Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!wtm From: robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com (Robert Jaquiss) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: SIG-TEAL article by Barbara Mates on CD-ROM and the visually disabled Message-ID: <17988@bunker.UUCP> Date: 7 Mar 91 05:22:26 GMT Sender: news@bunker.UUCP Reply-To: robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com (Robert Jaquiss) Distribution: misc Lines: 316 Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP Fidonet: Blink Talk Conference Index Number: 13833 Hello SIG-TEAL members: Here is an article written by Barbara Mates of the Cleveland Public library concerning CD-ROM and the visually disabled. I didn't find a Copyright notice on the article but please assume that it is Copyrighted. Special thanks to Katy Lenn at the University of Oregon for bringing this article to me attention. Barbara Mates kindly sent me a computer readable copy. Happy CD-ROMing. Robert S. Jaquiss Jr. Internet: robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD-ROM: A NEW LIGHT FOR THE BLIND & VISUALLY IMPAIRED By Barbara T. Mates, Head Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped Cleveland Public Library CD-ROM technology is the newest tool in information service. It is being hailed by some as the greatest invention since Gutenberg's printing press; while others, a bit more conservative, would rank it after automation of the printing press and computer technology. Conversely, it has also received much criticism as being too costly, too complicated and it's future too uncertain (i.e. will costs come down, will more titles become available?). Information specialists who see it as the "new papyrus" comment on the vast amount of information contained on the silver discs, shelf space saved (which also saves paper and consequently trees and the ozone layer), searching capabilities, money saved vs. on-line searching and the possibility of eventually establishing Local Area Networks (LANS). Acknowledging the CD-ROM's present faults and promises, this information specialist would like to say "Pass me a CD please" because it is providing the 11,000 blind, visually and physically impaired patrons of the Cleveland Public Library's Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (service area,the 55 northern counties of Ohio) with a type of reference service they have not been able to have in 25 years. This service is simply: receiving on request and in a timely fashion (i.e. same day service, plus mail transit time) encyclopedia articles and consumer information in a medium they can use regardless of their impairment. Because of the universal format of ASCII, information can be translated and printed in Braille. Independent commands given to a laser printer allow all articles to be printed in clean bold faced type in a print size the visually impaired reader requires (14-18pt). A speech synthesizer can read the articles aloud eliminating the need of a sighted human reader for the individual unable to hold a book and turn the pages as well as for the blind non-Braille reader. insert. fig. 1 What Was Available To The Blind & Visually Impaired Pre-CD-ROM The day the CD-ROM system was set up and the Grolliers Encyclopedia was slipped into the tray was one that advanced the large-print multi-volume encyclopedia world by 100%. The day we successfully translated an article on the space shuttle into Braille saw the first "direct Braille text to reader" (that is one that did not have to be transcribed) article from a multi- volume encyclopedia since World Book Encyclopedia published the only Braille encyclopedia in 1959. For the visually or physically impaired reader who can neither read large print nor Braille, a screen reader can read the article aloud. This is finally bringing an updated recorded encyclopedia to print-impaired readers. The last recorded multi-volume encyclopedia was the 1980 World Book. While not as dated as the Braille and large print formats, it is not what anyone seeking current events should access. Another major step in updating reference service was made with the McGraw-Hill Science and Technology Encyclopedia. Research and interviews of knowledgeable blind and visually impaired patrons indicated that there never has been a special media, multi-volume science encyclopedia available. This means that previously, reference queries such as: "They say my house should be checked for radon gas, can you please send me something on radon gas in large print so I can read about it myself?" or "My dentist says I have periodontal disease, which scares me; can you quickly send me something about it in Braille before my next appointment?" could not be addressed in a timely fashion. Information on radon gas would have had to be found in a regular print encyclopedia and either enlarged on a photocopying machine (not an easy task for multi-columned document, nor is the final product easily readable) or given in regular print (which meant that the patron would have to find a sighted reader). Information on periodontal disease in Braille may have been found in a general health book (if on the shelf) or the information photocopied in regular print and sent to a Braille transcriber (at least a ten day delay). The CD-ROM, however, allowed us to send out both the large print information on radon gas and a Braille article on periodontal diseases to the patrons needing this information on the same day as the queries were made. One of the most used reference books in the public reference library is the Physicians Desk Reference as many patrons wish to know more about the prescribed drug they are taking. Many patrons who are visually impaired are also using prescription drugs. They, like the sighted want to know more about the drug prescribed and find that pharmacists and doctors do not have the time needed to fully explain each side effect or contradiction. Trying to read the package insert is a challenge for people with 20/20 vision, let alone patrons whose vision is 20/200. Being able to have information from Physician's Desk Reference in 16 pt. type allows the visually impaired to read and re-read information about the drug, on their own, without asking someone to read it for them. Although the translation to Braille is awkward it can be done and is a more reliable than the last Braille edition, published in 1978! There has never been an unabridged large-type edition. The Microsoft Bookshelf brought a current edition of the World Almanac and Book of Facts, as well as the bonuses of the Chicago Manual of Style, Roget's Thesaurus, American Heritage Dictionary, and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Updates of these titles were not as dramatic as the aforementioned, but nevertheless needed. The World Almanac has never been Brailled or been available in large print. The latest Braille dictionary, Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language was printed in 1970, and the Braille edition of Roget's Thesaurus was last issued in 1961. There was both a large print abridgement of a dictionary and thesaurus by ISIS Publishing in 1985, but the most recent Mirriam-Webster's Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus were published in 1977. Bartlett's Quotations was Brailled by the Library of Congress' Library Service to the Blind and Physically Handicapped in 1988 but at 105 volumes, doesn't make lending realistic for the patron simply wanting to have some quotes on "time" to use in a paper he is writing or wanting to know the exact wording of the quotation "All's fair in love and war". By using Microsoft's CD-ROM Bartlett's Quotation's all pages and cross references on "time" can be printed either in large print or in Braille and sent to the patron. Likewise the entire quotation about the fairness of love can be printed for the patron in the medium needed. The study of American history and its foundation documents is a pursuit that most of us see as a right, but what historical documents are accessible to the blind and visually impaired? Basically, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, which were just Brailled for mass distribution in 1988! Again the CD-ROM and Constitution Papers bring forth important documents in America's history, such as the Mayflower Compact, the Monroe Doctrine, the Articles of Confederation, etc. in large print and Braille. WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT WORK In the broadest definition you need a cooperative "humanware" , hardware and software network, i.e., all must "shake hands". Humanware Required: Cooperative humanware is defined as: 1) a "PC-literate person who is willing to put aside his/her own work to install hardware and trouble shoot", 2) an information specialist, who is willing to search out available software, write proposals for the project and make the system work by encouraging staff and users to access the newly acquired information sources, 3) a staff willing to use the technology and 4) last but not least an administration willing to take a chance on a theoretical proposal. Also of great help in working out the original problems was an on-staff Braille literate person and knowledgable colleagues who knew the idiosyncrasies of the Braille printer and software translation program*. *The PC-literate person, Mark Nekic, Assistant Head, Automation, Cleveland Public Library; the Braille literate staff member, Warren Sladky, Technician, Cleveland Public Library, Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped; the administration of Cleveland Public Library approved the expenditures for the materials and development time; and Nick Dotson, President of Dotsun Enterprises and Lloyd Rasmussen of the National Library Service provided the extra knowledge to "iron out the rough edges". Minimum Hardware needs: -An IBM PC-XT (or clone) equipped with 640 K RAM; 40 megabyte hard disk drive (this allows you to use you to use your PC for other purposes without having to down-load stored information to diskettes) -Switching box -CD-ROM drive (Hitachi or clone) compatible with IBM or clone -Laser printer equipped with bold-faced font, capable of printing 14-18 pt. type -Sony (or clone) PC speaker -EMBOSS-35, Braille printer-- or-- a working relationship with an organization/individual willing to print an article from a diskette. Peripherals: Braille mouse (Model II) which when moved along a flat surface from left to right, converts each electronic character to its Braille equivalent and translates the information to the users fingertip by raising pins on the mouse to form the Braille element. The mouse uses a single roller, coupled with a serial digital pickoff to confine motion to the horizontal direction and prevent the operator from wandering across the screen. Artic Voice Card which will read the text of article directly from the screen line by line, from the hard disk, without interruption. The voice is synthesized, and accomplishes its reading task by using a set of complex letter-to-sound rules, or text-to-speech algorithms. Software needs: Hotdots, a print/Braille translation program which quickly translates conventional print to grade 2 Braille (grade 2 Braille is the accepted form of written communication for the blind and contains contractions, a type of "shorthand"). (insert fig. A) CD-ROM discs known to successfully and easily translate to large print: Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Microsoft Bookshelf (with some effort) Physicians Desk Reference Constitution Papers CD-ROM discs known to successfully and easily translate to Braille format output: Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia McGraw -Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Constitution Papers 1 CD-ROM disc known to translate acceptably2 and easily to voice output: Grolier's Encyclopedia CD-ROM discs known to successfully translate Braille output with some effort:3 Physicians Desk Reference Microsoft Bookshelf 1Translates easily, but will need a form cover letter, telling Braille reader that the document contains some irrelevant notations unrecognizable to the Braille translating program and therefore non-translatable to Braille. 2By acceptable it is meant of a quality that is easily understood when recorded. The screen reader will read anything on a PC screen. Its limits are that it will only pronounce words as it was programmed to, and it needs a clean "non-glitzy" screen without multiple pull down menus or windows. If a visually or physically impaired reader were accessing the PC directly, all CD's would be acceptable as he/she could have the screen reader spell the words or repeat them (a mouse would be helpful in this case). The McGraw Hill Science & Technology CD reads very well, but has serious problems with scientific words which tend to defy programmed algorithms. 3The Braille translator will get "hung up" with a cluttered or visually appealing screen. For Braille output, the document must be cleaned up (to remove items such as multiple asterisks or paragraph notations) through a word pocessing program. If the patron were to directly interact with the PC, a Braille mouse would make all the above CD titles readable in Braille. insert Conversion Guideline's - figure 2 It appears that all CD-ROM programs available can easily be printed in large print, on an independently controlled laser printer. Being able to offer patrons large print will break down the first barrier for visually impaired readers, a population that will grow larger as the population continues to age. Additionally, all CD-ROM titles will aide users who are physically impaired and able to come into the library, as they, with the use of even one finger or dexterity with a mouth stick, can do complex searches using computer keys to turn the pages of the CD-ROM title. The things to be aware of when searching out new CD-ROM titles for translations purposes are: 1. The program should have an straightforward method of gathering and saving desired text onto your hard disk. A product which allows you to print to a disk file is ideal. 2. The text should read left to right, top to bottom as opposed to wrapping columns. 3. The screen should be clean or "bland"; devoid of, for example multiple asterisks, dashes, or highlighted bars. 4. A single menu format is preferred by the visually impaired user rather than one with overlapping menus. Admittedly there are still glitches in translating some of the CD's, but you will find that you, rather than your print impaired patron will be the harshest critic. The visually impaired desire the ability to continue to access current information and will say the information is on target with his or her needs. The Braille reader will be especially appreciative, 30 years between encyclopedias is reason enough for coping with quirks! ------- End of Blind-Carbon-Copy