Webcam Interface for Audio/touch Graphics Access by Blind People

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的目标是开发一种紧凑廉价的替代品，以取代盲人现在需要的笨重昂贵的触摸板，用于音频/触摸访问图形信息。众所周知，音频/触摸为懂计算机的盲人以及有阅读障碍或其他严重印刷障碍的人提供了良好的访问。在ViewPlus于2005年推出IVEO Scalable Vector Graphic（SVG）创作/转换软件之前，准备音频/触摸材料是非常昂贵的。IVEO允许几乎任何图形信息被创建或转换/导入到一个结构良好，高度可访问的SVG格式。触觉复制也是非常昂贵的2000年之前，当ViewPlus介绍了老虎压花Windows打印机，“打印”的压花。新的ViewPlus Emprint打印机/打印机可以打印彩色图像，创建彩色触觉图像，对阅读障碍和其他一些打印障碍的人特别有用。音频/触摸用户使用免费的IVEO Viewer、图像的触觉副本和触摸板读取IVEO SVG图形。用户将触觉图形放置在触摸板上并按下感兴趣的点。触摸板将该点的位置传送回计算机，IVEO Viewer将说出相应的信息。由主流图形制成的触觉文本具有独特的图案。当用户按下时，IVEO查看器会读出该文本。当用户按下文件中具有SVG标题的图形对象时，将说出该标题。对象也可以有任意长的描述字段，可以说出来和浏览。如果需要，所有的口头信息都可以显示在附加的盲文显示器上。如今，图形信息无处不在，但盲人几乎无法获得。政府机构、图书馆、公司和为残疾人服务的机构可以很容易地向残疾客户发送高度无障碍的IVEO图形文件和触觉图形副本，但在他们可能这样做之前，必须克服“鸡和蛋”的困境。很少有盲人有触摸板（售价500美元或更多），所以很少有人能使用这些信息。第一阶段提案的具体目标是开发一种负担得起的基于网络摄像头的原型，作为触摸板的替代品。它基于一个廉价的网络摄像头，专注于图形并跟随手指。在这个原型中，通过用另一只手按下一些计算机键来模拟触摸板按压。该项目可能是将无障碍图形带给所有盲人计算机用户的关键，显然是NEI感兴趣的，NEI的使命声明包括盲人的心理健康和生活质量。公共卫生相关性：这项建议与国家眼科研究所的使命有关，因为它可能是使盲人或其他严重印刷障碍的人容易获得几乎所有图形信息的关键。图形信息在当今世界上无处不在，但目前盲人无法获得，除非通过训练有素的转录人员进行昂贵且耗时的转换。使所有的图形信息都可以访问，将对盲人的教育和职业机会、心理健康和生活质量产生明显的非常有益的直接影响。盲人的心理健康和生活质量问题是国家眼科研究所的使命的一部分。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to develop a compact inexpensive alternative to the bulky expensive touchpads now required by blind people for audio/touch access to graphical information. Audio/touch is known to provide excellent access to computer-literate blind people as well as people with dyslexia or other severe print disabilities. Preparing Audio/touch materials was very expensive until ViewPlus introduced the IVEO Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) Authoring/conversion software in 2005. IVEO permits virtually any graphical information to be created or converted/imported easily to a well- structured highly accessible SVG format. Tactile copy was also very expensive before 2000 when ViewPlus introduced the Tiger embossing Windows printers that "print" by embossing. The new ViewPlus Emprint printer/embossers emboss and also print color images, creating color tactile images particularly useful for people with dyslexia and a number of other print disabilities. An audio/touch user reads an IVEO SVG graphic using the free IVEO Viewer, a tactile copy of the image, and a touchpad. The user places the tactile graphic on the touchpad and presses a point of interest. The touchpad communicates the position of that point back to the computer, and the IVEO Viewer speaks the appropriate information. Tactile text made from mainstream graphics has a distinctive pattern. When a user presses, that text is spoken by the IVEO Viewer. When the user presses a graphic object having a SVG title within the file, that title will be spoken. Objects may also have arbitrarily long description fields that can be spoken and browsed. All spoken information can be displayed on an attached braille display if desired. Graphical information is ubiquitous today, but almost none is accessible to blind people. Government agencies, libraries, companies, and agencies serving people with disabilities could easily send highly accessible IVEO graphics files and tactile graphic copies to clients with disabilities, but there is a "chicken and egg" dilemma that must be overcome before they are likely to do so. Few blind people have a touchpad (which cost $500 or more), so few could use that information. The specific aim of this Phase I proposal is to develop an affordable webcam-based prototype as an alternative to touchpads. It is based on an inexpensive webcam that is focused on the graphic and follows a finger. A touchpad press is emulated in this prototype by pressing some computer key with the other hand. This project could be the key to bringing accessible graphics to all blind computer users and is clearly of interest to NEI whose mission statement includes mental health and quality of life of blind people. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposal is relevant to the mission of the National Eye Institute, because it could be the key to making nearly all graphical information easily accessible to people who are blind or have other severe print disabilities. Graphical information is ubiquitous in the world today but is not presently accessible to blind people except through expensive and time-consuming conversion by trained transcribers. Making all graphical information accessible would have an obviously highly beneficial direct effect on education and professional opportunities, mental health, and quality of life of blind people. Mental health and quality of life issues for blind people are parts of the mission of the National Eye Institute.