02/10/2012
Technology for the Blind
Most of the time—as when it comes to technology—we tend to take things for granted. Just a few examples include the miracle of ATM machines, the way our computer keyboards are designed, or the fact that a conventional mouse is placed oh-so-conveniently on the right side of the keyboard (only for some of us, however… the rest of the population is left-handed!). We forget the fact that there are people who are physically challenged, or who are simply different than you. This is where software kicks in, in all its glory. A mouse, as you probably already know, can be moved to the left side and the clicks can be reversed; and as for ATM machines, there are audio options for the blind now as well.
Technology should be encompassing. That is, it should remove the barriers between people and ensure that everyone’s life is bettered. Braille helped the blind to read as well, but how do they read an e-book? Audio books were invented. But is that it? Is that enough? For someone blind, browsing through the internet is far beyond convenient. They are still dependant on the “normal” crowd, the crowd who usually makes these inventions for them.
More so, whatever technological development happens, for the blind and the otherwise impaired, it always becomes accessible after a few years. One must wait. Sakhr, however, is on a mission to change that. Winner of the World Summit Award 2009 for their “Vision for the Blind”, Sakhr’s Ibsar software enables users to convert their computer screens into the spoken word, using human voice.
This is leaps and bounds beyond character recognition and text-to-speech translation. Sakhr’s software makes that final hurdle, goes all the way. Ibsar enables blind users to read, on their own, printed books and documents as well as electronic files. It also helps them write texts in both Arabic and English, in addition to saving and printing these texts in Braille.
Using Ibsar, blind users can access Arabic and English pages and translate them, send and read emails and to help them through the regular keyboard, it also has a training system that enables them to learn to operate them.
With Ibsar on a computer, blind users can claim their own independence and privacy, further boosting their self-confidence and sense of autonomy as well. More than anything, it is truly a faster and practical tunnel to the light for most handicapped people trying to get their hands on the technological inventions of the world. Ibsar is as simple as any other software’s installation on a regular computer. It is blind-user-friendly right from the start.
