March Newsletter 286
Support for visually impaired children at home during corona virus lockdown
Dolphin would like to offer every visually impaired student, 3 months of free SuperNova, for their home laptop or desktop computer. Choose any edition of SuperNova: Magnifier, Magnifier & Speechor Magnifier & Screen Reader. Find out more or call us for advice on 01905 754577.
https://www.icloud.com/message/current/en-us/index.html#view?guid=message%3AINBOX%2F31487
Glasses to help the visually impaired see
A Dutch startup Envision partnered with Google Glass is to develop Artificial Intelligence glasses. They will help blind and visually impaired people see things.
https://www.gizchina.com/2020/03/11/envision-glass-developed-with-google-will-help-the-blind-to-see/
People with colour blindness can now read OS maps clearly
Anyone with colour vision deficiency (CVD) will know the problem when confronted with reading a traditional map; they are much more difficult to read than they should be. Colours usually easily distinguishable to the human eye, such as red or green, appear very similar and maps that use spectral rainbow colour schemes are difficult to comprehend. Ordnance Survey (OS) is working to solve these issues by experimenting with alternative mapping styles for people with CVD. Full details here:
https://www.opticianonline.net/features/putting-colour-blindness-on-the-os-map
Braille and audio books on offer to children with impaired vision
The giveaway is being led by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to mark World Book Day, with 13 different tales up for grabs.
James Bartlett, RNIB’s library and newsagent manager, said: “We are delighted to support this year’s World Book Day, which is such a great way of encouraging children to read.
https://www.the-gazette.co.uk/news/18304581.braille-audio-books-offer-children-impaired-vision/
How can Alexa make life easier for those living with sight loss
In the UK, more than two million people live with sight loss– including around 360,000 who are registered as blind or partially sighted. Many of those people are turning to voice assistant technology like Alexa, and devices like Amazon Echo, to improve their day-to-day lives. The wide-ranging benefits of voice assistant technology for those living with sight loss is highlighted by Amazon’s collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The collaboration enables Alexa to provide information directly from the charity’s Sight Loss Advice Service, improving the accessibility of online information.