Guide HandsFree
The talking computer for people unable to use their hands
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CompareGuide HandsFree Case Study: A few of my favourite things...
Malcolm is an ambassador for Dolphin Guide, an audio computer programme produced by Dolphin Computer Access North (formerly Software Express). He describes his journey to find an accessible way of communicating.
I'm originally from Hull, but now I live in Buckinghamshire. Half way through my life, in my 20s and 30s, I got retinitis pigmentosa (RP). I had to find out what RP meant, and that was quite difficult because it was a rarity then, although not quite so much now. It turned out that both my mum and my dad were carrying the genes for the type of RP I have without being aware of it, and I had inherited two lots of affected genes.
One of the symptoms of RP is night blindness, which can be difficult. But I actually do a lot of walking on my own, and when it's nice and the weather gets better I can go around my area here. There are a lot of people who know me, so there's usually someone there to help if I go the wrong way.
I had my own exhibitions company, involved in events all over London, but in the 70s, when people hardly had any money and the economy went downhill, the whole thing collapsed (rather like things are doing today!). But many of my old colleagues have moved into Buckinghamshire, and they've all kept in touch with me and often come to see me.
Keeping in touch
When I lost my sight I got involved with as much as I could - mainly through RNIB, but also through the local organisation here, Bucks Vision. I decided that the best thing to do was to find out what was available from the people who were trying to help.
Since I got involved with RNIB they've grown their group support, which is what I wanted them to do for a long time. I've been on a number of committees, and have been involved with RNIB's Talk and Support service for a considerable number of years. I used to listen to RNIB information sheets, which is how I found out about Dolphin Guide. I thought, "Wow, this is really good for people who are blind". So I rang them up, and it just went from there.
A guide to Dolphin Guide HandsFree
"Dolphin Guide HandsFree is the main thing that has driven me to be able to communicate with people. It works through voice recognition software, and a female voice speaks to you to guide you through what's happening on your computer."
You say "Hello Guide", and she says, "Hello, I'm ready and waiting". And basically you then just talk to her. You can say, "Main menu", and then if you want to find out if you've got any emails, for example, you say "One". She gives you clues and options, so you can go through all the things you want. In fact, you can do hundreds of things with it. Before I lost my sight I used to be a designer, and I've got back into some of that. If you want to stop you say,"Go to sleep", and she does exactly that.
Dolphin Guide HandsFree doesn't have to be hands-free, but that's how I use it. All I'm using is my voice - I've never used anything else. Over time I've written 'Malcolm's Journey' [see extract below], which is all about how I've used it keep in touch with people.
Other favourite things
I use a white cane, and have done so for five or six years. I connect with my friends in Australia using Skype, the free phone service you use over the Internet. Guide already has permission to use Skype, so I've talked to people over Christmas using it. I send emails all over the country and all over the world too. I also still use RNIB's Talk and Support service, and refer people I meet to them as well.
If I could only take three things to a desert island, I think the first thing I would take is my wife! I'm fortunate because she looks after me very well. The second thing I'd probably take is my hearing aids. I've got very good ones, which you can turn down for a moment by tapping them. That's good because sometimes when you're in a group of people the noise can be too intense. The final thing would be Dolphin Guide HandsFree, with my computer!
An extract from Malcolm's Journey:
This is Malcolm speaking. I would like to take you on a journey, using Dolphin Guide HandsFree as my hands-free guide. I called Dolphin Computer Access, and about two weeks later the full software (Dolphin Guide), including instructions, arrived. It was then that the fun and games began.
My son was able to install the system on an existing PC. Fortunately, he is computer literate. A 'lady guide voice' (it can be a man) reads any instructions on the screen, and also reads back any information typed in by me. This I found extremely useful as I cannot read any information. Within a month or so I began to use some, but not all, of the options available.
I did find it difficult to use the keyboard as I had no prior experience of using a computer or keyboard, and I am totally blind. It was possible to use the built-in keyboard teaching system but my progress was very slow. I became aware that Dolphin Computer Access (previously Software Express) were developing a completely new approach to operating Dolphin Guide, called Dolphin Guide HandsFree, which uses voice recognition and therefore no keyboard.
I had to train the voice recognition so that my 'lady guide' can recognise what I say. There must be
over 100 pages of instructions in Guide. Some sections, like the system settings for Internet access and the address book, require perfectly accurate information to be put in them.
RNIB now offers the opportunity for a home IT volunteer to call. Dolphin also runs an excellent
helpline with remote operation of your own computer accessed by them, and a useful email-based Dolphin Guide forum for people to contact other Dolphin Guide users and get general support.
The above article titled "A few of my favourite things... with Malcolm Grange" was published by the NB Magazine, Feb 2010, pages 48-50.
© NB magazine, RNIB, February 2010
