September AccessWorld Now Online
The September 2004 issue of AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the
Blind's technology magazine, is now available on our web site.
Be sure to sign up to receive AccessWorld Extra, the e-mail newsletter
produced by AccessWorld staff in each of the six months when AccessWorld
is not published. When you sign up for AccessWorld Extra, you are also
added to the list of people who receive e-mail announcements when a new
issue of AccessWorld is posted.
The September issue, which you can read at
http://www.afb.org/accessworld features:
Diabetes and Visual Impairment: Are Home Blood Pressure Monitors
Accessible? Steven Taylor, Darren Burton, and Mark Uslan
We evaluate the accessibility of home blood pressure monitors. The
authors state that in managing diabetes, maintaining proper blood
pressure is as important as maintaining proper blood glucose
levels. Studies have shown that people with diabetes are twice as
likely to develop high blood pressure (also called hypertension)
and that more than 50 percent of people with diabetes actually do have
high blood pressure. Despite the fact that nearly one-third of the
17 million Americans with diabetes have a visual impairment, this
article shows that there is an extreme shortage of
accessible medical devices to help these people monitor their
health.
Recognizing and Rewarding: A Review of OPENBook and Kurzweil 1000
Koert Wehberg, Deborah Kendrick, and Jay Leventhal
We evaluate the two leading optical character recognition (OCR)
packages. OCR technology continues to improve, and both companies
keep adding other features, such as the ability to search the Web
for e-books, create MP3s, read PDF files, recognize currency, and
more. As a result, people have begun using both of these products
for more and more tasks at work and at home. Find out how they
compare with one another.
The Man and the Machine: An Interview with Ray Kurzweil
Jay Leventhal
Kurzweil, renowned inventor and futurist, was the principal
developer of the first omni-font optical character recognition
program, the first CCD (charge coupled device) flat-bed scanner,
the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer
capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral
instruments, the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary
speech recognition software and, of course, the first text-to-
speech reading machine for people who are blind. It was fascinating to
hear firsthand his account of events from back in the mid-1970s, as well
as some amazing developments he predicts as computers continue to grow
smaller and more powerful in the twenty-first century.
You Can Take It With You II: A Review of Two More Portable CCTVs
Carol Farrenkopf
This article evaluates two portable CCTVs, the QuickLook from Ash
Technologies and the Assist Vision Slider AV-300 from TIMES
Corporation. The Slider is a lightweight, compact CCTV, while the
QuickLook is a handheld device that can fit in a pocket or purse.
The two devices were used by students and adults in a variety of
locations. Ratings and features charts compare these two products
with products in the same categories that Dr. Farrenkopf reviewed
in our July 2004 issue.
Out of the Blue: Usability Testing at IBM
Joseph Sacco, Guido Corona, and Leila Johannesen
Three IBM staff members describe IBM usability testing conducted at
the company's Silicon Valley Laboratory in San Jose, California.
People who are blind or visually impaired tested the usability of
online documentation for IBM products. They were questioned about
descriptions of figures in documentation, where figures should be
placed, whether praises such as "begin figure description" are
useful and how complicated descriptions of figures could be made
more useful. The results will be incorporated into future IBM
products. IBM has been a leader in accessibility for decades. We
hope other mainstream companies will follow IBM's lead in including
people who are blind or visually impaired in usability testing.
A Virtual Virtuoso: CathyAnne Murtha
Deborah Kendrick
We interview CathyAnne Murtha, founder of Access Technology
Institute. Murtha does her part to fill the gap of qualified
trainers in the field by teaching beginners to use assistive
technology, writing textbooks, and conducting online training via
voice chat. Sit in on a class with Kendrick and learn about this
excellent source for increasing your knowledge from the comfort of
your own home.
Not Just Playing Around: A Review of Accessible Windows-Based
Games
Jim Denham and Heather McComas
We review accessible games from AllinPlay, BSC Games, and GMA
Games. Whether you want to drive a tank through enemy territory or
simply play a good game of cards, the authors find there is
something for you.
Contact us at accessworld@afb.net and let us know what you think of the
new, web-only AccessWorld.
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