wow! what an idea, I am sure once the software is released, screen reader companies wil copy this one as well, similarly they did for web access, where in they copied homepage reader.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Viraj Kafle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:10 AM Subject: [AI] IBM sets out to help the visually challenged > IBM sets out to help the visually challenged > > London, Mar.31: Technology and software giant IBM has announced plans to > launch a multimedia browser to make audio and video content accessible to > the visually > challenged. > > Codenamed Accessibility Browser, or A-Browser, the software is being > created by Dr. Chieko Asakawa, a blind IBM employee in Japan. > > The A-Browser, according to the BBC and The Times, will give blind and > partially-sighted people the same control over multimedia content that > sighted people > have using a mouse. > > IBM says it will be available later this year and hopes it will be free. > > Dr Asakawa says that she was becoming increasingly frustrated by the > amount of web content that she was unable to access, and this propelled > her to work > on software friendly to the visually impaired. > > For the time being, she and her team are concentrating on content that is > compatible with Real Player and Windows Media Player. > > Using the A-Browser, a vision-impaired person can control media content by > using predefined shortcut keys, rather than having to look for the control > buttons > using a mouse. > > The browser also allows video to be slowed down, speeded up and can > accommodate an additional audio description or narration track that is > often included > to make films and television programmes more comprehensible to blind > people. > > The volume controls also allow the user to adjust the sound of various > sources independently - for example the main audio track, an audio > description track > and output from a screen reader. > > "We're beginning to look at accessibility as a very important business > area," said Frances West, director of IBM's Human Ability and > Accessibility Centre. > > It is estimated that there are over 160 million blind and partially > sighted people around the world who could benefit from such a development. > > IBM is yet to decide whether the A-Browser will have a worldwide launch or > whether it will be introduced in selected countries first. > > Copyright Dailyindia.com/ANI > > http://www.dailyindia.com/show/129893.php/IBM-sets-out-to-help-the-visually-challenged > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
