Taking the lead
In my last blog I wrote about 'The Internet of Things' and the desire to create a Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure that one day will store your personal preferences and use them to automatically personalise the interface of any public phone, computer, cash point or ticket machine that you use. In this blog I would like to continue the technology theme and talk about the steps being taken by some technologists to ensure that touch screen devices are accessible for blind and partially sighted users.
Touch screens are becoming increasingly prevalent; they are now common place on phones, tablet computers, ticket machines, cash-points, photocopiers and self-service supermarket tills. Sales of smart phones illustrate just how rapidly touch screens are taking hold; global smart phone sales have jumped year on year from approximately 174 million units shipped in 2009 to 472 million in 2011, and this is set to rise by 25% this year to approximately 630 million units. Inevitably, as sales in smart phones have grown sales of traditional button phones have started to decline in the US, Japan and the EU.
As touch screens become more and more ubiquitous there is an imminent and increasing need to devise new ways in which blind and partially sighted people can use and benefit from them, rather than being marginalised by them. One such innovation is a new app that will be launched over the coming weeks called Braille Touch. This new app has been developed by Georgia Tech for use on iPhones and Android phones, and once proficient in its use it is claimed to be up to six times faster than existing methods for sending text messages without sight.
Unlike many phone apps, Braille Touch is designed to be used holding the phone horizontally in landscape mode with the screen facing away from you. When held like this the user can easily place three fingers from each hand on the three virtual buttons located on the right and left-hand side of the screen. By selecting various combinations of the six virtual buttons in a chorded process users can type letters in a Braille-like dot matrix, and each letter may be spoken as it is typed. To insert a space between words the user simply needs to swipe a finger across the screen.
The Georgia Tech research group has developed iPhone and iPad versions of Braille Touch and is currently working on Android versions. Early trials with participants proficient in Braille typing have demonstrated that users can reach up to 32 words per minute with 92 percent accuracy using the prototype app on an iPhone.
With the good news that the app will be free for users to download perhaps now you have the perfect excuse to start polishing up your Braille skills!
If you're keen to know more about the app, you can view a short demonstration video on YouTube.
Posted by on 11:13am Wed 22 Feb 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Google gives 'Guinness' to the blind
We're always pleased to be invited in to meet with new organisations, whether schools, businesses or supermarkets, so when we were invited to spend time with the Google UK Legal Team at the end of last year, we were really excited. An opportunity to go into one of the world’s largest and most...Read the full post
Posted by on 4:01pm Wed 8 Feb 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Finding the Forgotten Passengers
Using a bus is something that many of us take for granted: you get on the bus, then get off at the stop you want. Sounds easy, right? Now imagine doing it blindfolded and things become much more difficult. Think about trying to keep a track of where you are along the bus route and all the little...Read the full post
Posted by on 10:17am Mon 30 Jan 2012 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Changing for good
The New Year is a time when optimists turn to a fresh page, vowing to take up new challenges or give up bad habits in the hope their lives will be changed for the better. We've all done it and some of us have even succeeded. This year I needed no resolutions, as I had a fresh start already planned...Read the full post
Posted by Nikki Malin on 11:40am Tue 17 Jan 2012 | Read comments | Post a comment
Council budgets are Cracking Under Pressure
If you drive, have you ever parked with two wheels up on a pavement? Chances are, you have. It's OK, we've all done it. You probably did it because it was the most convenient place for you to park, and you made sure that you pulled over as far as you could so other motorists could get past you,...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey on 3:43pm Thu 19 Jan 2012 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Shared Space - Did the DfT go far enough?
Despite our feelings about shared spaces – where kerbs, crossings and other vital pedestrian safety measures are removed and the street scene made completely level – we always contribute to debate on the topic in a constructive manner. So when we were able to contribute to the Department for...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey on 5:16pm Tue 15 Nov 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Protect a pavement
Think of a car parked on a pavement. Inconvenient, inconsiderate, out of place? Yes - but for many street users, including people with Guide Dogs, pavement parking is also something more serious, and Living Streets, the national charity that stands up for pedestrians, is campaigning for an end to...Read the full post
Posted by Tony Armstrong - Chief Executive, Living Streets on 11:32am Mon 7 Nov 2011 | Read comments (6) | Post a comment
Fast Forward to the Internet of Things
There have been some truly amazing advances in technology over the past decade, particularly with regard to mobile communications and global access to information. Hardly a day goes by when each of us doesn’t use the internet or a mobile phone. Put simply, these innovations are now an essential...Read the full post
Posted by John Shelton on 10:02am Wed 2 Nov 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Seeing it my way - we want your views
Every blind and partially sighted person in the UK should have the same range of information, advice and practical support. It sounds simple, but for the hundreds of thousands of people who live with sight loss in the UK, this is far from reality. ‘Seeing it my way’, endorsed by the UK Vision...Read the full post
Posted by Miriam Martin - Chair of the ‘Seeing it my way’ steering group. on 9:39am Fri 28 Oct 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Simple steps to preserve our vision
One hundred people go blind everyday in the UK. World sight day, 13 October, is a reminder of the importance of good eye care. We are an aging population, so inevitably the number of people developing sight loss due to eye conditions associated with age is increasing. But by taking a few simple...Read the full post
Posted by Alison Hood, Research Development Manager, Guide Dogs. on 2:47pm Thu 13 Oct 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Campaigning for Life
This week is Guide Dogs Week and the 80th anniversary of the first British guide dog partnerships. It is more than 40 years since I got my first guide dog and even now my sixth dog, Amanda, gives me the confidence I need to live a full life. At 71, like everyone else, I want to go out on my own....Read the full post
Posted by on 2:36pm Mon 3 Oct 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Attacks on guide dogs must stop
This week, we published shocking research revealing that the number of attacks on guide dogs by other dogs has more than doubled in the space of 14 months. Our findings provoked an incredible amount of coverage, and there have since been some developments which I wanted to share with you. As a...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman on 5:05pm Wed 7 Sep 2011 | Read comments (15) | Post a comment
Sean Dilley on Transport and Mobility
On Tuesday 6th July, I had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to make the keynote address at Guide Dogs' Transport and Mobility Conference in Central London. As a guide dog owner of nearly 13 years, I experience frustrations every single day as a result of ill-thought out and badly planned...Read the full post
Posted by Sean Dilley on 4:23pm Mon 18 Jul 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
Standing out from the crowd
You may have noticed some changes going on at Guide Dogs. Our new look website is just part of a bigger drive to make sure we get noticed for all the right things. An estimated 180,000 people with sight loss still find it hard to leave home alone. This is unacceptable. Guide Dogs is developing new...Read the full post
Posted by Louise Robertshaw, Head of Communications on 3:26pm Wed 12 Oct 2011 | Read comments (2) | Post a comment
Volunteers' week: celebrate our volunteers and inspire others to join Guide Dogs
Happy Volunteers' Week to all our fantastic volunteers and to those of you who are thinking of volunteering for us! From 1st to 7th June 2011 it is Volunteers Week which is a national event that celebrates the enormous contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. This includes...Read the full post
Posted by Jo Sullivan on 6:30pm Thu 23 Jun 2011 | Read comments (5) | Post a comment
Guide Dogs - gifts in memory
Hopefully everyone who supports Guide Dogs gets a great feeling from backing something they believe in and care about, but when someone makes a donation in memory of someone special, this feeling seems to run much deeper. I speak regularly with donors who find themselves in this situation and they...Read the full post
Posted by Vicky West, Legacy Marketing Officer on 3:51pm Fri 24 Jun 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Guide Dogs at Hardest Hit march
LAST Wednesday's [May 11] march against cuts to disability benefits was a real show of strength from the disabled community, now we must keep focused on the job in hand to ensure those in power make good on their promises. Guide dog owners supporters and staff travelled from all over England,...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey, Campaigns Manager on 3:51pm Fri 24 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Hardest Hit march - May 11
For as long as I can remember, May 11 has been a date not to forget, mainly because it's my mum's birthday, but this year it'll be even more memorable. More than 10,000 people, including guide dog owners and other blind and partially sighted people, will march on Parliament to make themselves...Read the full post
Posted by James White, Campaigns Officer on 11:42pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
Easter Travel Tips
It's that time of year when people are about to head away on a short spring break or perhaps starting to plan their summer holiday. Planning a getaway of any duration takes a lot of thought, and if you have a visual impairment, there are extra things to think about when making travel arrangements,...Read the full post
Posted by Gill Kenyon, Information Officer on 5:29pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Go social for Guide Dogs
Social media has been around for about five or ten years now (depending on who you ask!). And so this week when I visited the Social Media World Forum in London, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the last few years and take a look at how things have evolved. With such a large event...Read the full post
Posted by Tom Jones, Social Media and Communities Officer on 5:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
Ready, steady, go for Guide Dogs!
The 2011 events season has only just started and we're almost out of breath already! From cheering on the fantastic 111 Guide Dogs runners in the Bath Half Marathon to shouting for the 120 participating in the Reading Half Marathon, it's been quite an energetic start to the year. Now it's full...Read the full post
Posted by Peter Emmett, Head of Events Fundraising on 5:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide Dogs and the search for a perfect match
Guide Dogs made national and international news last week. Just in case you haven't seen, heard or read about it, the story of Graham Waspe, his blind former guide dog Edward and his new guide dog Opal, went global! From New York Daily News,to iAfrica.com, to Welt Online and CCN TURK.com. Having...Read the full post
Posted by Andrew Gower, Guide Dog Mobility Instructer on 5:31pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (3) | Post a comment
Big Society - big opportunity?
The 'Big Society' is a phrase you've probably seen or heard a lot in recent weeks. Whatever your view, it is THE political idea of the moment and has a huge potential impact on volunteering, so we need to be fully involved in shaping what the Big Society means. The ultimate aim is to make giving a...Read the full post
Posted by on 5:32pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Legacy charity donation
Having worked at Guide Dogs for over six years I'm constantly amazed at the generosity that enables the organisation to literally transform lives, because none of it would be possible without the support of the public. The media is constantly bombarding us with stories about the state of the...Read the full post
Posted by Vicky West, Legacy Marketing Officer on 11:50am Wed 12 Oct 2011 | Read comments (1) | Post a comment
From lab to Lab - the science behind mobility
When people think of Guide Dogs, that's exactly what they think of a guide dog but there's so much more going on behind the scenes. Guide Dogs funds hugely important research into a broad spectrum of areas affecting visually impaired people. Last year we funded around £600,000 of on-going...Read the full post
Posted by Helen Perryman, Research Coordinator on 5:35pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
How will the third sector provide children's services in the Big Society?
Last year Guide Dogs was able to help more than 500 visually impaired youngsters start out on their journey towards greater independence. We want that number to increase, but reaching out to more children and young people is not without its challenges in the current climate. The important work we...Read the full post
Posted by Mike England, vision support services manager (children's services) on 5:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide dogs - Using a CAT to make a dog
If you've seen one of the 4,500 guide dog partnerships in the UK in action, you'll know that guide dogs are truly remarkable animals. We are committed to providing dogs to all those who can benefit, for as long as they need one, but breeding the number of dogs needed is a real challenge. There’s...Read the full post
Posted by Dave Stanton, Breeding Stock Manager on 5:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
The Future of Fundraising
Charities are constantly searching for ways to make the donation process more relevant to the way people live their lives - and you can bet your bottom dollar they’re all thinking about technology. Guide Dogs originally launched the app on iPhone in October but Apple still doesn’t allow direct...Read the full post
Posted by Caroline Shields, Signature Events Coordinator on 5:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Conventional wisdom? The United Nations on disability rights
Last Tuesday it felt for a moment like I’d travelled back in time. I was in Birmingham for a workshop on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. As a Brummie this meant a return to the city I grew up in, and as a former member of Birmingham Disability Rights Group,...Read the full post
Posted by Carl Freeman, Health & Social Care Policy Manager on 5:36pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Irresponsible dog owners have had their chips
On Friday last week, the much talked about Dog Control Bill made it to committee stage at the House of Lords. For those of you who aren?t already familiar, the bill is looking to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and hold owners accountable for their dog through control notices. These issues...Read the full post
Posted by David Cowdrey - Campaigns Manager on 5:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (6) | Post a comment
Vision for Equality: Working together for an inclusive society
The words ‘excited’ and ‘conference’ are not usually found in the same sentence, but there is a real buzz at Guide Dogs about hosting the Vision for Equality Conference this week (Wednesday 19 January). Vision for Equality has been organised to contribute to and move forward the work of the UK...Read the full post
Posted by Sue Sharp Guide Dogs’ Head of Public Policy and Campaigns on 5:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments | Post a comment
Guide Dogs Blog Introduction
Welcome to Taking the Lead, our new blog, a place for our committed and professional team to provide their thoughts on the burning issues affecting the blind and partially sighted community. The new year is traditionally a time for renewing resolve, and so I thought I’d use this first blog to talk...Read the full post
Posted by Richard Leaman on 5:37pm Sun 12 Jun 2011 | Read comments (4) | Post a comment
