Pen based Smart Tablet with Finger tracing Reading for People with Visual Disabilities: Eliminating the digital divide to create an inclusive society
This study is intended to produce a learning support system for middle aged and elderly people with acquired visual disabilities. Our investigation results related to learning tools demonstrate that Braille and PC usage has decreased in classes of special support education. The primary reason is that finger reading is difficult for people with acquired visual disability. We propose a pen based note taking system, designated as the "Pen Talker" on Tablet PCs for blind people. Screen information of a display is given to the user via a built in screen reader in the system. Additionally, we propose a new function to read out the text at that position by "finger tracing" the screen of the tablet terminal using the screen reader. A novice user with acquired blindness can input Japanese characters directly instead of using a keyboard without lengthy training using the Pen Talker. This paper describes the system design concept. We also propose a function to read the text in the position by "finger tracing" on any screen from a text document displayed on the tablet screen. This study is intended to develop a smart terminal that reads the text information in the "finger tracing" location without using a digital recording machine or similar device. This function is implemented in smart terminals to support the "reading and writing" of visually impaired people by medical education institutions. The function is aimed at practical use as a writing support device. This study produces a learning support system for middle aged and elderly people with acquired visual disabilities.
ACIT