One computer program would allow vision-impaired shoppers to point their cellphones at supermarket shelves and hear descriptions of products and prices. Another would allow a physically disabled person to guide a computer mouse using brain waves and eye movements.
The two programs were among those created by eight groups of volunteers at a two-day software-writing competition this fall. The goal of the competition, sponsored by a nonprofit corporation, is to encourage new computer programs that help disabled people expand their capabilities.The effort toward developing software is led by volunteers. The project has operated on a sole $15,000 grant to date and has no plans to commercializing its efforts, but to remain open source, although it was decided to create one paid position.
Project:Possibility directors have plans for more ambitious projects. First, there will be a competition in February with teams of computer science students at the University of California, Los Angeles, in hopes of multiplying the number of programs to help the disabled. The project also plans to create a worldwide open-source Web site on which disabled persons and software developers can collaborate on new ideas and add to existing programs.
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“What’s great is that companies like Google and Mozilla support our projects,” Mr. Leung said. The companies gain by getting ideas on technological breakthroughs and seeing ways to adapt them to everyday products. One Project:Possibility program, for example, called Community Captioner, integrates subtitles with YouTube “so the hearing-impaired can have sound with their videos.”
Also check out Matchyard on Facebook, developed at USC Stevens, to help innovators connect via their Facebook pages.
[h/t to Julana at Life in the Slow Lane for sending this article along]
2 comments:
This has fantastic potential for bringing the cost of assistive technology down, and making it more widely available. Communication devices should not cost $7,000, when you can get a decent laptop for $500.
Yes, you're right. In order to educate and employ people with disabilities, we need to get the prices of equipment and assistive technology down so it's available. Innovative ideas like this are a great way to do it.
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