CONTENTS

Bar Code Reader
Braille Circular Dial-Making System
Computerized Music Accessibility

Deaf-Blind Communication Aids:

Dexter
TeleBraille II

Diabetes Aids:

"Insulin Dipstick" for Novolin Cartridges
Tactile Marking the "One Touch II" Glucometer

Dynamic Meter Reader & Ham Transmitter Tuner
Fax Reading System
Light Probe
Liquid Level Indicator ("Say When")
Note-a-Braille
Talking Clock-Driven Appliance Timer

Vibratory Battery Tester for the Deaf-Blind

A bar code system for user-customized label information.

The "Christina" by Smith-Kettlewell uses a commercial bar-code reading device to feed information to a computer. When presented with a bar code, the instrument sends an ASCII alphanumeric string of data to the serial port of an IBM PC. Smith-Kettlewell has created a data-storage program into which the user can then enter pertinent information associated with each bar code. Thereafter, every time the system is presented with a known bar code, information that has been previously entered appears on the screen. In other words, a talking, large-print, or braille computer, with the attachment of this bar-code reader, will ask the user to enter data associated with each new code. Whether recipes or nutritional information are then typed in, each time the computer sees that particular code, the user's notes will be presented.

A significant barrier to the use of bar codes by blind individuals has been that bar-code reading machines have required careful presentation of the code before they could register it. Only recently has the Spectra-Physics SP*Ace device demonstrated that a small-sized, relatively inexpensive instrument can detect the presence and decode the markings as they are presented at any angle. With the Spectra-Physics instrument, the user, without being able to see the bar code, presents different faces of a package to the machine, whereupon the machine beeps to tell the user when it has decoded the information.

Product identification data cannot be obtained from a single source. Therefore, we have designed the system so that the user keys-in facts of interest for each product. This feature greatly adds to the flexibility of the system. For example, information such as instructions from the pharmacist can be written in files associated with medicines, and home recipes can be written into food package files. Programs exist by which bar codes can be printed for labeling purposes; a machinist, for example, could inventory his parts and tools using his own labeling system instead of the UPC.

Availability

The SP*Ace bar-code reader is available for approximately $1,300 from Spectra-Physics Scanning Systems, Inc. of Eugene, Oregon, tel. 1-800-547-2507. The "Christina by Smith-Kettlewell" program is on a diskette which is available, free of charge, from the RERC office.

Because of the experimental nature of this project, information from potential users is being sought. Findings will be published in our Annual Report of Progress as documentable applications are explored.

Note: We wish to acknowledge Christina Baer, and her father, Dr. Tom Baer, for recognizing the flexibility of the Spectra-Physics SP*Ace bar-code reader, and for their prototype system that captured the attention of engineers interested in this project. At the time of the Baers' work, Christina was a 4th-grade student, and she submitted this project for school.

For embossing circular, calibrated braille dials (for gauges, meters, etc.).

A sheet of plastic is attached to a potentiometer whose position (determined by electrical output which is measured using a visual or auditory meter) is compared with the setting of a "standard" potentiometer system. Adjustments for scaling down the electrical reading of either potentiometer enable the user to create braille dials of any calibration and pitch.

Since this device can be used as a tool to manufacture circular braille dials of any calibration, it has many applications in the fabrication of adapted technical instruments for use by the blind. Some of the devices listed in this compendium such as the Thermo-Couple High-Vacuum Gauge, the Auditory Oscilloscope, the Talk-&-Tones Multimeter, the Electronic Dial Micrometer, and analog meter readers such as the Dynamic Meter Reader & Ham Transmitter Tuner, utilize this type of braille dial.

Availability

Schematics are available from the RERC. Construction plans and a circuit description were published in the Spring 1981 issue of the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File, also available from the RERC office.

An investigation into access for blind and visually impaired people to sequencer programs for music composition and performance.

The character of musical composition and performance has completely changed with the advent of MIDI and programs by which modern instruments are controlled (these programs being called "sequencers"). Without appropriate access, a blind or visually impaired musician, or student of music, could not participate in these activities as they are carried out today. We are conducting an investigation into means of access to these systems.

Smith-Kettlewell has on-going investigations in the field of computerized music. Thus far, programs in the IBM DOS environment have proven to be the most adaptable; however, as Macintosh and Microsoft Windows screen-reading systems mature, it is anticipated that newer music programs will be made accessible as well.

Publication started with the Summer 1991 issue of the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File, which was entirely devoted to music synthesizers, "sequencer" programs, and the "musical instrument digital interface" (MIDI).

Problems with printing musical scores from MIDI files are severe, but our investigation into this area continues, and it is anticipated that compromise solutions will be possible.

Availability

Compiled articles from the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File are available from the RERC office on IBM diskette. Inquiries can be directed to Smith-Kettlewell's consultant on computerized music, Jay Williams, at 801-782-8939, or jaywill@delphi.com. A primer of computers and music is soon to be available.

Provides face-to-face communication, and telephone and computer access for deaf-blind people with tactile-fingerspelling skills.

Dexter is a robotic hand which can form the letters of the one-hand manual alphabet of the deaf. It forms the hand configurations in response to letters typed on an interfaced computer keyboard. It can also display information on an interfaced computer screen, letter by letter. Deaf-blind persons "read" Dexter by feeling its hand positions.

Work is under way to enable Dexter to display the message sent from a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf).

The Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center believes that braille is far superior to a robotic fingerspelling hand as a display for deaf-blind persons. However, for those who know tactile fingerspelling and not braille, Dexter has the potential to serve as an extremely important tool. It allows deaf-blind people to receive direct communication from individuals who are unfamiliar with fingerspelling. It also provides deaf-blind people access to computer information. Eventually Dexter will allow deaf-blind, non-braille readers access to telecommunication.

Availability

Dexter is an experimental prototype undergoing further development by Upstart Robots, Inc. in San Francisco, in collaboration with Smith-Kettlewell, with the goal of future commercialization.

Provides access to the telephone for deaf-blind persons who can use braille.

The TeleBraille is a TDD (Telephone Device for the Deaf) with braille input and output, enabling deaf-blind persons to use a telephone. The device is based on a modified commercial TDD and a modified TeleSensory Navigator unit which provides the necessary 20-cell refreshable braille display, packaged with custom-developed firmware and an added braille keyboard.

The TeleBraille provides a means for a person who is both deaf and blind to utilize the telephone. In addition, by separating the two component units of the system, face-to-face conversation with a deaf-blind individual is also possible, with the latter using the braille keyboard and display and the other party using the regular keyboard and visual display on the TDD. Extensive input from deaf-blind users was incorporated in the new system, including a substantial buffer allowing for review of material and differences in speed of communication between the parties at either end of the telephone line.

Availability

The TeleBraille II is now in production by TeleSensory, Inc., Mountain View, California (415-960-0920). In an increasing number of states, it is provided to deaf-blind telephone subscribers free of charge by the local telephone company.

To assess how much insulin is left in the glass vial of the "Novolin Pen" syringe.

The Novolin Pen, which delivers dosage determined by "clicks" of a dial, uses a glass cartridge with a rubber piston that advances during injection. The position of the piston, which is apparent visually, indicates to the user how much insulin is left so that the cartridge can be replaced as necessary.

A simple "depth gauge" was designed with which the blind user can note the position of the rubber piston in the vial. Raised "ribs" indicate quantities of 30 units of insulin; a total of 150 units are contained in a fresh cartridge.

The Novolin Pen gives positive indication of the quantity of insulin to be delivered. Whereas the sighted user can see how much is left, the blind user must keep a meticulous log of usage in order to know if sufficient insulin is available. Our dipstick gives the user the security of knowing that the contents of the vials in his travel kit are sufficient.

Availability

Our prototypes were machined out of metal, and while they last they are available on request. We have published specifications describing how the "Dipstick" can be home-made out of wooden doweling. Documentation is available in print and on IBM diskette from the RERC office.

Helps deposit blood from a puncture site in exactly the right spot on the test strip.

The ability to deposit blood from a puncture site in exactly the right spot on the test strip is crucial to operation of the One-Touch II glucometer (made by Lifescan, a division of Johnson and Johnson). Detailed instructions for attaching Dymo braille markings to the test-strip holder of the glucometer have been published, first in Vol. 13, No. 1, of the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File. Two styles are suggested: the "x-x-y/&-x-x" and the "colon-colon-w/r-colon-colon" marking systems (chosen at the user's preference). Using these tactile markings, a blind person can, with more accuracy than can be achieved without markings, position the puncture site over the target area.

Depositing blood on the test strip is troublesome for anyone; a very small active area receives the droplet. Guides, such as the Science Products "SureDrop," are coming on the market, but since they are made in small quantities, some of these exceed the cost of the glucometer itself.

The Dymo-tape markings, tried experimentally at Smith-Kettlewell, require only a scrap of tape (although a braille slate must be available).

As described in our publication, a blind user can accurately apply the markings without sighted assistance.

Availability

Documentation is available from the RERC office in print and on IBM diskette. A braille slate that can accommodate Dymo tape is all that is necessary to fabricate these markings.

For auditory static and dynamic indication of analog electrical signals.

This device provides auditory static and dynamic indication of analog electrical signals. For example, it has been used in many Smith-Kettlewell instruments including vacuum gauges, blood pressure gauges, Talk-&-Tones Multimeter, and a carpenter's level.

In use, a voltage-controlled oscillator gives a relative indication of the reading on a meter using variable pitch tone feedback. The oscillator is modulated (chopped) on and off when the reading has exceeded a level set by a braille calibrated dial. If adjustments are to be made on the equipment to attain a predetermined setting, the braille dial is set for this level and the equipment is then adjusted to the point at which chopping occurs (indicated by the "chopped" tone). The technician is able to tell in which direction he/she is erring while making these adjustments based on the changes in the auditory feedback. To take static readings, the relative pitch is noted, then the braille dial is rotated until the boundary is found between the smooth and "chopped" auditory feedback. The dial is then read against a braille scale.

This device has applications in the areas of amateur radio operating, electronic test instrumentation, engineering, etc.

Availability

Schematics are available from the RERC. Construction plans and a circuit description were published in the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File, Summer 1982 (available from the RERC). The device can be made available for vocational purposes at cost by the Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Service.

An experimental remote reading system for convenient, cost-effective and timely access to written information of all kinds.

Our model fax-based reading service allows a print-handicapped client to fax reading material to the fax computer of a remote, sighted reader, who will then read it back to him over the telephone.

Anyone with a print-reading disability such as blindness, low vision, a learning disability or a reading disorder, can use such a service to gain access to reading material. Telecomputing and telecommuting are commonplace in the business world. This demonstration fax reader service benefits two target populations: it provides print accessibility for people who are blind while also creating home employment opportunities for sighted readers who have restricted mobility. Matching the needs of print-handicapped persons with the abilities of people who are mobility-impaired (and choose to work from home) could become a model of self-help in the disabled community.

We are currently developing and evaluating an automated "fax-to-voicemail" system which will allow unattended OCR translation of printed information. The system will allow the user the fax all documents to the OCR system, and only those documents that the OCR system cannot convert (or fails to convert effectively) will be forwarded to the human reader. In either case, OCR processing of the document would free up the reader/operator for other callers. The user could then access the converted document via voicemail at a convenient time, using the telephone keypad features of advance, backup and pause. At present, a real-time conversion of text-to-speech is being developed so that the text can not only be spoken word-for-word, but each word can also be spelled, letter-by-letter, using similar keypad commands.

Availability

For further information, call our Fax Project Manager, William Crandall, Ph.D., at The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, (415) 561-1657 or e-mail bc@skivs.ski.org.

Accomplishes any task requiring the detection of lights and/or changes in reflectance of a surface.

A light probe is a device which allows a blind person to detect the presence of light, usually with an auditory output. The Smith-Kettlewell device detects the presence and intensity of light either directly from the light source (passive mode) or indirectly from surfaces reflecting the probe's internal light source (active mode).

The Smith-Kettlewell Light Probe, unlike other light probes, is a self-contained unit which is exceptionally compact and lightweight -- easily carried in a pocket or purse. Also unlike others, it combines both passive and active modes in a single device, and is considerably less expensive.

Powered by a readily accessible 9-volt battery, it requires no cumbersome external cables or attachments to operate. Feedback to the user is an auditory tone whose pitch rises with detected light intensity. A combined on-off/sensitivity control allows adjustment to a wide variety of operating conditions and tasks.

A wide range of vocational and daily living uses include light monitoring for telephone console operation, checking the brightness of flames such as pilot lights, detecting print or letterhead positions on a page for typing or photocopying, locating signature lines on checks, locating print to check typewriter or printer operation, reading gauges by locating the needle, and many others. A "passive only" version can be special-ordered from the manufacturer for detection of dim lights (e.g., on telephone consoles).

Availability

The Smith-Kettlewell Light Probe is manufactured by Sensory Designs of Mill Valley, California, telephone (415) 381-2534, and is available through national distributors of products for the blind and visually impaired including The Lighthouse (212-821-9200), Maxi Aids (1-800-522-6294), and the LS&S Group (1-800-522-6294).

Indicates when the level of a liquid is within an inch of the top of its containing vessel, thus avoiding overflows and spills.

Two prongs, containing sensors, are fitted onto the side of a nine-volt battery. These prongs fit over the edge of a vessel, such as a cup or glass, and a miniature buzzer (mounted on the top of the battery) gives an audible signal when the liquid reaches the level of the sensors inside the glass. The entire device is about the size of a small cigarette lighter, so can easily be carried about by the user.

This device is a household item with general applications to the detection of liquid levels in a containing vessel. Either hot or cold liquids can be detected, so the prevention of burned fingers and spills is a benefit of using the "Say When." Special configurations can be made for use in chemical laboratory situations. This device was produced on a small scale by the Bureau for the Blind of Kentucky (for blind Kentucky residents only) in order to enhance training in pre-vocational living skills.

Availability

This device has been produced and replicated by several manufacturers, and is currently available from Ann Morris Enterprises, Inc., 890 Fams Court, East Meadow, NY 11554, telephone 516-292-9232, fax 516-564-9692.

Provides pocket-sized electronic braille notetaking capabilities.

The Note-a-Braille is a nonsophisticated, low-cost, pocket-sized notetaker for people who know the standard braille-writer keyboard. Information is written into internal memory via an 8-dot braille keyboard (the two extra dots, operated by the little fingers, permit single-stroke entry of upper case letters and control characters). To minimize cost, no readback features or editing capabilities were incorporated in the design. The unit emits faint clicks, as the keys are operated, to assure the user that entry is successful. Information is retrieved by "uploading" the Note-a-Braille's memory into a computer through its standard Centronics parallel port. (In most cases, a parallel-to-serial converter will be necessary to convert this parallel information into serial form; a number of such converters are commercially available for about $100.)

Availability

The Smith-Kettlewell Note-a-Braille was originally manufactured by HY-TEK Manufacturing Company, Inc. in Sugar Grove, Illinois, and Toucan Communication Aids in the United Kingdom. Subsequently its use has been superseded by second generation commercially developed products incorporating their own speech synthesizers and braille keyboards. A popular example is the Braille'n'Speak available from Blazie Engineering of Forest Hill, MD, telephone 410-893-9333.

Awaiting the advent of accessible displays on household appliances with internal timers, a general-purpose external device was developed; a relay turns power on and off.

Whether it be a kitchen appliance or a tape recorder, automatic operation at prescribed times is desirable. A full-function talking appliance timer would be expensive, and there is no guarantee that the market could sustain production of such a specialized item. Therefore, this simple relay circuit exploits the advantages of off-the-shelf technology -- talking alarm clocks familiar to the visually impaired. Accessible "talking clocks" are now readily available at low cost. The alarm from one turns power to the appliance on; the alarm from the other turns the power off.

No modification to the clocks is necessary; audio to operate the relay is captured by standard telephone pickup coils, affixed to the clocks with rubber bands. This does mean, however, that the clocks used must have magnetic loudspeakers, as most do.

The parts cost of the relay, including pickup coils, is under $35. While suitable clocks may cost $30 each, many potential users already have two on hand to be commandeered for this service.

Availability

A build-it-yourself construction article on the relay circuit, complete with appropriate Radio Shack part numbers, is published in the Smith-Kettlewell Technical File, Volume 14, No. 3. A print schematic diagram is available free on request from the RERC office. If demand is sufficient, circuit boards or completed prototypes may be made available.

Click here for the full article on the Smith-Kettlewell Vibratory Battery Tester for the Deaf-Blind, updated in September 2007 from its original appearance in the Fall 1992-3 issue of The Smith-Kettlewell Technical Files, (vol. 13, no. 2).