Computing for Near-Blind Children? 209
mjpaci asks: "One of my co-workers has a son, age 12, who is visually impaired among other problems. He is smart, charismatic, and funny--an all around good kid. Due to complications during his mother's pregnancy, he is near-blind. His father is a saint and spends many hours each night helping his child with homework. The problem is that the child is now taking Social Studies in junior high and has great trouble with geography as he cannot read the maps in the book even with his 'overhead visualizer.' Can Slashdot help me help this child?"
"One of my clients has donated 21" monitors to him in the past and they have helped. The real rub is, even with the large monitors, the child cannot read maps when zoomed-in on. The father has looked to the end of the earth for good, hi-res maps that can be magnified without great pixelization. Are there any good sources out there for hi-res maps for educational purposes or a software package that could help? Questions like: Find the largest city on the Mississippi River and what is the Capitol of the South American country to the west of Surinam are hard for the child as his view of the map is very constrained."
What makes Slashdot great (Score:5, Insightful)
Just to clarify: I am not sure if you are asking for screen reader software or not as part of the solution? If so, there are a number of alternatives for Windows (fairly pricey), but the next version of OS X will have a built in screen reader solution! combined with other visual aids that will help the blind and near blind use their computer systems without having to invest in another solution.
For the maps, there are a number of high resolution maps available from the USGS which can be obtained in digital form here [http] and in atlas form here [nationalatlas.gov]. In addition the CIA world factbook [cia.gov] is a nice resource for kids with text and maps that can be remapped with higher resolution.
Finally, a last resort would be Adobe Photoshop. You can take any map or image and simply resize the image with a much higher resolution (say take a map from 72dpi to 600 or 1200 dpi). If there is enough information in the original image to interpret, this might be a good solution to allowing one to zoom in images and maps for ease of interpretation.
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:5, Informative)
Changing the DPI doesn't really make the image any more high resolution. You'll still end up with pixelation. It works better than simply blowing up an image by zooming in, but it's not going to allow you to actually blow the image up flawlessly.
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:5, Interesting)
I absolutely agree. However the issue in geography and geographic information systems often times is how many pixels represent the image. If you have enough pixels, there are operations that can be performed to enhance detail. Yes, your final image will be lossy in effect by resizing it and you will never be able to extract more information than is originally present (unless you have access to multispectral data), but it will be possible to more easily determine edges and relationships from one point to another.
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2)
So what I'd do with photoshop (appart from resizing with a couple of filters) is to change the colours around so you get some mayor contrast going on. White for the countries, purple for the borders, or something like that.
Anyway, without knowing more about the particular way in which this kid
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2)
Send me $9.95 for more information...
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2)
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:5, Informative)
Along those lines, I think it would be a good idea to check out Apple's Accessibility Page. [apple.com] It does a fairly good job with the technologies that are currently in OS X and gives information on OS X's compliance with Section 508 of the Workforce Investment Act Of 1998 or Rehabilitation Act. (IIRC)
Apple also does a good job linking to third party software from that page. I think it would be definitely worth a look, good luck and let us know how it turns out!
What the child needs: Xmag (Score:2)
give it feeling (Score:2)
There are a few ways to achieve this with from digital sources including:
NC milling of shapes into plastic, wook etc.
PCB etching techniques.
The use of piezo electric material which changes size/shape when a voltage is applied.
Re:give it feeling (Score:2)
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2)
Take for instance edge enhancement filt
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:2)
It seems that you don't understand how image filters work. Edge enhancement doesn't need a higher pixel count, as it is usually just a change of color contrast to trick the brain into thinking it sees more sharply. It's quite effective actually, as you do tend to see better edges, but it's just a trick. No information was added to the image.
W
Re:What makes Slashdot great (Score:4, Informative)
Mathematically, yes. I agree. However, perform this experiment: run an edge detector filter on a 256 X 256 pixel image and then run the same filter on a 1200 X 1200 image. The image interpolation will make for a much more interpretable image on the higher resolution image because of running the edge detector filter.
You said it yourself "as it is usually just a change of color contrast to trick the brain into thinking it sees more sharply. It's quite effective actually, as you do tend to see better edges,". The issue here is representing the information so that it can be interpreted and not trying to extract more information than is actually present.
Maybe Garmin's Mapsource stuff? (Score:5, Informative)
It isn't cheap, but, I am sure if you contacted their PR department and explained what you wanted to do with it, they would have a hard time coming off as anything other than heartless and moneygrabbing should you they refuse to give you a gratis/cheap copy.
The North American web demo [garmin.com] of their maps (link near the top right) does similar and may even do the trick, and, is free to use.
As for large screen helping, a cheap projector and a dark room would be a better logical alternative than a big screen it would seem to me, but then again, I hardly know whereof I speak.
Re:Maybe Garmin's Mapsource stuff? (Score:2)
The only concern would be if you can get the fonts big enough to read.
Also, PDF maps would usually be vector-based.
I also was going to recommend a projector. Preferably 1024x768 or better, with a decent screen.
I don't know where this kid is going to school, but the school should be trying to accomodate him.
I'm suprised an overhead projector wouldn't work with a printed atlas.
You might need a dark room and a
Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:5, Informative)
Regardless, I've been through much of this before. First off, make sure his school is accomodating with a IEP (individualized education program)/504 setup. There are many things you can do, but without help from the school, it's won't help. Many accomodations can be made "behind the scenes" and without making the child self-conscious. There are some things that the child can't totally hide, and in this case a sense of humor is particularly helpful.
Many times, the school can obtain (at the school's expense) extra-large versions of books, graphics, diagrams and the like. I know when I was a kid, we had a few raised (molded) topographical maps (? somebody help me out, I can't think of what the right description is) sitting around. I know they also have globes, but they may not be as "high-resolution" if he's studying, say, state geography. They're also not that difficult to make, which can be a family project. The point is to cover all the bases by connecting knowledge with touch and what little sight he may have: think teaching art via texture and collage and sculpture as opposed to traditional "visibles".
In this case, geography may require a rewritten or oral test for the child. Since he had to learn it differently, it may have to be tested differently. YMMV based on what the parents and educator think is best.
Many different ideas can fun or degrading, depending on how severe the disability is; that's true of many accomodations, so it's important to be sensitive to the child's attitude, especially at this age, and moreso in a few years.
Whatever your suggestion and the parents' decision, it won't be a quick fix; this is a long road. I know from experience, however, that with a lot of support, it's definitely doable. I wish you the best of luck. (I will gladly answer questions if you e-mail or reply to this post.)
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:5, Interesting)
There is a very careful balance to be had in educational accomodation that many don't understand: in theory "you can help a child hard of hearing by yelling louder at him" -- but if he's embarassed for his challenge, if he's singled out, he won't use the accomodation.
My brother, in junior high, got poor grades for the first quarter, and being an incredibly bright kid, nobody knew why, until we realized his "big books" were staying at home. During class, when the teacher asked to get out the textbooks, he brought out the normal-sized one, which of course he couldn't read. He was embarassed at having to carry an 11x14-size collection of schoolbook chapters around with text sizes ripped from "Spot Goes To School".
I think brightly projected transparencies would be an ideal way to display maps without bringing attention in school to his disability.
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:3, Insightful)
The big problem with "resorting" to braille or VR displays and so many of the solutions others have suggested -- is psychological; it's something that makes the kid different from other kids. And he is, but there's no reason to highlight it needlessly.
Needlessly? The kid is having problems with geography, geography (at least the map variant of it) is a very visual subject. This is EXACTLY the time you just might need to "resort" to brail, or some kind of relief map or whatever. There's no shame in be
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:4, Insightful)
My comment was specific to instruction within the classroom. Outside the classroom there's quite a bit you can do, inside, a kid with the big books or magnifiers can get singled out, and as I said, a child singled out for their instructional accomodation will sometimes decline to use it at all. This varies depending on the social atmosphere of the school.
Geography is a visual subject like math or English or any other subject is, like you said. The equations and symbols and words matter, but what's more important is what those equations and symbols and words mean rather than what's happening on paper. But if we say deaf children will have an overly difficult time in music class, it puts the burden on the child to perform up to the standards of the majority. But in inclusionary classrooms, you want to ask not what the child can or can't do, but what they can bring to the table. In this case, geography is more than about rivers and lakes and mountains -- perhaps the teacher, with him, can focus on the human geographic aspect, or use that aspect to help him learn the subject material. But Braille is a big step. We're talking about a completely different language here.
There isn't any shame in being visually impaired, and I know that because as my original post said, my mother or brother are both visually impaired, as to some extent, am I. But 12 year olds don't know that, and we're not trying to hide it, but we are trying to make less of a distinction between him and the other students.
Say you have a child with cerebral palsy. To get from class to class, he could use a motorized wheelchair. Or, his teachers could pick him up and carry him from class to class, while the principal clears the halls with a bright orange megaphone. Now, the kid is having problems with walking. Walking is a very physical subject. And nobody is pretending the kid can't walk, or trying to hide it.
But: does the megaphone help the kid get to class better than the wheelchair? No, he gets to class either way.
Does it make him different from the other kids who, because of the treatment, may ostracize him? Probably. It's needlessly highlighting his difference, and that's a greater crime than trying to hide it. That's what I meant.
In this case, there are plenty of things INSIDE the classroom that can happen that will measurably improve learning without bringing active attention to his disability. No offense, but Braille is not one of them; that's like being given textbooks in French because you have dyslexia. He probably already has big books, which for text will suffice; graphics will probably require some creative learning.
Outside the classroom, relief maps, among other things, as I suggested in the original post, are a good idea. For children with disabilities, the road to educational success really only starts in the school, and there are many more things one can do at home, like break out a giant topo map made of playdoh, like I did when I was little.
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:2, Interesting)
I am visually impaired and I grew up carrying around the gigantic textbooks you all speak about. The atlas I used was gigantic. The dictionary was equally heavy. But I used them even with the offhand comments from my classmates.
I grew up using the CCTV enlargers and even one of the very first Kurzweil reading machines.
You couldn't push a Kurzweil around back then, but I would often push the CCTV from class or have it moved to different areas depending when I needed it. Science on Tuesday,
Also been there, here (Score:5, Informative)
My wife has always been her primary advocate in school, but we've done much of what the parent poster has done: get an IEP (even though she's at a private school which isn't required to follow an IEP, they do so), and use it to get enlarged books (they're free) and worksheets, and special consideration for homework (she's only required to do half as many math problems, for instance) and tests (her time limits are always extended).
She's tried electronic devices to enlarge her books and papers, but since she had to wheel it from classroom to classroom it was both unwieldy and very obvious -- not a good thing for a peer-conscious preteen. So yes, they have those devices and they work, but they're not as good as simply enlarging the books and papers. (I look forward to the day when all the textbooks come on an electronic tablet which can simply enlarge the font and/or invert the black and white as needed.)
Telling your child to have a sense of humor about such a situation is easier said than done; I'm sure we all remember how cruel kids of any age can be. The better thing to do is, as a parent, be understanding, comfortable, and above all be a strong advocate for his/her needs. Don't expect your child to speak up when he/she needs special assistance, because that may not be in his/her nature. But do ask him/her about any problems in the classroom and go to the teachers, or principal if necessary, yourself to correct it.
Re:Also been there, here (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Also been there, here (Score:2)
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:4, Informative)
I'm not affiliated with them, but I do have dear friends that work there. APH is a non-profit (so they're not in it for the money).
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:2)
This Saturday is a special event called mini-laps --
Re:Alternative media for alternative learning (Score:2)
Braile Monitor Relif Maps (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Braile Monitor Relif Maps (Score:2)
Re:Braile Monitor Relif Maps (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Braile Monitor Relif Maps (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Braile Monitor Relif Maps (Score:2)
There are map suites with good zoom (Score:3, Informative)
Within the US, you can view the entire nation and zoom in as much as you need. Imagine how PDF files work - the information is stored in database and is not pixelated by maginifcation. This would help for any US maps.
For international, the same suite (Streets and trips 2004) works on the city level, but only has major streets. You would have to find the speicific maps you are looking for.
Re:There are map suites with good zoom (Score:3, Informative)
Geography is not about street maps. It uses topographical maps. Street maps are vector maps while topographical maps are raster, *always*. This has to do with the nature of the measurements.
You can get topographical maps down to 30m resolusion though (NASA shuttle radar project a few years ago, now at USGS here [usgs.gov]
Re:There are map suites with good zoom (Score:2)
MapPoint might be better, especially considering the statistical information it's got. Streets & Trips is basically a home version of MapPoint. The only problem is the pricing on MapPoint isn't that great. MapPoint is, unfortunately, not available in an academic version (MS academic versions are rarely above $
I'm not sure... (Score:2)
Floor Puzzles (Score:2)
The puzzles that I'm thinking of are large wooden cutouts of a state or region, and would be great for learning by touch the shapes of states/countries. If you glued them down near eache other, possibly a spatial relation between them could be formed as well.
We had one of these big floor puzzles in kindergarten. It was a riot!
I know this is a stupid idea, but . . . (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't necessarily mean some sort of physical augmentation - but some sort of technical assistance that would help paint images onto his retina in a way that he could see the material on a computer, through an adapter, in the same way that some of the new "head monitors" do.
It's a long shot, granted - but it might be worth a shot? If there isn't a solution out there now, get the kid and father in touch with people on the foreront of technology and science and they could possibly actively pursue a solution with interested professionals.
Re:I know this is a stupid idea, but . . . (Score:2)
Whatever you do, don't post his homepage here (Score:5, Funny)
Maps (Score:5, Interesting)
By feeling your way around the oceans, you can feel the 'holes' where the continents go. Then you fit the pieces into the holes, learning which countries go with which continents as well as geographical features.
Maybe breaking it up into smaller pieces will make building a larger picture in the mind easier.
without knowing the situation completely... (Score:2)
But a world map? That'll be one huMONGous SVG file!
Check out... (Score:5, Insightful)
Another great resource is the Alliance for Technology Access [ataccess.org]. They have directories of companies that create technologies for handicapped individuals.
Good luck.
raytech marine navagator (Score:3, Informative)
Ever heard of BATS? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Ever heard of BATS? (Score:5, Interesting)
Taking a cue from Keller... (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, it might be possible to take a couple of those monitor, run them through a splitter and have each one displaying 1/4 of the picture.
Oddly enough, google can answer those questions. (Score:5, Interesting)
Put those questions into google, and you can pretty quickly find an answer using only text. Using google to answer questions about maps is probably not the skill they were trying to teach, but on the other hand, it is a skill of some kind.
Re:Oddly enough, google can answer those questions (Score:2)
Teahching someone who cannot physically use a map how to use a map seems like a waste of his time.
For the blind or near-blind (Score:3, Insightful)
The Speakup Project produces a screen reader [linux-speakup.org] that is used in the above distro.
There is also a Knoppix based distro [oralux.org] called Oralux, that will also support braille terminals (these are usually one line at a time vt100 emulators) connected to a serial port.
I know this does not solve the map problem, but this, along with Links, for example, will give any vision impaired person far more tools that are available in Windows, for instance.
Virtual environments can help... (Score:4, Interesting)
Slashdot did an article on them a while back.
http://slashdot.org/articles/99/04/15/2058223_F.s
tactile graphics (Score:4, Informative)
BBC (Score:4, Informative)
Re:BBC (Score:2)
What a horrible pun to use in light of the conversation...
Sorry, mod me "insensitive" - I just could help pointing that out.
Some MS Windows tips (Score:2, Informative)
I would recommend installing two or more monitors which can be configured (since Win98) as one big desktop. Or maybe plugging the PC to a large TV with svideo or better. Most video cards also have custom brightness/contrast settings. XP's "built-in" ultra-plain generic drivers doesn
I'd second the idea of a projector, or tv adapter (Score:2)
Hook the computer up so you use the TV as a screen. It's not as high quality as a good monitor of course, but would be easier for the kid to see.
A projector would be more expensive... but would provide even greater benefit.
A low tech solution. (Score:2)
This probably couldn't go very far, but its a start and might make the father think of other things to try.
Interesting problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
If a person has such problems reading maps, that simple image enlargement techniques don't help then why try teaching geography visually? It is unlikely that that skill (Being able to find the Mississippi on a map) whill ever be a useful one to a person who is severly visually impaired. You can visually describe geography to someone and achieve the same end.
Tell the teacher to stop wasting time teaching skills that aren't ever going to be of use. Just because a standardized skill test has a question like that doesn't mean that it will be applicable to every child that takes the test...
Tried OS X? (Score:3, Informative)
These enhancements are part of the base OS, there is no additional software to buy.
GMT Software (Score:3, Informative)
Generic Mapping Tools [hawaii.edu]
The data set is available on CD from The Geoware Online Store [geoware-online.com] or alternatively from various ftp archives. I have not got the various the url's to hand but the data is freely available from US institutions. ( several hundred megabyte download )
Create suitable images according to the need of the moment using the GMT software and project them onto a horizontal board. Us the projected image as a guide to making plaster reliefs. Great educational fun for folks of all ages who want to learn that there is a real World out there which is more than just target co-ordinates.
Tactile Maps (Score:3, Informative)
A very valuable tool for youth (typically provided by the educational institution) is to create tactile maps, in which thin strips of foam are used to represent maps which can produce:
- Directions in a Neighbourhood
- Basic City Plans
- Geographical Maps
Basically, you take a piece of hard construction paper, and glue strips and curves of thin foam to it, and name each section with braille.
For further information, reply and I am willing to assist.
Blind + Linux = BLINUX (Score:5, Informative)
Emacspeak is a speech interface that allows blind and visually impaired users to interact independently and efficiently with the computer. Available free of cost on the Internet, Emacspeak has dramatically changed how the author and hundreds of blind and visually impaired users around the world interact with the personal computer and the Internet.
In my humble opinion Emacspeak is the most advanced voice enabled user interface currently available. If I wouldn't have seen a trained Emacspeak user reading his email faster that I ever could I never would have believed it. Did you ever see a person which is blind playing Tetris amazingly fast? It sounds incredible. Emacspeak makes it possible.
I won't tell you that you don't need some training until you are at home with Emacspeak. But if you are willing to invest some efforst, chances are good that you will be able to handle your computer faster than many sighted users.
When reading, writing, designing, or programming, the totally blind individual is inevitably restricted to a one dimensional world, be it speech or braille. This linear stream may take the form of a single-line display on a braille output device, or the words spoken by a speech synthesizer. There are brief moments when the blind user can enjoy the benefits of a 2-dimensional presentation. If he has a braille printer he might print out a chart or spread sheet and explore it with both hands. Indeed, when I studied mathematics at U.C. Berkeley I often had to write the equation, or set of related equations down in braille, and review it as a whole, before I understood it. However, one rarely has the time to construct such a two-dimensional tactile representation, similar to the screen or the printed page. As a general rule we must admit that the blind user is stuck in one dimension.
Unfortunately, almost all modern applications present information in a two-dimensional format, and most employ graphical icons that have no meaning for the blind. Since it is impractical to rewrite all these applications, the blind community has been forced to perform a rather awkward retrofit, using various adapters. We should recognize that this is not the ideal solution. Pasting a screen reader on top of Netscape makes it accessible, but the result is hardly efficient.
Over the past decade a small minority of blind users have discovered Linux, a free, text-based operating system for the home computer. Linux applications rarely employ graphics, and most of them are already linear, just like the mode (speech or braille) that is our Karma. All other things being equal, Linux is the best operating system for a blind user.
Of course things aren't always equal. If your job requires the use of a proprietary order entry system that only runs on Windows, then you'll be using Windows, with an adapter that tries to make the application somewhat accessible. But this scenario is actually quite rare. An employer may insist on a Microsoft Word document, but that doesn't force you to use Windows. You can write html code on Linux and mail it to your boss, who can then import it into Word. Conversely, your co-workers can easily export their Word documents into html for your benefit. There are very few reasons why you must use Windows. Let's assume you are considering Linux, where the applications are less graphical. That's a fair assumption, since you're already visiting this web site.
If you watch a sighted Linux user for an hour, you will notice that he spends most of his time in screen applications. He doesn't need the labyrinth of "helpful" menus and drop down boxes that Windows is famous for, and he has no patience for the "are you sure you want to do that" and "click ok if you really want to quit" dialog boxes, and he
Re:Blind + Linux = BLINUX (Score:2)
Blind + Linux = BLINUX. This is the best solution in the long run and it doesn't cost anything, unlike solutions from Microsoft and other proprietary software. I wish you the best luck. The command-line interface is ideal for blind users.
Interestingly (but a tad OT) is that nethack can be configured for blind users as well.
All work and no play makes Johnny a dully boy.
Other games for the blind would probably include the many, many MUDs out there.
Emacspeak is amazing (Score:2)
Not only MUDs but also future MMORPG games from
Re:Blind + Linux = BLINUX (Score:3, Interesting)
The WorldForge Project (Score:2)
In another post [slashdot.org] I have mentioned The WorldForge Project [worldforge.org]: "Our vision is to foster an independent community in which many free games can develop and evolve with unique roleplaying-oriented worlds and rules, running on a wide selection of server and client implementations with a standard networking protocol tying everything together. The WorldForge project hasn't produced any complete, pla
Low tech is often better (Score:3, Insightful)
Technology is great stuff, and all, but...
From personal experience... (Score:3, Insightful)
Helpful resources (Score:4, Informative)
Here are some (hopefully) helpful resources:
American Printing House for the Blind [nyud.net]:
They're a great resource of learning materials for the blind. (You should try and see if the school can (or maybe should) pay for these materials)
APH geography learning materials [nyud.net]
Royal National Institute for the Blind (UK) [nyud.net]
The RNIB looks like a good resource and charity in the UK for the blind as well.
This article in the 4th issue of their Curriculum Close-Up magazine dealing with learning geography for the blind might help as well.
Article [nyud.net]
I hope this helps and I wish you and them the best of luck!
Re:Helpful resources (Score:2)
VIBUG started as a Boston Computer Society special interest group. The VIBUG web site has a page listing resources for blind computer users VIBUG's mission statement is:
"Exchange information and advice among visually impaired computer users.
Expand computer literacy within the visually impaired community--especially the use of computers to overcome limitations of visual impairment.
To further these objectives, VIBUG is e
CIA World Factbook Maps (Score:5, Informative)
A Different Kind of Help (Score:3, Informative)
Re:A Different Kind of Help (Score:2)
ReadPlease (Score:5, Informative)
LCD or DLP Projector: Small and Cheap or Borrow 1 (Score:4, Informative)
Local Library: These projectors have dropped considerably and you could probably pick one up used for a few hundred dollars.
Most local libraries have these projectors for either guest speakers or to show movies. It is very possible that someone might actually let you borrow one for a few weeks.
Hope this helps.
Re:LCD or DLP Projector: Small and Cheap or Borrow (Score:3, Informative)
For a family with a near-blind kid, a $1000-2000 projector should be in the budget. (Cheaper than most medical procedures.) It might allow the poor kid to even do other things like explore the Internet. Some projectors are extremely bright and have a very high contrast ratio - very useful for trying to make things easier to see.
Vision impaired child and education law. (Score:2, Informative)
At work we use a digital projection system to project paper documents (in fact anything which is not a transparecy/viewgraph) onto our projection screen in the conference room. With good optics you can zoom in quite a bit (we once blew up a nickel to 6 feet across on the screen) - this would work well for good paper maps or any other document you would want to enlarge and/or zoom in. The size of the wall you project onto is your limit - and your wallet, since you also need a good projecto
What about a projector? (Score:2)
Get an older 640x480 or better projector with decent lumens and hook it up to your computer for a display. Before you say "His shadow will not allow him to get close to the screen" try this: Instead of the child looking at his maps from in front of the screen, he looks at them from the back-- in other words the projector is on one side of the screen, the child is on another. Use a semi-opaque screen as opposed to a standard screen so that he can see it
The nasa software world wind (Score:2, Informative)
Braille Drivers (Score:2)
OK, this is kinda OT and probably not PC, but anyway...
Back in my tech support days, I was working at a client's house, showing her some darn thing about Windows. While poring though the Control Panel, she noticed the wheelchair icon.
Try MapPoint (Score:2)
It's a fairly involved application (I use it for geographic sales data analysis, for example), but with the help of an adult, maybe you might be able to make it work.
It's fairly adjustable, so hopefully you can find a high-contrast set of colors that work for your friend.
If you know someone with an MSDN subscription, have them downl
attack the root cause (Score:2)
A problem? Not quite. (Score:2)
BookShare.org (Score:2, Informative)
-Ian
Bookshare.org [bookshare.org]
Make a tactile of the map (Score:3, Interesting)
At any rate, you end up with a map that the child can feel.
Repro-Tronics [repro-tronics.com] is one company that can provide you with the supplies you need. We've used this technology with low-vision clients and it works well. Contact any of the Vision Services staff at The STAR Center [tn.org] for more information about this technology. They may also have other suggestions for you.
Map sources (Score:2)
- MapQuest + all other companies that provide mapping services online
- National Geographic Society
- Maybe GPS companies (e.g. Garmin) can help
Maybe you can even contact publishers of atlases, they may have some hi-res maps that would help this child.
here they can help this child (Score:2, Informative)
I also had/have problems with sight but I managed to make significant improvements(still working). The contacts I am offering you below, are NOT advertising, but my effort to make this child happy. The contacts are here:
Norbekov Institute
113 McHenry Rd. #242
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089,
USA
1-86-NORBEKOV
1-866-672-3568
info@norbekovusa . com
Y
ESRI (Score:2)
Here is a very innovative product... (Score:2)
Basically, Quantum Technology products are touch sensitive tablets that connect to a computer and allow a person with vision problems to scan a raised map or a document with braille information, press an area and obtain information.
It is (was) very innovative, in the sense that it provided up to three levels of information, a rather good speech synthesis, and the documents could be done quickly and cheaply, using the utilities provid
Solid Ink Color Printers. (Score:4, Interesting)
This is a Mid Level Tech solution that is not going crazy plus the family gets a good quality printer.
Re:Solid Ink Color Printers. (Score:2)
(Mod parent up!)
I once used an ancient Apple Laserwriter 12/600. It produced a feelable amount of toner on the print-outs (I guess 0.25 to 0.5 mm), much more than any other laser printer I've seen. I don't know if it was adjusted improperly or if it was using the wrong toner, or if it just behaves this way. I'm not blind, and I'm not trained to read braille, but I'm sure that a map printed on that old printer would have been feelable.
I think that a solid ink printer could do the same job, perhaps even bet
Try National Geographic... (Score:2, Informative)
Perhaps the answer lies in the method of learning (Score:2)
Perhaps the way to resolve this problem is to talk with the teacher about an alternative form of assignment. The purpose of map finding activities isn't to study maps and memorize locations, it is to expand your view on the world by realizing the physical attributes that make different places unique.
A good teacher will be able to accommodate for many different learni
Gary Bishop (Score:2)
-m
Re:Not a handicap (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Not a handicap (Score:2)
Hopefully he'll get better implants than those prototypes: with a resolution of 25x25, the only map he'd see accurately is the map of Utah...
Re:Not a handicap (Score:2)
The market also seem to have a bigger interest in their research involving the bladder [polymtl.ca]
Re:Not a handicap (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, sarcasm. With all due respect, I understand your position, but it's a cop-out answer.
There are certain things kids with disabilities can't do, obviously. A kid with paralysis of the lower body can't run track. But the point is to show these kids what they can do, not what they can't. He may not be able to run track, but if he wants to be near the sport, there are plenty of wheelchair track clubs he can participate in. Instead of telling the kid, "wait until we develop artificial legs", let's tell him we have the best people in the room, and until then there are plenty of other opportunities and ways he can participate in life just like non-handicapped people.
A kid with vision disability can participate with his classmates in geography, but he might need some help. Help which, I should note, is required by law and for good reason. People with disabilities aren't invalids, but may require accomodation.
It's worth noting that social studies probably isn't an 'elective' for him in junior high.
Re:Not a handicap (Score:2)
That help may be a technical device, like a magnifier, a screen reader, a braille printer, a blindman's stick, an extra large book, a tactile map or globe, or some other "gadget". But as some others have already stated, this may lead to isolation. I don't want to say anything bad about this stuff, I'm glad it exists. But there is ano