Objective The objective of this project is to provide access for blind people to the increasing range of computer applications which are provided with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) instead of a Text based User Interface. One of the main deprivations caused by blindness, particularly in today's society, is the problem of access to information. The advent of inexpensive personal computers has been a major step forward for blind people, since it has given them the possibiity of accessing and storing information, which is accessible to both blind and sighted persons. This has opened a wide range of employment opportunities, which previously had been denied to blind persons. It has also had an important impact on their education and independent living, offering new important possibilities for socio-economic integration. However, the introduction of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) has now reversed this trend. The demand for more efficient, user-friendly and user- oriented human computer communication has led to the development of a new generation of graphics-based user interfaces, exploiting the efficiency and effectiveness of the human visual information processing capability of sighted people. The way pictorial information is currently organized and presented in available graphics based applications (commercially or under development) has meant that they are totally inaccessible to blind users. Furthermore, any absence of proper human factors considerations has meant that such applications may present problems even to sighted users, through information overload. Direct manipulation methods are not suitable for blind persons and text is presented graphically (bit mapped) on the screen. Graphical presentations of information cannot be easily reproduced in alternative media, such as using tactile displays or synthetic speech, not only due to technical problems, but also to the different information bandwidths of the available sensory channels. This new situation has created a challenge for industry, not only for companies involved in the market of equipment and adaptations for disabled persons, but also for producers of computers and equipment for the general market. Computers and computer based systems need to be accessible to everyone (already enforced by legislation in some countries such as the United States). This project is aimed at ensuring the continued access by blind users to the same computer systems and computer based applications used by sighted users. In the short term, this will be achieved by giving blind users access (with keyboard and mouse) to text as used in widely available applications (e.g. use of wordprocessors and spreadsheet programs), using a combination of transitory braille (electronic line display), speech and sound. GUIB is also creating a platform for longer term solutions by investigating how to integrate non-conventional input-output peripherals into modern multimedia systems. This project will implement a prototype system integrating different devices (like speech synthesizer, braille display, sound generation, and pointing devices) into a multimedia user interface, using a formal language to describe the dialogue in the user interface in terms of the interaction objects used (like windows, icons, buttons) and the responses of the system to the actions that the user perfoms. The consortium is composed of organisations which have a wide expertise and work experience in the fields of information technology, signal processing, as well as the area of technology and blindness. Programme(s) HS-TIDE 0 - Technology initiative for disabled and elderly people - TIDE pilot action, 1991- Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) EU contribution No data Address Via Panciatichi 64 50127 Firenze Italy See on map Total cost No data Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all F.H. PAPENMEIER GMBH & CO. KG Germany EU contribution No data Address TALWEG 2 58239 SCHWERTE See on map Total cost No data Found. of Research & Technology - Hellas Greece EU contribution No data Address Daedalou 36, P.O. Box 1385 71110 Heraklion See on map Total cost No data Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address 224 Great Portland Street W1N 6AA London See on map Total cost No data TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND Finland EU contribution No data Address KANSLERINKATU 8 D 33101 TAMPERE See on map Total cost No data Technische Universität Berlin Germany EU contribution No data Address Einsteinufer 25 10587 Berlin See on map Total cost No data Universität Stuttgart Germany EU contribution No data Address Breitwiesenstraße 20-22 7000 Stuttgart See on map Total cost No data Vrije Universiteit Brussel Belgium EU contribution No data Address Laarbeeklaan 101 1090 Brussel See on map Total cost No data
