How can blind people use the internet?
My uncle is blind. I was wondering if there is a monitor that can displays braille. Also, is there some type of GPS that could make it possible for him to drive?
For computer use, there are many adaptive programs that allow blind/visually impaired folks access. My wife has 2 for reading, one for writing. The 2 screen readers are "JAWS" (Job Access With Speech) and ZoomText with reader. Both will "read" what normally appears on the monitor screen (if the computer even has a monitor…..my wife has one that doesn’t even have a monitor) and inputs and navigation are done by keyboard commands, similar to the old DOS operating systems. With her JAWS and ZoomText, she is able to do her work, read her e-mail, participate on Y!A and Facebook, and do just about everything else a "normally" sighted person does.
For typing, there is a program that my wife uses called "DragonSpeak", which is voice-recognition technology tailored to individual users. Once DS "knows" the person’s voice, all they do is speak into a headset, which then allows the software to "type" what has been spoken. Otherwise, it is simple keyboard memorization that is used for typing.
As to driving…..out of the question. For one, GPS is not that accurate; and there are too many variables in operating a motor vehicle that depend on good vision to be done safely. My wife has a Sendero portable GPS that she uses when walking to her destinations for her job, and it screws her up sometimes because it is not totally accurate.
The technology is available for computer use, but it is not cheap. All of the adaptive programs my wife has cost a little over $800 each. She was able to obtain them through our States Commission For The Blind. Check with your States Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to see if they might be able to help defray the costs, or look into community service organizations such as Elks or Lions to see if they have ways that might help as well.
Victor Tsaran, http://www.victortsaran.net, demonstrates using iPhone 4G with his Braille display. Apple’s revolution continues! Thanks, Karo Caran, http://www.hyacinthtales.com, for camera assistance
A deaf-blind project participant trying out TMAP Reader at recent user testing at Helen Keller National Center, Sands Point, NY. She is reading the place names and instructions for using the system on a refreshable Braille display.
360 degree high definition (1080i) panorama of the back left bay of the Rockefeller Greenhouse interior public display area, featuring cacti, with view of back right bay.
Just follow na lang my instructions:Kailangan mo ng Pokemon na mayroong Surf tapos sundan lang me hanggang sa Island Cave.Tapos hintay ka lang ng 2 mins. na naka-display yung Braille sa screen mo para makapasok.In English:Just follow my instructions:You need a Pokemon with Surf and follow me how to get Island Cave.Just follow my way to get to Regice.Just wait 2 mins. with the Braille displayed on your screen.And that’s it! Have fun!!….
Like St.Valentine,acoustic version from the limited edition of Screamworks:Baudelaire in Braille.I do not own anything,credits go to its owner.
This piece is a result of my friendship with two brothers who happen to be blind. All of the personal electronics these brothers use, from cell phones to laptops, have software that reads aloud whatever text is on display. Over time they have increased the speed by which the software reads the text to the point where it sounds like gibberish to someone not accustomed to it. This fascinated me and made me wonder if I can be a true judge of meaning or whether I only assign meaning to things I understand. In this piece I recorded the text reading software speaking selected parts of Platos Allegory of the Cave along with other text fragments. I then used the resulting audio in conjunction with Braille symbols and images to explore how meaning and our own understanding can change over time.
This elevator actually has an express zone, something that is unusual for a HDB public housing block! The braille fixtures and digital LED display were probably fitted as a stop-gap measure, as by that time it is preferred to refurbish the entire elevator. 
The OPTO-BRAILLE is a hand held tool that will render the Braille equivalent of the written/typed/printed English alphabet. The 100mm long ergonomically designed unit fits snugly into clasping fingers. The index finger would nestle in space provided on the upper end of the unit. This unit houses the sensors that would provide the sensation of bulging dots, so important for the proper understanding of a Braille letter. The unit has a USB port which would charge the internal batteries and also would enable the programming of the unit. The three major components of the OPTO-BRAILLE are : 1. Camera unit: This unit would mimic the functions of a CCD camera unit found in any common endoscopic unit. It would be small, focus free and rugged. The camera would use a focus free lens placed in one end of the unit the bulging end. The camera would scan any letter placed close to it. 2.Mini-Computer: The Mini-computer forms the body of the unit and would use any open-source Character Recognition Software to translate the received image into the corresponding Braille Character. 3.Braille Character Display unit: The Braille Character Display unit would house the all-important SIX dots that would rise and convert to impressionable dots on activation by the output of the Mini-Computer. The operation of the OPTO-BRAILLE is simple. The user has to move the unit over written/typed/printed letter. The Camera, uses the focus free lens, to scan the written/typed/printed letter and send the image to the mini-computer, forming the middle part of the tool. This mini-computer using a Character Recognition Software translates the letter into the corresponding Braille Character. This is conveyed to the Braille Character Display unit nestling on top of the mini-computer. On sensing the signal, the Braille Character Display unit activates the appropriate dots on the ergonomically designed Braille Character Display Unit. When the finger tips are placed over this area and when the unit is moved over written/printed text, the changing combination of dots on the sensors provide a feeling similar to the reading of a Braille document.
Video lesson “What is Accessibility? (by Tom Hughes-Croucher)”.