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、廉价的替代方案，以替代目前盲人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/触摸为懂电脑的盲人以及阅读困难或其他严重打印障碍的人提供了极好的访问途径。在ViewPlus于2005年推出IVEO可伸缩矢量图形(SVG)创作/转换软件之前，准备音频/触摸材料的成本非常高。IVEO允许几乎任何图形信息轻松地创建或转换/导入为结构良好、高度可访问的SVG格式。在2000年之前，触觉复印也非常昂贵，当时ViewPlus推出了老虎压花Windows打印机，可以通过压花进行打印。新的ViewPlus Emprint打印机/压纹机可以压印和打印彩色图像，创建的彩色触觉图像对阅读困难和其他打印障碍的人特别有用。音频/触摸用户使用免费的IVEO查看器、图像的触觉副本和触摸板阅读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回计算机，而IVEO查看器会说出相应的信息。由主流图形组成的触觉文本具有独特的图案。当用户按下时，该文本由IVEO查看器朗读。当用户按下文件内具有SVG标题的图形对象时，将说出该标题。对象还可以具有任意长的描述字段，可以朗读和浏览。如果需要，所有语音信息都可以显示在附带的盲文显示器上。如今，图形信息无处不在，但盲人几乎无法获得任何信息。为残疾人服务的政府机构、图书馆、公司和机构可以很容易地向残疾客户发送高度可访问的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”的两难境地。很少有盲人拥有触摸板(500美元或更多)，所以很少有人能使用这些信息。这一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，作为触摸板的替代方案。它是基于一种廉价的网络摄像头，该摄像头专注于图形并跟踪手指。在这个原型中，通过用另一只手按下某个计算机键来模拟触摸板按键。该项目可能是向所有盲人计算机用户提供无障碍图形的关键，并且显然对NEI感兴趣，其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相关，因为它可能是让盲人或其他严重印刷障碍的人能够轻松获取几乎所有图形信息的关键。图形信息在当今世界无处不在，但目前盲人只能通过训练有素的转录人员进行昂贵而耗时的转换才能获得图形信息。使所有图形信息可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之一。

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.