This document discusses technologies that aid the visually impaired. It defines visual impairment as a disability affecting vision or sight. It then describes several modern technologies, including screen reading software that converts text to speech, voice recognition software, CCTVs for magnifying prints, Braille keyboards and printers, smart canes for navigation assistance, OCR software for converting scans to text, and screen magnifiers. The purpose is to sensitize people to how technology has created adaptive devices to assist the visually impaired.

1. MEETING THE NEEDS OF
VISUAL
IMPAIRMENT

2. VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
 DEFINITION : IS A DISABILITY WHICH
AFFECTS VISION OR SIGHT.
 The eye is the organ of sight and therefore visual
impairment affects the eye to a lesser or greater degree.
 This workshop is to sensitized as to how technology has
created adaptive devices to assist the visually impaired.

3. MANY PEOPLE HAVE SOME TYPE OF VISUAL
PROBLEM AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES
 Some can no longer see objects far away. Others
have problems reading small print. These types of
conditions are often easily treated with eyeglasses or
contact lenses.
 But when one or more parts of the eye or brain that
are needed to process images become diseased or
damaged, severe or total loss of vision can occur. In
these cases, vision can't be fully restored with
medical treatment, surgery, or corrective lenses like
glasses or contacts.

4. MODERN TECHNOLOGIES USED TO
AID THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Some of these are:
 Screen reading and talking browsers
 Voice recognition software
 CCTV – close circuit television
 Braille keyboard and printer
 Smart Cane
 OCR- optical character recognition.
 Screen magnifiers

5. SCREEN READING AND TALKING BROWSERS
Software used to convert text on the
computer screen into speech words. Used by
the totally blind and others who have trouble
reading magnified text.

6. VOICE RECOGNITION SOFTWARE
This allows a user to use
one voice as an input
device. Voice recognition
may be used to dictate text
into the computer or to
give commands to the
computer such as opening
application programs,
pulling down menus, or
saving work.

7. CCTV – CLOSE CIRCUIT TELEVISION
 This is a television video camera combination used by
people who are visually impaired to magnify the
prints in books and newspapers. It can also be used
to write letters and cheques and do different types of
crafts like needle points.
 Teacher can use this when students are
doing research work like looking at
magazine or newspaper articles, the
teacher can magnify the print to help
the student read the content.

8. BRAILLE KEYBOARD AND PRINTER
 Adaptive Keyboards are customised to accommodate the learner’s
needs i.e. Braille keyboard in various sizes.
 Braille Embosser – this does printing of Braille.
 Teacher can use this in providing hand outs and work sheets for the
visually impaired learner

9. SMART CANE
This can assist the learner in moving
through their environment by
calculating objects all around up to a
few metres away.

10. OCR- OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION.
☻ This is software used to convert scanned texted
from books or other documents into information
that the computer recognises.
☻ Teacher can scan and print
official forms (passport,
driver’s permit forms) and
use in form filling exercises.

11. SCREEN MAGNIFIERS
The software enlarges the information on the screen
by pre-determined incremental factor.
Most screen
magnification software has
the flexibility to magnify the
full screen, parts of the
screen or provide a
magnifying glass view of the
area around the cursor or
pointer.