Feature
ALVA MPO
Ports
USB, two audio jacks
Braille display
20 cells
Touch cursors above each cell
Yes
Speech output
Yes
Battery life
10 to 20 hours (depending on phone usage)
User-replaceable battery
No
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Ports: USB, two audio jacks.
Braille display: 20 cells.
Touch cursors above each cell: Yes.
Speech output: Yes.
Battery life: 10 to 20 hours (depending on phone usage).
User-replaceable battery: No.
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Documentation: JAWS: 4; Window-Eyes: 4.
Word 2002: JAWS: 4; Window-Eyes: 3.5.
Excel 2002: JAWS: 4.5; Window-Eyes: 3.
Internet Explorer 6.0: JAWS: 4.5; Window-Eyes: 4.5.
Braille support: JAWS: 4; Window-Eyes: 4.5.
Overall rating: JAWS: 4.5; Window-Eyes: 4.5.
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Keys easily identifiable by touch: Audiovox/Toshiba: 4; Samsung: 1.
Access to screen information: Audiovox/Toshiba: 2.5; Samsung: 1.5.
Accessible documentation: Audiovox/Toshiba: 1; Samsung: 1.
Speech quality: Audiovox/Toshiba: 4.5; Samsung: 4.5.
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Feature
JAWS
Window-Eyes
Braille support
Yes
Yes
Multiple synthesizer languages
Yes
Yes
Reads tables correctly in Word
Yes
No
Reads tables correctly on the web
Yes
Yes
Navigates by headings on the web
Yes
Yes
Citrix Metaframe support
No
Yes
Microsoft Remote Desktop support
No
Yes
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Feature
Audiovox CDM 9950/
Toshiba VM 4050
Samsung SPH-a660
Size when closed (inches)
3.7 x 1.9 x 0.9
3.0 x 1.9 x 0.9
Weight (ounces)
4.1
3.6
Display screen size (inches)
Main screen: 1.7 x 1.4
Secondary screen: 0.6 x 0.8
1.4 x 1.1
Phone style
Clamshell
Clamshell
Voice dialing
Yes
Yes
Accessible PDA
No
No
Costa
$330 or $180 with a two-
year service agreement
from Sprint
$200 or $30 with a two-
year service agreement
from Sprint
aNote that prices for cell phones and service change rapidly, so check with your service provider for current prices and availability.
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Braille support: JAWS: Yes; Window-Eyes: Yes.
Multiple synthesizer languages: JAWS: Yes; Window-Eyes: Yes.
Reads tables correctly in Word: JAWS: Yes; Window-Eyes: No.
Reads tables correctly on the web: JAWS: Yes; Window-Eyes: Yes.
Navigates by headings on the web: JAWS: Yes; Window-Eyes: Yes.
Citrix Metaframe support: JAWS: No; Window-Eyes: Yes.
Microsoft Remote Desktop support: JAWS: No; Window-Eyes: Yes.
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Size when closed (inches): Audiovox/Toshiba: 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.9; Samsung: 3.0 x 1.9 x 0.9.
Weight (ounces): Audiovox/Toshiba: 4.1; Samsung: 3.6.
Display screen size (inches): Audiovox/Toshiba: Main screen: 1.7 x 1.4, Secondary screen: 0.6 x 0.8; Samsung: 1.4 x 1.1.
Phone style: Audiovox/Toshiba: Clamshell; Samsung: Clamshell.
Voice dialing: Audiovox/Toshiba: Yes; Samsung: Yes.
Accessible PDA: Audiovox/Toshiba: No; Samsung: No.
Costa: Audiovox/Toshiba: $330 or $180 with a two-year service agreement from Sprint; Samsung: $200 or $30 with a two-year service agreement from Sprint.
aNote that prices for cell phones and service change rapidly, so check with your service provider for current prices and availability.
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Keys easily identifiable by touch: 3.5.
Access to all system information: 4.
Accessible documentation: 3.
Speech quality: 3.5.
Braille quality: 3.
Phone: 4.5.
SMS: 4.5.
Notes: 4.
Contacts: 4.
Agenda: 3.5.
Customizable user settings: 4.
Overall rating: 4.
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Ease of use: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 5; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 5.
Ergonomics and comfort of design: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 4.5; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 3.5.
Degree of color information provided: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 3; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 4.
Accuracy of color identification: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 2.5; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 3.5.
Speech quality: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 5; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 5.
Documentation (clarity): ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 3; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 4.5.
Documentation (accessibility): ColorTest Memo: 3; Color Teller: 4; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 4.
Additional features: ColorTest Memo: 4; Color Teller: Not applicable; Speechmaster Colour Detector: Not applicable.
Overall rating: ColorTest Memo: 4.5; Color Teller: 3; Speechmaster Colour Detector: 4.
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Color is everywhere in the world, but it is far more than an esthetic value to be appreciated or ignored. It is intrinsic to how we communicate in work and play. Consider the following:
"Wear your red power suit to the interview."
"Keep only the yellow copy."
"Please check all files stored on the disks with blue labels."
"Mom, would you please bring my green sweatshirt to school?"
If you have ever responded with anxiety to any of these phrases, or thousands like them, then you are one of the many people who are blind, have low vision, or are color blind who knows that the ability or inability to recognize individual colors plays an important role in our daily lives. With a reliable color identifier, an electronic device that can "see" and recognize a color for you, you can confidently select appropriately coordinated clothing, sort laundry, select file folders or other office materials that are coded by color, identify the packaging of products or medications, discover the color of objects in any environment for verbal reference to a sighted colleague, or perform any other daily task that depends upon seeing color.
Although not all color identifiers are created equal, the basic principle that makes the technology work is consistent. A sensor detects the color of an object by the amount of light reflected. Black, for example, absorbs all the light, whereas bright white absorbs little light. There are 2 million to 4 million color possibilities, and although color identifiers are equipped to name only a few thousand of them, these devices are ample for the routine identification of the colors of common objects in the environment. Accuracy depends on a variety of factors--the amount and source of lighting (artificial or natural) that are present in the area where the device is being used; the texture and density of the item being examined; and, of course, the quality of the technology being used.
For this article, three products were evaluated: the ColorTest Memo from Caretec, the Color Teller from Brytech, and the Speechmaster Colour Detector from Cobolt Systems. Although all are designed to identify colors and announce the results audibly, they are otherwise so distinctly different from one another that they are not being compared but, rather, evaluated as three separate devices.
Caretec, of Austria, was the first company whose color-identifying product was widely available in the United States. That first product, simply called ColorTest (now referred to as the ColorTest Classic), was added to the product catalog of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, in the early 1990s. In 2003, three new models (collectively referred to as the ColorTest 2000 series) were introduced by Caretec. The ColorTest Standard, ColorTest Deluxe, and ColorTest Memo all resemble the ColorTest Classic in appearance, but the technology of color analysis has been enhanced, and many new features have been added. All identify over 1,000 nuances of color, and all use the same clear, female voice. (The product is available in several languages, including German, French, Hebrew, and more. The voice referred to here is the English version.) In addition to identifying colors, the ColorTest Memo, the most elaborate of the 2000 family and the model evaluated for this article, announces the time, date, and temperature; can serve as a calendar, timer, or stopwatch; facilitates the playing of games; and can even record personal memos.
The ColorTest Memo is similar in shape and size to the original ColorTest--a 6-inch-by-1½-inch rectangle, resembling the shape of a remote control. It has a sensor at its rounded end and two notches at the squared end, through which a cord can be threaded to serve as a wrist strap. On its surface are four round buttons (referred to as "keys" in the ColorTest manual) that are slightly raised and respond with a satisfying tactile "click" when pressed. The top surface is otherwise smooth, except for three prominent dots at the end where the sensor is located. These dots serve the convenient function of quickly identifying the business end of the device, as well as ensuring a firm grip when the sensor is pressed against a color to be identified. The back of the unit has four rubber feet, a speaker at the sensor end of the unit, and the words "Caretec Austria" in braille. There are two jacks on one side (one for servicing the unit and the other for a headphone) and one jack on the other side (for the included AC adapter). ColorTest runs on its own factory-installed battery for several weeks of consistent use and clearly announces when it needs to be connected to the charger.
Caption: The ColorTest Memo.
Press any button to turn the unit on, and a merry jingle plays to confirm that the unit is on. To power the unit off, press the first three keys simultaneously. If no button has been pressed for 30 seconds, the ColorTest shuts itself off. In either case, power off is announced by a musical sequence, which happens to be the first few bars of "If I Were a Rich Man" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof (which, after a few automatic shutoffs, becomes imprinted on your brain!).
The ColorTest package includes the ColorTest, a leather carrying pouch, an AC adapter, and a user's manual in regular print and on audiocassette. The braille manual is currently available only in German for the ColorTest Memo. (The ColorTest Standard has a braille manual in English, produced by the American Printing House for the Blind.) The package does not include an earphone or wrist strap.
When the ColorTest's sensor is held firmly against the surface to be identified, pressing the first button, called the Measuring key, will announce that color's name. Pressing the second button, the Analysis key, provides additional information. Caretec has divided the names of colors into an impressive range of verbal differentiation. ColorTest can be set to announce "common" colors (red, blue, green, and yellow), "universal colors" (such as milky pink, pure steel blue, and bright yellow), or both. Similarly, the Analysis key can be programmed to provide various amounts of information. By using such terms as luminosity (called "brightness" in the original ColorTest) and saturation (richness or intensity of the color) as well as the percentages of the primary colors (red, blue, and green) that are present, this additional analysis more clearly defines the nature of the color in question. With practice, this feature can equip you with enough information about a given object to form a reliable assessment of its color.
Say, for example, that a sweater is identified as violet, and pressing the Analysis key provides the additional information that it has 50 percent luminosity and a color breakdown of 40 percent red, 29 percent green, and 31 percent blue. If you want to match a pair of socks to the sweater, so you can wear the sweater with the socks, you then measure the color of two socks (each from a separate pair, of course). Perhaps the Measuring key has dubbed one sock "milky violet," and the other "light purple." Considering the names alone, the two colors whose names include violet may seem to be similar. Pressing the Analysis key, however, may tell you that the sock called "light purple" has a 52 percent luminosity, 38 percent red and 32 percent blue, whereas the one called "milky violet" has a 40 percent luminosity, only 31 percent red and 40 percent blue. In other words, the sweater described as violet and the sock described as light purple have similar levels of brightness and color distribution. Using this additional information makes identifying shades of colors much more possible and thereby raises the level of reliability when you assemble desired combinations.
The texture and density of the surface being examined also have significant bearing on the accuracy of ColorTest's identification. A thin sheet of cream-colored notepaper, for instance, when tested alone, was identified as "pale yellow." Folded in half, the same sheet in the same lighting was still called "pale yellow" or "faint yellow." Holding the single sheet against a background of blue denim netted the measurement of "light greeny beige" because it picked up some of the blue from the fabric beneath the paper. Finally, when the paper was tested with a pile of identical sheets below it, it was accurately dubbed "cream."
Using only the Measuring key, whether the ColorTest is set to "universal" or "common" colors, can give a better-than-average "read" of the colors of objects. Learning to use the additional features of analysis, however, raises the level of accuracy considerably.
The third button on the ColorTest is the Menu key. Pressing this key activates the menus, and the Measurement and Analysis keys then become up and down arrows for moving through the menus. What follows is a summary of what you can do in these menus and how reliable (or useful) each feature is.
Press the Menu key once, and the first menu choice, Time, is announced. By pressing it again, the correct time (e.g., 3:44 p.m.) can be heard. By pressing the Menu key once, hearing the choice Time, and then going up one level with the Measuring key, you hear the next choice: Date. Pressing the Menu key at this choice will elicit the announcement of the day's date in this manner: "Friday, fifth March, two thousand four." Moving through the menus in this manner, then (and using the same keys in similar ways within the menus) the ColorTest can be used to schedule appointments, set a timer for up to 10 minutes, activate a stopwatch, and record a memo. There are also three submenus: Settings, Games, and Information.
Appointments can be set for a single occasion or set to sound off daily, weekly, or annually. After you schedule an appointment, you can record a brief note to yourself regarding that appointment. (The record feature is available only on the Memo version.) When the appointment time is announced, an attention-getting musical sequence is played, followed by ColorTest's clear announcement of the date and time and your own recorded note.
Although the manual indicates that the timer can be set for any length of time from 1 minute to 10 minutes, I initially thought this was not possible. It can be set for one minute, but the process is cumbersome. Moving through the timer menu, the first option is two minutes. One minute, strangely enough, is reached only by cycling through the menu from two minutes to ten (at 30-second increments). Once the timer is started, a soft beep is heard every 10 seconds. When the desired amount of time has elapsed, a two-tone signal, reminiscent of the siren on an emergency vehicle, is heard. You can press the Analysis key at any time to hear the amount of time that is remaining.
The stopwatch feature also emits a beep every 10 seconds while the feature is activated. It continues to run until it is turned off. In other words, you can set the stopwatch, go out of the menu to check the colors of some items, and then return to see how much time has passed. Since the unit automatically turns itself off when no buttons have been pressed for 30 seconds, the timer and stopwatch functions are designed to continue to operate when the unit is powered off.
The memo-recorder function, which Caretec calls "Dictaphone," is available only in the ColorTest Memo. This function enables you to record notes of any sort that are not associated with scheduled appointments. There are more commands to memorize within this menu option than in the others, and it is decidedly not a feature that is designed for a person of little patience. Recording is simple enough. After you choose Dictaphone from the Menu, you press the fourth and last button (called the Quick key). When ColorTest plays messages back, it announces the date and time of each recording. One gratifying element of this feature is that you can remain within the Dictaphone option until you deliberately exit. In other words, you can record, play, edit, or delete messages without having to reenter the menu after every single function. With all other menu options, the opposite is the case. When you schedule an appointment, for instance, you press the Menu key--the up arrow with the Measuring key to Appointment--and then press the Menu key again to select. After you schedule one appointment, however, you are thrown out of the menu. To schedule another, you must repeat the entire process. In the interest of efficiency, the company would do well to add a feature that allows the user to remain within each given menu for more than one task at a time. Happily, the Dictaphone menu permits you to remain within the option until you press the key combination for exiting.
While most operations within menus are easily learned and relatively intuitive, deleting messages is clumsy. To delete a message, you must press the key combination of the Menu and Analysis keys exactly when ColorTest is announcing the time and date a note was recorded. If you push them while your own recorded message is playing or after the announcement of the date and time, it is necessary to begin again. When the keys have been pressed, the unit then asks, "Delete your note?" If you do not press the Quick key at exactly the right instant to confirm, you must repeat the process.
The three submenus--called Settings, Games, and Information--are navigated the same way as the other menus: Select a submenu by pressing the Menu key and then browse up and down by using the Measuring and Analysis keys. Within the submenu called Settings, you can set the volume, time, date, whether to hear common or universal color names or both, and the amount of analysis of colors you wish to hear; assign your own recorded message to a particular color; and erase all voice recordings you have made in the unit with appointment, Dictaphone, or color-code options.
The Games submenu is undoubtedly the most useless of all the ColorTest 2000's additional features. There are four choices here--dice, roulette, bingo, and chess clock. None of them, however, is actually a game to be played with the unit itself. The dice option simply offers random "dice" numbers from 1 to 6. Similarly, roulette offers random color-number combinations (such as 23 red and 11 black). Bingo announces random bingo positions (like O71 and B8), and the chess clock sets a timer for two players. To play any of these games, however, you need the physical game board (many of which are sold by Caretec). The last submenu, Information, gives you the room temperature in Fahrenheit, the status of the battery, and the version number of the ColorTest unit.
Two special features that also deserve mention are the "dynamic measurement" function and light detection. The fourth key on the ColorTest Memo is also used to activate the dynamic measurement function. In this mode, the sensor can be pressed against a multicolored or patterned surface and then used to announce all colors detected in the pattern. In addition, all ColorTest models have the bonus advantage of detecting light. For a totally blind person, this is a particularly useful extra. When you hold the Measuring key down continuously and move the unit about, a steady tone alters dramatically in pitch when the unit moves from darkness to light. This option can be useful for determining whether electronic equipment is turned on or off when no other sound clue is present. It can also be used to confirm that there is a strong light source in the area where the ColorTest is being asked to identify color.
Although its identification of colors is far from flawless, ColorTest does an excellent job when some basic principles of use are exercised (such as ensuring that adequate light is present and folding several layers of thin fabrics or other materials to get the truest "read" of the desired color). The additional color analysis is extremely useful. The quality of speech is excellent, and the design is tactilely pleasing.
Although it is not clear that so many features are necessary in a device that is designed primarily to recognize colors, the additional features are, for the most part, well executed and easy to use. The difference in price between the Standard and Memo editions is so slight that many buyers may consider it worth the additional price to have a clock, calendar, memo recorder, and other features in the same unit that identifies colors. The Games submenu, as stated earlier, is perhaps the most glaring evidence of an attempt to pack too much dazzle into one small package.
The company could improve its marketing considerably by establishing clearer distinctions for the various models. It took some real patience to determine, at last, that the ColorTest Classic is still on the market (it is the one with only two buttons) and that ColorTest 2000 refers to three different units. The Standard adds the clock, calendar, thermometer, and three games. The Deluxe has, in addition, the chess clock and dynamic measurement. Only the Memo has the recording functions--the ability to add notes to scheduled appointments, to record personal memos, and to create customized color-code information for specific items.
The musical sequences are a charming added touch, but the delay before the device automatically shuts off should be adjustable. When you try to identify the colors of several objects, it becomes increasingly tedious--even annoying--to hear the opening notes of "If I Were a Rich Man" one more time as the unit shuts off and then have to turn the unit on and wait for the power-up jingle to finish before ColorTest will permit you to measure another color. The bottom line, however, is that the ability to recognize colors independently is an integral, not trivial, aspect of employment, education, and socialization--and the ColorTest truly delivers assistance with that ability, as promised.
Brytech, of Canada (the company that first produced the money identifier), released an upgraded version of its color-identifying tool in March 2004. Called the Color Teller, this product is designed solely to identify colors. The Color Teller has three voices--one each in English, Spanish, and French--and the pronunciation of all three is extremely intelligible.
The first thing you are likely to notice about the Color Teller from Brytech is how appealing its design is. Holding it triggers a sense of fun, the irresistible urge to play that comes with holding a really innovative new toy. The unit is shaped like a 1960s-style telephone receiver--a long, slightly curved handle, with a jutting-out mouthpiece and earpiece like those that commonly accompanied rotary dial phones. The overall length is just under 6 inches. The "earpiece," or top, is where the sensor is located, to be held firmly against the surface whose color is to be identified. The actual speaker is just below this protrusion, in the long, straight portion of the device. There is one button on the top (in exactly the right position for your thumb when you hold the sensor against an object). Along the inside of the straight part of the "handset" are the unit's only other two buttons, one round and one oblong. The piece resembling the mouthpiece has a wrist strap fastened below it and is otherwise there to provide balance for the unit when it is pressing on an object to "read" color.
Caption: The Color Teller.
The Color Teller package includes the Color Teller, a carrying strap (attached to the loop at the bottom of the unit), a leather carrying case, and documentation in both large print and audio CD formats. Like the unit itself, both forms of documentation are provided in three languages. The unit comes with its first battery installed, which is good for 10,000 color announcements.
The Color Teller does one thing only: It identifies colors. The two buttons centered in the straight portion of the device (conveniently located where your fingers, curled around the device, will naturally touch) are used to set Color Teller's adjustable features.
Pressing the round button cycles through the features. Pressing the oblong button cycles through the choices that are available within each feature. Whereas the round button is easily located by touch, the oblong button is almost flush with the unit's structure and may be difficult for some users to locate. The available options are volume, language, level of detail, battery test, and version.
The unit is activated by holding it against a surface to be identified and then pressing the button at the top (above the "earpiece" of the imaginary telephone handset). Once a color has been announced, the round button, when pressed, will first announce Volume. To change the volume, press the oblong button, which cycles through low, medium, and high. Even at medium volume, the Color Teller sports a remarkably loud, strong voice. The speaker, in fact, is surprisingly small for such a robust announcement. The next choice offered by the round button is Language. Color Teller comes equipped to speak three languages--English, French, and Spanish--each with its own voice. The English is spoken by a deep male voice with an American accent. The French is also spoken by a strong male voice, and the Spanish is spoken by a strong female voice. All three have exceedingly clear diction.
The Level of Detail option offers two choices: simple and detailed. A simple color announcement would be brown or red, and a detailed announcement would be light brown or dark red. If only a general idea of an object's color is desired, Color Teller can do the job. There is, however, no additional analysis available, and the Color Teller is sometimes dramatically incorrect. It insisted, for example, that several pairs of blue jeans were "blue-green," that medium brown hair was dark, and even that fair skin was brown. Although it usually identified solid colors--such as red, green, purple--accurately this would not be a reliable device for pairing, say, various shades within any single color family.
The Color Teller is extremely easy to use, requiring one quick read of the brief instructions and a few minutes of experimentation to be up and running. Again, for obtaining only a general idea of colors of the items in your environment, the Color Teller is relatively reliable. Its inaccuracies are, at times, alarming and bewildering, however--repeatedly identifying a dense white object as green, for instance. Still, at less than one-third the price of any of the ColorTest products, "relatively reliable" may meet the needs of some potential customers.
The Speechmaster Colour Detector from Cobolt Systems in the United Kingdom is the lowest-priced identifier on the market. It acts as both color identifier and light probe. This device speaks in a clear male voice; has three volume settings; and is available in English, Swedish, Italian, French, and several other languages. Its overall shape is somewhat awkward to handle.
The lowest-priced, fairly reliable device is the Speechmaster Colour Detector, new from Cobolt Systems Ltd. in the United Kingdom, which acts as both a color identifier and light probe. The Cobolt detector is a somewhat bulky unit--about 5½ inches long by 2½ inches wide by 1 inch thick. If thought of roughly as a rectangle, its two long sides are rounded and its two short sides are flat. The detection lens is located on one of these two flat sides. Although the rounded or curved shape of the unit has been designed to fit in the hand, the model was most likely a very large hand. For a small or mid-sized hand, it is a bit awkward to handle.
Caption: The Speechmaster Colour Detector.
The unit has one slide switch along one of the long sides, which can move from the "off" position to three "on" positions, each with an increasing volume level. On the front surface of the unit is a pronounced round speaker grill, and an easily located battery compartment door. On the bottom of the unit is a "calibration" button. The top (one of the flat sides of the rectangle) is the detection surface, which is shielded by a plastic snap-on cover when the unit is not in use. The inside of the cover is white and is always used as the starting point when identifying colors.
The Cobolt comes with an earphone and instructions in large-print and audiocassette formats. It operates on one 9-volt battery, which is an optional extra, although the company says that most customers buy it elsewhere since it is a standard PP3 alkaline battery.
To operate the Speechmaster, the first step is to press the calibration button while sliding the switch to any of the three "on" positions. Each of these three "on" positions is a different volume level--from soft to high--but they are otherwise the same. When a beep is heard, the Cobolt is ready to read colors. In a clear male voice (with British accent, of course) it immediately begins announcing "white." The trick is to snap the cover off and immediately press the detection surface against an object to be identified. Cobolt will repeat whatever color it sees continuously until switched off. Say, for example, you have three pillows--one white, one red, one blue--to be identified. When Cobolt has been calibrated and is announcing "white," snap off the cover and press it firmly against the surface of the first pillow. It might announce "white" one more time, before stating "blue," or it might say "yellow" as it interprets whatever color it is passing en route to the pillow. Upon identifying the blue pillow, the unit continues to announce "blue" while you move it to the second pillow. Again, it might announce some other color en route, depending on whatever colors are reflected from the environment while moving from one point to the next, but will begin announcing "red" after a few seconds. The primary caveat, in other words, with this unit, is to be sure to listen to several repetitions of a color before trusting its accuracy.
Cobolt will provide the additional description of light, very light, dark, or very dark to the basic name of the color. When not in use, the unit should be switched off and the cover snapped into place.
The Cobolt is available in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, French and other languages. It is a simple, fairly accurate means of identifying color whose low price might be seen as compensation for its inelegant form.
Each of the color identifiers evaluated for this article has unique features, and the range in prices is definitely significant. The remarkable thing, if you are blind or color blind, is that such devices are now available to tell you the color of your shoes.
"The ColorTest has opened up the world of colors for blind and color-blind people. We received awards for them, and we have strived to perfect our device. In doing so, we've been faced with two fundamental problems. One has been to develop the most accurate spectrometer in view of the fact that the ones for industrial use are far too expensive and large. The other, more difficult, task has been to match the measured results with the most appropriate color name. The reasons are that color perception varies from person to person, that there are no standard color names in existence worldwide, and that color names vary from language to language; i.e., from culture to culture.
"Our ColorTest is a compromise among these conflicting requirements. A multitude of different measuring techniques were studied and tested under laboratory conditions and on more or less sophisticated models and prototypes. We have collected color samples which now constitute our library of some 40,000 shades of colors, and several thousand subgroups. All this has helped us in bringing forth a device which we considered the most appropriate. But we nevertheless have to admit that the path to color rehabilitation is going to be a very long one. First steps have been made, but many more are required to follow.
"We've made our ColorTest multifunctional in order to make it more affordable but also made provision for those who prefer a simpler device for everyday use. It's up to the user to decide which one to take."
"Brytech was pleased to have Color Teller included in this product review, and appreciates the depth of the evaluation. Color Teller was designed and manufactured with the ideas and suggestions of people who are blind and visually impaired who kindly worked with Brytech to help ensure that size, shape, voice quality, price, and ease of use make it a market leader. We encourage our customers to spend some time to "get to know" Color Teller, and we feel sure with a little practice they will find how to use and get the best performance from their unit. While we do not expect the issues you described, we do thoroughly test all our production units on a wide range of fabrics and color samples to ensure excellent performance before shipping.
"Enclosed with every Color Teller is an audio CD and large-print user instructions, which are extremely useful for getting the best results. We are confident that our customers will be happy with the Color Teller and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and six-month warranty to ensure satisfaction. Brytech is proud to add Color Teller to its product list and would be more than happy to answer any questions your readers might have."
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Manufacturer: Caretec, Stubenbastei 1, A-1010 Vienna, Austria; web site: <http://www.caretec.com>.
U.S. Distributor: American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206; phone: 800-223-1839; web site: <http://www.aph.org>. Sold under the name ColorTest II.
Price: $670.
Manufacturer: Caretec, Stubenbastei 1, A-1010 Vienna, Austria; web site: <http://www.caretec.at>.
U.S. Distributor: Independent Living Aids, 200 Robbins Lane, Jericho, NY 11753; phone: 800-537-2118; web site: <http://www.independentliving.com>.
Price: $750.
Manufacturer: Caretec, Stubenbastei 1, A-1010 Vienna, Austria; web site: <http://www.caretec.at>.
U.S. Distributor: Independent Living Aids, 200 Robbins Lane, Jericho, NY 11753; phone: 800-537-2118; web site: <http://www.independentliving.com>.
Price: $825.
Manufacturer: Brytech, 600 Peter Morand Crescent, Suite 240, Ottawa ON K1G 5Z3 Canada; phone: 613-731-5800; e-mail: <inquiries@brytech.com>; web site: <http://www.brytech.com>.
Price: $195.
Manufacturer: Cobolt Systems Ltd., The Old Mill House, Mill Road, Reedham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR13 3TL, England; phone: (U.K.) 01493-700172, (overseas) (44) 1493-700172; e-mail: <cobolt@compuserve.com>; web site: <http://www.cobolt.co.uk>.
Price: 50£ (approximately $90).
The quest for an accessible cellular telephone has taken a new twist. ALVA's Mobile Phone Organizer (MPO) is the first combination personal digital assistant and telephone that has been specifically designed for persons who are blind or have low vision. This product allows you to make and receive calls, compose and receive SMS (Short Message Service) messages, edit notes, and manage contacts.
AccessWorld evaluated the braille MPO model 5500. This product features eight braille input keys, synthetic speech output, and a 20-cell refreshable braille display. ALVA's other model, the MPO 5200, is similar to the 5500 except that it does not contain a refreshable braille display.
Caption: The ALVA MPO model 5500 with refreshable braille display.
The MPO 5500 weighs 1.75 pounds and is 9 inches wide, 4½ inches from front to back, and 2 inches thick. All its controls are located on the top of the product. Near the front of the unit are nine braille input keys, including the space bar. Two additional buttons are located on either side of the spacebar. These buttons are used to activate menus. Behind the braille input keys are 20 refreshable braille cells. Each cell has an associated touch cursor key above it, and there are two braille scroll keys in front of the display.
A four-way rocker control is located at either end of the refreshable braille display. ALVA refers to these controls as "pads." One of these pads is used to control the speech, and the other is used for standard cursor movements and navigating menus. The Settings menu of this product allows you to select which pad controls the voice and which pad controls the cursor movement. Each pad has two associated buttons. The role of these buttons also flips, depending on which pad is performing which function. The two buttons that are associated with the cursor pad serve as OK and Cancel buttons. The buttons that are associated with the speech pad are Place Call and Disconnect Call buttons. Both sets of buttons are tactilely discernable, making it easy to find the Disconnect Call button, for example.
The far rear edge of the top panel contains an On/Off button. This button, which must be held down for several seconds to turn the product on or off, is flush with the surrounding surface, and can be difficult to find. The rear panel of the product contains a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, two sets of headphone jacks, a power jack, and a slot where SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards can be inserted. SIM cards are used by all GSM (Global System for Mobile) cellular phones and contain information that identifies you to a cellular network. The rear panel of the MPO also contains braille markings that are meant to help you identify each port. Unfortunately, these markings were not the same as those that were described in the documentation.
The product comes with a sturdy carrying case that ALVA refers to as a holster. This semisolid case fits nicely around the MPO. The case contains a notch at the bottom that fits in the bottom of the MPO and further secures the unit. The case is designed to hold the product at all times. During the evaluation, there was no problem using the product while it was in the case.
The MPO comes with a variety of documentation. The complete manual is provided on a set of audio CDs. This manual is also stored on the product in the manual folder and can be read with the Notes application. The manual provides basic information about all the MPO's features and functions. Certain information, such as the lack of contracted (grade 2) support, is omitted. ALVA has also continued its tradition of complex numbering systems in its manuals. Section numbers, such as 4.2.1.2, make the system unnecessarily complex and may confuse some users.
The MPO also comes with a "Quick Start Guide" on audio CD, in braille, and in print. This guide offers an excellent way for new users to get acquainted with the product. When manual writers are trying to communicate to users exactly what keys are to be pressed, brackets and braces are often used to convey this information. Unfortunately, the reader of the "Quick Start Guide" on the audio CD thought it was necessary to read all these brackets and braces, which significantly decreased the guide's readability in this medium.
The MPO can provide output using both speech and braille. Speech is provided using a synthesizer from InfoVox. By default, the synthesizer produces a rather tinny female voice that may be difficult for some users to understand. The rate and pitch of this speech can be adjusted using the speech option of the settings menu. The Speech pad contains a Temporary Silence and a Mute option. Both these functions were useful when using the product. Pressing up and down on the Speech pad quickly increases or decreases the volume of the speech. It is convenient to have the ability to change this setting without having to use a menu.
Caption: Using the left side rocker control pad, which controls either the speech or navigation.
The MPO features a structured menu system for launching its various applications. The main menu of the product contains Notes, Phone, SMS, Contacts, Agenda, Utilities, and Settings. Each of these menu options, all of which are arranged horizontally, contains a pull- down submenu. Both the main menu and the submenus can be navigated either by using the cursor pad or by typing the first letter of the desired menu item. This menu system works much like the pull-down menus of many Windows applications. The only significant difference is that the main menu of the MPO does not contain an option for getting help.
Undoubtedly, the first thing that many new users of this product will want to explore is the telephone module. The MPO and the phone must be switched on separately. As noted earlier, the MPO is switched on with the On/Off button near the rear top edge of the product. The phone is activated by holding down the Connect button for approximately two seconds. The MPO indicates that the phone has been switched on using a series of tones. This information is not spoken or indicated on the braille display. It is possible to check the phone's on/off status in the Phone and Network options under the Utility menu, but this information is not easily accessed.
Having the phone module switched on and off separately from the product has both advantages and disadvantages. Having these two functions separate allows users to work with the product in environments where the use of cell phones is not permitted, such as airplanes. Leaving the phone in the off position while using the other features of the product also extends the battery's life. It is also possible to switch off the MPO and leave the phone on. A disadvantage is that if a call is received when the MPO is in this condition, the MPO will automatically be switched on to allow you to answer the call. Since there is no indication that the phone is still active when the MPO is switched off, it is easy to leave the phone on, and the battery will drain at a much faster rate.
Choosing the Phone option from the main menu causes the MPO to display a message that indicates which network of cellular service providers the phone is currently accessing. This information helps you determine if the phone is in "roaming" mode or is connected to your provider's network. Although the phone's signal strength is available using other menu options, this information is not displayed with the current service provider. Pressing the OK button from this message box reveals the Phone submenu. This menu allows callers to enter a new phone number to be dialed, dial a number associated with a contact, review and redial numbers from the Missed Call and Received Call logs, and redial previously dialed numbers. If the Dial a New Number option is selected, all digits of the number must be entered in Nemeth code or dropped cell braille (dot 2 for the number 1, for example). Once you have selected a number to be dialed from one of the menus options, the MPO makes a series of sounds to indicate that it is connecting. A connecting message is also shown on the display. If, however, the phone is unable to establish a connection, a series of loud, shrill tones are played. An error message indicating the problem is not spoken or displayed in braille. During the call, the elapsed time of the call is constantly displayed in braille.
Talking and listening to a caller can be done in one of two ways. The MPO includes a headphone microphone that can be connected to one of the headset jacks on the back panel. This option allows for private calling, much like a traditional phone. If the headphone is disconnected, the MPO acts like a speaker phone. This option allows you to hear the call through the MPO's main speaker and the caller to hear the MPO user through a built-in microphone. During the evaluation of the product, I made several phone calls using both the headset and the speaker phone. The audio quality using both methods was good. Obviously, using the headset worked much better when I made phone calls in situations that had a lot of background noise.
It is possible to use the MPO while talking on the phone. If you press the Speech pad to the right, it will mute the MPO's speech. This feature is useful when you are trying to listen to the phone. The Disconnect key, which is used to end a call, can be activated no matter what application is currently being run.
SMS messages are text messages that can be sent between many mainstream cellular telephones. When an SMS message is sent, it is instantly received by the recipient's phone. If the recipient's phone is active, an alert tone is played, and the user can choose to view the message. Although SMS messages cannot be long, they are often a handy way to send a quick bit of information to a colleague.
The MPO can send and receive SMS messages. The SMS Message menu allows users to compose a new message or read and reply to received messages. If the New Message or Reply to Message option is selected, you are placed in the SMS text editor. This simple editor allows you to enter up to 160 characters. The editor supports only the most basic editing functions, such as moving the cursor to the top or bottom of the text and cutting and copying text.
Once your message is complete, pressing the OK button allows you to enter a phone number to which you would like the message sent. If you are simply replying to a previously received message, the message is automatically sent. If an error is encountered with text messaging, unlike with the phone, the MPO alerts you by displaying a message in braille.
Receiving an SMS message is a simple operation. If your phone and MPO are switched on and in a good coverage area, an alert tone is played when the SMS message is received. A message is also spoken and shown on the braille display to alert you to this new message. At this point, you may press OK to read the message or press cancel to return to your previous task. When the phone and MPO were not in a good coverage area, the MPO occasionally did not alert me when a new message arrived. It is, however, easy to open the Received Items option of the SMS menu to check for any unread messages. If your phone is switched off when an SMS message is received, you are alerted to the fact that you have a new message as soon as the phone is switched on and is in a good coverage area.
The MPO's Notes feature is a basic word-processing application. Although this application can read Microsoft Word documents that are stored on the product using Microsoft ActiveSync, it does not have popular features, such as Spell Check or Word Count. Notes does offer basic functions, such as cutting and copying text. It is also the only application on the MPO that supports contracted (grade 2) braille input. The application will not, however, translate a document into contracted braille.
All the Notes features are accessed through a menu system. Many of these menu options also have shortcut keys assigned. The MPO provides you with a series of predefined categories or folders in which documents can be stored. You can move documents between these folders. It is not possible to create new folders or rename any of the existing folders.
The ALVA MPO has a Contact Manager that can be used to store numerous bits of information about individuals with whom you regularly correspond. As was noted earlier, the phone numbers that are entered into this manager can be used to call these individuals or send them SMS messages. Although the MPO's Contact Manager does not allow you to store as much information about a contact as is possible in other popular contact-management systems, the fields should be sufficient for most users. A Notes field, for example, is not included.
Once a contact has been entered, it is possible to look up this information only by using either a last name or a company's name. Searches that would, for instance, find all your contacts who live in Ohio are not possible.
Scheduling appointments on the MPO is accomplished using the Agenda application. The MPO allows you to schedule and review upcoming and past appointments using the familiar vertical menu structure. The scheduling of recurring appointments, however, is not supported. Although a specific menu option for rescheduling previously scheduled appointments does not exist, this task can be performed by simply editing an appointment while it is being viewed in the list view. The MPO does not provide any means of looking at a calendar view. Future appointments are simply listed in the order in which they will occur.
Contracted (grade 2) braille is not supported by the ALVA MPO. All menus, system prompts, and error messages are displayed in uncontracted (grade 1) braille. As was noted earlier, the Notes feature allows you to type text in contracted braille, but all other applications, such as the SMS text editor, require you to enter text in uncontracted braille. This problem is especially annoying in the phone application, where you must enter all phone numbers in dropped case. According to ALVA, support for contracted braille will be added in an upcoming release of the product.
The USB port on the MPO can be used to connect the product to a desktop or laptop computer. The product includes a cable and software for this purpose. The software is Microsoft ActiveSync. Like other Windows CE devices, when the MPO is connected, it appears as a remote disk drive in Windows Explorer. This remote drive can be browsed, and files can be copied to and from the MPO's various folders. Using utilities provided by ALVA, it is also possible to synchronize the product's Agenda (calendar) and contacts with Microsoft Outlook. Although performing this function is not mentioned in the main user manual, it is documented on the Utilities disk. Also, as was stated earlier, the MPO's contact manager does not have all the fields that a Microsoft Outlook contact contains. Only the similar fields are copied to the MPO. Being able to access all the contacts and appointments that are stored in Microsoft Outlook makes the Agenda and Contact applications of the MPO much more useful.
The MPO allows you to insert and use any SIM card. This means that any cellular service provider in your area that has GSM (Global System for Mobile) communication coverage should be able to support the MPO. I evaluated the MPO with a SIM card from T-Mobile. GSM service is designed so that when a user's original service provider is not available, the phone will work on another GSM-enabled network that is available. The product was evaluated in several different cities and was able to access a GSM network provider in most of these locations.
The ALVA Mobile Phone Organizer is a revolutionary new product. The phone and SMS applications give visually impaired users access to features that sighted individuals have had access to for years. The ability to hear current provider status and elapsed call time are functions that have only recently been added to a few high-end mainstream cell phones. Having this information on a refreshable braille display is definitely unique. Unfortunately, the MPO is still a new product. As such, it has many quirks that ALVA needs to address. Some of these quirks, such as the lack of support for contracted braille, are disappointing. The high cost of the product will also be a major problem for some individuals. Still, if you are looking for a phone that allows you to access all its features, consider the ALVA MPO.
"ALVA appreciates AccessWorld's favorable review of the MPO 5500. As the article points out, there are many desirable aspects of the MPO that customers find preferable over existing notetakers, such as its size and weight and its short learning curve, not to mention its accessible phone and text-messaging components. We have already begun working on the next software release, which we anticipate to be available around the time this article is published. This will be a free upgrade for MPO users and will address many of the points cited, including corrections to the user documentation and enhanced grade 2 braille support. In addition, this software upgrade will provide e-mail synchronization with Microsoft Outlook and the Terminal utility, which allows the MPO to be connected to a computer and used as a refreshable braille display in combination with popular screen readers. We are also planning several other software and hardware enhancements to the MPO family of products."
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Manufacturer: ALVA Access Group, 436 14th Street, Suite 700, Oakland, CA 94612; phone: (888) 318-2582; e-mail: <info@aagi.com>; web site: <http://www.aagi.com>.
Price: $4,295.
If you want to create a web site, need to add web publishing to your skill set, or just want to know a little more about how web pages work, this article will teach you the basics of creating and publishing documents on the World Wide Web. You will learn what basic elements make up a web page, how to create a web page, how to write basic HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), how to link to other documents, and how to post your creations to the web for all to see. Because of space limitations, this article cannot possibly cover all the topics that encompass the wide world of web publishing. However, I present the basics that will give you the ability to get started and to build a foundation of knowledge that will be invaluable if and when you decide to go further. This article also assumes that you have a basic familiarity with Microsoft Windows and that you know how to navigate using your screen reader or other access technology. If you need a basic primer on how to use Windows, see my article "Driving Windows for the First Time" (January 2002 AccessWorld).
Web publishing and coding may appear to be complex and impenetrable, but you do not have to know the subject in its entirety to get your feet wet. Even if you are a novice, you can create a basic web page that is effective and attractive. Before I tell you how to write a web page, I will present some basic definitions.
In simple terms, the Internet consists of millions of computers that are linked in a global network, allowing these systems to share information using standard protocols. The World Wide Web is the embodiment of this linkage because it allows you to publish documents that others can access from across the street or around the world. These documents are called web pages, and they are written using a standard language known as HTML.
On the World Wide Web, documents can be bound together by a mechanism known as linking. Links can be embedded in web pages, allowing you to move quickly to another web page by simply clicking on its link. With the click of the mouse or the strike of the Enter key, you can move across the world to another web page from the one you are currently viewing. This is a defining property of the web and what makes it so popular and efficient. In this article, I will show you how to create links to files and other web pages.
Web pages are basically plain text documents that contain the text and other content that you want displayed on your web page, as well as embedded commands called HTML tags. These tags tell your web browser how to display your page. Pages that are written in HTML have the file extension .HTML or .HTM, which allows the file to be recognized and read by web browsers. The browser processes the file, looking for HTML tags that it recognizes, and then displays the page according to the embedded HTML commands. If the file contains incorrectly written tags, the browser will fail to display the page properly. Web pages can also contain forms, buttons, and other control objects, but a full description of them is beyond the scope of this article.
Web pages can be written with almost any software program that will allow you to create documents and then save them as plain text files with the file extension .HTML. A file can be stored almost anywhere--on your local hard disk, on a company's network or intranet, or on the Internet itself. It really does not matter where the file is located, as long as you have access to the directory or the web site where it is stored. Then, you can point your web browser to the file to view its contents.
A web browser is one of the most important applications in your software arsenal, and its importance is increasing as the web expands and more software adopts web-style user interfaces. In a nutshell, web browsers are file readers that know how to interpret embedded HTML tags and then display a web page according to the embedded tags. Your web browser lets you open and view web pages found on the web, on your local hard drive, and on your company's network or intranet. Web browsers also let you run applications that have a web-style interface, a growing trend in the world of software development.
Microsoft Internet Explorer is by far the most common web browser, and I assume throughout this article that you are using it. Internet Explorer lets you navigate forward and backward from link to link by pressing Tab and Shift-Tab. Because of Internet Explorer's dominance of the market, manufacturers of screen readers have built in additional navigation for it.
Both Window-Eyes and JAWS for Windows reformat web pages to allow you to navigate through the pages using the arrow keys to move character by character, word by word, or line by line. Other web browsers include Netscape Navigator, Opera, Lynx, and IBM's Home Page Reader.
So what is contained within the actual file that makes up your web page? As already noted, this file contains all the text and other information you want displayed on your page, as well as embedded commands called HTML tags. Again, these tags tell your web browser how to display your web page on the screen and where to find the images, sounds, and other files that are connected to your page. HTML consists of hundreds of tags that let you format and display your web page in a wide variety of ways and includes tags that allow you to insert titles, headings, paragraphs, lists, images, links, and other objects within your web pages.
What is the basic construction of HTML tags? HTML tags begin with the left angle bracket "<" and end with the right angle bracket ">." An example of a commonly used HTML tag is this:
<title>
This tag tells your browser where the title of your page begins. But how do you tell your browser where the title ends? You use a closing tag like this:
</title>
Pay special attention to this example. It looks almost like the previous example, with one exception. It contains a "/" (forward slash) character. Thus, there are two basic types of tags: opening tags and closing tags. An opening tag tells your browser to start doing something, such as showing a word in bold face, and the closing tag tells it when to stop that action. It is that simple.
The next example puts a title on your web page. The title appears on the top bar of your browser's window, just above all the content. If you are using a screen reader, you can hear the title by using your Read Window Title command. Every page deserves a title, and this is how to do it:
<title>This Is the Title of My Web Page</title>
You will find that you need subtitles to make certain content stand out and to separate sections of your page. Here's an example that puts a Level 1 heading into your web page:
<h1>This Is a Heading</h1>
Headings have levels, and you can have up to six levels. Level 1 headings are more important than Level 2 headings, and so on.
<h6>This Is a Level 6 Heading</h6>
Because your web pages will likely contain lots of text content, you need a mechanism to separate paragraphs from one another. When you need to skip to the next paragraph, insert the following tag into your page:
<p>
Here's an example of how to use the paragraph tag in conjunction with text content:
<p>This is the first paragraph.</p>
<p>This is the second paragraph.</p>
<p>This is the third paragraph.</p>
Adding images and graphics to your web pages makes them stand out and gives your page a professional look. If you want to display an image file, use the following example:
<img src="FileName.jpg">
To make an image accessible, you will need to include a text description of the image. To display an image file on your page with a text description, use the following, slightly more complicated, example:
<img src = "C:\FileName.jpg" alt="This is the description of the image file">
Some of your web creations will include lists, and HTML allows you to do so fairly easily. The following example is known as an unordered list. You begin the list using the <ul> (for unordered list) tag and end it with the </ul> tag. You use the list item <li> and </li> tags for each item in the list, as in this short example:
<ul>
<li>the first object in the list</li>
<li>the second object in the list</li>
<li>the third object in the list</li>
<li>the last object in the list</li>
</ul>
In this section, I show you how to write a web page from beginning to end, building a template that you can modify for future creations. This sample template includes the basic HTML tags that you need to build a page that can be formatted correctly by most browsers. Your first page will include few HTML tags, but it will show you the steps that are necessary for creating a web page from start to finish.
I am using the Windows Notepad program for all the examples in this section. Notepad is a simple text editor that is used widely by programmers and software developers for editing their programs and HTML. It is simple and easy to use and does not insert hard carriage returns into your documents, which is useful because some programming languages are fussy about where carriage returns are inserted into the source code. Notepad is preferred by web designers who are blind because it is totally accessible, whereas many web-building tools are not. This text editor is available with all Windows systems and can be found by going to the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories. Arrow down until you hear Notepad and press the Enter key.
Type the following short example in Notepad, taking care to include all punctuation. The example creates a page with a title and two paragraphs of text beneath the title.
<html>
<head>
<title>This Is the Title of My Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>This is the first paragraph of my web page.</p>
<p>This is the second paragraph of my web page.</p>
</body>
</html>
This example is about as simple as it gets. Let us look at the HTML tags used in this example. The first tag <html> tells your browser that this is a web page written in HTML. The next tag <head> tells your browser where to find the heading information, and the tag after that <body> tells your browser where to find the actual content of your web page. The example also uses the title <title> tag and the paragraph <p> tags. If you read through the entire example, you will find that all the tags have corresponding closing tags.
Once you have typed in the foregoing example, the next step is to save the file. Press Alt+F to go to the File menu, arrow down to Save As, and then press the Enter key. This brings up the Save As dialog box, which asks for a file name.
Save the file in the root directory of Drive C, so it will be easy to find later. Type in the filename "C:\MyFirstFile.html" and press the Enter key. (Do not type the quotes.) Now, exit Notepad by hitting Alt+F4. Congratulations! You've just created your first web page!
The way to test our new web page is to launch the file and view the results using a browser. You can quickly launch the file by hitting WindowsKey+R to bring up the Run dialog box. Type "C:\MyFirstFile.html" into the box and press the Enter key. Be sure not to type the quotes. Shortly after you press Enter, your default browser, probably Internet Explorer, will automatically start and load your new file, provided that you entered the file name correctly.
If you did everything correctly, your new web page should now be visible on screen with Internet Explorer, the standard browser for Windows platforms, and you should hear the title and two paragraphs. If you see or hear any of your HTML tags, something is wrong, and you will need to edit the page to fix it.
Try to read the page in smaller increments using the Up and Down arrow keys. You can also move to the top of your page with Control-Home and to the end by hitting Control-End, both of which are standard Windows keyboard shortcuts.
If you want to view the source HTML, simply go to the View Menu with Alt+V. Arrow down to Source and press the Enter key. Doing so will launch Notepad with the source code of the file you are currently viewing. Internet Explorer remains active but is pushed into the background. Do not edit the source file, because editing will create a second copy of your file. If you need to edit the page, reopen your original file in Notepad. Simply make your corrections to the original and save the file again. Then hit Alt-Tab to return to Internet Explorer and view the results of your editing handiwork. To see these changes, you need to do one more step: hit the F5 key to reload the page. Once you hit F5, you will be able to see and hear your new page with the changes. Repeat these steps as many times as needed if you see or hear any of your HTML tags. This procedure is useful because it lets you quickly bounce back and forth, from viewing with Internet Explorer to editing with Notepad, with just a few keystrokes.
Once you have fixed your page and it displays properly, you can make the page more useful. One way to do so is to build a link to another page. To begin, just Alt-Tab to the original file in Notepad and start editing. Make your file look like the following example by adding the link <a> tag:
<html>
<head>
<title>This Is the Title of My Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>This is the first paragraph of my web page.</p>
<p>This is the second paragraph of my web page.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.afb.org/accessworld">
AccessWorld</a></p>
</body>
</html>
Now save your work and return to Internet Explorer. Hit F5 to reload the source file and view the page in the browser. If you want to add a new tag to expand your page, just repeat this sequence until you are satisfied.
Presto! you have just added the code to link your new web page to the AFB AccessWorld web page. Again, linking is the fundamental power of the World Wide Web, giving you the mechanisms to connect to other documents, files, web pages, and other information, and it is simple to accomplish. Links stand out on your page, and you can move through them using the tab key or move backward using Shift-Tab.
The next example shows how to link to a file on your hard drive. If you want to link to a local file, use this sequence in your page:
<a href="C:\Resume.doc"> This is the link to my resume.</a>
The string within the quotes is the full path of the file name, and the text that follows is the text that will be displayed on screen and spoken by your synthesizer when you land on the link.
You can use the foregoing example to link to text documents, Word documents, sound files, and other web pages. Try adding it to your template file at the end, right after the link to the AFB AccessWorld tag. Just be sure that you are linking to a file that exists and that you have entered the full and complete path.
A sound that is played every time someone visits your web page can add color and distinction to your page. Just be aware that if you add a sound, it is best to select a short sound file, because a background sound can drown out speech being produced by a screen reader. But if you want to play a Wav or MP3 file when your page opens, put this tag into your page, as in the following example.
<bgsound src="SoundFile.Wav">
For the file to be accessible, remember that you must provide a text description of this and any sound files that are linked to your pages. Just provide a text transcript of the file, or briefly describe the contents of the file to support users with hearing impairments.
You can learn a lot about how to write computer programs just by studying how other programs are written, and this applies in spades to HTML. A good way to learn how HTML is written is to look at the source codes of web pages that you visit. Just go to your favorite web page and tell your browser to view the source. If you are using Internet Explorer, just go to the View Menu by hitting Alt+V, arrow down to "View Source," and then hit Enter. This sequence will open up the file in Notepad, letting you examine all the HTML tags and other content contained within the page. You can save this file to your PC and read it later or cut and paste useful HTML tags into your creations. One word of caution: Not all the pages you view will be coded correctly, but this procedure will let you look under the hood of many sites on the World Wide Web.
Once you have written and tested your page on your local hard drive, you can put it on the web for all the world to see. You can typically upload the files to your Internet service provider using the standard file transfer protocol (FTP), and set the privileges for the files so that others can read them. Consult your Internet service provider for specific instructions on how to post your web site, since the requirements can vary from one provider to another. If you are on an intranet or network, you can publish your web site by copying your web page and its components to a shared network drive. Consult your company's director or coordinator of information technology to obtain the proper permissions.
In closing, it is in your basic interest to learn as much as you can about web publishing because it is still a needed resource for the general marketplace and a critical function for many companies and institutions. If you are comfortable with the web and web page development, you will be a more valuable commodity for most employers. Building your own web page is not difficult (it can be done with less than a dozen HTML commands), and you can reuse the template I have presented in this article. Isn't it time that you added this valuable set of skills to your résumé?
This article, the first of a two-part evaluation of three screen readers, reviews Freedom Scientific's JAWS for Windows 5.0 and GW Micro's Window-Eyes 4.5. In the July 2004 issue, we will review Hal from Dolphin Computer Access and any new additions to Window-Eyes and JAWS.
Screen readers continue to grow in importance as a tool for a person who is blind or has low vision. It makes your computer usable, since it is the interface between the operating system, its applications, and you. An increasing amount of information about almost everything in our lives is generated electronically. If the screen reader supplies good, accurate information, you can read and edit word-processor documents, browse and shop on the web, read e-mail, and more. If the screen reader does not provide the information you need, you will not be able to do so.
This article presents an overview of the two most popular screen readers in the United States and how they perform in Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, and Excel. Testing was conducted on Pentium 4 computers at 1.2 GHZ or with 866 Mhz with 256 mb of RAM running Windows 2000. We tested braille output using a Focus braille display from Freedom Scientific and an ALVA Satellite 544 display.
JAWS 5.0 includes a variety of documentation. New copies of JAWS include a set of basic training tapes that explain the fundamentals of setting up and using the product. When JAWS 5.0 was released, all registered users were also sent a What's New CD with the program CD. The What's New CD briefly demonstrates each of JAWS 5.0's many new features. The real strength of Freedom Scientific's documentation, however, is the online documentation. JAWS 5 includes a help system, based on HTML (Hypertext Markup Language, the language used to code web pages), that is comprehensive and fairly easy to navigate. Although users must know how to navigate web pages and tree views to use this system, once these skills are mastered, users can easily locate a wide variety of information.
JAWS 5.0 performed well with Microsoft Word. Most menus and dialogs within the application were read in a predictable and efficient manner. Freedom Scientific has incorporated some features designed to provide users of Word as much or little information as they want. For example, the Verbosity menu, which controls the amount of speech provided, allows users to select if they would like to hear changes in font and style information. This was very useful when proofreading a complex document. When the proper commands are used, JAWS reads most tables within documents very well. The JAWS help topics for using Microsoft Word are very comprehensive and should provide adequate assistance to most users.
The only major problem we encountered when using JAWS with Microsoft Word was that occasionally JAWS would randomly stop speaking text. Instead, JAWS would simply say "blank," causing the user to think that the text had somehow disappeared. Issuing the JAWS Refresh screen command or changing to another view within Word sometimes resolved this issue. Freedom Scientific states that they are aware of this problem. The March 2004 patch to version 5.0 has incorporated code that will fix this problem for some users.
JAWS 5.0 includes many new features that are intended to help users navigate web pages quicker and easier. Many of these features work on more than just the web. JAWS HTML enhancements also work on many applications that present the user with HTML pages, such as HTML help screens.
The JAWS place-marker feature allows a user to set up to 10 markers on a specific HTML page. Once these markers have been set, using JAWS quick keys (pressing a single letter key while reading a page) allows a user to jump quickly to the next or previously set marker. The unique aspect of place markers is that they are associated only with the page that you are currently reading. If you establish a number of place markers for a specific web page--the front page of Amazon.com, for example--these markers will be there every time you visit this page. The files that store these markers can even be transferred between users. So, if you have a set of place markers that helps you navigate a complicated page, you can give them to a friend to help him or her navigate the same page. For individuals who use cluttered sites on a regular basis, this feature can really save time.
JAWS 5.0 has a feature that allows users to skip over any Flash content that is presented on a page. Flash is a tool that many web-site designers use to present information dynamically on a page. Unless it is written properly, Flash is usually useless for users of screen-review software. Flash content can even be confusing to visually impaired web surfers if it causes the page to refresh constantly. For these reasons, Freedom Scientific has given JAWS users the ability to ignore Flash content. This is an option in both the session-specific Verbosity menu (Insert V) and the Configuration Manager. Unfortunately, when we activated this feature using the session-specific Verbosity menu, JAWS would occasionally ignore our request to skip this content.
Since all web sites are slightly different, certain verbosity settings may be more helpful on certain sites. For example, on some sites, it may be useful to know where frames begin and end, but on other sites this may be too much information. JAWS site-specific verbosity features (accessed by pressing Insert-Shift-V) allow users to solve this problem. Certain verbosity options, such as frame indication, graphics and link verbosity, and whether to announce list information, can be set to apply only to a specific site. As long as you are browsing pages at that particular URL (any page starting with bookshare.org, for example), these settings apply.
When you view a Roman site, speak like the Romans. In earlier versions of JAWS, a feature was introduced that allowed the software to automatically detect the language settings of the Microsoft Word document that was currently being read. If possible, JAWS would then automatically change its synthesizer language to match the text of the language being read. This feature has now been expanded to include the reading of web pages. JAWS uses the code of the web page to determine the language on the page and how this text should be pronounced. Although this is a great idea in theory, it does not always work. Many web designers have improperly coded this information on their pages. For example, the web site for the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, <http://www.fcc.gov>, is spoken in a pleasant British English. JAWS 5.0 includes a dialogue that allows users to change synthesizer languages on the fly. When we viewed the FCC site, we attempted to use this feature to correct the improper switch to British English. Changing this setting had no effect. The only solutions were to disable the autodetect language feature in the Verbosity menu or to disable language detection on this site using the site-specific verbosity features.
JAWS 5.0 provides excellent access to Microsoft Excel. During our evaluation, JAWS read basic and complex spreadsheets with no major problems. On some systems, JAWS would occasionally misread information in a spreadsheet with a large amount of data and formulas. This error was easily noticeable, and a screen redraw (having JAWS query Windows to get a new image of the text and controls on the screen) solved the problem. The Get Object command provided excellent information on charts within spreadsheets. Getting at this information by this method may be a bit confusing for new users, but once you learn how to do so, it is a simple command to remember.
JAWS 5.0 includes a new utility known as Speech and Sounds Manager. This tool allows you to assign sound effects or speech attributes to a wide variety of on-screen events. You can, for example, set up JAWS to speak all links on a web page in a higher pitch and play the sound of a bell ringing when the focus is placed on a check box. A set of rules, such as these, can be saved into a scheme that can be easily switched on. The product includes approximately 15 different schemes that are designed to be useful in various situations. One scheme causes JAWS to read text with an attribute, such as bold, in a different voice. This scheme is useful when you are proofreading text.
Freedom Scientific has also incorporated sound-effects and voice-language attributes into the Dictionary Manager. The new Dictionary Manager, which was traditionally used simply to change the pronunciation of a word, can now be used to have JAWS speak a specific word in a specific synthesizer language. JAWS can also be instructed to play a sound instead of to speak a particular word. A practical use of this feature is to censor objectionable language when young children are using the computer.
Both the Speech and Sounds Manager and the advanced options of the Dictionary Manager are not intended for new users of the product. However, once these tools are set up properly, they give you a unique way of reading information.
In most cases, the Window-Eyes installation is simple. The default synthesizer is DECtalk Access32, and a temporary version of Window-Eyes can be installed automatically to talk you through the installation if you have no other screen reader running.
You bring up online help in Window-Eyes by pressing Control-Shift-F1. There is specific help for some applications, such as Internet Explorer and Word, including hot keys and instructions on navigating. In other cases, Window-Eyes provides general information for the Windows control you are on. So, in NotePad, you get instructions about an edit box, and in Windows Explorer, you are told how to navigate in a listbox, tree view, or edit box, depending on where you are when you ask for help. We found some typographical errors in the online help.
The Window-Eyes manual comes in Windows Help format, ASCII, MP3, and PDF formats. The manual gives you a quick overview of the Windows environment and deals in depth with configuring Window-Eyes to work better with applications. In addition, Window-Eyes provides hot keys for all supported braille displays in a single document. The manual is also on GW Micro's web site.
Window-Eyes performed well in Microsoft Word. The Read-to-End function allowed us to read documents without interruption. Window-Eyes also performed well in the Spell Checker and other dialogue boxes. However, the incorrect word was sometimes read along with one or more lines of text. Pressing Insert-W ended the confusion by spelling the highlighted word. Most menus and dialogue boxes were spoken and easy to navigate. It is important to make sure that Window-Eyes is using the correct set files for the version of Microsoft Word that you are running.
Window-Eyes 4.5 offers dramatic improvements in web access over previous versions. Web pages are reformatted and presented in a similar way as word-processor documents. Previously, you could tab from link to link and move through text by word or line and read tables, but you could not navigate on a higher level.
Quick navigation keys have now replaced harder-to-remember two- or three-key combinations for navigating web pages. Window-Eyes takes advantage of much more of the information that Internet Explorer provides, allowing you to navigate via headings, lists, paragraphs, and forms. For example, type L to move to the next link and C to move to the next control in a form on a web page. Smart Paragraph and Smart Table mode let Window-Eyes determine what information is most important on a page. This version also includes Tools to access the beginning and end of elements, route the mouse pointer to specific elements, and get detailed information about any element.
You can now adjust the amount of information that Window-Eyes tells you as you surf the web directly from the keyboard, rather than having to bring up the Window-Eyes Control Panel. Pressing Insert-V brings up the MSAA (Microsoft Active Accessibility) Verbosity Settings list box. MSAA is a set of programming language enhancements and standards for programmers to follow, which Window-Eyes uses to obtain information from the Windows operating system. Here you can control how much information Window-Eyes will tell you about links, forms, lists, tables, and more. Window-Eyes makes a clicking sound when a second browser window opens. This click alerts you instantly that you may not be where you think you are. Multiple open browser windows can also cause a screen reader to get confused and crash. Crashes occur less often with Window-Eyes 4.5, and rarely in Windows 2000.
Exploring the web sites that you visit regularly can provide tips on how to find what you want quickly. For example, at the New York Times web site, <http://www.nytimes.com>, a large number of repetitive links and advertisements make it difficult to find the article that you have selected to read. However, knowing that there is typically only one heading on an article page lets you hit H and jump directly to the beginning of that article.
Window-Eyes 4.5 had significant problems with Microsoft Excel. When we used the default settings for both Window-Eyes and Microsoft Excel, it was impossible to get any useful information. After we made some changes under the Excel View menu, which are listed in the Window-Eyes Read Me file for Office XP set files, the screen reader was able to read and navigate basic spreadsheets. More complex information, such as charts, was read inconsistently and not well described. When reading a pie chart, for example, Window-Eyes simply announced the presence of a chart and read the chart's title. Information such as how many slices made up the pie and the total size of each slice was impossible to read.
Windows 2000 and Windows XP allow a network administrator or technical support specialist to access a server in another location using Microsoft Remote Desktop. This application was not accessible to users of screen readers before Window-Eyes 4.5. The Information Systems Department at the American Foundation for the Blind installed Window-Eyes 4.5 on a server with a sound card using the Windows 2000 Advanced operating system. The speech synthesizer on the server must be switched to virtual channel so the synthesizer on the client computer will speak. Other modifications on the server were necessary because of the use of Windows 2000. Once configured this way, the server's desktop appears as an image on the technician's machine, and Window-Eyes speaks. Using this setup, a network administrator who is blind was able to perform such functions as adding a printer, restarting the server, stopping a program (Norton Antivirus Services), installing an application, and creating a new user account.
The newest versions of both Window-Eyes and JAWS contain numerous new features that enrich the screen-reading experience. Many of these new features are devoted to enhancing the reading of HTML documents. Since an increasing number of applications are becoming web-based applications, this is a logical step in the ongoing quest for access.
"We appreciate AccessWorld's efforts in attempting to convey the strengths and weaknesses of Window-Eyes. Of course, Window-Eyes offers much more in areas discussed and not discussed. For example the Internet access in 4.5 goes well beyond what was described. We feel the 4.5 release has raised the bar regarding web-based applications. Also, our Citrix Metaframe, Microsoft Terminal Services and Microsoft Remote Desktop support goes well beyond what was reviewed, opening up doors which previously were locked to blind computer users. "
"We state in our six-hour tutorial, which is included, that you should read the README.TXT file for each application's set file being used. Also, for basic documents we feel the existing Window-Eyes 4.5 Office support is more than adequate. However, the emphasis on our next release is for advanced documents in Office. This release will once again raise the bar when it comes to accessing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents."
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Manufacturer: Freedom Scientific Blind/Low Vision Group, 11800 31st Court North, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1805; phone: 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000; e-mail: <Info@FreedomScientific.com>; web site: <http://www.FreedomScientific.com>.
Price: JAWS Professional (works with Windows NT/2000Pro/XPPro), $1,095; JAWS Standard (works with Windows 95/98/Me & XP Home), $895.
Manufacturer: GW Micro, 725 Airport North Office Park, Fort Wayne, IN 46825; phone: 260-489-3671; e-mail: <sales@gwmicro.com>; web site: <http://www.gwmicro.com>.
Price: Window-Eyes Standard (works with Windows 95/98 and Millennium), $595; Window-Eyes Professional (works with Windows 95/98, Millennium, 2000, Windows XP Home, or Windows XP Professional), $795.
Funding for this product evaluation was provided by the Teubert Foundation, Huntington, WV.
Following up on our article, "Do Cell Phones Plus Software Equal Access? Part 2" in the January 2004 issue of AccessWorld, in which we discussed two Nokia cell phones, combined with third-party text-to-speech software, this article evaluates two cell phones that come equipped with a degree of speech output right out of the box. One of these phones is produced by both Audiovox and Toshiba and is known as both the Audiovox CDM 9950 and the Toshiba VM 4050. We refer to it as the Audiovox/Toshiba. The other phone we evaluated is the Samsung SPH-a660. These two phones were not designed to offer the overall degree of accessibility that is found in the two Nokia phones with added software, but the speech output that is included may represent the beginning of a trend in which manufacturers and service providers include accessibility without the need to purchase additional software. We investigated how well the speech-output capabilities of these two phones provided access for a person who is blind or has low vision to the device's many functions and features.
The Audiovox/Toshiba is a small clamshell-style telephone, weighing 4.1 ounces and measuring 3.7 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.9 inch when folded up. It has a small 0.6-inch by 0.8-inch monochrome secondary display screen on the outside, but flipping it open reveals a larger 1.7-inch by 1.4-inch color display on the inside. This phone has many of the features of top cellular telephones, such as web browsing, a digital still camera, and a video camera that is capable of capturing short video clips. It also has a particularly interesting feature called Voice Guidance, which provides speech and other audio output to communicate some screen information.
In our evaluation article in the May 2003 issue of AccessWorld ("Answering the Call: Top-of-the-Line Cell Phones, Part 1"), we concluded that the Audiovox 9500, the predecessor to this phone, was virtually unusable by people who are blind or have low vision because of its lack of speech output and keys that were nearly impossible to identify by touch. So, in this article, we compare our evaluations to find out how far Audiovox has come toward meeting the needs of users who are blind or have low vision.
The Samsung SPH-a660 is a small clamshell-style telephone weighing 3.6 ounces and measuring 3.0 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.9 inch when folded up. It has a 1.4-inch by 1.1-inch color display that is viewed when the phone is flipped open but no external display. Although it has no camera feature, it does have other notable features, such as a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) capability and web access. Voice Recognition, which allows you to control the phone via voice commands, is the feature that is the most highly touted on the manufacturer's web site, and this feature also includes the speech output that is of interest to users who are blind or have low vision.
Caption: The Samsung SPH-a660 (left) and the Audiovox CDM 9950/Toshiba VM 4050.
As we reported in our previous evaluations of cell phones, before we began our reviews, we surveyed 20 cell phone users who are blind or have low vision to determine which features they would most like to have made accessible. The following 16 features, which were rated the highest by the respondents, became the basis for our evaluation (the starred features were tied for first place):
We looked at how available or accessible these features are and noted any barriers to accessing them. The evaluation methods we used included these:
The following analysis lists the 16 cell-phone features that the respondents rated as the most important for accessibility and how the Audiovox/Toshiba and the Samsung phones measured up on each feature.
Although there is still room for slight improvement, the keys on the Audiovox/Toshiba are relatively easy to identify by touch, and they represent a significant improvement over the phone's predecessor, the Audiovox 9500. Most of the keys have a raised, convex design, and the dialing keys are in the familiar 3-by-4 grid. The 5 key is slightly recessed with a nib properly placed in the middle of the key for orientation purposes, but the nib could be a bit more substantial so that it would be easier to feel. Although the Talk and End keys are nearly flush with the panel, each has a nib on it for easier identification.
The story is not so positive regarding the Samsung phone, whose keys are nearly flush with the panel and extremely difficult to identify by touch. Also, instead of a nib placed directly on the center of the 5 key, nibs are placed on the panel to the right and left of the 5 key, and they are difficult to identify by touch.
The Voice Guidance feature of the Audiovox/Toshiba phone does not provide speech output for navigating menus, but it does provide some speech and other audio output for several features. Handset Status information is spoken when you press and hold the OK button, which is surrounded by a four-way circle of navigation buttons near the top of the panel. The status information that is spoken includes battery level, signal strength, roaming status, missed-call indication, voice mail indication, and whether the phone-lock mode is active. Voice Guidance will speak the number of an incoming or outgoing call, but only after you have already sent or answered the call. It will speak call-history information, speaking the number, time and date of received, missed, and outgoing calls as you scroll through them. It will also speak the person's name for a call if you have placed a corresponding entry into the phone's contacts list.
The nonverbal audio output of Voice Guidance involves tones to indicate the menu position. For example, it beeps as you scroll through a list of menu items, with a different tone being emitted when you scroll past the bottom item and back to the top of the list. However, these beeps do not provide much assistance unless you have memorized a great deal of menus. The voice output is digitally recorded human speech in a female voice, which is clear. However, it is produced only through the phone's loudspeaker or speaker phone, which certainly does not give you privacy, and it can be annoying to bystanders. Initially, the Voice Guidance features themselves must be activated via the inaccessible menu system. However, after the features have been set to the On position for the first time, Voice Guidance can then be turned on and off by simply pressing and holding the menu key, which is at the top middle position of the keypad.
The Samsung's voice output is more limited, and it is part of its voice-recognition feature, which is activated by pressing and holding the Talk key. A clear, digitally recorded female voice comes on saying, "Command, please." If you say "Status," the voice speaks the name of the service provider that owns the signal you are currently receiving, the signal strength and battery level, and if the phone is roaming. You can also say "Digit dial," and the voice will prompt you with "Number, please." You then speak the number you wish to dial, and the voice confirms the number before the call is sent. If you forget your phone number, you can give the command "My phone number," and the voice will provide that information.
These phones also have other useful audio-output features, called alerts, that provide tones to indicate certain things, but sighted assistance is necessary to activate them. When these alerts are activated on the Audiovox/Toshiba, a long string of beeps indicates a new voice or text message, a beep sounds every minute during a call so you can track the minutes you have used, and another tone is heard if a call is lost because of a lost signal. On the Samsung, short tunes play when the phone is turned on or off, as well as when the phone is flipped open or closed. A beep is emitted every minute during a call, so you can track the minutes you have used. A brief ring sounds to indicate a successful connection when you have placed a call, and tones indicate that your signal is fading, but these last two indications are too loud and piercing if the phone is held up to your ear.
Documentation is a major problem with both these phones. No audiocassette, braille, or large-print manuals are available, and the only electronic manuals available are in inaccessible PDF (portable document format) documents. The manual that is available from Sprint when you buy the Audiovox/Toshiba phone is limited, and it says nothing about the Voice Guidance feature. Several calls to Sprint's customer service representatives and technicians resulted in frustration, since none of them knew anything about Voice Guidance or where we could find the full manual. We finally found the full manual by calling the Audiovox sales office, but because it is a PDF document, sighted assistance is required to learn about the features.
The Handset Status feature of Voice Guidance speaks the battery level on the Audiovox/Toshiba as full, half, low, or empty. There is also a nonverbal audio alert to indicate that the battery is very low, and the Handset Status feature says, "battery empty." About 20 minutes later, it produces the alert tones three more times, and then the phone dies completely, and you must recharge it.
On the Samsung, the Status command causes the voice to speak the battery level as high, medium, low, or empty. There is also a long string of beeps to indicate that the battery is low, which sounds every 5 minutes for about 2½ hours, depending on your use of the phone.
On the Audiovox/Toshiba, Handset Status tells you if the phone is roaming and thus that you are paying more for your call. Also, if you place or receive a call while the phone is roaming, the voice tells you that you must press the 1 key to proceed and accept the higher charges.
On the Samsung, roaming status can be determined by giving the Status command to the voice-recognition feature and listening to the resulting voice output. However, unlike the Audiovox/Toshiba, there is no voice or sound to indicate that the 1 key must be pressed to proceed with a call while the phone is roaming.
Both phones emit a unique tone to alert you to a new voice-mail message, and the system can be set to provide the alert just once or to repeat it at various intervals, but sighted assistance is required to adjust these settings. The Audiovox/Toshiba's Handset Status feature tells you if there is a new voice-mail message or if a call has been missed, but the Samsung has no voice output for message indication. Text or multimedia messaging is not accessible on these phones.
The phone-book features of these phones are not accessible because they have no speech output to guide you through the menus and input fields. However, since the service for both these phones is provided by Sprint PCS, you can use Sprint PCS's network-based voice-input system to make calls and to use the phone-book feature that is part of the Sprint network. The cost is $5 per month, and you can add, delete, search, or modify phone-book entries with voice commands or by using the Sprint PCS web page. This type of service is offered by several service providers, so you may want to check with your service provider to see if it is available.
To lock these phones to prevent unauthorized use, you must access the menu systems, but neither phone's menu system is accessible because there is no speech output to guide you.
A keypad-lock feature is used to avoid inadvertent dialing if the phone is jostled while in a pocket or briefcase. Since the keys are protected by their clamshell-style designs, this feature is not necessary with these phones.
Both phones play a short tune when they are turned on or off, but that indicator does not help if you just want to check to see if the phone is actually on or off. If you have sufficient vision, you can tell whether the phone is on simply by looking to see if the display is on. If you do not have sufficient vision, you can press any number key and listen for a tone, which would indicate that the phone is on. Also, if the power is on and the alerts are activated on the Samsung, a tune is played when the phone is flipped open or closed.
Both phones have buttons on their left-side panels that are used to adjust the volume of the ringer and to put it into vibration mode. As you make these adjustments, the phone vibrates to indicate that a vibration setting has been chosen.
Both phones have a GPS feature that is used to help local 911 systems locate you in case of an emergency, but your local emergency system must be equipped to use the satellite systems. The GPS feature can also access other location-based services that may be available from providers of cellular services in the future. Turning the GPS feature off will hide your location from everyone except 911 services, but it must be done via the inaccessible menus.
Both phones have voice output to indicate signal strength. The Handset Status feature on the Audiovox/Toshiba tells you that your signal strength is 4, 3, 2, or 1 or that you have no service. The Status command on the Samsung gives you similar information.
The buttons on the side panel on these phones are used to increase or decrease the volume of the ringer and the earpiece, but it takes a bit of practice to get used to the process. You first have to press one of the buttons to enter Volume Adjustment mode; then you quickly have to press the buttons to make your adjustment, or you will leave the Volume Adjustment mode before you make your desired changes. There are nine setting levels on the Audiovox/Toshiba, the bottom level being a silent mode with no beeps, tones, or speech produced. The next level up turns off both the ringer and vibration, and the next level is vibrate only. Next, there are five levels of increasing volume, and the last setting sets the highest ringer volume, combined with vibration. The Samsung is similar, but there are eight levels of volume instead of five.
The Voice Guidance feature on the Audiovox/Toshiba speaks the number or name of an incoming caller, but you have to press the Talk button to hear it, and you are connected as soon as the caller's number or name is spoken. So, you do not have any time to decide whether to answer the call because you have already answered it. There is no speech output to provide caller-identification information on the Samsung phone.
On both phones, speed dialing relies on the phone-book feature, which is inaccessible. However, if a user who is visually impaired gets assistance to set up speed-dialing entries initially, speed dialing can be used. You simply press and hold a number from 1 to 9, and the phone will dial the person associated with that number's phone-book entry.
In addition to the original 16 features, we looked at overall accessibility of the phones to someone with low vision. The Audiovox/Toshiba has a high-resolution color display, but most of the text and icons that appear are in font sizes between 8 and 12 points, which are too small for most people with low vision to read. The display has no zoom capabilities. We also found that the display can be highly reflective, depending on the lighting in the room, which can be a problem. The smaller monochrome secondary display's contrast can be adjusted, but there is no contrast-adjustment setting for the main screen. However, the background can be changed to increase readability. We found that using the camera feature to photograph a bright white image and then using that image as the background provided a good contrast. The text on the keys is too small for most people with low vision to read, but at least the keys can be distinguished tactilely.
The Samsung also has a bright high-color display, but the text and icons are also too small for most people with low vision to read. We found no glare or reflection problems with this phone, and the contrast can be adjusted, but there are no zoom or background features to increase readability. The text on the keys is also too small for most people with low vision to read, which is a problem on this phone because the keys are extremely difficult to identify tactilely.
Although these phones by no means provide the level of accessibility desired by cell phone users who are blind or have low vision, the fact that they do provide some limited speech output without the need to purchase expensive add-on software is important. We hope this represents a trend in the cell phone industry that will result in more extensive use of speech output to guide users with visual impairments. The Audiovox/Toshiba is a significant improvement over the Audiovox 9500, its virtually unusable predecessor, and it is certainly the most accessible phone that can be purchased off the shelf. We are pleased to see this improvement; it shows that manufacturers can make cell phones more accessible if they choose to do so.
Because of its poorly designed keypad, we would never recommend the Samsung to people who are blind or have low vision, but the Audiovox/Toshiba could be an option for someone who just wants access to some basic status information.
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Manufacturer: Audiovox Communications Corporation, 555 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788; phone: 631-233-3300, Customer Service: 800-229-1235; web site: <http://www.audiovox.com>.
Service Provider: Sprint PCS: phone: 888-253-1315; Customer Service: 888-211-4727; web site: <http://www.sprintpcs.com>.
Price: $330 or $180 when purchased with a two-year service agreement from Sprint PCS.
Manufacturer: Toshiba America, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 4110, New York, NY 10020; phone: 212-596-0620, Customer Service: 800-631-3811; web site: <http://www.toshiba.com>.
Service Provider: Sprint PCS: phone: 888-253-1315; Customer Service: 888-211-4727; web site: <http://www.sprintpcs.com>.
Price: $330 or $180 when purchased with a two-year service agreement from Sprint PCS.
Manufacturer: Samsung Electronics America, 105 Challenger Road No. 1, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660; phone: 201-229-4000, Customer Service: 800-726-7864; web site: <http://www.samsung.com>.
Service Provider: Sprint PCS: phone: 888-253-1315; Customer Service: 888-211-4727; web site: <http://www.sprintpcs.com>.
Price: $200 or $30 with a two-year service agreement with Sprint PCS.
For a number of years now, the Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference, hosted by the Center on Disabilities at the California State University at Northridge (CSUN), has been recognized as one of the most outstanding international venues for products and information relevant to assistive technology. The 19th annual CSUN conference, held at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Airport Hilton, March 15–21, maintained that standard of excellence and, in some areas, even exceeded earlier efforts. This year, 4128 people attended, representing 49 states and 35 foreign countries.
CSUN offers sessions and exhibits of interest to every disability group--those with mobility, hearing, vision, and/or cognitive disabilities--but it certainly is one of the friendliest conferences to people who are blind or visually impaired. Conference materials are provided in braille, large print, and computer disk formats. Braille users are provided with a booklet of tactile maps, depicting the floor plans of both hotels. An accessibility table is staffed throughout the conference to provide additional assistance--such as getting materials put into braille for a presentation, getting assistance in locating a particular meeting room or exhibit booth, or any other accessibility needs that might arise.
A number of new products were on display this year--including video magnifiers, tactile graphics displays, DAISY book readers, and much more. In addition to many companies selling assistive technology products from around the world, there were also a number of mainstream corporations on hand--such as Microsoft, IBM, Panasonic, Verizon, and others--eager to communicate their efforts to make products accessible to all consumers. AccessWorld staff members were on hand, gathering information and looking at products. The following is some of what we found. (For more information about specific products or speakers, see the list of contact information at the end of this article.)
Caption: *AccessWorld goes to CSUN.*
Among the products and presentations targeting people who are blind or visually impaired, the emphasis at this year's CSUN conference on producing tactile maps and graphics was noticeably high. While some blind people have difficulty interpreting tactile maps or images, for many, the "picture"--albeit, a picture meant for touching, not viewing--is indeed worth a thousand words.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) demonstrated a prototype of a tactile graphics display that, it is projected, will cost under $2,000. "We know that very subtle changes can be detected by touch," explained John Roberts, the NIST representative demonstrating the prototype display. "On the smooth surface of a table, a single grain of sand can be felt." With that in mind, the display (similar to the popular "bed of nails" novelty) comprises 3,600 pins with smooth rounded tops in a 5-inch by 7-inch display. The pins forming the image are raised, activated by a single actuator, Roberts explained, whereas a more costly device might dedicate one actuator per pin. The pins are mounted in holes in a stack of flat plates that define the reading surface, and that hold the pins vertically while allowing them to move up and down to form the desired patterns. A moving mechanism positions the pins, and then all the pins are locked in place to form a rigid pattern for the user to view. After viewing, the pin array is unlocked, and the pins are returned to the default position, erasing the image and preparing the display for the next image. When connected to a computer, the estimated time required to send an image to the display is 30 seconds.
Another approach to displaying graphical images in a tactile format was demonstrated in a product, also still in prototype stage, by ViewPlus Technologies. A sheet containing a tactile representation of a visual image (produced by one of the company's own Tiger embossers) is placed on a so-called talking tablet. Pressing various points on the tablet, which is attached to a PC, provides the user with additional information, spoken by the computer's speech synthesizer. If, for example, a blind person wanted to fill out a tax form, the form could be scanned into the computer and a tactile representation embossed. The embossed sheet is then placed on the tablet. By pressing on designated points, the user can hear the more extensive text that appears on the original form. The user can then type on the computer the required information to be added to the form, continue working down the form with the tactile image, and ultimately print a form that has been completed independently.
Caption: Rob Sanders demonstrates the ViewPlus Talking Tablet to *AccessWorld editor, Deborah Kendrick.*
(Credit: John Hawkins)
Caption: Close-up of the Talking Tactile Tablet from Touch Graphics.
ViewPlus was also showing a new inkjet attachment that can be placed on top of one of the company's embossers. With the attachment, a file sent to the embosser can produce a page containing both inkprint and braille.
A project at Smith-Kettlewell, entitled Tactile Map Automated Production (TMAP), promises to provide tactile geographic information on demand in a manner that surpasses any previous such availability. When completed, the TMAP project will offer users who are visually impaired the ability to go to a web site; plug in the desired city, state, and intersection; and have a file ready for embossing available for immediate download. The file can be sent to any embosser, and will include the map as well as braille labels. The user can determine a number of variables, including scale, type of abbreviations used, and other details. Eventually, said Joshua Miele, one of the developers of the new tool, points of interest will also be available. If, for instance, a person was going to travel to New York and be near Penn Plaza, he or she could plug in the city, state, and landmark "Penn Plaza" and get a map of surrounding streets. For those who do not own braille embossers, a toll-free telephone number will provide the option for a user to call, request a map, and designate the location of the embosser where the file is to be produced.
VirTouch Ltd's VTPlayer is a large mouse with an optical sensor, four buttons, and two tactile pads where your fingers rest. It is connected to your computer via a standard USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection. A number of tactile tools, games, and learn-and-play applications have been written for the VTPlayer. You interact with the VTPlayer through touch on the tactile pads and through sound.
Good things sometimes come in little packages, and there were some particularly interesting small products on display. Larry Skutchan of the American Printing House for the Blind made a lively presentation titled "Hundreds of Books in Your Pocket," highlighting the Book Port digital Talking Book player. This palm-sized device can hold hundreds of audio files, allowing a person who is blind or visually impaired to listen to books or magazines, jump around easily within text, set bookmarks, and enjoy other features that facilitate reading. Downloaded DAISY or BRF files (which are translated into text) can be loaded into the Book Port for listening.
From Spain comes the Memovoice, a device just large enough to hold a seven-key braille keyboard (about 2 inches by 6 inches). The Memovoice acts as a notetaker, calendar, clock, and calculator, storing files in contracted braille which can then be transferred through its infrared port to a PC.
The Jot-a-Dot, a new mechanical device from Quantum Technology in Australia that has been in development for some years, allows a braille user to make a quick note on braille paper, without the use of a slate and stylus. The Jot-a-Dot, not much bigger or heavier than a large paperback book, sports six keys for writing braille, and moves from right to left while writing, allowing the user to check what has been written while in process, and then have a simple hardcopy braille note. The Jot-a-Dot uses ordinary 20-pound photocopy paper.
Caption: Quantum Technology displays the Jot-a-Dot.
A Korean-based company, HIMS Korea, demonstrated a new accessible personal digital assistant (PDA) known as the Braille Hansone. This product, which is approximately the same size and weight as other competing products, features a web browser, word processor, address list, and other common PDA applications. One feature that makes this product unique is that, in addition to offering refreshable braille and speech output, the product has a small screen designed to allow users with low vision to view the output of the device. Braille Hansone also features a standard VGA port that allows the product to be connected directly to a computer monitor.
Caption: The Braille Hansone.
In addition to spending time browsing the exciting new products, the AccessWorld team found that the conference's presentations provided information on a range of technological developments, research, and forthcoming products.
Judy Brewer, Director of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World Wide Web Consortium, spoke about the harmonization of web accessibility standards. She called for the adoption of a common definition for the accessibility of web content; of browsers, media players and other user agents; and of authoring tools used to create web content and develop web sites. Currently, different countries have different sets of standards. In fact, among the 50 U.S. states, one-third use Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act for their standard, one-third use the web WAI guidelines, and one-third use "home-brewed" standards. Harmonization of standards would drive the development of better authoring tools, the software used to build web sites. Better authoring tools would create better code, giving screen readers and other assistive technologies better information to pass on to the user. They could also prompt the designer to include alternative text for graphics, or labels on frames. Developers of accessibility evaluation tools would not have to build different versions to test web pages in different countries.
Caption: Judy Brewer, director of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World Wide Web Consortium.
Madelyn Bryant McIntire, Director of the Microsoft Accessible Technology Group, discussed the results of a study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Forrester Research in 2003. The purpose was to measure the potential market of working-age people in the United States, ages 18-64, who could benefit from the use of accessible technology for computers. Over 15,000 households were contacted by telephone and mail for the study. In Phase 2 of the study, people who were classified as likely to benefit were contacted again and asked more in-depth questions. The disabilities of the people contacted in the study's second phase included vision, dexterity, hearing, speech, and cognitive problems.
Based on this study, Microsoft projects that 33 million computer users in the United States have a visual impairment and are "likely" or "very likely" to benefit from assistive technology--ranging from accessibility options built into Windows to screen magnifiers and screen readers. The study found that 35 percent of people who are visually impaired are familiar with screen magnification products, and 15 percent are familiar with screen readers. Of those, only 5 percent actually use screen magnification and 1 percent use screen readers.
Survey researchers who specialize in disability statistics question this study's methodology and feel strongly that the estimates of the number of people of working age identified in this study who "have difficulties/impairments and would benefit from assistive technology" of various types are extremely high. AccessWorld will have additional coverage of this study in the future.
IBM introduced Frances West, Director of IBM World Wide Accessibility Center, who spoke on IBM's theme for CSUN "Combining Innovation and Insight to Enhance Accessibility in an On-Demand World." She outlined the company's four-tier accessibility solution framework that leverages technology and business process integration and transformation to improve access to information for more people, regardless of ability or disability. This presentation was followed by a demonstration of a new version of IBM's Home Page Reader, a talking web browser, that is still under development.
Dr. Abraham Nemeth and Dave Schleppenbach, CEO of gh, LLC, an assistive technology company, described a project they are developing to create a digital talking book that incorporates accessible math and science information. They demonstrated a way to present higher mathematical equations via speech in a way that gets the information into the mind of students who are blind or visually impaired. They are developing standards for the content and other terminology. They are also looking for beta testers as they develop the standards.
In a session titled "Personal Braille Libraries: How The 21st Century Is Redefining Braille," Jim Halliday of Pulse Data HumanWare stated that it is now possible to have access to 20,000 braille books, plus the portable braille technology that reads them, for less than the cost of one hardcopy braille book. He suggested that school systems consider the use of accessible personal digital assistants (PDAs) with electronic refreshable braille displays with students at a very early age. Halliday noted that braille books can cost between $10,000 and $30,000. Even though that cost may not be directly billed to the local school system, it is being supported by the national education system, financed by our tax dollars. Many students require four or more textbooks each year, but not all are provided in braille. If even one book could be eliminated, the savings would counterbalance the cost of the accessible PDA with a braille display.
Other reasons for focusing on alternatives to hardcopy braille include the large number of volumes in a braille book and its weight, which make it difficult for the student to have access to specific information when needed; the limited number of braille volumes available in most schools for supplemental or pleasure reading; and the need for new readers to be immersed in their reading medium, whether braille or print, which is limited for braille readers due to the expense and bulk of hardcopy braille. In addition, through the use of an accessible PDA with a braille display, students who have only learned uncontracted braille can now have access to large quantities of braille throughout the school day and at home.
An accessible PDA with a braille display wouldn't eliminate the need for hardcopy braille books, but it would provide students with many more opportunities to access braille materials, resulting in a more highly motivated braille reader who will develop better braille reading skills.
Lorie Gulley and Connie DeHerrera of the New Mexico Technology Assistance Program provided information about the ergonomics of using assistive technology. Suggestions and recommendations were made for monitor placement affecting eye, head, and neck strain; keyboard placement affecting arm, wrist, and hand strain; and seating position and footrests affecting back, leg, foot, and arm strain.
This session was a technical discussion of Longhorn, the codename for the next version of Windows, geared for programmers and developers. User Interface (UI) Automation will take the place of the current Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) as the method of communicating system information to screen readers and other assistive technology. Key components of UI Automation include: automation tree, properties, control patterns, and events (notification of UI changes). The area to watch will be their new security model. When installing and configuring assistive technology, it will need "permission" or "certification" by the operating system in order to access the underlying UI Automation code. It will be crucial to find out if this causes any setup or performance problems.
You can't help leaving the CSUN conference exhausted from the frenetic pace, but also energized by all the new knowledge and ideas to which you have been introduced. Many of the products and solutions we take for granted now started out as prototypes and concepts at CSUN. We hope we have provided you with a glimpse of what the future holds.
Ike Presley and Kelly Bleach contributed to this article.
Tactile graphics display: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); e-mail: <john.roberts@nist.gov>.
Talking tablet and inkjet attachment for braille embossers: ViewPlus Technologies; web site: <www.viewplustech.com>.
Tactile Map Automated Production (TMAP): Smith-Kettlewell; web site: <www.ski.org/tmap>.
VTPlayer: VirTouch Ltd; e-mail: <info@virtouch.com>; web site: <www.virtouch.com>.
Book Port: American Printing House for the Blind; web site: <www.aph.org/tech/bp_info.htm>.
Memovoice: Distributed in the U.S. by Independent Living Aids; web site: <www.independentliving.com>.
Jot-a-Dot: Quantum Technology; web site: <www.quantech.com.au> or <www.jotadot.com>.
Braille Hansone: HIMS Korea; web site: <www.hansone.net>.
Judy Brewer, Director, Web Accessibility Initiative, World Wide Web Consortium; harmonization of web accessibility standards; web site: <www.w3.org/WAI>.
Madelyn Bryant McIntire, Director, Microsoft Accessible Technology Group; "Identifying Who Is Likely to Benefit from the Use of Accessible Technology"; web site: <www.microsoft.com/enable/research>.
Frances West, Director, IBM World Wide Accessibility Center; "Combining Innovation and Insight to Enhance Accessibility in an On-Demand World"; web site: <www.ibm.com/sns>.
Dave Schleppenbach, CEO, gh, LLC; e-mail: <info@ghbraille.com>; web site: <www.ghbraille.com>.
Jim Halliday, Pulse Data HumanWare; "Personal Braille Libraries: How the 21st Century Is Redefining Braille"; e-mail: <jhalliday@humanware.com>; web site: <www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2004/proceedings/39.htm> or <http://www.pulsedata.com/>.
Lorie Gulley and Connie DeHerrera, New Mexico Technology Assistance Program; "Ergonomics of Assistive Technology in an Office or School Setting"; e-mail: <lgulley@state.nm.us> or <cdeherrera@state.nm.us>; web site: <www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2004/proceedings/188.htm> or <www.nmtap.com>.
Westminster, CO
Contact:
Assistive Technology Partners/SWAAAC, 1245 East Colfax Avenue, Suite 200, Denver, CO 80218; phone: 303-315-1280 or 800-255-3477 within Colorado; web site: <www.uchsc.edu/atp>.
Monrovia, CA
Contact:
Kirk D. Behnke, Center on Disabilities, California State University, Northridge; phone: 818-677-2578; e-mail: <kirk.behnke@csun.edu>; web site: <http://www.csun.edu/codtraining>.
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Contact:
Queen Alexandra College; phone: +0121-428-5050; e-mail: <enquiries@qac.ac.uk>; web site: <http://www.qac.ac.uk/sightvillage>.
Washington, DC
Contact:
Kirk D. Behnke, Center on Disabilities, California State University, Northridge; phone: 818-677-2578; e-mail: <kirk.behnke@csun.edu>; web site: <http://www.csun.edu/codtraining>.
Birmingham, England
Contact:
Sally Cain, web technologies officer and project manager, Techshare, RNIB Technology in Learning and Employment, 58-72 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN, England; phone: +44-121-665-4226; e-mail: <sally.cain@rnib.org.uk>>; web site: <http://www.rnib.org.uk/techshare>.
I enjoyed reading the article, "A History of Accessibility at IBM" in the March issue of AccessWorld. Might I suggest an article about the history of the first talking computer, about Apple and Street Electronics and about Bill Grimm. It seems to me that the work Apple and Grimm did is beginning to disappear into remote memory. I functioned with a Talking Apple II for 12 years and benefited from several products developed by Grimm and what was then Computer Aids. I moved with Computer Aids as they entered the "IBM and GUI" worlds and became GW Micro.
Richard H. Fidler
Bucknellian, retired mathematics teacher of sighted students, traveler, gourmet and classical music lover
Annemarie Cooke, in her On-the-Job Profile, "A History of Accessibility at IBM" (AccessWorld, March 2004), stated, "Our terminals became 'talkies' just 20 years ago, in 1984." I disagree.
I got my first computer, an Apple II plus, in January 1982, and it definitely had speech. The synthesizer was an Echo, and the software was Braille Edit. I continued to use that combination till 1991 when I changed platforms from Apple to an IBM-based system with JAWS as my screen reader. Of course, I don't mean to belittle the outstanding work of Jim Thatcher at IBM in 1984 and later. It was great.
Morgan Jones
Early Apple computers were discussed in "Focused and User Friendly," an interview with Doug Geoffray of GW Micro in the January 2002 issue of AccessWorld. In the 1980s he worked for Bill Grimm at Computer Aids and wrote some of the Apple software. If more readers are interested in the history of assistive technology, we may publish one or more articles on the subject.
I really enjoy reading AccessWorld and the AccessWorld Extra newsletter for their informative content. I especially like the product reviews because they give readers a good look into what a product's capabilities actually are, as opposed to promotional messages that explain what the product is all about. I was wondering if, in upcoming issues, AccessWorld could feature a product review or comparison between stand-alone reading machines such as Pulse Data International's ScannaR and Freedom Scientific's VERA? I would love to read someone's hands-on experience with these units, as I am considering purchase of a scan-and-read system.
Maria Kristic
An evaluation of stand-alone reading machines is high on our to-do list.
Sendero, the developers of the global positioning satellite system for the BrailleNote personal organizer, are hard at work on a version of the device that can be used indoors. Said Sendero founder Mike May in a New York Times interview on the need for indoor GPS technology, "As pumped-up as I am about outdoor navigation, what happens when I get to the mall?" Sendero has been leading a consortium of U.S. researchers as part of a $2.25 million, five-year project funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to test various devices and methods for navigation by people who are blind or visually impaired. Sendero is also working on the finishing touches of an updated outdoor version of BrailleNote GPS, which is expected to include improved points of interest, address searching, and a virtual exploration mode. No dates have been set for the releases of these new products. For more information, contact: Sendero Group, 1118 Maple Lane, Davis, CA 95616; phone: 530-757-6800; e-mail: <GPS@SenderoGroup.com>; web site: <http://www.senderogroup.com>.
The recently published Teaching and Learning the BrailleNote GPS: A Training Guide is intended to provide help and support to BrailleNote GPS users, orientation and mobility instructors, and rehabilitation teachers. The training guide includes instruction on how to perform the following functions with the device: announce the name of the current street and closest intersection, create and follow vehicle and pedestrian routes, find nearby areas of interest, and explore the neighborhood. Each lesson in the training guide offers objectives; step-by-step lesson plans; lists of vocabulary words and keystrokes; and exercises, quizzes, and report cards to document one's own or a student's progress. Developed by Sendero and De Witt and Associates, the training guide is offered in print, braille, and on cassette at a cost of $99 for individuals. A professional version of the training guide is designed for organizations or trainers and includes master copies of student handouts and tests in audio CD, BRF, and MS Word formats. The professional version costs $299. For more information, contact: De Witt and Associates; phone: 877-447-6500 or 201-447-6500; e-mail: <info@4dewitt.com>; web site: <http://www.4dewitt.com/index.html>.
Apple recently unveiled a spoken interface for the Mac OS X, its latest operating system. Spoken Interface provides a combination of speech, audible cues, and keyboard navigation. Using the interface, you can manage access to the Dock, menu items, tool bars, palettes, and other on-screen objects; pressing buttons; activating sliders and check boxes; selecting radio buttons; and using all the other interface elements of Mac OS X and its applications. Spoken Interface is currently available a preview version, which features applications that have been enhanced for Spoken Interface accessibility, including Safari, Mail, TextEdit, and system preferences. You can gain access to the preview release by filling out a form on the Spoken Interface web site, <http://www.apple.com/accessibility/spokeninterface>.
Marking the largest contribution of academic materials to Bookshare.org--the online community that enables people in the United States with visual or other print disabilities to share scanned books--Indiana University recently agreed to contribute all of the 1,800 titles that have been scanned in its textbook access facility to date. Three examples of Indiana University's donated texts are: A Cinema of Loneliness: Penn, Stone, Kubrick, Scorsese, Spielberg, Altman (third edition), by Robert Kolker; Knowing People: The Personal Use of Social Psychology, by Michael J. Lovaglia; and Why Nations Go to War, by John G. Stoessinger. For more information, contact: The Benetech Initiative, 480 California Avenue, Suite 201, Palo Alto, CA 94306; web site: <http://www.bookshare.org>.
In May 2004, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) issued its call for papers for its technology conference, RNIB Techshare 2004, which will take place November 18–19 in Birmingham, England. The conference will focus on the role technology plays in learning, work, and life for people with visual impairments. The submission deadline is August 2, 2004. For more information, contact: Sally Cain, web technologies officer and project manager, Techshare, Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) Technology in Learning and Employment, 58-72 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN, England; phone: +44-121-665-4226; e-mail: <sally.cain@rnib.org.uk>; web site: <http://www.rnib.org.uk/techshare>.
InfoEyes is a pilot virtual reference and information service that links people who are visually impaired with librarians who will look up absolutely anything for you in a live online chat or offer answers to questions by e-mail. InfoEyes librarians also provide assisted Internet browsing, in which the web pages the librarians visit during your information quest appear on your computer screen. The InfoEyes pilot program runs March to August 2004 and can be accessed at <http://www.infoeyes.org>. Coordinated by the Illinois State Library and the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service, the pilot program is intended to evaluate QuestionPoint, a collaborative virtual reference service developed by the Library of Congress and the Online Computer Library Center, which allows librarians to track and manage questions from patrons through a network shared by reference librarians around the world. The InfoEyes live chat is available during the following days and times (all times are listed in Central time): Monday and Tuesday, 10 am–6 pm; Wednesday, 8 am–8 pm; Thursday and Friday, 8 am–6 pm; and Saturday, 8 am–11 am; other times, by appointment. For more information, e-mail: Sharon Ruda, <sruda@ilsos.net>; Diana Brawley Sussman, <dbrawley@shawls.lib.il.us>; Tom Peters, <tapinformation@yahoo.com>; or Lori Bell, <lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com>.
Independent Living Aids, a mail-order business specializing in products for people who are blind or visually impaired for the past 26 years, acquired Ann Morris Enterprises on February 1, 2004. Ann Morris has been in the mail-order business for 18 years and also serves the visually impaired population. To start shopping, contact: Independent Living Aids, 200 Robbins Lane, Jericho, NY 11753; phone: 800-537-2118 or 516-937-1848; e-mail: <can-do@independentliving.com>; web site: <http://www.independentliving.com>.
Want to share your work with the world? Start by sharing it with AccessWorld® readers. You are invited to send information on assistive technology-related products, services, publications, seminars, and conferences to AccessWorld®; fax: 212-502-7774; e-mail: <accessworld@afb.net>.
All around us, technology keeps changing at a remarkable rate. Computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) get smaller and more powerful; cell phones can perform tasks we never imagined we would want them to do; home appliances are sold with touch screens rather than buttons. If we are not vigilant, people who are blind or visually impaired will be shut out of more and more activities that are part of our daily lives.
One way to try to keep up with these technological advances is to communicate with product developers and tell them what they must do to make their products accessible to the growing number of people with disabilities. An ideal venue for this dialogue is the annual Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference, hosted by the Center on Disabilities of the California State University at Northridge (CSUN). Some representatives of mainstream companies attend this conference, searching for ways to create more accessible products. Assistive technology companies are there in force, showing their latest products and seeking feedback on what their customers need.
AccessWorld's online format allows Deborah Kendrick and me to bring you extended coverage of this year's conference. Once again, the CSUN staff must be commended for planning and running the largest and best assistive technology conference in the business. Other, much smaller conferences struggle to find reasonably accessible venues and to provide accessible conference materials. These problems do not exist at CSUN. Instead, participants from many countries and with a range of disabilities struggle to decide how to choose from among the fascinating sessions and product demonstrations that fill each hour of every day of the conference. We do our best to fill you in on what transpired.
Jim Denham and Heather McComas of AFB's Technology and Employment Center in Huntington, West Virginia (AFB TECH) and I review Freedom Scientific's JAWS for Windows 5.0 and GW Micro's Window-Eyes 4.5. We evaluate each screen reader's documentation, as well as their performance in Microsoft Word, Excel, and on the web. The current versions of these two heavyweights in the U.S. screen reader market are packed with new features. Find out how these tools can make your work and leisure-time activities more productive.
Jim Denham also evaluates ALVA's Mobile Phone Organizer (MPO), the first combination personal digital assistant and cell phone specifically designed for persons who are blind or visually impaired. The MPO features braille input, synthetic speech output, and a 20-cell refreshable braille display. Applications include notes, telephone, SMS (short message service), contacts, agenda, utilities, and settings. Telephone calls can be handled using a headphone microphone for privacy or through a speaker phone. This article will help you decide whether a fully accessible cell phone and a notetaker are worth the high price of the MPO.
Darren Burton and Mark Uslan of AFB TECH evaluate two cellular telephones: the Audiovox CDM 9950, also sold as the Toshiba VM 4050, and the Samsung SPH-a660, both of which have some speech capability already built in. The Audiovox phone has many features found in today's top cell phones and a particularly interesting feature called Voice Guidance, which provides speech and other audio output to communicate some screen information. The Samsung phone includes a Global Positioning Satellite capability and web access. Voice Recognition, which allows you to control the phone via voice commands, also includes the speech output that is of interest to users who are blind or visually impaired. Learn what our cell phone experts think of these two new products.
Joe Lazzaro, director of the Adaptive Technology Program at the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind in Boston and a freelance writer, provides an introduction to creating a web site. He introduces the new web author to some basic HTML commands and walks you through creating your first web page. If you have been thinking about designing a web site or writing a web log or blog, this article will get you started.
Deborah Kendrick reviews color identifiers--the ColorTest Memo from Caretec, the Color Teller from Brytech, and the Cobolt Speechmaster Colour Detector. These three devices are designed to select appropriately coordinated clothing, sort laundry, select file folders or other office materials coded by color, identify packaging of products or medications, and more. The ColorTest also includes additional features. Now you won't have to hesitate when someone tells you to "Keep only the yellow copy."
Thank you for making AccessWorld's change to a web-only magazine a success. More people read the January issue online than read any previous issue in all the formats in which we used to publish. Please keep coming back, and, while you are here, check out the rest of AFB's redesigned web site.
Jay Leventhal, Editor in Chief
