SuperNova Screen Reader Case Study: Hands-free Accessibility for Visually Impaired computer users.

TalkingPoint Gold and Dolphin.

Mandy De La Mare was born partially sighted and without any upper limbs. She is one of four thousand people world-wide who is disabled as a result of the thalidomide drug. Since the age of seventeen her eyesight deteriorated to such a degree that she is now totally blind, yet despite her disabilities she still manages to bring up her three children, with the help and support of her family and her husband, Chris.

A beneficiary of the Thalidomide Trust, Mandy has been using a computer since 1994, initially, using a Braille laptop device. Whilst this gave some degree of independence, it was limiting because it could only effectively be used by a blind person and could not be shared with her husband or family. This made simple tasks such as proof reading documents impossible. What Mandy really needed was a ‘standard’ computer system, which she could share with her family, but could be adapted to allow her to access the information in the way that she wanted.

After researching different computer access systems, Mandy decided that a screen reader was the best solution to getting access to mainstream information. Having reviewed several screen readers, she decided that Hal, from Dolphin Computer Access Limited, was the best solution for her. So in 1999 Mandy started using Hal. When asked why she chose Hal, Mandy’s response is quite clear, “It was the most stable screen reader on the market and worked straight from the box without the need for sighted assistance or any computer configuration. It also supported the latest graphics drivers, which was very important for my children’s computer games.” Mandy also enrolled on a touch typing course at Sandwell College, to become proficient on a ‘qwerty’ keyboard using only her toes. Whilst this allowed Mandy to fully access her family’s computer and use Hal as an output mechanism, it was still very tiring and time consuming having to input information using her toes via the keyboard. What Mandy really wanted was to be like any other mother who was able to do her shopping on line. It was this determination that led her to contact the Thalidomide Trust for help. In 2001 she was introduced to Alan Summerside, the Development Director, at the Trust. Alan agreed that The Trust would explore the possible solutions and work with expert organisations in order to appropriate the technology required. Mandy would help with the testing and evaluation work. With the help of Malcolm Grant, the three of them embarked upon a three year crusade, along with help from the development team responsible for the TalkingPoint voice interface programme. Their quest, to find the most reliable and stable solution that allowed people with multiple disabilities, to access a standard computer. Initial investigations determined that Mandy needed some form of voice recognition software as an input mechanism, eliminating the reliance upon the keyboard.
Using leading voice software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, was not an option at this time due to the perceived compatibility problems with screen readers. Alan and Mandy sought expert advice in order to get a solution that effectively integrated the Dragon software with a screen reader. They evaluated existing products that were available, such as JawBone, which failed to live up to their expectations. Alan says, “every existing product we evaluated that claimed to be able to integrate the Dragon software with a screen reader failed to deliver the necessary levels of accessibility for Mandy”. Every expert they approached failed to understand their needs and failed to deliver a robust and reliable solution. One popular low cost screen reader that was evaluated, caused so much damage to Mandy’s computer that the Thalidomide Trust agreed to rebuild and reformat it for her. Alan continues, “this was a very bad experience for us, and taught us a valuable lesson – you get what you pay for!” Having spent over two years speaking with experts in the field and looking at a range of ineffective solutions, Malcolm Grant and GHG decided to develop their own solution which would integrate Dragon NaturallySpeaking with a screen reader. With the primary focus being a stable and reliable solution, the team decided to approach Dolphin. Mandy had been using Dolphin’s Hal screen reader for over four years by this time, without any problems and having experienced a range of other screen readers, nothing was as stable or reliable as Hal.

The team needed to develop an interface offering the ability to switch automatically between the Hal screen reader and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. The team initially tried installing Dragon alongside Hal to see how compatible the two were. The initial findings surprised them all. Without any modification the two systems appeared to work quite well together, however, conflicts were apparent. There was no means of easily disabling Hal when using the microphone. With Malcolm’s knowledge and experience, he decided to develop a software solution that would integrate Dragon NaturallySpeaking with Supernova and Hal. The total solution also needed to provide intelligent vocal feedback of operations so that the user would never lose their place. It needed to provide constant feedback of any changes and modifications inputted by the user, to ensure all changes could be easily tracked. All input phrases should be repeated back to the operator for clarification. And so TalkingPoint Gold was developed. TalkingPoint Gold enabled the user to access the on-screen information by using the Synthetic Speech within Hal or Supernova. At the same time the voice could be used as an additional input mechanism, however there was no automatic function for suppressing Hal and Supernova when using Dragon. Malcolm contacted the Dolphin Technical Support staff for help.

The Dolphin Technical Support staff worked with Malcolm to determine the best way of muting the screen reader speech whilst using Dragon. Modifications were made to the user files within Hal and Supernova, which enabled the microphone operation to be controlled by a simple foot pedal. This was programmed into TalkingPoint Gold which simulated the toggle action and automatically switched the screen reader voice off when using the microphone. So now, when the foot pedal is depressed, the microphone is switched on and TalkingPoint Gold can be used. When the foot pedal is released the microphone is switched off, TalkingPoint Gold is suspended and Hal is automatically switched back on. So what difference has this made to Mandy? She is now able to dictate directly into the computer. Constructing letters, reports and emails is now far quicker than she ever thought possible. The access software package provides Mandy with verbal mouse control functions, which up until now she had never been able to use. Mandy is now able to work with her computer for longer periods of time without getting tired or suffering strain to her legs and toes, as well as ensuring she has effective access to more computer functionality for the foreseeable future. What does Mandy say? “This has really changed my life. The work that Malcolm and the people at Dolphin have done is fantastic, it is stable and reliable and the support I get is first class.” Mandy continues, “having spent so long looking for a solution that allowed me the same levels of access as any other person, I was surprised to find the answer had always been there in front of me. I now enjoy my computer more than ever before. None of this would have been possible without the help and support of everyone involved, especially Alan Summerside from the Thalidomide Trust.”
Steve Palmer, CEO, Dolphin Group, comments “this really does demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of our products. It is fantastic to see our products being used in new and innovative ways along side other products.” Steve continues, “it makes what we do worthwhile when we see how our products have changed the lives of others. We are always pleased to work with people like Mandy, Malcolm and Alan and together with TalkingPoint Gold, Dolphin will continue to break down the barriers for people with disabilities around the world.”

TalkingPoint Gold costs £550 and includes a copy of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional and is available directly from GHG Software Developments Ltd, or any Dolphin dealer.
To find out more contact the GHG website at www.ghg.uk.com or contact GHG Software Developments Ltd on 01908 847171 or email Malcolm.grant@ghg.uk.com

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