This is a story about a library at the University of Louisiana. Offering low vision aids. Specifically something that is called a Monomouse magnifier. It looks like a mouse that hooks up to a TV. There is a camera in the flat side of the mouse that projects the image on to the TV. Its basically a CCTV built into a mouse like device. There are a few types, but they can zoom in as much as 24X.
I had the opportunity to try one of these at my local sight center. I really thought it was a great device. As compared to the Desktop Digital Magnifiers that are much more expensive and take up a lot of space. These are small, relatively cheap and very useful. I dont own one but I hope to get one soon.
I suggest taking a look at these if you have difficulty reading print.
So I've been using Windows 7 for over a year now, and I really like it. One improvement is the accessibility options. Though there has always been a magnifier in windows, the one in windows 7 is very useful in my opinion. here is a video demo of the magnifieer.
I tend to use the Lens feature, so i can see the entire screen and zoom in on key information.
If there is any interest I may create a video or a walk through on how I navigate and work on a PC (something I do about 16 hours a day).
I realize I'm probably late to the party but my wife accidentally turned on the zoom feature on her Iphone and it really impressed me. I'm not a huge fan of apple products but this feature alone makes me think i wouldn't mind having an Iphone.
Here is the feature demonstrated.
Here are some additional accessibility features offered on the Iphone
One thing that still bothers me is the font size in text messages. I really think this needs to be more customizable, but otherwise it seems like a very good device for those with low vision.
I've dedicated a few posts to Canadian Olympic cross country skier Brian Mckeever. He is 30 years old, has Stargardts disease, is legally blind, and is competing in both the Olympic and Paralympic games this winter. He will be the first athlete in history to do so.
He is competing in the Men's 50km Mass Start Classic, It starts Sunday February 28th at 9:30 AM PSD. If you are on the east cost set your DVR's.
Again we'll be cheering for him even though he's Canadian.
Update: (3/2/2010): Unfortunately according to Wikipedia Brian did not compete on Sunday.
however Canada's coach decided to replace him with a skier who did well at an earlier event at the 2010 games and thus he will not become the first athlete in the world to compete in the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics in the same year.
A study from the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) found that people who consume at least 100 millilitres of olive oil a week are almost 50 per cent less likely to develop macular degeneration than those who eat less than 1 millilitre per week.
The study also found that people who eat other foods which are rich in omega-3 fatty-acids, such as fish and nuts, are 15 per cent less likely to develop macular degeneration.
Age-related Macular Degeneration, which impacts the vision of more than 2 million Americans 50 and older, is one of the leading causes of blindness. Yet many people aren’t even aware of the perils of this eye disease, which is why Prevent Blindness America has declared February AMD/Low Vision Month.
If you didnt read the previous post about these glasses here is a quick description from Dr. Sonsino.
He says, "The glasses combine three aspects. The first is magnificaion, the second is a little prism to allow the eyes to stay straight, instead of curving in, and the third is LED lighting."
The article describes briefely how the glasses help and who would have a need for them. They also have a website www.lowvisionreaders.com which says they are currently working on a prototype and best estimates are these will be released in summer of 2010.
Did you know google had a search page for those with low vision? It is only in its preliminary stages but it could be helpful. It responds to hot keys, magnifies the results you have selected, and beeps when you change the focus on the page.
I know it sounds obvious but reading the numbers is interesting to me. Here is the short article.
Low vision aids can significantly improve reading speed and reading ability in patients with age-related macular degeneration, but better overall visual acuity still correlates with better reading ability.
According to a retrospective study of 530 patients with AMD who were provided either optical visual aids or closed-circuit TV systems as a low-vision aid, the added magnification of the system helped improved words read per minute.
For the entire group of patients, mean reading speed improved from 20 ± 33 words per minute (wpm) to 72 ± 35 wpm. However, among patients with a visual acuity less than 0.1, reading speed improved from 0.4 ± 3.8 wpm to 40 ± 13 wpm compared with 20 ± 28 wpm to 84 ± 30 wpm among patients with a visual acuity score of 0.1 or better.
Still, in the study, low vision aids had a marked impact on reading ability: Only 16% of patients were able to read before receiving a low vision aid compared with 94% after.
For the holidays I thought I'd post this. Its an brief article explaining Brian McKeever, a Canadian cross country skier with Stargardt's disease. He is legally blind and attempting to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic games this winter. Here is the article in full.
Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., moved closer Tuesday to becoming the first ever winter athlete to compete in an Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 30-year-old, legally blind cross-country skier dominated the 50km Haywood NorAm individual-start classic race in his hometown, part of a series of races Cross Country Canada is using to determine its final Olympic spots that will be announced in January. McKeever suffers from Stargardt's disease, which has left him only with 10 per cent of his vision, all peripheral. In 2007, he finished 21st in a 15km skate-ski race at the able-bodied world championships. "That is all I had [Tuesday] and I hope it is enough to convince the selection committee that I deserve a spot on the Olympic team," he said in a release. "I feel satisfaction right now."
Five summer-sport athletes have competed in both the Paralympics and Olympics.
Amazon has announced that they are working on a new set of features for the Kindle that should come avialable in the Summer of 2010. I wrote earlier that the Kindle DX is helpful for those who have low vision with adjustable fonts and text-to-speech. The next set of features will expand these technologies adding a extra large font size, and also audible menus. This will make the device more valuable to those with severe low vision or complete blindness.
This is a 5 megapixel digital camera with built in text to speech functionality. So you just take a picture of a page of text and the device will read all the words to you. It seems very impressive but at $1,499.00 it carries a steep price.
Here is a video demonstrating the device.
Here is Intels promo video that also shows a portable capture station for capturing large amounts of pages like books or magazines.
Here is the Press Release
Ready, Set, Read: Intel® Reader Transforms Printed Text to Spoken Word
Intel Launches Mobile Handheld Device for People with Reading-Based Disabilities, such as Dyslexia or Low-Vision, or for Those Who are Blind
* The new Intel Reader, a mobile handheld device, increases independence for people with reading-based disabilities.
* The size of a paperback book, the Intel Reader converts printed text to digital text and then reads it aloud to the user.
* The Intel Reader can help the estimated 55 million people in the U.S. who have specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia or vision problems.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 10, 2009 – Intel Corporation today announced the Intel® Reader, a mobile handheld device designed to increase independence for people who have trouble reading standard print. The Intel Reader can assist the estimated 55 million people in the U.S. who have dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities, or have vision problems such as low-vision or blindness, which makes reading printed words difficult or impossible.
The Intel Reader, about the size of a paperback book, converts printed text to digital text, and then reads it aloud to the user. Its unique design combines a high-resolution camera with the power of an Intel® Atom™ processor, allowing users to point, shoot and listen to printed text. The Intel Reader will be available in the United States through select resellers, including CTL, Don Johnston Incorporated, GTSI, Howard Technology Solutions and HumanWare.
When the Intel Reader is used together with the Intel® Portable Capture Station, large amounts of text, such as a chapter or an entire book, can be easily captured for reading later. Users will have convenient and flexible access to a variety of printed materials, helping to not only increase their freedom, but improve their productivity and efficiency at school, work and home. The Intel Reader has been endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association as an important advance in assistive technology. Additionally, Intel is working with the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, the Council for Exceptional Children, Lighthouse International, the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the National Federation of the Blind to help reach and address the needs of people who have difficulty reading print.
"The Intel Digital Health Group's expertise is in finding innovative technology solutions to improve quality of life," said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Health Group. "We are proud to offer the Intel Reader as a tool for people who have trouble reading standard print so they can more easily access the information many of us take for granted every day, such as reading a job offer letter or even the menu at a restaurant."
The original concept for the Intel Reader came from Ben Foss, a researcher at Intel who was identified in elementary school as one of the estimated 20 percent of people nationwide who have symptoms of dyslexia. Throughout high school, college and graduate school, he had to depend on others to read to him or work through the slow process of getting words off of a page himself. As an adult, much of the content he wanted, from professional journals to pleasure reading, just wasn't available in audio form.
"As someone who is part of this dyslexic community, I am thrilled to be able to help level the playing field for people who, like me, do not have easy access to the printed word," Foss said. "Feelings of loneliness are often the experience of not being able to read easily. We hope to open the doors for people in these communities. The Intel Reader is a tool that can help give people with dyslexia, low-vision, blindness or other reading-based disabilities access to the resources they need to participate and be successful in school, work and life.
ABC News chicago has a piece about Amazon Kindle DX being used by those with low vision. here's the video
The Kindle has text to speech functionality for the books but not the menu's or navigation. The Font can go as high as 18pt which from the looks of the video is a good size.
. It looks like a mouse that hooks up to a TV. There is a camera in the flat side of the mouse that projects the image on to the TV. Its basically a CCTV built into a mouse like device. There are a few types, but they can zoom in as much as 24X.
that should come avialable in the Summer of 2010. 