SMARTPHONE CAPABILITIES TO THE SERVICE OF THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Transcription

1 SMARTPHONE CAPABILITIES TO THE SERVICE OF THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED A large number of different highly advanced devices that make everyday life easier for all those people with sight problems have been emerging in recent years thanks to the rapid growth and spread of mobile technology. The advent of smartphones, with built-in accessibility tools added by their manufacturers to allow their independent use without any additional payment, has also opened the world of applications (apps) that can be used at low cost or even for free, offering a promising horizon for blind people. In the past, blind people were covering their own needs to access to information by means of a range of devices that were more or less technologically advanced, and more or less expensive, almost specially designed for them: a scanner and an OCR (Optical Character Recognizer) connected to a computer provided with a screen magnifier or reader to read written documents; a colour identifier to match their clothes; a talking machine to take notes and read or edit files; etc. Nowadays, and although there are matters that must be cleared up, the need to have an electronic device for each specific use is already disappearing thanks to smartphones. Moreover, smartphones and some of their apps now offer many more additional possibilities in addition to those benefits blind users were able to enjoy before with the technology available so far. Dialling a number and receiving calls, managing all sorts of messages, contacts and calendars, taking notes, connecting to the Internet or using multimedia tools are tasks that all users, whether or not they are visually impaired, perform with their smartphones as they often help to make them easier. Firstly, because apps are often simpler to use than the actual websites, as evidenced by the use of social networking services or those related to the purchase or booking of admission tickets, etc. And also because smartphones introduce intelligent voice assistants (like Siri) that help in searching for information by asking questions or by voice commands that are recognized and managed by the terminal itself. A revolution in autonomy to face the lack of vision In addition, such terminals provide blind people with functionalities they particularly need as they help to cover their sight loss, offering a wide range of possibilities such as:

2 Applications that turn your smartphone into a simple handheld loupe by enlarging text and displaying it on the screen (through the camera focus and zoom). There are more sophisticated apps that emulate the functions of a configurable electronic portable magnifier that better suits the user s visual needs. Apps such as alarm clocks, timers, calculators of distance, area and volume (like electronic meters, levellers, etc) to measure and check time and space. To help you manage your closet and assist you with your personal image, there are colour identifiers as well as the option to get support and advice from others (although they are not physically present) via videoconference or by sending photos in an instant message, etc. This type of service is really helpful for people who live alone and need assistance on how to match clothes, footwear or about the state of the environment. There are tools that help the user identify items and products: just snap a photo with the smartphone camera and send it immediately to a server sometimes supported by a team of volunteers online- that will provide feedback on the product in question (for example, the contents of tinned food, a tetrabrik carton package, etc). Some services allow users to make a specific question about the content of the photo sent, so that online volunteers or the people connected through social networking can respond to the request made by a blind person. Let s say, if an open space image is sent, the user could ask to identify where the main entrance to the building is located, or where the shop is, etc. Or, if you send the photo of a precooked meal package, you may ask for directions for cooking as they may not be identified by text recognition. This type of applications and their fast response time to users have caused a revolution in the autonomy and independence of the blind as they somehow make up for the lack of vision by helping them to identify and obtain information on items that, otherwise, they could not know without the assistance provided by a third party. In a way it feels like having an assistant at your service anytime you need to solve your doubts. There are also apps that read bar codes (of varying degrees of difficulty) that let users have useful information on a product, brand, size, etc. There are others that identify QR codes and provide information about the product through a URL, etc. To read written correspondence or other kind of documents received in a mailbox, there are apps that work like an OCR: just take a picture of the document, and the text will be immediately

3 converted into speech. There are also apps that allow further editing of the text in the image file or even its translation into other languages or into Spanish, if the recognized text is in another language. And everything is immediately made available, with no need to turn on your computer, place the document on the scanner or perform the OCR. There are apps that allow access to very specific information but of great interest to blind and visually impaired people, who can have it available on their mobile terminals. Among these, there are medical apps that provide information on medicines (side effects, dosing, interactions, warnings, etc). Other apps support mobility and they include GPS of varying levels of accessibility and/or usability; apps that simply let you have your exact position and allow you to send your coordinates to others for tracking; apps that guide the user to a specific shop or service required (a pharmacy, an ATM, a restaurant, call a taxi, etc); and apps with more advanced features as they include virtual navigation to plan and know routes and areas on a city map in advance. In the same field of mobility, County and City Councils have developed apps to encourage the use of public transport and that allow users to know where a bus stop is or what stop they are in, and offer additional information like waiting time for the next bus, number of stops on the way, etc. Smartphones are also playing a more relevant, growing role in the fields of culture and information: reading the news is becoming a much easier task, as is also finding programmes of interest or reading books in different formats. The newest development in the cultural sphere is the introduction of smartphones as a key element for the delivery of audio description in motion pictures, a solution that allows downloading the corresponding spoken messages from a server to an app. When the film soundtracks are received, it will then reproduce the audiodescription soundtrack, synchronized with action (please refer to Así Somos, Nr. 115). This means that blind people can enjoy any accessible movie, at any cinema, at any session (it is no longer necessary for the cinema to have the right equipment installed or even have the film to be displayed with audiodescription added to it), in their own TV set at home or elsewhere. Language dictionaries and instant translation apps also provide useful features in certain situations, allowing easy, immediate access via the smartphone.

4 Last but not least, the Reference Centre for Research, Development and Implementation of Technical Appliances (CIDAT) in ONCE, in collaboration with the Deaf-Blind Technical Unit, have developed an application that will enable the deafblind using a smartphone to communicate with others who do not know the sign language. Deaf-blind people will tactile sign on the terminal screen display and will get the answer from their interlocutor in a Braille display or in large characters (if they have low vision), whereas their partners will receive the message in text format (on the same screen) and will be able to write their answer by using the virtual keyboard in their handheld device. Indeed, this tool will help such a vulnerable group with so many communication barriers deal with a number of day-to-day situations. Challenges ahead So far we have talked about those features that are already available to blind users of smartphones. Despite the long way to go, the immediate future looks really promising. Using your smartphone as a TV remote control is no longer just an idea; so it is easy to imagine a not too distant future where they will utilize their smartphones to manage their home appliances by wireless communications. In addition, augmented reality (AR) apps are also catching on in a number of ways, especially in tourism. There is still a lot of progress to be made in this field, yet it will ensure many and very helpful benefits to blind people, allowing them to have information about buildings, works of art in museums, etc. that otherwise may not be available so far. It is encouraging that apps can also be used for indoor orientation in the middle term. There are also apps that help monitor health and wellbeing as we are seeing a lot of progress in the field. Although they are not very widespread yet, these smartphone apps -along with hardware- provide information on different health indicators: blood pressure, glucose levels, etc. There is also a constant evolution in the field of access to mobile banking services, particularly convenient for a blind person, who will be able to turn the smartphone into a virtual POS solution and complete any bank transaction in a fully accessible manner. While Spain has some experience in this area, it is already reality in the US.

5 Additionally, and thanks to the implementation of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, customers could manage to use ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) or ticket vending machines with their smartphones as it would be much easier for blind people to have an accessible interface installed in their mobile terminal than having those already available adapted to fit their needs. Technology has advanced to the stage where smartphones can be used as a secure identity management solution, providing biometrics control systems (digital fingerprint readers, voice pitch recognition, iris scanning, etc). It is only a matter of time before more options are available for banking transactions through mobile devices: certifications, payments, secure administrative procedures, etc. MUCH MORE THAN JUST A MOBILE TERMINAL As we have seen in the above-mentioned examples, it is clear that smartphones are opening up a whole world of possibilities that are not only limited to fit the needs blind people had already met with the use of other devices. Smartphones also enhance their individual autonomy, providing a higher degree of independence in their everyday life and in areas where technology could not be used before whilst it can be very helpful now and even become essential for some people. These very recent and revolutionary developments lead us to consider how important it is to understand the role such technologies play for the blind, which goes far beyond what anyone can imagine today. The use of smartphones should not be restricted to educational or employment purposes, or addressed to advanced users with more sophisticated needs. Indeed, it is a competence to achieve for everyone wanting to improve their personal autonomy, independence and quality of life. It is not just a hand-held mobile phone that fits in your pocket; it is also a magnifier, a GPS, a tube map, a scanner, a friend who explains what's happening on the screen or gives advice on how to dress for a dinner, or the information leaflet for the medications you must take while setting reminders when it s time to do it, etc. An all-in-one device and for virtually the exact price of the mobile phone which, although it is not cheap, provides accessibility features and supports many of the referred capabilities that come as free apps or at fair prices that very rarely exceed 10 or 20 Euros. Obviously, not all applications are accessible but there are indeed some apps with these features that are perfectly usable by blind people.