Deputy
Secretary of Commerce Sam Bodman and National
Federation of the Blind (NFB) President Marc Maurer
today announced that the Commerce Department's National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the NFB
will work together to test a prototype technology developed
by NIST that provides the blind and visually impaired with
access to electronic images in the same way that Braille
makes words readable.
NFB
members will "field test" the new device, known
as a tactile graphic display (see fact
sheet for details), so that NIST researchers can get
first-hand input on how the technology may be improved for
future commercialization. The Federation put an early version
of NIST's rotating-wheel Braille reader [that converts electronic
text such as e-mail into Braille characters] through its
paces and gave the designers valuable ideas for making the
device more user-friendly and effective. Today, the current
Braille reader is ready for licensing by the company or
companies that can bring this low-cost, powerful tool to
the marketplace.
Today's
announcement comes in conjunction with National Disability
Employment Awareness Month and NFB's National Meet the Blind
Month.
"This
collaborative effort epitomizes the spirit of President
Bush's New Freedom Initiative and this Administration's
commitment to improving the quality of life for all Americans
with disabilities," said Bodman. "The NIST devices
allow the blind to participate in the information revolution
and are prime examples of the types of assistive technologies
that the New Freedom Initiative encourages."
Maurer
added his praise for the NIST/NFB partnership, saying that
the collaboration has "created breakthroughs in access
technology for the blind and visually impaired."
"Text
and graphic conversion devices have in the past been difficult
to produce and extremely expensive, limiting their wide
distribution to those who could benefit from them,"
Maurer said. "Our work with NIST to foster the development
of simple-to-manufacture, low-cost and easy-to-use alternatives
will open opportunities for learning, exploration and growth
to blind children and blind adults in the home, school and
workplace."
For
a detailed description of NIST's tactile graphic display
device, go to www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/visualdisplay.htm.
(Additonal Photos)
For
more information on NIST's rotating-wheel Braille reader,
go to www.itl.nist.gov/div895/isis/projects/brailleproject.html.
Founded
in 1940, the National Federation of the Blind is the nation's
largest and most influential membership organization of
blind persons. With 50,000 members, the NFB has affiliates
in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico,
and over 700 local chapters. As a consumer and advocacy
organization, the NFB is considered the leading force in
the blindness field today.
As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's
Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurements,
standards and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate
trade and improve the quality of life.
