A Computing Education for the Vision Impaired

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A Computing Education for the Vision Impaired

• Iain Murray
• Curtin University of Technology
• Department of Electrical Computer Engineering
• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Laboratory

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Introduction

• Objectives
• Learning environments
• What is the Cisco Network Academy Program?

3

• Rehabilitation Engineering is the systematic
  application of engineering sciences to design,
  develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and
  distribute technological solutions to problems
  confronted by individuals with disabilities in
  functional areas, such as mobility,
  communications, hearing, vision, and cognition,
  and in activities associated with employment,
  independent living, education, and integration
  into the community.
• (US Rehabilitation Act of 1973)

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Objective

• Develop systems and methodologies to assist
  people with sensory disabilities to gain access
  to education and technology

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Resources

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Laboratory
• Researchers
• 3 academic staff
• 1 technical staff
• 6 Postgraduate students
• 2 Masters and 4 PhD
• Over 30 Honours students (4th 5th year
  engineering)
• Industry consumer advisors

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Changing Learning Environment

• Educational content delivery is changing
• On-line eLearning
• Instructor led
• Distance learning
• Supplemental material
• People with disabilities (particularly vision)
• Being left behind
• Reliance on visiocentric material
• Multimedia
• E.g. Click and drag

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Changing Learning Environment

• This requires a change in thinking
• Ensure effective content delivery to ALL students
  irrespective of learning style or physical
  ability
• Cisco Access for the Vision Impaired (CAVI)

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Cisco Network Academy Program

• The Networking Academy program is an e-learning
  model that delivers Web-based educational
  content, online testing, student performance
  tracking, and instructor training and support, as
  well as hands-on labs. (Cisco,2002)

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Cisco Network Academy Program (CNAP)

• 10,312 Academies
• 162 Countries
• 494,063 Students
• 278,005 Graduates
• 14 vision impaired students
• All in Perth

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Cisco Network Academy Program (CNAP)

• Several programs
• CCNA, CCNP, FNS, FWN, ITE, UNIX etc
• CAVI covers IT Essentials and CCNA only
• The CNAP is a comprehensive program designed to
  teach students computer, Internet networking
  technology skills.

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Why CNAP?

• Router/switch configuration is text based
• Network topologies are logical not physical
• Network administration does not require mobility
• Orientation and mobility training is time
  consuming and expensive
• New employment opportunities

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The Students

• Age range from 18 to 55
• Range of technical ability/experience
• 14 Legally blind in total
• 5 have no useful vision
• Light perception or less
• 3 require screen reader access
• Cannot read a monitor
• 5 can access a computer with screen enhancement
• May just require contrast or specific colour
  schemes
• 1 deaf/blind
• Has limited tunnel vision and profoundly deaf
• Communicates through Auslan and whiteboard

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Cisco Network Academy Program
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Cisco Network Academy Program
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Current Access Methods

• For low vision users.
• Screen enlargement.
• Zoomtext, Magic.
• Screen review programs.
• Jaws, Slimware, Artic.
• Two output methods - speech and Braille displays.
• Screen review software must rely on text output.
• Tactile Graphics
• PIAF
• Printed Braille and Audio recordings

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Access Methods

• Other Disabilities
• Quadriplegics.
• Morse, Eye tracking, scan boards.
• Emphasis on keyboard/mouse replacement issues.
• Deaf.
• Subtitles, visual alerts, transcription of
  conferences/video.
• Many others.

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CAVI Project Description

• Develop a method of course delivery to vision
  impaired students
• Standard Curriculum
• Existing lab bundles
• CCNA IT Essentials initially
• Long term aim to include other academy programs
• Create a bridge between the curriculum and
  assistive technology
• Includes instructor training

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Curriculum Access

• Use text documents
• Explain diagrams
• Stress important but uniquely difficult points
• The OSI model
• Layer 2 technologies
• Tactile objects
• Network dominoes
• Pipe cleaners
• Function Generator

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CAVI

• Describe the difficulties that vision impaired
  students face
• Investigate how students with severe vision
  impairment can utilize cognitive and perceptual
  properties of non-visual sensory modalities to
  learn (as compared to sighted students)
• Develop new visualisation techniques
• Develop a novel multimodal user interface
• Explicitly designed to deliver technology and
  engineering skills to vision impaired students
• Investigate how these new technologies may be
  incorporated into future systems

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Haptic Displays
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Mouse-type Devices
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Earcons

• Earcons were first proposed by Meera Blattner in
  1989.
• They are abstract, musical tones that can be used
  in structured combinations to create auditory
  messages.
• "non-verbal audio messages that are used in the
  computer/user interface to provide information to
  the user about some computer object, operation or
  interaction"
• They are based on musical sounds.

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AsTeR

• Audio System For Technical Readings
• A computing system for rendering technical
  documents in audio
• Developed by T.V. Raman

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Number Systems Subnetting
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The OSI Model
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Network Dominoes
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Other Props
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Braille Display
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Diagrams
Host A sends SYN (seq x) Host B receives SYN
(seqx) and sends SYN(seqy, ackx1) Host A
Receives SYN (seqy, ack x1) and sends ACK
(ack y1) Host B Receives ACK (ack y1)
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Other CAVI Applications

• Speech Friendly Packet Sniffer
• Braille Transcription Software
• Router Simulator
• XML to Descriptive Text

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Progress

• First Class
• Mid way through CCNA 2
• Improved self confidence
• Modifications to the course are being finalised
• Second Class
• Progressing much more rapidly
• Modified curriculum is working

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Conclusion

• Cavi Project is a test bench
• Includes most of the devices/techniques currently
  being researched
• Final outcome
• Deliver an Academy in a Box
• For Academies that wish to teach vision impaired
  students
• Two of the first students are now qualified as
  instructors in the Academy Program

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Questions?

• http//www.ece.curtin.edu.au/iain/accessibility
• http//cisco.netacad.net
• http//www.avcc.edu.au/content.asp?page/policies_
  programs/equity/index.htm
• www.tiresias.org (John Gill)

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Some of the Students
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Current Research Projects

• Cisco Access for the Vision Impaired (CAVI)
• Curtin University Brailler (CUB)
• Wireless Stereo Headset
• Parakeet -Apple OS X Accessibility
• iView - Classroom Aid for Low Vision Students
• Dasher
• Auslan to Text
• Currency Identifier for the Blind
• Braille Scanner
• Ultrasonic White Cane/Seeing with Sound
• 7 Segment reader and colour sensor

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The Target Demographic

• In Western Australia
• 8,800 legally blind
• Nearly 2,400 under 65
• The Association for the Blind
• 75 new clients each month
• 411 clients per year in technology training
• (ABWA annual report 2001)
• Extrapolate to the world market
• Third world countries have higher rates of vision
  impairment

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Disability Discrimination Act

• DDA is administered by the Human rights and Equal
  Opportunities Commission (HREOC).
• Accepts that some differential treatment is
  unavoidable.
• Commonwealth Departments and Agencies must
  develop action plans.
• Emerging DDA standards on Electronic
  Communication.

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Curtin University Brailler (CUB)

• Perkins Brailler
• Mechanical only
• Mountbatten Brailler
• Electronic, very old technology

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Braille Scanner

• Aimed at Sighted non-Braille Readers
• Converts Braille to Expanded Text in real time

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A Secure Dual Channel Wireless Headset for
Multi-user Environments

• Funded by Dept. of Training
• Science Technology Grant
• Joint Project
• Association for the Blind WA
• RAC (WA)

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Proof of Concept Prototype

• Dual channel, two-way, high quality, low power
  infrared headset prototype which has been field
  tested by the ABWA and certified.

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DSP based system Upgradeable, flexible Ultra Low
Power Secure comms Current BOM lt 150 IR TxRxs
lt 3 Cellular Architecture
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Current Form Ideal Form
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The Future

• Infrared / 802.1x Hybrid
• Keep low power, security, and bandwidth benefits
  of infrared, but combine with 802.11g to overcome
  infrared mobility issue.
• Commercialisation
• Packaging
• Alternative markets
• Navy

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Parakeet

• The project involves designing, building and
  testing a screen reader application for Mac OS X
  operating system.
• A screen reader is an application that allows a
  vision-impaired person to use a graphical user
  interface by providing audible feedback in the
  form of speech.
• The screen reader interrogates the actions of the
  user via the Accessibility APIs and produces
  speech output using the text-to-speech (TTS)
  APIs.
• Both of these APIs are provided by Apple as part
  of Mac OS X.

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Dasher

• Information-efficient text-entry interface
• driven by natural continuous pointing gestures.
• operating a computer one-handed
• with zero hands (i.e., by head-mouse or by
  eyetracker).
• The eyetracking version of Dasher allows an
  experienced user to write text as fast as normal
  handwriting - 25 words per minute using a
  mouse, experienced users can write at 39 words
  per minute.

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Auslan to Text
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Auslan to Text
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Currency Identifier

• Australian Polymer notes are of a similar size
• Hard to distinguish denomination if totally blind
• Utilises the unique pattern in the clear window

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Ultrasonic White Cane

• Augments the standard long cane
• Warns of
• Head height obstructions
• Drop off (e.g. Stairs)
• Simple user interface