Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I love reading AccessWorld each month. I have been reading it since October. One thing I would like to see is a review of the Pantech Breeze 3 phone from AT&T. I have heard that this phone has a read out mode to read menus and texts. I am interested to know if it works well for people who are blind. Also, it would be great if there [were] a DAISY version of this magazine. Keep up the great work.

Best regards,

Allen

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I just read the review of the second generation iBill. I purchased the first model, and I thought, at first, it was a wonderful and very helpful device. However, rugged is hardly the word I would use to describe it after I had it for a few months. It worked perfectly when I first got it. It was easy to use and accurate, but this unit's battery life was extremely limited. The last time I attempted to remove the battery cover to put in a new battery, the whole device literally broke apart in my hands. Although it does a good job, based on my experience, I would not purchase another one unless it would be made of much sturdier material.

Thanks,

John

World Intellectual Property Organization Advances Toward Treaty to Facilitate Access by People with Print Disabilities to Published Works; Morocco Offers to Host Diplomatic Conference in Geneva

Meeting in an extraordinary session, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly made a landmark decision to convene a diplomatic conference in 2013 to complete negotiations on a pact to improve access to copyrighted works for people who are visually impaired and people with print disabilities around the world. The General Assembly also expressed gratitude to Morocco for its offer to host the diplomatic conference.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry welcomed the constructive spirit of engagement among member states and the decision to convene a diplomatic conference in 2013 to agree on the provisions of an international treaty. "Member states took an important decision today in our collective efforts to facilitate access to copyrighted works by the visually impaired and persons with print disabilities," Mr. Gurry said. He added, "The future treaty will improve access to published works for millions around the world." The Director General thanked Morocco's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Omar Hilale, for his country's generous offer to host the diplomatic conference.

While some countries have domestic legislation that grants limitations and exceptions for use of copyrighted works by those who are visually impaired and people with print disabilities, there is a legal vacuum at the international level. Since 2004, the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) has been considering whether certain limitations and exceptions should be harmonized internationally. The WIPO General Assembly decided that discussions relating to a future treaty to benefit people who are visually impaired and people with print disabilities are sufficiently advanced and mature to convene a diplomatic conference. The convening of a diplomatic conference signals entry into the final phase of treaty negotiations.

Some 300 million people around the world who are blind or visually impaired stand to benefit from a more flexible copyright regime adapted to current technological realities.

Individuals with a reading impairment often need to convert information into braille, large print, audio, electronic, and other formats using assistive technologies. Only a very small percentage of published books around the world are available in formats accessible to the visually impaired.

The General Assembly also decided to convene a special session of the SCCR in February 2013 to advance work on the text of the draft treaty prior to the diplomatic conference, which will be held in June 2013. At the end of the February SCCR, member states will decide "whether additional work is required with the objective of holding a successful Conference in June 2013."

The current draft text of the treaty reflects significant agreement among member states, though some differences remain.

Among the issues on which member states need to reach agreement are questions relating to commercial availability (in other words, what happens in places where a title is commercially available in an accessible format) and how cross-border transfer of accessible works will take place between countries. Also, member states must agree on how to treat the traditional formulation of the provision for national law limitations and exceptions in the draft treaty text (the so-called three-step test).

At the conclusion of the General Assembly, member states convened the Preparatory Committee of the Diplomatic Conference to conclude a treaty to facilitate access by visually impaired people and people with print disabilities to published works to consider the venue and modalities for the diplomatic conference.

Perkins School for the Blind, Helen Keller National Center, and FableVision will Lead the iCanConnect Campaign

Many thousands of Americans who have combined loss of hearing and vision may soon connect with family, friends, and community thanks to the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. Mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established this new program to provide support for the local distribution of a wide array of accessible communications technology.

The FCC is also funding a national outreach campaign to educate the public about this new program. The iCanConnect campaign will be conducted jointly by Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, the Helen Keller National Center in New York City, NY, and FableVision of Boston, MA. iCanConnect will seek to ensure that everyone knows about the free communications technology and training that is now available to low-income individuals with combined hearing and vision loss. From screen enlargement software and video phones to off-the-shelf products that are accessible or adaptable, this technology can vastly improve quality of life for this population.

iCanConnect seeks to increase awareness about the availability of communications technology for this underserved population, so people who are deaf-blind and have limited income can remain safe and healthy, hold jobs, manage their households, and contribute to the economy and the community.

Information about the new equipment distribution program is available online at the iCanConnect website or by phone at 800-825-4595. Additional information is available through the online FCC Encyclopedia.

"With the right technology, people with disabilities can link to information and ideas, be productive, and move ahead," said Steven Rothstein, President of Perkins. "Perkins' most famous student, Helen Keller, exemplified the potential of a person who is deaf-blind. We are proud to have a role in this transformational program."

The CVAA, championed in Washington, DC by Congressman Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, acknowledges that advances in technology can revolutionize lives. Nearly one million people in the United States have some combination of vision and hearing loss. People with combined loss of vision and hearing as defined by the Helen Keller National Center Act whose income does not exceed 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are eligible to participate in the new program.

"The mission of the Helen Keller National Center is to enable each person who is deaf-blind to live and work in his or her community of choice," explains Executive Director Joe McNulty, adding, "This critical technology access program accelerates those efforts but only if people know about the resources. iCanConnect is poised to get the word out, coast to coast."

"FableVision's mission is to help ALL learners reach their full potential," said Paul Reynolds, CEO of FableVision Studios. "With this program we advance that mission, helping spread the word about equal access to tools that offer those with hearing and vision loss the transformational power of technology." Reynolds adds, "Now everyone is invited to the technology promise powering the human network."

The 4th Annual United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) National Marathon Championships sponsored by VSP Vision Care took place on December 2 in Sacramento, CA, at the California International Marathon. Participants representing multiple states, numerous Canadian provinces, New Zealand, and China, as well as military veterans, paralympians, world/national championship holders, and guide runners arrived in California only to be welcomed by a downpour of rain and high wind.

This year USABA had 16 marathoners, 15 relay runners, and 39 guides participating in the race. These numbers far exceeded past years, and in the years to come, USABA and VSP Vision Care only expect growing participation. Richard Hunter, blinded United States Marine Corps veteran, stated, "The USABA Marathon National Championships is the highlight of the year for many athletes. It is great to be able to get to know other runners with vision loss. With the assistance of sighted guides, we are able to inspire, educate, and change the public's perception of those with vision loss."

The USABA National Marathon Championships started in 2007 with a small group of passionate athletes and volunteers who helped create the first USABA Marathon National Championship, and today, this event has become one of the premier distance running destinations for runners who are blind or visually impaired. The course provides runners and their guides a very fast, point-to-point, net-downhill marathon with a spectacular finish in front of the California State Capitol. The California International Marathon is certified and sanctioned by USA Track & Field and is a Boston Marathon qualifier as well as an Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier. When attending the USABA National Marathon Championships, athletes can expect a first class experience and are afforded the opportunity to take part in a pre-race pasta banquet, logistics assistance, pre- and post-race support, and awards. Thanks to the support of VSP Vision Care and private donors such as Dr. Michael Schermer, Every Man Jack, and Folsom Lake Lions Club, USABA is able to provide funding to offset expenses to select North American runners as well as a limited number of international runners.

All the athletes started the marathon with a goal in mind, whether that was to break an existing time, qualify for the Boston Marathon, have the fastest time in their vision category, or just finish the race. Some athletes like Kory Kennedy and Michael Kinoshita (relay team 50/50) did even better than they expected by finishing 3^rd of 902 relay teams. Aaron Scheidies came 121^st out of 6,515 marathoners, and Richard Marsolais finished with his qualifying time for Boston. Despite the unfavorable conditions, our athletes and guides had fun, made lasting friendships, and most importantly, ran an amazing race.

If you are interested in participating next year, now would be a great time to start training. The 2013 National Marathon Championships will take place December 8, so grab a guide, lace up those running shoes, and join USABA in California!

Participant Finishing Times

Below are the finishing times for each participant based on vision classification and overall performance:

B1: Totally blind

Male

1. Rob Matthews / guide Matt Bailey (New Zealand) 3:01:18
2. Leung Sui Wai / guide Hoi To Ho (Hong Kong) 3:29:41

Female

1. Tina Ament / guides Peter Graf and Philip Deacon 4:07:16
2. Ivonne Schmidt / guide Matt Brown No time due to injury

B2: Best corrected vision is 20/600 and up

Male

1. Adrian Broca / guides Eric Clarkson and Kyle Lackner 2:57:37
2. Matthew Rodjom / guides Ben Willers and Jordan Zander-Souza 3:07:08
3. Richard Hunter / guides Dan Ross and Nicole Holm 3:17:51
4. Richard Marsolais / guides George Hajecek (Canada) 4:22:15
5. David Kuhn / guides Sydney Stutz and Karen Roth 4:59:43

Female

1. Stephanie Timmer / guides Brian Lane and Ashley Kirk No time due to injury

B3: Best corrected vision is 20/200 to 20/599

Male

1. Robbie Burt (Canada) / guides David Swift and Michael O'Neil No time due to injury
2. Aaron Scheidies / guides Ritch Viola and Dan Mitchell 2:53:34
3. Steven Wood / guide Monte Harvill 3:46:51

Female

1. Diane Berberian / guide Carolyn Kiper 4:55:58
2. Rachel Weeks / guides Kelly Griego and Becca Nickens 5:28:34
3. Cassandra Dozier 5:55:10

Overall Male

1. Aaron Scheidies / guides Ritch Viola and Dan Mitchell 2:53:34
2. Adrian Broca / guides Eric Clarkson and Kyle Lackner 2:57:37
3. Rob Matthews / guide Matt Bailey 3:01:18

Overall Female

1. Tina Ament / guides Peter Graf and Philip Deacon 4:07:16
2. Diane Berberian / guide Carolyn Kiper 4:55:58
3. Rachel Weeks / guides Kelly Griego and Becca Nickens 5:28:34

Relay Teams

• 50/50, Kory Kennedy (guide - Mustafa Abbas) and Michael Kinoshita (guide - Mac Harvey) 2:36:28; overall rank: 3 of 902
• Canada, Eh?!, Chris Zonruiter (guide Emilee O'Neil), Rose Kamma Sarkany (guides Chris Morrison and Andy Thielen) and Shelley Ann Morris (guide Colleen Bird) No time due to lost chip
• CoEd, Mike Davis (guide Scott Rogalski), Jeramy Kalbaugh, Matthew Oliver (guide Keith Jamtaas) and Katie Davis (guide Jessica Hein) No time due to lost chip
• Mission Vision I, Kenta Otawa (guide Adam Andresen), David Bigoney (guide Dan Tyree), Rocky Camp (guide Elizabeth Stock) and Lonnie Bedwell (guide Jeanette Whiteman) 4:24:29; overall rank: 411 of 902
• Mission Vision II, Corvin Bazgan (guide Tom Trauger) and Tom Monroe (guide Eric Lindsey) 4:38:38; overall rank: 419 of 902

About USABA

USABA's mission is to enhance the lives of blind and visually impaired people by providing the opportunity for participation in sports and physical activity. Grant funding for this program is awarded by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, through funding provided sports programming for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces.

About VSP Global

VSP Global includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 58 million members; Marchon Eyewear Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers, designers, and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sun wear; Eyefinity, which offers innovative solutions and the premier management software and technology to improve overall practice management and patient experience; VSP Optics Group, industry leaders in new technologies, production processes, service and logistics. To date, through VSP community outreach programs such as VSP Mobile Eyes and Sight for Students, and through relationships including those with the American Red Cross and Prevent Blindness America, VSP has invested more than $150 million in free eye care and eyewear for more than 785,000 adults and children in need throughout the United States.

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Once again, the National Braille Press (NBP) has managed to release exactly the right book at exactly the right time in its continuing line of publications designed to assist blind consumers in the use of access technology products. With the growing popularity of iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), not to mention an increased popularity of the Mac as the computer of choice among technology users who are blind or visually impaired, more and more people are becoming interested in the practice of sending iMessages. So, right on schedule, NBP has released A Quick Guide to iMessages with VoiceOver, by Anna Dresner.

The book is a small one (46 braille pages) and, like all NBP publications of late, is available in either one compact hardcopy braille volume or as a downloadable electronic braille file.

What is iMessage?

The anniversary of the first text message was recently noted, marking 20 years now that people have sent simple (or not so simple) text messages via cellular network on their mobile phones. In 2011, Apple introduced iMessage, a text messaging service that has some definite advantages.

Text messages can be sent by pretty much any mobile phone to another mobile phone provided, of course, that each user has a contract with a cellular service. Most plans charge either a certain amount per text message or a blanket amount for unlimited texting; messages that spill over a certain maximum may be sent as multiple text messages.

With iMessage, there is no limit regarding the length of messages sent, and, perhaps of even greater appeal, using iMessage is free. If you have an iPad, for example, and don't want to pay for a phone service to support it, you can send texts using iMessage via WiFi without charge. You need an Apple ID, which you can get by signing up with iTunes whether you spend any money in the iTunes store or not. With iMessage, you can associate your texts with any of your own e-mail addresses or your phone number, and if you have multiple iOS devices (say, an iPhone and an iPod touch or an iPhone and an iPad), messages will show up on all devices associated with your Apple ID.

A Quick Guide to iMessages with VoiceOver makes the whole process easier for users who are blind or visually impaired by providing all of the information needed to use this service. If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 5 or higher or a Mac running Mountain Lion, you're ready to get started.

How the Book is Organized

Most of the book is devoted to a discussion on sending and receiving texts on iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad) with a final chapter on using iMessage with the Mac. Dresner points out at the beginning that she is using iOS 6 and specifies when there are distinctions to be made regarding iOS 5. In the Mac chapter, she clarifies that she is running a Mac with Mountain Lion.

Because the iPad layout is distinctly different from that of the iPhone or iPod touch, she clarifies throughout the book the distinctions in approaching screens on these devices.

Since layout is a key component in approaching any iOS application, particularly for users running VoiceOver, the first discussion is devoted to describing the layout of the iMessage screens on each device. Dresner continues her practice of being extremely clear in describing screen layouts, telling you if a given button will be in the upper left-hand corner, at the bottom, on the second iPhone screen, or in the right-hand column on the iPad.

From there, the following sections are clearly labeled: Sending Messages, Receiving Messages, Deleting and Forwarding Messages, Searching Messages, and Configuring Messages Options.

Not only do these titles take the user step by step through the various aspects of sending and receiving texts effectively, but their clearly identifiable labels render the book a convenient reference guide for later use. In other words, if you have read the book cover to cover (easily done in an hour or two), locating just one element of the process later is easy and convenient.

What the Book Covers

As the section titles indicate, Dresner guides you through all aspects of using iMessage. She explains how to render your iOS device iMessage-ready by walking you through how to get to the necessary settings. She explains the processes of sending and receiving texts using iMessage as well as deleting a single message or conversation and/or forwarding texts. Although I've been using iMessage for some time myself, I was particularly grateful for the section on deleting messages since I have a tendency to allow messages to accumulate.

Also particularly useful is the discussion on searching messages, which gives you the ability to search for any word or phrase that occurs within the body of a message or the subject (if it has one), or for the name, e-mail address, or phone number of the sender. In this instance, not only is there an explanation of how the search works, but there are also references to where search buttons and edit fields for these particular functions are located on the various iOS devices.

A special section of interest for families or others who might share a single Apple ID for purchasing music and movies from iTunes is the section on texting with multiple devices. Without giving away the book's information, I'll simply say that a family or other group can share an Apple ID without everyone having to receive the messages intended for individual members of the group.

What the Book Doesn't Do

Because VoiceOver gestures are unique to VoiceOver, an additional section summarizing those gestures would have been useful for newcomers to iOS devices. Granted, NBP has published previous books specifically devoted to using the iPhone and iOS 5, but reiterating the briefest information on such gestures would render the book as friendly to the iPhone or iPad newcomer as to the more seasoned VoiceOver user.

Bottom Line

This is a wonderful addition to the growing collection of access technology guides from NBP. NBP would do well to follow its own trend as follow-up guides on other iOS applications would probably be more than welcomed by the blind community. How to build playlists, for example, might be a welcome next installment in this series or, maybe, how to organize one's books, apps, or other files into folders. The list of possibilities is, well, as limitless as Apple's iOS devices themselves.

A Quick guide to iMessages with VoiceOver is available for $6.00 in either hardcopy or electronic downloadable versions from National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115. Visit the NBP website or call (800) 548-7327.

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A new, innovative app called Talkler, which allows users to read and manage e-mails with voice commands, is about to make its debut. This mainstream app was created by Talkler Labs, LLC, and during its development, the staff has been using it with VoiceOver to ensure accessibility. Jeffrey Korn, Talkler Labs CEO, said, "Whether you're sighted or not, Talkler is easy to use, and it's remarkably helpful. We are aiming to come out with a version that is optimized specifically for visually impaired users." He added that the optimized version will be released not long after the initial version's launch. The free version of Talkler plays a brief advertisement every so often (similar to how the free version of the Pandora app works); to eliminate the ads, users can pay $1.99 per month.

Both voice controls and on-screen gestures can be used with the app. Korn explained, "Talkler takes advantage of what we're calling 'Talkler TapAnywhere,' which are these on-screen gestures that you can implement by tapping anywhere near the middle of the screen without having to hunt for a tiny button. You can tap to pause the playback and tap again to resume. You can swipe anywhere to move from e-mail to e-mail. We developed the use of the pinching gesture, sort of like crumpling a piece of paper and tossing it in the trash. This is the gesture for deleting an e-mail."

Regarding Talkler's speech, Korn explained, "Talkler performs all of its speech recognition on the iPhone itself. Most other systems have to send each utterance out to the Cloud, then process and interpret the utterance in the Cloud, and then make a return trip back to the iPhone with the interpreted text.

Talkler, on the other hand, does all the work right on the device. This is faster than Cloud-based speech recognition and more secure [since every spoken word doesn't have to make a round trip through the Cloud]. Plus, Talkler works even when you have zero bars in a cell phone dead zone."

Using Talkler

Although the app has not yet been released, the Talkler team has given me the opportunity to be a beta tester. In addition, they have been very responsive to my feedback.

Entering E-mail Accounts

Talkler needs to know where to check for your e-mail. At the bottom of the screen are several tabs, including Inbox, Tips, and Settings. In the Settings menu, swipe right to "Add Account," and on the next screen, Talkler will prompt to add your name, e-mail address, and password. If you are using a Gmail or similar account, Talkler will fill in the additional information. However, if you're using an Internet service provider account, such as Road Runner, Talkler will prompt you for additional information, such as the incoming and outgoing server. This information can be found in Settings/Mail, Contacts, and Calendars/Accounts. Double tap the name of the account that contains the information for the e-mail address. When I initially entered the data for my POP account, Talkler said the information was not correct. Rebooting the iPhone solved that problem, and the account was added. My Gmail account did not have this issue.

Configuring Talkler

The Settings menu offers many ways to customize the app, including speech rate, voice pitch, Talkler's sensitivity to voice commands, and how often the app checks for new mail. There are also options for what Talkler speaks in each e-mail, such as the recipient's name and confirmation before deleting. The Settings menu is easy to navigate and operate with VoiceOver gestures.

Communicating With Talkler

Although Talkler can be used hands-free and without headphones, the developers recommend either holding the phone to your ear or using headphones so that Talkler will not get confused by background noises. VoiceOver should be turned off, so there isn't any conflict with the two speech programs. The words "Hey Talkler" will get the app's attention and should be spoken each time a command is given. The developers also recommend using a two syllable response, such as "Okay" instead of "Yes." Talkler can respond to many commands, including "Check for e-mail," "Play my unread e-mails," "Reply," and "Delete." The Tips tab provides a list of commands. Another option is to ask Talkler, "What Can I Say?" and the app will read a list of commands.

Reading E-mail

Talkler will read an e-mail and, then, ask what to do with it. There are many options in the Tips tab, including "Delete," "Reply," and "Mark as Unread." When Talkler sends a reply to an e-mail, it's in the form of an audio MP3 file rather than text. Prompts are given on when to start the recording and how to end it. Talkler will then ask whether or not to send the e-mail.

If using an IMAP server, whatever you do in the Talkler inbox will take place in the iPhone's e-mail inbox. Therefore, if an e-mail is deleted in Talkler's inbox, it will also automatically be deleted in the regular inbox. Otherwise, e-mails in the phone's inbox will need to be deleted manually. To quickly delete e-mails from the iPhone's inbox, open the inbox and activate the "Edit" button in the upper right corner. Then, double tap each e-mail to be deleted. When done selecting e-mails, tap the "Delete" button at the bottom of the screen.

Results

Beta versions of software allow developers to identify and fix problems before formally launching a product. In the beta version of Talkler, the speech was excellent, but the app didn't always respond to my commands the first time I gave them. Occasionally, an e-mail was cut off, and I couldn't get the app to open attachments or download the remaining part of an e-mail. The audio e-mail reply is clear, however, and at no time did the app crash.

If Talkler becomes better at understanding commands, then it will be a fun and useful way to handle e-mail. The developers have done an excellent job with Talkler's speech, and their dedication to accessibility is to be commended. When the app arrives in the iTunes store, it will certainly be worth checking out.

Jeffrey Korn added that the company welcomes feedback from AccessWorld readers, so if you have any comments for the developers about the app, e-mail them to Talkler.

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Even if you don't use braille, you'll want to read this article. Let me amend that. If you are interested in people who are blind or who have low vision, their future, and the commitment of leaders of organizations around the world involved with literacy for people who don't read print, you'll want to read this article.

In the interest of clarity and full personal disclosure, I am more than a fan or aficionado of braille. I would go so far as to say that my life depends on it or, at the very least, has been centered soundly upon it since the age of six.

Because of my rapid inhalation of braille into my DNA, I was the first in a working class family to graduate high school, first to go to college, and the only one to pursue graduate work.

The merger of braille with technology (which technically began in the early 1970s, and started for me with the acquisition of a tape-based Versabraille in 1985) resulted in an exponentially rapid growth in access to information for people who are blind. With early databases and online services, braille readers could consult encyclopedias, newspapers, and a variety of information sources.

The parade of personal braille-aware notetaking devices with multiple functions began in 1987 with Deane Blazie's groundbreaking Braille 'n Speak and has continued through an overabundance of complex devices capable of managing all types of information, allowing the user both to input braille and read it on refreshable displays.

Personally, I have never used a computer without an accompanying refreshable braille display, a device which enables the computer user to read information from the computer screen on lines ranging from 18 to 80 braille characters.

Braille in my home and office is ubiquitous. Braille is present in almost every aspect of my life, from the braille hardcopy versions of magazines like Harper's and Cooking Light I read, to the simple labels I place on bottles of shampoo and herb-infused olive oil, and from the braille device I use to read text messages on my iPhone, to the notetaker that manages every aspect of my life (from conference notes and contact lists to e-mail messages and downloaded books).

The future of braille, however, has been a concern of many who care about the future of people who are blind. Some remarkable projects are under way to put a brighter spin on the future of braille and those who use it. Again, whether you read braille yourself or not, these projects are ones that AccessWorld readers may want to follow.

The DAISY Consortium and Transforming Braille

Since 1996, the DAISY Consortium has been recognized as the international not-for-profit organization committed to making digital materials accessible to people everywhere and ensuring that all developed standards are international, so a person in one country can access materials developed in another. While focus has been primarily on the development of standards with regard to audio or "talking" books, DAISY leaders have also recognized that tactile reading represents an integral element in information access and literacy for people who are blind. Under its current president, Stephen King of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and the RNIB chair, Kevin Carey, in partnership with several other organizations, the DAISY Consortium launched a tremendous project in 2012.

Calling the project Transforming Braille, the aim is not so much to transform braille itself but, rather, to transform the availability of braille to people everywhere who are blind. Two realities guided the creation of the project.

First, hardcopy braille is costly and requires considerable time and labor to produce. Secondly, while refreshable braille devices afford instant access to far more information than that which is available in hardcopy braille, such devices typically cost around $6,000 and are, consequently, usually only available to people in prosperous countries where, more often than not, funding is provided by the government for use in educational or employment settings.

The goal, then, of the Transforming Braille project is to identify a refreshable braille device that is dramatically less expensive than existing products, a device that would be within the reach of all people who are blind, including those in developing countries. Rather than the complex multi-featured devices currently on the market, the pursued holy grail of braille in this project is one that would simply deliver braille into the hands of its users. Libraries could provide electronic copies of texts simultaneously to many patrons at a fraction of the cost of providing those same texts in hardcopy braille to a relative few.

Project Orchestration

Steven Rothstein, president of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, was brought on board as the Transforming Braille project director. (In the interest of clarity, it warrants pointing out here that Kevin Carey of RNIB is chair of the project with regard to organizing and conducting meetings. Steven Rothstein's role as project director involves the hands-on orchestration of technical reviews of those projects being considered, gathering related data, and the general nuts and bolts of moving the project forward.)

The first phase of the project was funded by the RNIB and was completed in July of 2012. It involved identifying as many existing projects designed to produce refreshable braille as could be found around the world. Over 50 projects were identified, Rothstein explained, the efforts of entities large and small, including colleges, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations. Those 50-plus identified projects were drawn from 15 different countries. How many ways are there to incite pins to move up and down? How many ways are there to send the electronic messages required to tell those various types of pins to do their moving? Obviously, Rothstein and his colleagues found an impressive variety of answers to such questions. Along with a variety of materials, the search also unearthed a variety of price points. Through independent and rigorous testing, the number of projects was ultimately reduced to a final seven, three of which were identified as "promising" and four "to watch."

Regrettably, albeit understandably, there is no specific information regarding those final contenders to be shared as yet. All participating organizations have signed nondisclosure agreements concurring that no specifics of individual projects being considered will be discussed outside the circle of those directly involved. Rothstein did say that, at this point, the focus is on single-line displays with the assumption that, once the desired affordable and effective technology has been identified for a one-line display, employing it at a later date for multi-line displays would follow. For the impatient and/or insatiably curious among us, however, the wait for additional information may not be long. Phase 2 of the project, the phase during which the final contenders are rigorously tested and an ultimate "best solution" is to be determined, is scheduled to complete very soon.

Phase 2 has been funded by organizations from around the world, which comprise the Transforming Braille project board. The list of funding partners for the project is, of course, an ever changing one. Spearheading that list, along with the RNIB, are four US organizations: the National Federation of the Blind, National Library Service, American Printing House for the Blind, and Perkins. Other funding partners include Canada's CNIB as well as leading blindness organizations in Australia, New Zealand, India, France, and elsewhere.

What about that Phase 3?

The organization's wish is that Phase 3 will be under way by the spring of 2013. When it does arrive, Phase 3 is, of course, the most exciting stage of Transforming Braille. That phase will focus on actually producing and marketing the resulting product, the dramatically less expensive piece of technology that will deliver braille into the hands of people everywhere who are blind. To complete Phase 3, Transforming Braille still needs money. Many notable organizations from around the world have literally and figuratively bought in to this groundbreaking initiative, but there are many more that have not as yet done so. To read more about the project, learn how to contribute, or to submit a refreshable braille project, visit the DAISY website.

Meanwhile … in Boston

A discussion of quests for a better future for braille and the people who read it would not be complete without the inclusion of the effort begun three and a half years ago at National Braille Press (NBP) in Boston. When Brian Mac Donald joined NBP as president in 2008, an early order of business was to establish the Center for Braille Innovation, which convened in 2009. Innovative and affordable ways of getting braille into the hands of more users was essential, Mac Donald realized, and he set about building a team to make that happen. One of the first people he contacted was Deane Blazie, inventor of the renowned Braille 'n Speak, the first personal notetaking and organizing device for the blind. Blazie came out of retirement and has volunteered his time since that first call to develop the as-yet-only-imagined piece of technology. Also invited to the table was Mike Romeo, another pioneer in access technology (who started working for Blazie Engineering and its forerunner Maryland Computer Services) and who has been an engineer on the NBP staff since the project's inception.

Over the last 25 years, many complex devices enabling users to read and write with refreshable braille have been in this small market. Typically, such products cost around $6,000, which puts them beyond the reach of many consumers. The goal of the Center for Braille Innovation was to develop a multi-function product, a "braille tablet" for the blind, but to keep its price thousands of dollars beneath the current standard.

Three and a half years later, the B2G (Braille to Go) device is almost ready to come to market.

An Android-based device, the B2G is a 20-cell, 8-dot braille device with cursor routing keys and a braille keyboard for input. Blazie and others selected Android as the operating system because, particularly in its latest Jelly Bean iteration, it offers accessibility mixed with an open source approach that greatly enhances possibilities. The device will offer the customary notetaking features along with a music player, GPS receiver, compass, camera (that can be used for OCR applications, currency or color identification, or just taking photos), voice input, speech output, and 32GB of internal storage along with onboard slots for SD and USB media storage devices. It will offer not only WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity but cellular connectivity for use as a mobile phone and the flexibility of downloading the myriad Android apps that users might want to use.

The goal, Brian Mac Donald said, is to graduate the B2G from prototype to marketable product by the summer of 2013. A final price tag has not yet been determined, but it will be considerably less than any similar products currently available.

And There's More…

National Braille Press and its Center for Braille Innovation are working on other truly groundbreaking products to revolutionize the future of braille and technology, and that work will be highlighted in future issues of AccessWorld. This article is intended to serve as an introduction to exploring the work that is under way to secure literacy and learning for those who read and see pictures with their fingertips. As we anticipate the culmination of the work conducted by the DAISY Consortium's Transforming Braille and the NBP's Center for Braille Innovation, it seems safe to say that something definitely good is on the horizon. All of the organizations pursuing new, affordable solutions are working cooperatively and collaboratively, a kind of icing on the proverbial braille cake. When, for example, I asked Brian Mac Donald, "What happens if the Transforming Braille project comes up with something so wonderful that your projects aren't necessary?" he answered without hesitation, "Then we all win."

Indeed.

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