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May 25, 2010
Optelec ClearReader+ – Reading with a difference
Filed under: Learning, Reading Machine, Visual — techeditor @ 11:57 am
The Optelec ClearReader+ is a high tech reader with which a visually impaired and a learning impaired person can read any kind of printed material. Now, reading letters, magazines, novels, newspapers, etc will no longer be a complex task. With Optelec ClearReader+ you can carry out these actions without any difficulty.
ClearReader+ comes with a smart convenient design that is easy to use, has high quality multi-lingual speech output and includes fast text recognition. By a single press of a button you can read whenever you want without any trouble.
This smart and stylish ClearReader+ has a high quality stereo sound with easy to change reading language and reading voice.
Optelec ClearReader+ has external buttons and controls like play, stop backward, forward, speed, scan, volume and on/off. With the help of these buttons and controls it will become very easy for you to operate ClearReader+.
Features:
- Camera – State of the art, high resolution, 5 megapixel camera enables it to read clearly to you.
- Text Recognition – It has an amazing multi-lingual text recognition quality.
- Battery and Power – Integrated Li-ion battery for 5 hours continuous use.
- Portability – Foldable carrying handle.
- Audio output – Either through headphones or built-in stereo speakers.
- Languages – Up to 4 selectable languages available.
- Size and Weight – The weight of this product is not too heavy and can be carried anywhere easily. The size is just appropriate to fit it on a study desk.
For demos and sales contact : sales@barrierbreak.com
No CommentsMay 4, 2010
Dolphin EasyConverter – Tool to create alternate formats
Filed under: Alternate Formats, Digital Talking Books, Learning, Print Disability, Visual — techeditor @ 2:22 pm
EasyConverter is a tool by Dolphin to create alternate formats (altformat) of either printed documents or Microsoft Word, PDF, HTML or text files to large print, Braille, MP3 and Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) versions.
EasyConverter is a good option for people who do not have an altformat creation experience. A teacher can help his/her students with visual and learning impairments to cope up in their studies by converting the printed documents and text files into altformat versions.
The interface of EasyConverter software presents easy to use icons which have the options of Scanning, choosing to convert an already saved Word or PDF file, options of altformats, a conversion button and a saving the converted file button.
The altformats which are created by EasyConverter are:
- Large Print: Helps you make the text in your document larger for easy viewing.
- MP3: Converts text into audible files of MP3 frmat which can be heard in any media player.
- Braille: Converts text into Braille for the blind.
- DAISY: Converts text into Digital Talking Books.
EasyConverter has Optical Character Recognition Editor (OCR) application known as the OminPage. This OCR editor makes scanning PDF and printed documents more precise and simpler.
Also included with EasyConverter, is Dolphin EasyReader is a digital talking book player. EasyReader makes it possible for users to listen and read content with the help of a combination of speech, images and text. Use the EasyConverter and help your students educate themselves in a simple manner.
So, if you have this product in mind, do write to us to give it a try at: sales@barrierbreak.com
No CommentsMay 3, 2010
Easy Tutor – Learning made Easy
Filed under: Alternate Formats, Assistive Technologies, Learning — Webmaster @ 10:38 am
In today’s time, the world is moving so fast that it is like a rat race for children to get hold of the cheese called success. If the child has a difficulty in acquiring knowledge which the parents want him/her to, then the child may have a reading or a writing disability.
There are many ways to ease the difficulty of reading and writing and one of them is through Assistive Technology.
Dolphin’s revolutionary product called Easy Tutor is a software that makes it simple for the person with learning disability, especially with Dyslexia, to read, write, spell and understand printed material in Microsoft Word, Excel and Internet Explorer.
Every feature on Easy Tutor makes sure that the person is exposed to each and every part of the page displayed on the computer screen.
Some areas in the English language like Homophones (words which sound the same but spell and mean different) and Spellings, can be identified and understood by a single click on Easy Tutor.
Easy Tutor will suggest words of the English language to you when you are typing, through an option called Predict.
Easy Tutor can also Scan your printed documents in Microsoft Word. You can read or convert and save it in your computer as any readable file format.
Finished typing? Don’t worry through Easy Tutor you can record your entire text into an Audio File (.wav) to listen to it whenever and wherever you want. The Audio Quality of this software is very clear and simple to understand.
Want to read in PDF files, Easy Tutor has an option to convert MS Word documents to PDF files too. You can also choose different colours to change the colour of your computer screen to view it in a better way.
Easy tutor also has a Help and Settings option which will assist you into understanding its features and make use of them effectively. You name it and the service is just a click away on Easy Tutor.
For demos and sales contact : sales@barrierbreak.com
No CommentsApril 26, 2010
Clevy Keyboard – Use the Computer the Colourful Way
Filed under: Learning, Mobility, children — Webmaster @ 11:39 am
The Clevy Keyboard is a brilliantly designed adaptive keyboard that makes it possible for children, people with learning disabilities and people with mobility impairment to use a computer in a simpler way.
The lively colours of the keys will attract any person’s attention towards it. With the help of the Clevy Keyboard, your child will also get familiar with computers in an educational manner.
On of the features about the keyboard is that the keys are four times bigger with bigger characters which are quite easy to identify. They are also very soft hence they can be pressed easily.
Gone are the days of ebony and ivory, the colourful keys of the Clevy Keyboard are displayed on a white background so that the focus remains on them.
When you will look at a Clevy Keyboard you will see that the keys are all categorized in different colours. Example:
- The Punctuation Keys like full stop, comma, question mark, brackets, etc. are in Orange colour.
- The Function Keys like Shift, CTRL, ALT, Enter, Backspace, Capslock, windows are all in Green colour.
- The Consonants are in Deep Blue colour but the Vowels are in Light Blue colour.
- The Numbers are in Red colour.
The Clevy Keyboard is strong and sturdy with smooth and curved edges unlike the usual keyboards and it also has a USB cable cord which can be connected to your laptop or to your computer.
For demos and sales contact : sales@barrierbreak.com
No CommentsMarch 15, 2010
Breaking News: SightSavers Dolphin Pen at an unbelievable price of Rs.9750*
Filed under: Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, News, Visual — Shilpi Kapoor @ 10:27 amThe SightSavers Dolphin Pen is a lightweight pen drive with a screen magnifier and screen reader, and Braille support designed to benefit those living in some of the developing countries.
It enables visually impaired people in India and other developing countries to gain the same access to computers as sighted people – and so to develop their skills and employment prospects.
This is an exciting venture because it is the first time a world-ranked assistive technology manufacturer has collaborated with an NGO (non-government organization) to make high-quality product such as this available at a cost price. In India the same is being launched with BarrierBreak Technologies providing training and support for the SightSavers Dolphin Pen.
Now, Blind and low vision computer users can now carry their assistive software on a pen drive and use it on any PC.
It is a combined screen reader and magnifier helps to reduce eye strain by allowing users to increase magnification or add speech during the day as eyes become tired.
It also includes a full screen reader for people who are blind, which can cope with text and Braille input together with speech and Braille output.
- Provides English and Hindi Support
- Voices provided are Sangeeta for Indian English accent and Lekha for Hindi
- Works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
Price of SightSavers Dolphin Pen: Rs. 9750*
* This price can ONLY be availed by Persons with Disabilities by providing the disability certificate.
What will this get you?
You will get a USB Pen with the SightSavers Dolphin Pen which includes screen reader, magnifier and Braille support. You will get updates for free.
Where can you buy this?
Get in touch with BarrierBreak Technologies at +91-22-26860485/6 and sales@barrierbreak.com
February 23, 2010
Experience Zone at Techshare India 2010
Filed under: Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, Techshare India — Mamta Tandel @ 9:53 amStill remember my first involvement in the Experience Zone at Techshare India 2008. A lot has changed since then in our lives but the experienced remained the same in fact more fabulous. Scores of people dropping in at the Experience Zone, some to find a suitable product for themselves, or worried parents to find products which would make their child lead a better life.
This time around we at BarrierBreak Technologies wanted to make different products and software relate to day-to-day lives of people with disabilities. As a result, products were displayed and categories with a backdrop of living room, bedroom and office areas.
Techshare India 2010 Experience Zone also included small items like Nail Clipper with a magnifier, liquid level indicator for the visually impaired, Flashing door bell and plug-in amplifier for hearing impaired. Along with these, GoTalk product range from Attainment Company rocked for the learning disabled, where parents took manuals and price list for making purchases. Optelec’s Clearview also was a hit in the Office area for low-vision on-lookers.
Adaptive keyboard and mouse, Trackball, Color identifier from Caretec, Screen readers such as Supernova, colorful keys of Clevy keyboard (attracted children), QualiWorld software, tactile sheets that visually impaired users could use to learn computers, bendable cutlery items such as spoon and forks were some of the other products that created an impact for all people visiting the Experience Zone.
My best experience however was a gentleman who had completely lost his eyesight visiting the Experience zone and looking for products for hearing impaired, especially got excited when I showed him the Flashing door bell. On enquiry and much to my amazement, he said his wife was hearing impaired and that Flashing door bell and Telephone plug-in amplifier would be an ideal product for her!
We were also happy to see people attending other conferences within the premises of India Habitat Center were keen and happy to visit the Experience Zone and gained knowledge about the different products available for people with disabilities.
Overall, a fabulous experience being at Techshare India 2010! Hope to see you all there next time with more fabulous products that make a difference in the lives of all people including those with disabilities.
Regards,
Mamta Tandel
No CommentsJanuary 14, 2010
Accessibility Knowledge Series VII – Introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Filed under: Accessibility Knowledge Series, Assistive Technologies, Elderly, Learning, Speech — @ 5:49 pmAugmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is any method that supplements or replaces speech and writing when these are temporarily or permanently impaired and inadequate to meet all or some of a person’s communication needs. AAC methods allows the user to perform that which is most human – thinking, dreaming, and planning and are effective ‘tools’ to communicate and access the environment. The users include persons with special needs and elderly.
AAC may be unaided, or aided, involving high and low technology. The array includes a simple non-tech alphabet board for spelling or display made with picture symbols and whole words, while the user just point to the symbols to frame a message. On the other hand there are software and hardware systems where the user gets support with the framing of the message (eg. word prediction), and a speech output for that message is generated.
AAC systems and voice output aids are common in the west but have been recently introduced in India. The National Resource Centre for AAC housed at Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) and Vidyasagar, Chennai are working in the area of research and development of AAC aids in collaboration with premier technical institutes such as IIT Kharagpur and IIT Chennai. The India Chapter of International Society for AAC has also been formed recently to take forward the movement for AAC and AT for communication in the country. The concern is to develop AAC systems that are affordable and culturally appropriate for our country.
References:
- Alant, E. (1996) Alternative and augmentative communication in developing countries: Challenges for the future. Alternative and Augmentative Communication, 12.
- Kaul, S. (2002) Silent Voices: Proceedings from the International Conference on Augmentaive & Alternative Communication, Disability and Human Rights.IICP, Kolkata.
This Accessibility Knowledge Series has been provided by Swati Chakraborty
Co-ordinator, National Resource Centre for AAC, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely those of the author as an individual with interest in accessibility and assistive technology and do not claim to represent those of Techshare India, BarrierBreak Technologies or Net Systems Informatics.
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Got an idea/product that would bring a change for persons with disabilities? Send it across to techshare@barrierbreak.com
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