Blind

Manufacturers and suppliers of consumer technology devices in the US could be forced to make all their products accessible to blind consumers, if proposed
legislation is passed by Congress.

Introduced by Jan Schakowsky, a Democratic House of Representatives member from Illinois, the Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind Act 2010 (
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h4533/text
) is based around creating accessible alternatives to what it calls “increasingly complex user interfaces” found in consumer electronics.

Reading your electronic documents using your hands instead of your eyes may sound almost impossible. However, this is actually what many blind persons do. This is done through a device known as a Braille display.

Braille displays are hardware that enable users to read in Braille the text displayed on the computer screen. Using this device, blind people can navigate through the computer’s desktop, create and edit documents, and browse the Internet.

In part 2, we followed Lisa, a blind woman and examined what kind of challenges she faces using everyday technologies, such as the computer, a mobile phone, the internet, or just reading the menu in a restaurant. In this part, we will see how Lisa does her groceries, reads the mail, or watches movies.

Before you pay for a movie ticket or for a new pair of shoes, you would always make sure you’re handing the seller the right amount. This is really simple, you just have to give a quick look at your money, take out the right amount, and that's it.

But for people who cannot see, this becomes a difficult task. Here, we will talk about the problem faced by blind people, and discuss the possible solutions for this issue.

Reading music scores is not an easy task for blind people because the scores are either limited in number or difficult to get a hold of. An EU-funded team
of researchers, however, has designed and developed a demonstrative service that enables blind musicians to access and use Braille music scores that are
found in libraries and transcription centres. The CONTRAPUNCTUS ('Preservations and unification of new and existing Braille Music digital scores for a
new access methodology') project received almost EUR 4 million under the 'Information society technologies' (IST) Thematic area of the Sixth Framework
Programme (FP6).

We just looked at what is Braille, and how it is used in modern technologies. Now, let's see if Braille is in practice a good idea, or worth using for blind people.

Recently, we have seen a significant decline in Braille literacy among blind people in the U.S, and also in some other countries. At the same time, we have seen instances wherein blind people attain success in education and employment. This led to the belief that blind persons can now do without Braille.

Let us find out if Braille is indeed something which the blind can live without.

After taking a look at what Braille is, let us find out its current status and the interesting innovations related to this reading and writing system for the blind.

The widely accepted definition of Braille is that it is a touch reading and writing system for the blind and visually impaired. This may be clear and straightforward enough. But looking past this definition, we will find that Braille offers so much more than just a way for blind people to read and write. We will also see that behind this system lies a story of hope, perseverance, and ingenuity.

In part 1, we followed Lisa, a blind woman and examined what kind of challenges she faces using everyday technologies, such as a coffee maker, an alarm clock or a microwave. In this part, we will follow Lisa to work and see how she uses her computer, her mobile phone, or how she orders from a restaurant.

Just recently I read an article about a call center in Moscow which employs 1000 blind and visually impaired people.

I am a proponent of fully integrating disabled people into regular environment, thus making them fully participate in society. However, this is not always an immediate possibility, so let's see what this story really has between the lines.