I have a story to share especially for the people who are Vision Impaired, there is no such word like impossible in this World. Science and Technology have opened up new Horizons for everyone. Who says that Blind People can't send SMS? A couple weeks ago I had the chance to meet a blind person at a conference, where he was supposed to show himself using the internet and his mobile phone. It was very exciting to see him handle his computer and the internet browser on it, but suddenly he flipped a Nokia E90 out, and started using his mobile phone.
The phone started talking to him in a syntetical voice, which was hardly understandable, but you easily get used to this. He showed us the usage of that application, how he sends messages, looks for contacts, and much more! Then it shocked everyone, when a SMS arrived on his mobile phone, and it read it out loud, and he mentioned: "Oh it's just my blind friend writing me that he was trying another Symbian application, and that it works well for us.".
A couple years ago, when Symbian wasn't here, there was very little opportunity and those that did exist were very expensive opportunities for blind people to use their mobile phones. Today, they have a full chance of using it with either Windows Mobile or Symbian phones.
I installed the application a couple days later, when I exchanged a few e-mails with the blind person (Tomas). I tested the application (how else then really not watching). It was very tough in the beginning, but doable - I was able to send messages, view contacts, browse my mobile phone. The biggest difficulty was probably the menu and orientation in it. This voice in the appliction works is generated by the application MobileSpeak from CodeFactory. These guys deserve our appreciation and applause and a big cheer. So CodeFactory - thank you for this, great stuff!
Currently a lot of blind persons around the world are using Nokia devices because for a few years there have been two professional - albeit expensive - screen reader <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_reader> software products for the S60 Symbian platform: Talks <http://blind.wikia.com/index.php?title=Special:Outbound&f=Open_Letter_Initiative&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nuance.com%2Ftalks%2F> from Nuance Communications <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuance_Communications> and Mobile Speak <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Speak> from Code Factory <http://blind.wikia.com/index.php?title=Special:Outbound&f=Open_Letter_Initiative&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.codefactory.es%2Fen%2F>, which make these cell phones accessible by output of synthetic speech <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_synthesizer> and also allow the use of third party software such as Loadstone-GPS <http://blind.wikia.com/wiki/Loadstone-GPS>, Wayfinder Access, web browser, audio player or DAISY <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAISY_Digital_Talking_Book> book reader.
Today, commercial screen readers are available for the Windows Mobile platform too. Apple has integrated the revolutionary VoiceOver screen reader <http://blind.wikia.com/wiki/IPhone> into the OS of the iPhone 3GS. There is also a screen reader called Oratio <http://blind.wikia.com/index.php?title=Special:Outbound&f=Open_Letter_Initiative&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.humanware.com%2Fen-europe%2Fproducts%2Fblindness%2Forator_for_blackberry_smartphones%2F_details%2Fid_131%2Forator_for_blackberry_smartphones.html> for some Blackberry models as well.
For a blind person an ICT device without a screen reader is like a device without display for a seeing person.
It would be desirable to have a screen reader software for Google's open Android platform <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_%28mobile_phone_platform%29> too; the best solution would be an open source or non-profit development such that blind people from the developing and newly industrializing regions of our world will have access to it as well.
"Through Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. The end result will be an unprecedented mobile platform that will enable wireless operators and manufacturers to give their customers better, more personal and more flexible mobile experiences."
Google's chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt said "Our vision is that the powerful platform we're unveiling will power thousands of different phone models."
In the future, there will be an affordable, accessible system for the needs of blind users which includes optimized mobile hardware with components from the mass market. This device would need to have good tactile keys and a high-quality loudspeaker and should be protected against moisture and dust.
A receiver of satellite signals for optimal pedestrian use (accuracy), an electronic compass and perhaps an accelerometer, pedometer or a gyroscope could be offered in a wearable Bluetooth box. Additional hardware like a PC keyboard, a headset, a small remote control, a portable Braille display <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refreshable_Braille_display>, loudspeaker or a large display for people with low vision could also be connected via cable or Bluetooth. A built in camera would enable light detection, color recognition, optical character recognition (OCR) and could be useful in situations when seeing help from distance is needed. Though a camera might be too expensive for the basic device it could be offered as an accessory. Built-in RFID technology <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rfid> for several purposes is imaginable as well. It's important to minimize the production costs of the main units to keep them affordable!
Google and other companies from the mobile tech sector could help to quicken the evolution of mobile web access and accessible satellite navigation for the at least 37 million blind and 124 million visually impaired people around the world, especially for the 1.4 million blind children.
"Talking" mobile technology is a great chance for them to obtain access to:
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Communication (phone calls, sms, e-mail)
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Participation in social networks
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Navigation tools + specific map data <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system> and location based services (lbs) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Location_based_service>
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Information and mLearning <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mLearning>
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All kinds of helpful and accessible applications (device/web based)
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Mobile Banking <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_banking> and Mobile Payments <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_payment>
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Mobile Commerce <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_commerce>
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mHealth <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHealth>, eHealth <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-health> and services for Safety and Disease Prevention
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E-Government services <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Government>
This will open new opportunities for the job market and for e-inclusion <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Inclusion>, especially for those from countries, where access to fixed phones or landline internet is rarely available but cellular radio networks are common. Many people in developing countries use mobile as their primary or only web access due to infrastructure there.
Talking technology
could be helpful for persons with limitations caused by dyslexia and illiteracy and for all other users in situations where eyes-free mobile usage is helpful as well, i. e. car driving.
The intentions of the OLPC learning project <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olpc> (one laptop per child) could perhaps be a kind of model for this idea and Android could open the door for blind, visually impaired or otherwise handicaped people worldwide. Then they would also become more independent of assestive technology (AT) trading policies and the mostly expensive selling prices for these AT products. Some members of the Open Handset Alliance should have the knowledge (and hopefully goodwill) to program a free Android Screen Reader or providing support/resources for that.
Blind people today, using for example a Symbian phone with text-to-speach technologies, like the one from CodeFactory.Es <http://www.codefactory.es> in Spain, can use full communication, calling, messaging, and even e-mail and other features.
Today, I wanted to focus on the future - of what the future of technology - and mobile phones, can bring disabled people. Imagine your day - actually being just black, and imagine that you would want to do the most you could with your mobile phone - go shopping, go out, go to a concert - these things are the things that are very hard to do, to find, find your way. Most basic things like not getting lost are an extremely hard thing.
When I spoke with the people that are disabled on their eyes - and can't see a thing, I have understood that the most basic things like looking at time in your mobile phone actually takes 40 seconds to find, despite their fast usage… Mobile software for blind people has to evolve, and heavily - things like time management, graphical application, and even games they could play with their mobile phones - that is something that blind people could use every day.
With the entry of the Android platform to the market, and specifically phone T-Mobile G1, there are new opportunities open for disabled people. Of course, we can't expect disabled people to use touch screens, so they will need a different hardware piece - but the technologies combined in the G1 are the ideal technologies they could use. The most important combination for disabled people in the future will definately be the GPS - on a high quality level, and combined with a compass, and a sidewalk map. Currently Symbian seems to be the best technology, and the one most used on the market, combined with the older Windows Mobile handsets or different varieties of PDA's.
Navteq <http://www.navteq.com>
(a Nokia company), being one of the first companies to actually do sidewalk maps, can bring a new possibility for disabled people. This would be a breakthrough for blind people, and would bring new and easier way of transportation for the blind. Also combining with a good text-to-speach component.
But, that's going to be just the beginning - navigation in buildings, will sure be possible, either it will be done only in some documented blind compatible buildings, or it will be done with a sonar-like technology (in other words, have you seen the latest Batman movie?), but that would be very expensive. This navigation will be technically very hard to do, and very expensive to implement, but it will also find usage with people, that aren't blind, but just those, that can't find it in the building, where the GPS is not working anymore.
I hope somebody can really step into this market, and dig deap, and help people with these issues, as there is about 45 - 135 million (!) visually impaired people worldwide (World Health Organization), so it's not just some issue out there, we are talking about a huge number of people with these issues.
