Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!260!204!Ann.Parsons
From: Ann.Parsons@f204.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Parsons)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Tools for the disAbled
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Date: 22 Feb 90 21:36:56 GMT
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Index Number: 6910

<"From: SRCLARK@COLOSPGS.BITNET (Steve Clark)
<"Message-ID: <10106@bunker.UUCP>
<"Index Number: 6697
<"
<"Hi,
<"        I've posted before asking for suggestions on tools for the
<"*disAbled*. Now I'm asking for critical evaluations of one of my
<"own ideas.
<"
<"        I propose a hand held ultrasonic or infrared ranging device
<" that would allow the blind to *see* the contours of their 
<"surroundings. 
<"        I propose the system for a hearing user would provide feed-
<"back in the form of a tone that changes frequency with respect to
<"changes in distance from the device to the sensed object. This tone
<"could be supplied to the user by earphone or earphones. For a
<"non-hearing user the feedback could be a vibrator in the device
<"that changes intensity with respect to distance to the sensed
<"object.

Hi Steve,

You've got a great idea there. It has been tried, but the devices are very 
expensive. You need feedback from some other blind people who know more about 
this than I do, but contact American Foundation for The Blind, 15 West 16th 
Street, New York, NY 10011. They can tell you what's available already. Maybe 
others have had experience. I think the veterans Administration was into sonic 
canes but I am not sure.

Good luck. Take care, see you on-line.

Ann P.

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