces reading what would otherwise be written down. Bigger, less portable recorders can be used on the desktop for easy access and can be used for short or long term storage of messages. In this way, a person can avoid having too much information on the portable unit which would take more time to find certain recorded items.

Some recorders use cassette tapes. Digital recorders are widely available today, but usually have limitations on the length of recording time or the way you have to go about storing and retrieving messages.

These are just a few of the many tools available to help. Since technology is always expanding the options, be on the lookout for more options in the future.