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Paddy Landau
February 22nd, 2012, 11:30 AM
A new open-source program has been developed to help blind people use touch-screen devices such as tablets.

It would be great if Ubuntu could incorporate this on its tablet versions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17105225

I have submitted this (http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/29259/) as a brainstorm idea.

Paddy Landau
February 24th, 2012, 01:05 PM
I have contacted the developer, Dr Mario Romero, who has expressed interest in the idea.

Initially, the Brailletouch app was intended to be released "later this year", but due to keen interest from the world, Mario is wanting to bring forward the release if possible.

I shall keep this thread updated, although it may be a few months before the next update.

Paqman
February 24th, 2012, 02:07 PM
Sweet, you might want to link up with Vinux, who I'm sure have noted this.

Paddy Landau
February 24th, 2012, 03:01 PM
Sweet, you might want to link up with Vinux, who I'm sure have noted this.
Thank you for the idea. I have found the Vinux site (http://www.vinuxproject.org/), but I cannot find the Contact Page, which is mentioned in several places.

Any idea how to contact the team?

Paqman
February 24th, 2012, 04:34 PM
Try this guy:

vinux-development.blogspot.com/

Paddy Landau
February 24th, 2012, 05:15 PM
Try this guy:

vinux-development.blogspot.com/ (http://vinux-development.blogspot.com/)
Thank you for the tip, but I still cannot find any contact information on that blog or on Mobeen's page (http://www.blogger.com/profile/17272665449502823021).

Any help, please?

Paqman
February 24th, 2012, 10:20 PM
Thank you for the tip, but I still cannot find any contact information on that blog or on Mobeen's page (http://www.blogger.com/profile/17272665449502823021).

Any help, please?

You could try any of these folks (https://launchpad.net/~vinux), or #vinux on Freenode.

Paddy Landau
February 25th, 2012, 11:08 AM
You could try any of these folks (https://launchpad.net/%7Evinux), or #vinux on Freenode.
Thank you; I have sent a message via the Launchpad link you gave me. Let's hope I get a reply.

jockyburns
February 25th, 2012, 03:21 PM
Stupid question really, but,,, Why would a blind person want a tablet device in the first place? Music perhaps??

Paddy Landau
February 25th, 2012, 03:34 PM
Stupid question really, but,,, Why would a blind person want a tablet device in the first place? Music perhaps??
The same question applies to absolutely anyone. You have a PC; why would you want a tablet, laptop or smart-phone? The same answer would apply to a blind person: portability, flexibility, choice.

Besides, looking at a photograph of the software in action, Braille on a tablet looks rather easy and intuitive, something to be encouraged.

Lucradia
February 25th, 2012, 03:47 PM
Stupid question really, but,,, Why would a blind person want a tablet device in the first place? Music perhaps??

there are already Screenless laptops that use keyboards that, instead of protruding keys, have a flat solid surface with protruding white braille keys. They fully function as a real laptop however somehow. I've seen one of them in the hands of a wheelchair student. They do cost a lot more than laptops though, even though they cost a lot less to make (no CD-ROM, no Screen, just VGA Out and USB and headphones.) (They do have a "Screen" but it's just braille, and only reads out text, not images or anything. Think of it as a browser having to only tab through a page to navigate.)

Paqman
February 25th, 2012, 04:00 PM
Stupid question really, but,,, Why would a blind person want a tablet device in the first place? Music perhaps??

Because they're very capable devices. Even completely blind people would find a talking satnav very useful (finding your way around is hard if you can't read signs), and less impaired people would benefit from using the camera as a zoomable magnifier. Talk to any young VI person and they'll tell you how much their smartphone has improved their life.

Very few blind people have absolutely no vision either, it's a continuum. So even if someone's vision isn't good enough to use a tiny keyboard easily they could still find a large colourful screen useful. And there's always text-to-speech.

Old_Grey_Wolf
February 25th, 2012, 10:23 PM
The Brailletouch app or something similar could be beneficial to not only the blind.

I am a tall person with big hands (I have gotten a few head bruises from celling fans). That makes typing on a touch screen difficult since a finger can cover the area of several keys. I am also getting older and my hands aren't as flexible or as stable as they once were (they shake a little). These make using a touch screen on a phone almost impossible for me. I use a phone that has a qwerty keyboard. I can imagine a time when a phone with a real keyboard will no longer be available.

I have come to realize that old age can be disabling in its own way.

Crozius
May 12th, 2012, 08:02 PM
The same question applies to absolutely anyone. You have a PC; why would you want a tablet, laptop or smart-phone? The same answer would apply to a blind person: portability, flexibility, choice.

Besides, looking at a photograph of the software in action, Braille on a tablet looks rather easy and intuitive, something to be encouraged.

Hello. I meant to reply to this a while ago, but things here got in the way. I have to disagree, although I can't see the pic of that. The point of a tablet, for sighted or not, is the ability to grab something small, easily portable, and light in which you can get a good amount of battery out of. Think of this, how long can you get out of a battery on a laptop, without plugging in? Now think of running that with your processor and ram constantly going, and your "extended battery" becomes nothing special. But that's straying a bit. I don't know if this device would be good or not, and I can't afford it I'm sure to test it, but bringing extra devices to be able to interact, especially if they draw on the main device fo power could be counter productive for using a tablet. I dunno though, I'd have to look into it.

As for personal reason to want a tablet as a blind guy, here go a couple. First, like I said, battery life, and portability are two huge things. I won't get into the preferences about android versus idevice for the blind, but either way, you can get almost the full battery time on a tablet, which you can't do with a computer. There's also the fact that a lot of them now if you buy them this way, are 3G capable. That means constant internet access. For most, that means the ability to search the web, and read emails, but for me, it's an accessible, easy way to SSH/FTp to my server at home, not to mention administer it on the go if I get an email saying it's down. Theres tons mor ereason as well.

Now Paddy, for the vinux groups. I belong to the support group, and am going to sign up for teh dev group after I send you this info.

The vinux support group's address is:
http://groups.google.com/group/vinux-support
and the dev group is:
http://groups.google.com/group/vinux-development

I don't know if anyone there has the time as it's been brought up before, to work on accessible tablets. I know right now, they are pushing hard to get Vinux 4 based off of Ubuntu 12.04 up, tested, and usable for the average user. Hope this helps.

Paddy Landau
May 12th, 2012, 09:16 PM
Crozius, thank you for your reply. Bear in mind that Ubuntu is aiming to get itself onto both the tablet and Android devices, and so if this software is suitable (which we shall not know until it is tested), it would be a useful addition. Of course, if the software is included and you do not like it, nothing forces you to use it.


... for the vinux groups.
Thank you. I have indeed joined the group and already discussed the software. I am waiting for the software package to advance to the point where it is usable. July, I hope, but of course that is out of my control.

Bandit
May 12th, 2012, 10:22 PM
Jockyburns has a valid point.

Things like this often confuse me. While I believe people have the freedom to do as they choose. Why the heck would a blind person want a visual device. Dont get me wrong I can see the use of a computer with voice recognition and speech syntheses. Although if I go blind I dont know anyone smart enough to set all this up for me. Its like having a half inch by half inch brail marker on the mens restroom sign in the middle of walmart. Your not going to find it unless someone with vision brings you to it. For those outside the US, walmart is a department store normally comprising of 3 to 4 acres in size.

I see a market for voice recognition portable devices, not touchscreens.. Just me.. IDK.. I may recant this statement when I am blind..

Paddy Landau
May 13th, 2012, 10:11 AM
Although if I go blind I dont know anyone smart enough to set all this up for me.
I guess that's why blind people are setting up Vinux (Ubuntu for the blind)! It must be possible, because those people are maintaining Vinux; and, of course, that is not the only distro out there.

Face-Ache
May 13th, 2012, 10:24 AM
Sorry to be a pain, but i'm quite confused by this; doesn't braille use raised dots? How would a flat touch-screen actually work? I've read the article that was originally posted, and i'm still kinda sketchy on it all!

I don't mean to sound insensitive, as i'm all for this kind of accessibility-tech, but i think i might have left my brain in my other pants this morning - could someone please explain how it actually works?

Thanks :)

Paddy Landau
May 13th, 2012, 12:33 PM
... How would a flat touch-screen actually work?
No problem for the question.

For reading, you would have a screen-reader, which blind people already do (a number of blind people use this forum, for example). It reads aloud what it finds on the screen.

The Braille software is for writing, an excellent idea as suitable speech-recognition software for Linux just isn't available yet.

Bandit
May 13th, 2012, 05:43 PM
No problem for the question.

For reading, you would have a screen-reader, which blind people already do (a number of blind people use this forum, for example). It reads aloud what it finds on the screen.

The Braille software is for writing, an excellent idea as suitable speech-recognition software for Linux just isn't available yet.

Thus where I was so confused is to "how" a blind person is supposed to use the "touch screen". I would for one need a brail keyboard attachment to type. Now its understandable that most of the portable touchscreen devices got some kick butt performance for such a compact size and is the only real option for this atm I believe. You can just deactivate the screen. But would be really great if they made a model with a small brail keyboard instead of the screen. That would rock. Interactive speech recognition can be setup, plus camera devices can be used to detect traffic and obstacles for the blind. Plus map/gps navigation. Heck I would buy one.

Face-Ache
May 14th, 2012, 03:34 AM
No problem for the question.

For reading, you would have a screen-reader, which blind people already do (a number of blind people use this forum, for example). It reads aloud what it finds on the screen.

The Braille software is for writing, an excellent idea as suitable speech-recognition software for Linux just isn't available yet.

I knew the explanation would be simple -thanks :) So with that '6-fingers' approach mentioned, essentially each finger position would be a specific braille dot, and the combinations of each finger press would form the character? I assume error-correction would be done with the screen-reader reading back the message before sending?

Paddy Landau
May 14th, 2012, 08:44 AM
I assume error-correction would be done with the screen-reader reading back the message before sending?
I don't know, but I'm sure user-testing will resolve those issues.

Paqman
May 14th, 2012, 09:42 AM
Thus where I was so confused is to "how" a blind person is supposed to use the "touch screen".

Like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0nvdiRdehw).


]But would be really great if they made a model with a small brail keyboard instead of the screen. That would rock.

If the price of other custom kit for blind people is anything to go by, it'd also be fiercely expensive. I think most blind people would much rather use cheap mass-market gear if possible.

Paddy Landau
May 14th, 2012, 09:56 AM
Like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0nvdiRdehw).
That was fabulous. That man, Tommy Edison, has a great sense of humour.

Face-Ache
May 14th, 2012, 10:06 AM
That was fabulous. That man, Tommy Edison, has a great sense of humour.

Yeah i just watched a few of his vids - dead funny, i was lol-ing. Love that one about people asking him if he can open his eyes ... right at the end he says "Next week, i'm gonna show you how i do surgery". Awesome.

newbie2
June 20th, 2012, 04:55 PM
A new application for devices with Android operating systems, called OnTheBus, helps people find their way and move around in large cities. The application is based on universal design principles and is therefore useful for any person interested in travelling around a big city, and especially for people with visual, hearing or cognitive impairments.

The application, already available at Google Play, offers a set of optimal routes users can choose from. Once one of the routes is chosen, the application guides users from where they are located to the nearest bus stop and informs them of the time remaining until their bus arrives. Inside the bus, the application informs on the number of stops and signals the user when it is time to press the button and get off the bus. It then guides users to their destination. The system uses the newest technologies available for mobile devices such as GPS, compass, accelerometer, voice recognition and generation, and 3G or WiFi connection.

Currently, it can be used in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, and will soon be available for the cities of Valencia, Zaragoza and Helsinki. The application is offered in Spanish, Catalan, English and Italian; new versions in other languages and for other cities are also being prepared.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/uadb-rct062012.php
:popcorn:

Paddy Landau
June 20th, 2012, 06:29 PM
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/uadb-rct062012.php
That looks very good.

fudge333
April 1st, 2013, 06:44 AM
That looks very good.

pad I wonder. At this stage Vinux can not do too much with this but Touch screen access is about to start for a11y on Ubuntu phone and hopefully such a device may be able to be considered for inclusion.
Hi, this sounds pretty cool. Is it software or an external device with the Braille key