Since World War II our society has come to depend on hundreds of machines and devices to perform simple and complex tasks at home, at work, and almost everywhere we go. Manual typewriters have been succeeded by electric typewriters which in turn have been succeeded by computers. Radios have been succeeded by television sets, first black and white, then in color. Now it is possible to play games using the screen of the TV set, and to hook up to a cable which provides special programs. Old party lines which would connect the caller with "Central" have been replaced by private lines and multiple private lines with special features at home. The complexity of office telephone service at many firms requires that new employees receive training in order to make telephone calls. Cooking can still be done over a gas or electric burner, but dozens of other methods and devices—electric skillets and grills, crock pots, and woks, fondue pots, charcoal grills and microwave ovens to name a few—have made this old-fashioned method of cooking almost a rarity.
As it is with life in general, so it is with technology for the blind. Many gadgets have been developed and most of them are useful, at least to some degree. Some of them—often the simplest—make it possible for a blind person to function more effectively and efficiently than would be possible without the devices. However, many of the devices that have been designed for use by the blind are, like the charcoal grill or the microwave, nice luxuries: they have their usefulness indeed, but the job could be done adequately using old-fashioned methods.
A white cane, a guide dog, a cassette player from a library for the blind, and Braille reading and writing materials represent techniques that are extremely valuable to most blind persons. On the other hand, some blind persons function successfully without one or more of these techniques. In this chapter we will discuss some devices and techniques that are commonly used by blind individuals. However, we cannot and will not attempt to discuss every device that may be available with some adaptation for use by the blind. Often, a blind individual will develop techniques and devices of his or her own that are far more useful than many on the market.
Talking watches and clocks are often inexpensive and available at local retail outlets such as Radio Shack. They are also available from companies that sell specialized devices for the blind. Some are small and will easily fit into a pocket or purse. Some operate on double A batteries and are surprisingly accurate. Others have musical alarms or have features that serve as a stopwatch and can give you the elapsed time for 1 minute, 5 minutes, or thirty minutes.
A person who loses vision as a senior may prefer a talking watch or clock instead of the Braille. Features of these devices vary considerably. It may be desirable to have a reader assist in learning to operate the new device. The buttons are likely to be marked in print, and the blind person will need to memorize the location and function of each one. If the device is only going to be used for telling time, only one button will be used. For setting the time, the alarm, the calendar, or the timer, several buttons will be required.
When buttons on a calculator keyboard are pushed, a synthetic voice identifies what buttons were pushed. When 'equals' is pushed, the answer will follow. This device is as useful to blind persons as a basic calculator is to anyone else. A variety of talking calculators are on the market, some with scientific, and other complex features.
As indicated in the previous material, Braille wrist watches, pocket watches, and alarm clocks are available from a number of sources. The watches range in price from $30.00 to a great deal more than that. Some Braille alarm clocks are less expensive. The case of a Braille watch is made so that the top can be raised on a hinge, and the blind person can touch the hands of the watch lightly to tell the time. Braille watches have raised dots around the edges to show the hours. There may be three dots at 12; two dots at 3, 6, and 9; and one dot at the other numbers, or the dots may be arranged in a slightly different way. In any case, reading a Braille watch or clock is very much like reading a print watch or clock, except that the blind person learns to touch the face of the watch or clock lightly with his or her fingertip. The American Action Fund supplies Braille watches or clocks to deaf-blind persons who cannot afford to buy them, since this is their only means of telling time.
This device converts print into speech by means of computer at a speed of 150 words per minute or higher. This machine, which first came on the market in limited numbers early in 1977, originally cost $50,000.
Optical character recognition was invented by Raymond Kurzweil, one of the outstanding leaders in new technology in our generation. By the year 2000 the technology was being used to make scanners of many models and brands. Printed information may now be scanned and sent to a computer relatively inexpensively. Then it can be converted into speech or Braille. There are several reading machines on the market which do this, and most cost less than $5,000. The progress that has been made in converting print into speech and Braille in the last generation is truly revolutionary, and benefits blind people in many different ways. This is an example of a technology developed to meet the needs of the blind to read print and has become popular and inexpensive in applications far beyond its original use.
Braille rulers, Braille steel tapes and tape measures are relatively inexpensive and readily available. Other more sophisticated and expensive measuring devices, such as a Braille micrometer and a Braille rotomatic measure, are also available for specific purposes. Some measuring devices have been developed with speech output instead of Braille. Examples of this would be a talking blood pressure monitor or thermometer. It may be necessary to search in more than one place, but these devices are worth looking for.
This device is generally used for making Braille labels and can be operated by persons who do not know Braille as well as by those who do.
Printed materials may be placed on this machine, and the print will be enlarged to several times its original size, and shown on a screen. This device is generally used by blind persons who have a small amount of usable vision. It has been used successfully on the job by many blind individuals, but there are many who cannot use it. Some who use this machine may need to supplement the TV enlarger with tape recordings or other types of materials. For small amounts of reading, less expensive magnifying devices are more appropriate.
MYTH: To be successful, a blind person must rely on a great many devices which have been adapted or specially marked for use by the blind.
FACT: Some special devices have been developed which are very useful to blind individuals. However, blind persons use equipment purchased from ordinary commercial sources for most of their activities.
EXAMPLE: A blind person was talking with a group of children about blindness. The children were, as would be expected, eager to know about special techniques and tools used by the blind. The blind individual was doing her best to answer the questions, but was not coming up with information that the children had expected. Finally one child asked, "Don't you have anything at your house that is different?" The speaker laughed and said, "Well, maybe not as much as you would expect. I have books and magazines in Braille and on records and I have a couple of marks on my oven dial, but I can't think of much else at my house that is different."
The American Action Fund works to be informed about new developments in technology for the blind and the practical applications of these devices for blind persons. The American Action Fund helps blind persons to obtain devices such as those listed in this chapter when such a device will make a substantial difference to the blind person involved and when the AAF has the funds to do it.
This device converts information shown in print on a computer terminal into synthesized speech. It is new to the market and should be increasingly available at affordable prices. It should make it possible for blind people to get into many jobs not formerly open to them.