De ontwikkeling van e-books is al veelbelovend voor slechtzienden. Met de mogelijkheid van het vergroten van de tekst zullen veel slechtziende lezers uit de voeten kunnen. Wanneer een kleurenscherm beschikbaar komt, kunnen e-books wellicht ook gebruikt worden voor het lezen van schoolboeken in het onderwijs. In Korea is men bezig een e-book voor braille-lezers te ontwikkelen. Door middel van electische signalen komen elementen in het plastic oppervlakte omhoog en naar beneden zodat de patronen van brailleletters ontstaan.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, “Blindsight” follows the gripping true-life adventure of six blind Tibetan teenagers on a climbing expedition up formidable Mount Everest.

Watch the full length film at hulu.com. Click on the image.

Okay to answer this question let’s start with some fact or fiction. 1. Starting a conversation with a blind person is different than starting one with a sighted person. Fiction. In fact it’s is the same. 2. You should offer them help when you think that they need it. Fiction. If we need help we will eventually ask you because we were taught by our mobility teacher (teacher who teaches us how to use a cane; also called a Mobillity specialist) or we are taught by some other source. And a little secret, sometimes I pretend to be lost just to see who will offer to help me before I have to ask. It’s a test for me to see if anyone’ll wait for me to ask. I know it’s mean and aI also know that I’m probably not the only blind person who does this sort of thing. Am I?
3. You should walk up to a blind person and say hi and their name if you happen to know them. Fact. Be honest would you want a blind or visually impaired person to shout out “Hey sighted Person!” No. Then why would you shout out “Hey blind person?” This is my suggestion if I were sighted I’d say “hi.” then wait if the person doesn doesn’t say anything I’d say “how are you?” by that time the blind person should be able to figure out that you are talking to him/her. That’s how I usually do it if I’m not sure if someone is talking to me. Or I may ask, “are you talking to me?” it’s not meant to embarras anyone it’s just meant to make sure that the sighted person is indeed talking to you and not the person near you. I remember feeling verry embarrased when I first started asking that question. Then I looked at it this way, what if I answered a “hi.” and it wasn’t meant for me. For me that would be more embarrasing then asking “are you talking to me?”
I may write this in more than one blog post and I’m going to write it here now.
We as blind people live normal lives, we may hold down the same job as you, we may walk down the same street as you, read the same books, and use a lot of the same computer programs. Of course we may need adaptive equipment to do so like a cane, a braille machine for the braille so we can read the books,a driver to drive us to where ever we need to go, and a computer with a text to speech program on it. Yet despite all of this a lot of us (like me) don’t consider being blind a disability. We consider ourselves “normal” whatever the deffinition of the word is for you. For me the word “normal” means a good job, a car with a driver, a computer with a text to speech program, and less people asking me if I want or need help until I ask for it. It also means treating me like you would someone who’s sighted only minus the vision. Example don’t ask a blind person “how many fingers am I holding up?” Just don’t let that stop you from treating a blind person like you would a sighted person. the only thing wrong with us is that we can’t see. That’s all. Why should we be treated differently because of that? We should not.
Thanks to the viewer who brought this up.
If you have questions leave a response here or send an email to the following email address:
Stephieonyoutube@gmail.com
Please let me know if I missed anything.

Blind advocates in Chicago are handing out free Pocket Money Marker Braillers this Wednesday morning, encouraging the public to use them to mark their paper money on behalf of those of us who can’t see. Hanni and I are doing a school presentation that morning, so we won’t be able to join the demonstration. We’ll be with them in spirit, though!

The demonstration – and the brailler giveaway — is intended to make the public aware that the Treasury Department should mark U.S. currency in order to prevent discrimination against those of us who are blind. An op-ed piece I wrote about this issue appeared in Friday’s Chicago Tribune:

180 countries use printed paper money, and the United States is the only one that prints bills all the same size and color, no matter how much each bill is worth.
Last year a federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. currency system discriminates against blind people. The court decision was not a unanimous one, and some high muckity-mucks weren’t exactly happy with the ruling, either. The National Federation of the Blind, for example. NFB strongly opposed the 2002 lawsuit that led to the ruling. They figure that most blind people have found ways to cope with paper currency and say there are other, more pressing needs to address. Treasury Secretary
Henry M. Paulson, Jr. testified against it, too. He said the blind can function fine using credit cards or electronic scanners to identify different bills,
and if that didn’t work they could rely on help from others.

The NFB and Paulson do have a point. In the 20+ years I have been blind, I have never been shortchanged by a cashier. Even Chicago cab drivers – who have an undeserved reputation for being rude – have been honest with me, correcting me when I’ve made mistakes and tried to pay them too much. Still, I feel pretty stupid sometimes when a bill unfolds itself, or gets mangled up in my wallet, and I have to ask what money I’m carrying.

You can read the entire editorial online — it’s called Paper Money that Works for the Blind –and leave comments there at the Tribune site if you’d like. And hey, if you happen to be out shopping in Chicago this Wednesday morning, word has it that most of the free money-braillers will be handed out in front of Water Tower Place – check it out!

Orientation Center student Melissa uses her long, white cane to travel down a sidewalk in Des Moines, Iowa.

Hello, my name is Melissa, and I am a new Rehab Teacher at the Iowa Department for the Blind. Once I complete my 4 to 6 months of training I will be travelling Counties of North Central Iowa, teaching the skills necessary for blind individuals to live and remain independent in their homes. I originally grew up on a farm in Northwest Iowa between the small towns of Peterson and Linn Grove, along the Little Sioux River Valley. I graduated from Iowa State University in 2008 with a degree in Kinesiology and Health. Prior to working with the blind, I was the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program Coordinator for Northwest Aging Association in Spencer, IA.

I started working for the Iowa Department for the Blind October 5, 2009 and I have been considered “staff in-training” ever since. As a staff member going through training, I wear sleep shades over my eyes to create a sense of blindness. While in training, I follow a class schedule of Home Ec, Shop, Braille, Computer, and Travel Class. Each class last for an hour-an- a-half, and it is during these classes that I learn the skills necessary to live independently as a blind person. As I sit here and examine the reasons as to why I’m going through all of this intensive training, I have come up with the following:

• It is important to realize and understand that A blind person is just as capable as a sighted person
• I will gain the skills necessary to teach those that are blind how to live independently
• As a blind person, I will face the struggles and obstacles that arise, but will learn to be successful by believing in myself
• I will challenge and empower others to change their negative attitudes about blindness so they can view vision loss in a more positive light. 

 A little about my classes:

I would have to say that Braille is my favorite class. I now know the letters A through Z and all of the numbers. I still have a lot to learn, but it is such an exciting challenge!

In home Ec, my first class of the day, I have learned how to fry eggs, make pancakes, make cinnamon rolls from scratch, cut vegetables, and use the oven (I just made homemade apple crisp!). I will eventually be preparing three- and seven-course meals!

 Another favorite of mine is shop. I just finished making  my picture frame made from scratch (yes, I have used the band saw, radial saw, sander, and more!),and I will be starting a bigger project soon! I plan on making a blanket chest for my living room.

In computer class, I am learning the basics of Microsoft Word. We have computers, but they don’t have a screen or a mouse! I have been learning to navigate my way around a computer using a program called JAWS. Soon, I will be learning how to open up and use e-mail. It’s been tricky learning all of the different keystrokes and shortcuts necessary to use the computer, but I believe I have been pretty successful!

When I first started, I was scared to death of travel class. After a month, I have learned to cross streets, take the bus, and get around by using a white cane. As a blind person, I have really come to know how handy and useful a cane is in getting around. Yes, I’ve run into things, but I’ve learned to laugh it off and keep going!

My time here thus far has been such a great learning experience. Although I’ve been faced with some difficult challenges, I’ve had a lot of fun, and have met many great people.

Monday evening, our Webelos den went to the library to work on earning their Communicator pin. After going over how to find books and how to take good care of them, the children’s librarian brought out what looked like a very large photo album. This was a Braille copy of the Bible, she explained, and she gave the boys a chance to feel the pages.

My parents had friends who were blind, so I was familiar with the look and feel of Braille materials from an early age. (Not that I ever learned to read them.) It came as somewhat of a surprise, Monday, to realize that it has been so long since I have seen someone actually using Braille that it was probably something completely new to these fourth grade boys.

The librarian added that no one was using the Braille books anymore, so they had been removed from the library’s holdings. She saved the Braille Bible herself, because it seemed a shame to lose something so wonderful. Today people use recorded books instead, she explained.

When I was growing up, there were recorded books, but they weren’t widely available. When my grandfather had cataract surgery, he had patches over his eyes while he recovered, and we took turns staying with him and helping him out while he was unable to see. To pass the time, he listened to some recorded books, which were loaned out by the organization that made them available to blind people.

They weren’t on CDs of course, or even cassettes – these were LP records. I knew how to use a record player, but I was always nervous about setting down the needle, afraid I would miss and scratch the record. It’s easy to see why most people wouldn’t be interested in audiobooks of that nature, and with demand being low, naturally supply was low also.

Cassettes and portable cassette players changed all that. Instead of having to get volunteers to read books aloud to be recorded, today’s audiobooks are professionally produced, read by people who become known for the quality of their voice characterizations. This makes a much larger range of materials available for blind people – and decreases the motivation to learn Braille.

I started wondering how much Braille is still used. I see Braille on signs for public restrooms – and I always wondered how people who can’t see find the signs to begin with. I found out yesterday, reading through an online discussion of such signs. Most of those who are considered legally blind have some vision – not enough to rely on for many purposes but enough to locate signs on walls.

Unfortunately – according to proponents of Braille – fewer visually impaired people are learning Braille today. Only an estimated 10% can read Braille, while the rest rely on recorded books, devices that convert text to speech, and (if their vision is good enough) magnifying devices that enable them to read printed materials.

A librarian in Tennessee explains the benefits of knowing Braille, even in an age when electronic devices can do so much for the visually impaired.

I always emphasize that you can do many things with braille that are impossible with audio materials, such as label the cans in your kitchen cabinets, or the bottles in your medicine cabinet, learn punctuation and spelling of words, etc.

One article I read explains another reason for the decreasing use of Braille – it has not been encouraged in the public school systems. Once children with special needs were integrated into mainstream schools and classrooms, teaching Braille to blind children became a low priority. Having a special needs child myself, I can’t imagine any of his teachers wanting less for him than the best he can do, but apparently some special ed teachers have had low expectations for the career prospects of blind students.

A blind woman who rented a room in my parents’ home, after my sister went off to college, was employed at the local VA hospital. Unlike another blind friend who worked in a sheltered workshop, where blind people were provided with routine work (packing boxes, I think) and paid very little, Genevieve was a skilled medical transcriptionist. The fact that she had once been sighted no doubt helped, as she had probably already been an excellent typist before the car accident that blinded her. But she was evidence that a totally blind person could function quite capably in a demanding job.

Most blind people who are employed do read and write Braille, according to Chris Danielson of the National Federation of the Blind. I don’t know how much that indicates that knowing Braille helps one get work and succeed on the job, and how much it is because people who are driven to succeed will work to give themselves whatever advantages they can. But it explains why states are passing laws requiring that every blind student be assessed to see if Braille will help them, and to have Braille taught to all those who will benefit.

I tried to imagine how Braille could be useful in the kind of work I do. Certainly one can type without seeing the keyboard (that’s the idea of touch typing – you’re not supposed to look at it), and I’m sure there are printers that produce Braille output, but how in the world could you make a computer monitor with raised bumps?

It turns out there is such a thing as a Braille terminal, but those that are currently available are very expensive. If you work with computers, you’ve probably noticed that the components that break most often are the ones with moving parts (printer, mouse, keyboard, disk drive). Just imagine how many moving parts are required to make all those sets of bumps go up and down. Keyboards and mice used to cost a lot more, but with such widespread use they’ve become throwaway items when they stop working.

Braille devices will never have that large a market. But fortunately enough R&D is being done that a new, simpler device is being developed. A rotating wheel moves the display past the finger, instead of the finger moving over the display. This means that only a single dot grid is required instead of dozens, which will greatly reduce the costs to manufacture these once they are commercially available.

I hope I never lose my sight. I have heard many people say that if they had to choose between sight and hearing, they would choose hearing. I wouldn’t like to lose my hearing (though I do like silence), but I would hate to lose my vision. I’m glad to know, though, of all the possibilities available to me if that should happen. And now I know that I should take good care of my fingers, so that if I ever need to read Braille I’ll be able to.

The award for geekiest looking lyrical beast goes to Braille but don’t let that put you off. He gets the beast award for good reason. Throw him on a Marco Polo beat and you have aural perfection.

Braille – The IV (2008)

Realiza-se de 20 a 23 de novembro de 2009, na cidade de João Pessoa, estado da Paraíba, Brasil o VI Senabraille – Seminário Nacional de Bibliotecas Braille e o II Seminário Latino Americano y Caribeño de los Servicios bibliotecários para Ciegos y Debiles Visuales .

Na cena mundial, onde a inclusão digital e o desenvolvimento de políticas nestas matérias se tornaram preocupações preponderantes é um grande desafio  para os países e instituições a Acessibilidade Digital para Cegos e as Pessoas de Baixa Visão. Assim, este acontecimento é um marco para todos quantos trabalham em Educação Inclusiva.

Atenção aos resultados!

HumanWare Launches the BrailleNote Apex
HumanWare has just launched the newest member of the BrailleNote family, the BrailleNote Apex, the thinnest and lightest of note takers. Powerful, but slim at just 2 cm (0.78?) and weighing only 812 grams (1.8 lbs), the BrailleNote Apex is designed for on the go portability and high functionality. The advanced technology features the acclaimed KeySoft Version 9, a comprehensive suite of productivity applications with feature-rich content.

read more

Accessible World Tek Talk presents the Apex Braillenote, November 16, 2009 by HumanWare
Jim Ruby
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:46:56 GMT

HumanWare Launches the BrailleNote Apex
HumanWare has just launched the newest member of the BrailleNote family, the BrailleNote Apex, the thinnest and lightest of note takers. Powerful, but slim at just 2 cm (0.78?) and weighing only 812 grams (1.8 lbs), the BrailleNote Apex is designed for on the go portability and high functionality. The advanced technology features the acclaimed KeySoft Version 9, a comprehensive suite of productivity applications with feature-rich content.

read more

Accessible World Tek Talk presents the Apex Braillenote, November 16, 2009 by HumanWare
Jim Ruby
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:46:56 GMT

Tactile street sign for Elizabeth Street, Sydney, with raised print and braille.

The Australian Braille Authority (ABA) is a sub-committee of the Round Table, and traditionally their annual meeting is held in conjunction with the Round Table conference.

Next year, ABA will instead hold an extended two-day meeting in Australia, just after Round Table conference. They have confirmed the dates for this meeting as 5th-6th June 2010. The meeting will be held in Sydney, with the venue to be confirmed shortly. More information will be available on the ABA website soon.

While we won’t be hosting ABA in Auckland next year, we’d love to see a strong braille strand in the conference programme. If you have something to contribute, please check out our Call for Papers and consider submitting. Remember that the Call for Papers closes on 27 November. Perhaps you could:

• run a workshop or discussion on innovative braille or tactile production techniques.
• talk about local experiences with adoption of Unified English Braille, and opportunities for collaboration between Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
• share successes with local advocacy to increase the availability of information in braille.
• describe projects that have raised braille awareness in your community.

Feel free to share any other ideas by commenting on this post.

Snow Leopard users can use VoiceOver in several languages, but by default the braille dot codes are output using the English braille code.

Regular written text uses different scripts for different languages – think of Greek and Russian for example. Braille is similar, with different braille codes for different languages. Sighted readers may be interested to see a visual display of braille codes for different languages.

Archie Robertson has made free uncontracted (grade 1) multilingual braille output available for OS X users in the following languages: Arabic, Danish, French, German, Greek/Coptic, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and US Unicode. The installer is localised in English and French and there are very clear instructions about how to set up VoiceOver to use your newly installed Braille codes.

Archie has said he’s interested in producing contracted braille sets too, but these are proving very difficult to implement. If you’d like a language that’s not included yet, or like to help work on these, Archie can be contacted at the email conseil at anarchie dot org dot uk.

Website: CeciMac Multilingual Braille Download

- Ricky Buchanan

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Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard

Related posts:

• Accessibility for Snow Leopard
• Louis – New Macintosh Braille Translator
• Text-to-Speech in Languages other than English

 

Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard
Ricky Buchanan
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:10:52 GMT

Snow Leopard users can use VoiceOver in several languages, but by default the braille dot codes are output using the English braille code.

Regular written text uses different scripts for different languages – think of Greek and Russian for example. Braille is similar, with different braille codes for different languages. Sighted readers may be interested to see a visual display of braille codes for different languages.

Archie Robertson has made free uncontracted (grade 1) multilingual braille output available for OS X users in the following languages: Arabic, Danish, French, German, Greek/Coptic, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and US Unicode. The installer is localised in English and French and there are very clear instructions about how to set up VoiceOver to use your newly installed Braille codes.

Archie has said he’s interested in producing contracted braille sets too, but these are proving very difficult to implement. If you’d like a language that’s not included yet, or like to help work on these, Archie can be contacted at the email conseil at anarchie dot org dot uk.

Website: CeciMac Multilingual Braille Download

- Ricky Buchanan

Share this

Do you know somebody else who would find this interesting or useful? Please forward it to them. Did somebody forward this post to you? Visit http://atmac.org/ and subscribe to receive posts for free.
Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard

Related posts:

• Accessibility for Snow Leopard
• Louis – New Macintosh Braille Translator
• Text-to-Speech in Languages other than English

 

Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard
Ricky Buchanan
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:10:52 GMT

As mobile phones or cellphones seem set fair to replace the desktop computer in many people’s lives, I take a broad swipe at the subject. As the last person on earth to possess a mobile phone, even I am looking at them now. The combination of speech, braille, and cameras with attendant apps such as OCR and colour recognition is truly mind-bending! It’s taken the industry over 20 years to bother making phones that people like us can use, but now that they’re doing it, it’s all well and good.

Accessible hardware and software / Technical Tips / Mobile technology / Mobile Technology

Accessible Model / Technical Tips /Mobile Technology – the handheld choice – several useful UK links for accessible phones.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Mobile web reaches critical mass

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Blind ’see with sound’ – the combination of a camera phone and software called the vOICe can translate images into complex sounds. More info on the software, including downloads, at
seeingwithsound.com

blind-mobile : Blind Mobile Phone or Device Users – Yahoo! Group

Blind Phone Mailing List – stay up to date with hardware and software releases. Not a discussion list.

Blind user-friendly mobile phones: Part I

Buy simple mobile phones for OAP Elderly and visually impaired – Silverphone

CodeFactory makers of Mobile Magnifier and screen readers for Windows Mobile, Symbian60 and Blackberry. Accessibility for mobile phones and PDAs.

[PDF] Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility – Mobile Phone Accessibility

How Do Blind People Use Mobile Phones?

How To: Make Windows 7 Play Nice With All Your Gadgets – 1268th Edition

iPhone vs. Android vs. WinMo vs. WebOS vs. BlackBerry – Fight! | Mobility Site

LG Telecom donates 2000 Braille Phones to blinds « Lg « All New Stuff – LG donate phones that convert to speech and braille for World Braille Day.

Loadstone GPS – Satellite Navigation for blind mobile phone users

MAGNIFICO PLUS GPS MAGNIFIER can be used to magnify many mobile devices.

Matobmobile – Accessible Mobile Technology – Easy To Use Simple Basic Mobile Phones From Emporia, ITT, Doro…

MASHe » Blog Archive » Android Mobile OS: Pandora’s box of accessibility opportunities

MMF (Mobile Manufacturers’ Forum) – Mobile Accessibility

Mobile Accessibility: Mobile Magnifier vs ZOOMS – CodeFactory and Nuance products go head to head.

Mobile phone accessibility – ways of researching the topic.

Mobile phone Sat Nav to help blind – Mad4 Mobile Phones – italian company Il Village are developing this application for Symbian phones. 

Il Village web site

Mobile phone that recognises objects will aid the blind | Mail Online – an application called SeeScan can recognise objects by using the phone’s camera and use its speech to tell you what it is.

MOBILE PHONES MAKE YOU BLIND – mirror.co.uk – alarming reports from Israel and Sweden that prolonged use of mobile phones could cause cataracts.

NIACE Mobile Technology -for Adult Learning providers – UK site.

Nokia in 2015 – The Way We Live Next – in which we learn that when that nice policeman pulls a driver over, the driver can say they’re only listening to the news on their mobile.

Nuance TALKS – screen reader for Symbian mobile phones There are lists here of compatible phones and dealers..

O2 Accessibility – UK mobile services provider explains services.

Orator Screen Reader for Blackberry – HumanWare USA 

Humanware UK 

More info 

2007 mailing list entry shows the makers’ commitment to making the Blackberry accessible.

Owasys 22C mobile phone – RNIB Online Shop – UK supplier for this specially made phone for blind users. 

Ordering in USA

Rammland – Mobile Accessibility 2 for Symbian operating system phones. Has a speech synthesiser and its own menu system.

Rammland – Mobile Magnifier – UK supplier of this software for several Nokia phones, the Panasonic X700 and the Siemens SX1.

RNIB Mobile phones page

Rogers announces Nokia E71 with TALKS software for the visually impaired

RSC NewsFeed » Blog Archive » Accessibility and Mobile Phones

Samsung Launches Open Mobile Platform | bada – the Bada operating platform opens up opportunities for developers. 
Bada official site. Also visit
RSS For Gadgets » Samsung bada to compete against Android and Symbian

Sense | Equipment and accessibility | Mobile phones – UK deaf-blind organisation.

Smartphone Indesen mobile phone screen reader software for Windows for sp – smartphone, PocketPC, Palm, Symbian, PDA, iPAQ, GPS, S60, UIQ, S80

TextMagic – Send SMS Anywhere from your PC – it will still cost you, but supposedly not as much.
TextMagic web site

The blind will love Nokia: New Braille to SMS » Phone Reviews

The Indian Braille mobile for the blind | // Pocket Picks // – low-tech phone for all gets Braille makeover.

The MEX Mobile User Experience Awards – BSR Blind Phone – a phone designed to be affordable and speicifically aimed at people with limited vision. Also visit
BSR Blind Phone on St Dunstan’s getting involved in testing the phone.

top gadget for 2009 « HotTech2.com – guess what, it’s the Apple iPhone 3Gs. I’m sure I’ve heard of it.

Toshiba Tactility – Mobile Phone Concept for Visually Challenged | Touch User Interface

Universal Cellular Phone by Seon-Keun Par » Yanko Design – a Braille phone.

Vibrating touch screen puts Braille at the fingertips – tech – 31 March 2009 – New Scientist

Vodafone Accessibility

Coincidiendo con el bicentenario del nacimiento de Louis Braille, el pasado 28 de octubre se entregaron los Premios ONCE Aragón 2009 con los que, cada año, la Organización trata de reconocer y destacar la labor de personas e instituciones que han favorecido una sociedad aragonesa cada vez más normalizada, donde todos los ciudadanos tienen un espacio.
 El premio de entidades fue otorgado al Colegio de Farmacéuticos de Zaragoza, “por su sensibilidad, interés y trabajo en la accesibilidad para las personas ciegas a los medicamentos mediante su rotulación en braille”. Se trata de un asunto de vital importancia no sólo para la propia administración sino, por ejemplo, para los padres ciegos con hijos pequeños. Recogió el premio el presidente del Colegio, Juan Carlos Gimeno.

El presidente de las Cortes de Aragón, Francisco Pina, presidió la entrega de estos premios, que fueron entregados por Ana Fernández, consejera de Servicios Sociales del Gobierno de Aragón; Andrés Ramos Vázquez, vicepresidente del Consejo General de la ONCE; y Mª Teresa Fernández, Vicepresidenta de las Cortes.

En su discurso, el presidente del COF de Zaragoza, Juan Carlos Gimeno destacó la necesidad de sensibilizar a toda la población sobre la importancia del sistema Braille, que permite a las personas acceder en igualdad de condiciones a bienes y servicios de primera necesidad como son los medicamentos. También reflexionó sobre los conceptos de la accesibilidad universal y el diseño para todos “absolutamente necesarios en las sociedades modernas”, señaló. En este apartado recordó que los Colegios de Farmacéuticos de Huesca, Zaragoza y Teruel con la colaboración del Comité de Entidades de Personas con Discapacidad (Cermi Aragón) publicaron en 2008 la Guía Práctica “La accesibilidad en la Oficina de Farmacia“.

La publicación, dirigida a los farmacéuticos aragoneses, se envió a las más de 700 oficinas de farmacia de la Comunidad con el objetivo de buscar la excelencia en las normas de diseño de estos establecimientos de uso público, para que cualquier persona se desenvuelva con tranquilidad, seguridad e independencia
 
Los otros premiados en esta edición han sido José Luis Corral Lafuente, por su extensa labor de publicación de novelas históricas, todas ellas transcritas a Braille y editadas en el sistema sonoro “Daisy”, que les permite estar en la Biblioteca Digital de la ONCE en Internet. En el capítulo de medios de comunicación, el premio en esta ocasión ha ido a parar a Onda Cero, por su especial y atrevida apuesta el periodismo social, con especial incidencia en el sector de la discapacidad.

Autor: COF de Zaragoza
Fuente: www.cofzaragoza.org

Saya yakin pasti sudah banyak yang tahu tentang huruf braille. Ya benar huruf yang di gunakan oleh penyandang tunanetra. Tapi apakah sudah tahu bentuk hurufnya seperti apa?

Huruf braille yang sesungguhnya adalah berupa dot atau titik timbul pada kertas yang terdiri dari kombinasi titik-titik (total ada 6 titik yg tersusun mendatar 2, kebawah ada 3). Pada perkembangannya braille sudah dadopsi untuk beberapa bahasa seperti jepang, china, rusia bahkan sampai indonesia. Namun secara global braille yang digunakan adalah sama.

Untuk mempermudah dalam penulisan huruf braille maka dicipatakanlah suatu UNICODE standard untuk font komputer. Bisa di download disini, lalu install di komputer anda.

Namun secara garis besar alphabet braille adalah sebagai berikut.

⠁ A / 1
⠃ B / 2
⠉ C / 3
⠙ D / 4
⠑ E / 5
⠋ F / 6
⠛ G / 7
⠓ H / 8
⠊ I / 9
⠚ J / 0
⠅ K
⠇ L
⠍ M
⠝ N
⠕ O
⠏ P
⠟ Q
⠗ R
⠎ S
⠞ T
⠥ U
⠧ V
⠺ W
⠭ X
⠽ Y
⠵ Z

tanda baca lainnya.

⠠ Capital sign
⠼ Number sign
⠲ Period
⠂ Comma
⠦ Question mark
⠆ Semicolon
⠖ Exclamation point
⠦ Opening quote
⠴ Closing quote
⠶ Bracket
⠤ Hyphen
⠄ Apostrophe

Nah pasti agaknya kita jadi ingin cara instant untuk mendapatkan translate ke braille. Berikut site yang akan membantu dalam pengkonvert dari roman ke braille, libbraille.org.

Semoga informasi ini dapat berguna, bersyukurlah kita masih diberi mata yang dapat digunakan untuk melihat. Tidak ada salahnya juga kita belajar huruf ini, ya mungkin bisa digunakan untuk sandi, why not?
Salam blogger!

Prolog: note ini adalah sequel dari note Byarr Pet gue sebelumnya, namun dalam dimensi dan point of view yang berbeda. Selamat menikmati…

Meningkatnya frekuensi “byarr pet” oleh PLN beberapa bulan ini, membuahkan banyak kekesalan pelanggannya. Hampir tidak ada pembicaraan sesama teman, kecuali diawali dengan pertanyaan “apakah rumah loe mati listrik tadi malam?” Bahkan seorang kawan facebook yang merespon note Byarr Pet gue, yang kebetulan tinggal di Balikpapan, sudah pada taraf kebal atau mati rasa atas pelayanan PLN di kota salah satu penghasil minyak terbesar di negeri ini. Hebat ya? Kok bisa? Balikpapan geto lho… hihihi…

Tiada guna mencari kesalahan PLN, karena sudah jelas memang salah. Tiada guna pula membuang energi marah-marah, kecuali lewat facebook… hihihi… Akan lebih baik bagi kita meresapi, apa hikmah di balik fenomena “byarr pet” ini. Iya, apa hikmah di balik kegelapan yang ditawarkan PLN?

Dua minggu lalu, seorang teman mengundang gue. Hari Sabtu jam sebelas malam. Berarti malam Minggu. Gue sangat antusias, karena dia mengundang gue ke “dunia gelap”. Hmm… adrenaline pumped! Tapi, tunggu dulu…

Ini bukan “dunia gelap” yang memiliki asosiasi dengan “dunia remang-remang” maupun “dunia gemerlap” (a.k.a dugem) itu, yang berlangsung paling-paling maksimum cuma 12 jam sehari, cuma saat malam hari.

Ini benar-benar “dunia gelap” yang berlangsung 24 jam sehari, 7 hari seminggu, 365 hari per tahun. Ini adalah dunia untuk sebuah perkumpulan segelintir mahluk Tuhan, yang diberi anugrah oleh Tuhan berupa terjaganya pandangan mata, dan selanjutnya diberi anugrah tambahan oleh Tuhan berupa pendengaran, penciuman, perabaan, dan perasaan hati yang lebih tajam dibanding rata-rata mahluk Tuhan lainnya.

Ini adalah perkumpulan para tunanetra!

Flashback. Tunanetra — pernah pada suatu masa — merupakan bagian dari keseharian hidup gue. Saat itu tahun 1992 pertengahan. Gue baru saja memasuki tahun terakhir kuliah di jurusan Tehnik Elektro. Saatnya mempersiapkan skripsi untuk 12 bulan ke depan. “Ting!” tiba-tiba ide itu muncul begitu saja….

Gue ajukan ide judul skripsi tersebut ke dosen pembimbing yang lulusan S2 Amerika. Lima detik pertama membacanya, beliau merespon dengan membesarnya retina mata. Dilanjutkan dengan melirikan matanya ke arah gue, tanpa sedikitpun menggeserkan posisi kepala. Bahasa tubuh keraguan. Terlontar pertanyaan menyelidik: “Kamu yakin bisa bikin ini?”

Judul yang gue ajukan: “Develop Word Processing Software and Braille Printer”.

Iya. Skripsi seperti ini memang belum pernah ada di jurusan tempat gue kuliah. Wajar kalau pertanyaan penuh sidik keluar, karena judul ini berarti membuat software sekaligus memodifikasi hardware electronic sebuah printer dot-matrix. Tapi gue saat itu berpikir praktis: gue masih punya waktu 12 bulan ke depan untuk research & development, gue sudah mulai programming computer sejak kelas 2 SMP, dan gue sudah memulai menyolder electronic kit sejak kelas 5 SD. Satu hal yang belum pernah gue lakukan untuk bisa menyelesaikan skripsi ini adalah: gue belum pernah bergaul dengan tunanetra!

Tidak menunggu lama setelah judul skripsi disetujui, gue langsung mencari yayasan tunanetra di Jakarta. Ketemu dan berlokasi di Jl. Kramat Raya. Sejak itu, gue jadwalkan sepulang kuliah seminggu sekali datang ke yayasan tersebut. Untuk mendalami apa itu Braille, apa itu Tusing (tulisan singkat dalam Braille), dan — ini yang berkesan — bergaul dengan tunatera secara intens, termasuk naik kendaraan umum bareng, untuk mengetahui “siapakah” tunanetra itu?

Jawaban dari pertanyaan terakhir inilah, yang sampai sekarang memberikan banyak hikmah buat gue. Bahwa Tuhan Maha Adil. Bahwa kalimat “Tuhan menciptakan mahluk-Nya dengan sebaik-baiknya ciptaan” adalah terbukti benar. Bahwa tidak sepantasnya kita mengeluh atas kekurangan fisik kita. Hikmah itu adalah: saat Tuhan menghilangkan 1 dari 5 indera kita, Tuhan akan memberikan 4 indra sisanya jauh lebih baik dan kuat.

Kembali ke PLN. Saat PLN tidak memberikan penerangan kepada kita sesuai janjinya ke pelanggan, ternyata ada hikmah yang bisa kita resapi. Pertanyaan mendasarnya adalah: “seberapa panik kita saat mendapatkan listrik mati, padahal hari sudah beranjak gelap?”

Di dalam kitab suci agama Islam yang gue yakini, Al-Qur’an, suasana nanti saat di akhirat digambarkan dengan cukup jelas. Jangan bayangkan kita pulang ke akhirat akan sama dengan kita pulang ke rumah: buka pintu – cari tombol lampu – “ceklik” – lalu… “tadaa”… terang benderang…

Akhirat tidak memilki penerangan!

Namun Tuhan Yang Maha Pengasih akan memberikan “penerangan khusus” kepada mahluk pilihan-Nya. Kepada manusia yang semasa hidupnya juga selalu memberikan “penerangan khusus” kepada sesama manusia: penerangan berupa kemudahan bagi yang sedang kesulitan, keringanan bagi yang sedang kesusahan, keamanan bagi yang sedang ketakutan, kenyamanan bagi yang sedang kegelisahan, dan kelapangan bagi yang sedang kesempitan.

Rasa panik kita terhadap “byarr pet” PLN seharusnya tidak seberapa dibanding rasa panik nantinya di saat sumber penerangan memang sudah tidak ada sama sekali di akhirat. Kecuali kita memang sudah mempersiapkannya selama hidup di dunia.

Thanks PLN… loe telah memberikan gue pelatihan akan artinya kegelapan!

HM Ihsan Kusasi
Nov 7, 2009

Tulisan ini didedikasikan kepada para tunanetra. Sesungguhnya kalian akan diringankan pada saat hisab — The Judgment Day — nanti, terutama saat diminta pertanggungjawaban atas apa saja yang pernah kalian lihat semasa hidup.

FONTE: REVISTA ÉPOCA

http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI103120-15223,00-COMO+OS+CEGOS+DIFERENCIAM+AS+NOTAS+DE+DINHEIRO.html

notas de real

Como os cegos diferenciam as notas de dinheiro?
As cédulas de real apresentam diferenças perceptíveis no tato apenas quando estão novas. O Banco Central deve adotar modelo estrangeiro para que os cegos consigam identificar melhor os valores. O braile não é uma opção viável

Laura Lopes

Real As notas apresentam apenas marcas de relevo
Em qualquer lugar do mundo é possível reconhecer o valor das notas de dinheiro. Seja na Índia, na China ou nos Estados Unidos, e nem precisa saber a língua nativa, nem mesmo ser alfabetizado. Só há uma exceção para essa regra: os deficientes audiovisuais. Como eles contam dinheiro? Aqui no Brasil, as moedas da segunda família (a segunda geração de moedas de real) possuem tamanhos e espessuras diferentes, algumas são serrilhadas nas bordas, justamente para serem diferenciadas por meio do tato. Já as cédulas têm marcas de relevo que se perdem com o uso. “Essas marcas são pouco perceptíveis, principalmente para os mais idosos. E, com o tempo, as notas vão perdendo o relevo”, diz Regina Fátima Caldeira de Oliveira, deficiente visual e coordenadora da Revisão dos Livros Braille da Fundação Dorina Nowill, de São Paulo.

notas de euro

Euro Cada valor tem um tamanho diferente, obedecendo à regra de quanto maior o valor, maior o tamanho. A nota também apresenta marcas táteis em relevo
A primeira solução que vem à cabeça é a inserção de caracteres em braile nas notas. Essa, no entanto, é uma saída pouco útil: o braile sairia com o desgaste das cédulas, assim como acontece com as marcas de relevo atuais. “Além disso, o braile é lido por muitas pessoas cegas, mas não por todas. A gente não quer braile nas notas”, afirma Regina, que participou de reuniões com o Banco Central e a Casa da Moeda, junto a entidades representativas dos deficientes visuais do país, para encontrar uma solução viável e prática para o problema. O BC comunga a opinião da Fundação Dorina. Segundo João Sidney, do chefe do departamento de Meio Circulante, “a tecnologia de impressão não tem sobrevida. Na terceira manipulação da nota, o braile já acaba”.

Apesar da concordância, pouca gente sabe que o braile não é o melhor caminho a seguir. No dia 27 de outubro, a Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil (OAB) encaminhou um ofício à Casa da Moeda solicitando informações sobre a viabilidade técnica para implantação desse sistema de leitura nas cédulas e moedas do país. A proposta, feita pelo conselheiro do Amazonas Edson de Oliveira, tem a melhor das boas intenções, em defesa dos direitos dos cegos, já que os mesmos não têm acesso à leitura das notas. Mas não funciona. “Há quem faça isso para melhorar e ajudar, mas devia falar com pessoas que lidam com o problema diriamente e que podem ter a melhor proposta”, diz Regina.

Austrália As notas têm tamanhos diferentes e são reconhecidas por meio de um gabarito
Entre as propostas sugeridas nas reuniões entre as entidades e o governo, a que mais agrada Regina é o modelo adotado na Austrália e nos países que fazem parte da comunidade Européia (e usam o euro). Lá, as notas possuem tamanhos diferentes, crescendo à medida que o valor aumenta. O portador de deficiência visual recebe uma espécie de gabarito que indica o valor da nota, em braile. Ao colocar a nota dentro desse gabarito, sua ponta vai cair sobre o valor correspondente a ela. Serve mais para quem ainda não decorou o tamanho das notas ou não está acostumado àquela moeda.

Canadá Além das notas terem furinhos arranjados de formas diferentes para cada valor (à dir.), um aparelhinho lê a nota e emite um sinal diferente para cada valor, por meio de voz, som ou vibração
Na opinião do BC, no entanto, o modelo canadense é que deve vigorar no Brasil. Segundo o chefe do departamento de Meio Circulante do Banco Central, não é necessário mexer no design ou tamanho do dinheiro. “O Canadá insere nas notas uma tinta invisível diferente para cada valor e distribui um aparelhinho subsidado que reconhece o magnetismo da tinta e emite um sinal para cada valor”, afirma João Sidney. Trata-se de um aparelho pequeno, que pode ser levado no bolso e distribuído gratuitamente pelo Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Sobre o gabarito, adotado pelos australianos e europeus, Sidney diz que não é a melhor solução e, como o reconhecimento é feito pelo tato, pode levar a erros de interpretação. “Eu apostaria nessa tecnologia sonora”, diz. Só não se sabe quando ela entrará em vigor.

link para a revista Época

10 Honorees Receive Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao’s New Freedom Initiative Award Award Recognizes Achievements On Behalf Of People With Disabilities – Press Release of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Barriers to USA employment being addressed.

Accessibility in Windows 7 « Microsoft

Affordable Assistive Technology Solutions on TechConnect

Blind people are better at finding their way : Neurophilosophy

Braille Literacy: An Early Disability Rights Activist Discusses the Paving of the Path

China Launches First Barrier-free E-commerce Website For Blind And Elderly – ChinaTechNews.com

Crossing the RSS Divide – making it simpler and compelling « As Your World Changes – get to grips with news feeds and podcasts.

Descriptive Audio Brings Disney Attractions to Life for the Blind

Disabled access to websites under UK law | OUT-LAW.COM by Pinsent Masons LLP

FCC to hold hearing at Gallaudet, Marlee Matlin to participate – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a field hearing at Gallaudet on disabilities access issues as part of its effort to gather information from experts and consumers for the development of a National Broadband Plan.

Invitation to participate in a Google usability study – your chance to participate in a survey.

iTunes 9.0.2 Notes Accessibility Improvements– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Knock Detecting Lock Transforms Your Door Into A Pattern Sensitive Surface, Opens With Secret Knock » ZiggyTek – includes a kewl instructional video, it says here.

MacSpeech Dictate Receives Update to V1.5.6– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Orca – GNOME Live! – screen reader/magnifier for Linux. Instructions and downloads here.

Persons with disabilities demand access to computer education – better life awaits Nigerians who have this education, summit hears.

Social Media for Seniors — Lessons Learned « As Your World Changes

Super Talent Gives Super Speed in Super Small Package » ZiggyTek » Blog – is this the first USB version 3 drive?

Teaching Blind Children to Navigate

The New York Times Addresses Accessibility in Its iPhone App– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com] – some apps have become inaccessible in recent updates, but not this one.

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, Issue #233, Tuesday, November 03, 2009 – always topical and useful, so why not subscribe to the
RSS Feed?

Ubuntu: the complete beginner’s guide – Times Online

VMWare Fusion 3 Maintains Accessibility– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com] – desktop virtualisation on the Mac stays accessible.

WebAIM Screen Reader Survey Shows VoiceOver Gains but Downplays Flash Access Issues (Updated)– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Wellness Checkpoint Health Risk Assessment Certified by CNIBs Accessibility Program – important that health management devices are accessible to wide range, says Canadian blindness organisation.

A prefeitura de Porto Alegre organiza para os dias 11, 12 e 13 de novembro a etapa gaúcha do projeto Musicografia em Braille, que capacita professores a trabalharem com músicos e estudantes cegos. A proposta é baseada no software Musibraille, que há dez anos prepara profissionais que ensinarão música a estudantes com deficiência visual. As inscrições podem ser feitas no site. Serão convidados para participar da capacitação os 25 professores de música da rede municipal de ensino. Eles irão conhecer o funcionamento do software Musibrailler, que transcreve textos musicais (partituras) de qualquer complexidade para a forma tátil. A oficina é organizada pelas secretarias municipais de Acessibilidade e Inclusão Social (Seacis), Educação (Smed), Cultura (SMC) e Companhia de Processamento de Dados do Município de Porto Alegre (Procempa). A proposta da capacitação é da primeira-dama do município, Isabela Fogaça.

Capacitar profissionais da educação musical para trabalhar com músicos e estudantes cegos, além de criar e manter uma biblioteca virtual de músicas em braile, está entre as metas que o projeto Software Musibraille pretende atingir após ser implantado na Capital. Também será possível ampliar as possibilidades do músico cego no mercado de trabalho, promovendo condições para a inclusão social e independência dos deficientes visuais. O software foi desenvolvido porque há poucos programas de computador disponíveis para a transcrição musical em braille. Os programas disponíveis são caros e incompletos, porque não emulam voz em português. A ferramenta será distribuída nas oficinas de capacitação que serão realizadas em uma capital de cada uma das regiões geográficas do Brasil. Também será distribuído gratuitamente por meio de página na Internet onde beneficiados, professores, alunos cegos e o público em geral poderão baixar cópia do programa.

The NFB continues to issue press releases, and Reuters continues to pretend that they’re news. Instead of publishing one post for each press release, as happy as that might make the PR departments, I’ll squeeze them into one entry.

First off, Reuters and the NFB would like everyone to know that a university you may never have heard of will be using a braille coin you probably didn’t know existed in a football game you’re not likely to watch on Saturday. But don’t take my word for it:

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s leading advocate for Braille, is pleased to announce that the University of Notre Dame will use a 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar in the coin toss at its football game on Saturday, November 7.

Perhaps this is just my anti-sports bias coming out. Is this a big deal to anyone else? If so, why? I mean, do they have coins honoring the hard of hearing? And do the hard of hearing have organizations that issue press releases every time one of these coins gets used at a sports event? Does Reuters reprint these press releases?

Moving right along, Acumen Fund Announces Two Investments Providing Advanced Eye Care Services in India and Kenya:

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 5, 2009 — Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs who are building businesses to serve the poor, announced today two new investments, Pushpagiri Vitreo Retina Institute (PVRI) in India and Upper Hill Eye and Laser Centre (UHEAL) in Kenya, both of which provide advanced eye care services to the poor. PVRI and UHEAL provide access for all to specialized eye care services and operate mobile outreach units that conduct eye camps to screen for diabetic retinopathy, a disease that leads to blindness if left undiagnosed and untreated.

Interestingly, I can’t seem to find this story anywhere other than at PRWEB. As far as I’m concerned, this is more deserving of attention than a coin toss at a football game. Blindness causes enough difficulties for those of us who live in first-world nations; anything that can be done to reduce blindness in countries worse off than our own is important.

In related news, the British government is debating a program to fight blindness in developing countries. This information comes to us from a press release published by DeHavilland. Unfortunately, you’ll need a subscription to view the content of this article. If you’re a student, you may be able to get access to it from your university’s online library.

I’ll close this post with a quote from Dave Barry, the famous humour columnist:

For the benefit of those of you who have real jobs and are not involved in the news business, I should first explain that a news release is an article that has been typed up by a public-relations professional hired by a client who wants to get certain information published, which is then mailed out to several thousand newspapers, almost all of which throw it away without reading it. If you ever commit a really horrible crime and you want to keep it out of the papers, you should have a public-relations professional issue a news release about it.

You ask: “Wouldn’t it be more efficient if the public-relations professionals simply threw the releases away themselves?” Frankly, that is the kind of ignorant question that makes us journalists want to forget about trying to inform the public and instead just sit around awarding journalism prizes to each other. But I’ll tell you the answer: Because this is America. Because two hundred years ago, a band of brave men got extremely cold at Valley Forge so that the press would have the freedom to throw away its own releases without prior censorship, that’s why.