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Figure 18.9. Talking Compass (photograph reproduced by kind permission of Tinley Electronics Ltd. UK)

controls that set the repeat rate and the volume level of the audio output. There is also an optional external speaker cable for additional audio output of the compass readings.

OnTrack is software which can be used with any standard GPS (global positioning system) connected to a computer to convert course heading information into audible tones giving the user the direction and how much to turn to follow the desired course. It will run on Windows 95 and above and palm and PCs.

The Marine Instrument Talker from Real Time Control can add speech capability to any instrument with National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 0183 output. This is a standard that defines electrical signal requirements, the data transmission protocol and time and specific sentence formats for a 4800 baud serial data bus. Applications of the Talker include talking depth sounders, talking boat speed indicators, talking compasses and talking wind direction indicators. The system repeat interval can be adjusted from continuous speech to a 4-min delay before repetition. The system can be set to speak the data whenever it changes, for instance in depth sounding. Various different formats can be set for speaking data and the selections and settings are retained when the Talker is switched off. Installation simply requires a speaker, the vessel’s 12-V power supply and the NMEA output from the instrument to be connected.

18.4.5 DIY, Art and Craft Activities

Do it yourself (DIY) activities include painting and decorating, plumbing, putting up shelves, (re)wiring the house and mending broken tools and appliances. They are popular due to the costs of involving professionals and the sense of achievement if the process is successful. With sensible safety precautions in place, there is no reason why blind and visually impaired people should not engage in many aspects of DIY, however, the range of tools with audio output or tactile markings is still very limited. Some of these tools were discussed in Section 18.3.4 and measuring tapes are presented at the end of this section. The rulers, measuring sticks and callipers presented in Section 18.2.2.5 may also be of interest. Some ordinary tools such as screw drivers, spanners and adjustable spanners can, in principle, be used without

adaptation by blind and visually impaired people, though raised size markings would be helpful and are found on some spanners. Blind and visually impaired people may require clamps to hold the objects they are working on in place and make them easier to find. However, it would be useful to have a tactile device for measuring the size of screws, nuts, bolts and spanners. Similar principles to those of the knitting needle gauge considered below could be applied for screws and bolts, but a different design would be required for nuts and spanners.

Safety is a particular concern in many aspects of DIY, for instance those that involve high ladders, the use of heat, as in a blowtorch or a soldering iron, or involve electricity, as in electrical wiring tasks. Thus, there is a need for quidelines on safety procedures and access to expert advice before attempting many DIY tasks. There is also a role for recommendations as to what DIY activities visually impaired and blind people should think very carefully about undertaking. The availability of additional safety information and guidelines would be of equal benefit to sighted, as well as visually impaired and blind DIY enthusiasts. Although an outdoor activity and not normally classified as ‘DIY’, gardening seems to fit more logically in this category than in the sports and outdoor activities category. Therefore the various techniques and the few adapted tools for making gardening accessible to blind and visually impaired people are discussed in this section.

The term art and crafts covers a variety of activities, including painting, photography, sewing and knitting. The section includes consideration of a number of mechanical aids, some of which can be home made, as well as techniques and practical suggestions for sewing and knitting. There is also discussion of a range of tape measures, painting and photography.

18.4.5.1 Sewing and Knitting

Most of the adaptive devices available in this area are of the low technology type. For instance, there are several different designs of mechanical needle threaders, as well as so-called ‘self-threading’ needles. Self-threading needles have two holes, the upper one of which is open. The needle is placed in a vertical position in a pincushion, cork or even a bar of soap, the thread is wrapped round the two index fingers and the thumbs are used to locate the position of the needle and push the thread down onto the needle. Unfortunately, the open upper hole means that the needle unthreads very easily. Dental floss threaders provide a more robust and less bendable, though still flexible, alternative to wire needle threaders. Some sewing patterns are available in large print and/or Braille. Suggestions for creating or adapting existing patterns include using heavy brown paper, outlining the cutting markings with Elmer’s glue and using masking tape to identify most of the other markings, with staples used to identify the location of notches and darts. A coloured broad tipped felt pen can be used to trace all cutting lines and markings to make them more visible (Woodward 1998).

There are a number of mechanical aids that can be used to enable blind and visually impaired people to sew straight and safely. These include a needle finger guard, which is a small three-sided metal bar attached to the sewing machine. It is pulled down in front of the needle when sewing and pushed up to the left of the

698 18 Assistive Technology for Education, Employment and Recreation

needle when threading. A metal screw-on or magnetic seam guide can be attached to most sewing machines to guide sewing, but the screw-on type is often preferred as it is less likely to change position. A longer edge to guide sewing can be created by the combination of a metal seam guide with a pinhead guide made by placing straight pins horizontally onto the sticky side of masking tape with their heads extending over one side (Woodward 1998). Alternatively, a guide made from card can be used or a suitable ruler, such as the American Printing House brass ruler, glued to the side of the sewing machine.

Other suggestions for sewing and needlework include the following:

•Using large-headed glass pins and coloured knitting needles in contrasting colours to the working fabric or knitting fibre.

•Placing a tactile, brightly coloured magnetic tape along the seam marker allowance of a sewing machine.

•Using a basket or tray or an apron with several pockets to assemble scissors, pins, needles and spools, and using magnets to pick up any dropped pins or needles.

•Putting tissue paper between the fabric and a same colour button to show contrast.

•Storing reels of sewing thread in a multi-drawer storage box from a DIY store. Labels that could be used for marking the drawers are discussed in Section 17.2.1.

Enlarged knitting patterns can be produced on a photocopier and this will also remove the glare from glossy paper. There are also some knitting or crochet patterns available in large print, Braille and on tape. The RNIB produces a plastic knitting needle gauge, with circular holes cut to the circumference of 19 different sizes of knitting needle. The needle size is determined by finding the hole the needle fits into and then reading the Braille and large print markings of the imperial and metric sizes at the side of the hole. The Brynolf pocket counter from the RNIB can be used as a knitting counter (or to add sums of money up to £ 99.99). It is a black plastic manual counter with four separate columns containing white sliding counting discs and has a cord wrist strap. There is an international email list for blind knitters and crocheters.

18.4.5.1.1 Tape Measures

Cobolt Systems produce a 5-m (16-ft) tape measure with a resolution of 1 mm (1/16 in). The measurements are spoken automatically in English. Measurements can be added in memory up to a total of 99.99 m. The memory is retained when the unit is switched off. The tape can be set to zero at any position. Readings can be made in metres, centimetres, millimetres or feet and inches and converted between these units.

The Delux measuring tape from the Braille Superstore is a 5-ft (1.5-m) measuring tape with each 1 in (2.5 cm) marked by one round eyelet and each 1 ft (30.5 cm) marked by two eyelets (see Figure 18.10).

Figure 18.10. Tactile measuring tapes (photograph reproduced by kind permission of The Braille Superstore, Canada)

18.4.5.2 Painting and Photography

Visually impaired artists may use some of the low vision aids described in Chapter 12 to enable them to focus on part of a scene. A mount, consisting of cardboard with a cut-out hole the size of the painting in the centre, can then be used to view the whole picture to determine its balance. Each visually impaired or blind artist will work out their own style and technique to make best use of the available light, optic aids and residual vision and support and training can be very helpful in doing this.

The Seeing with Photography Collective is a New York-based group of photographers, who are visually impaired, blind and sighted. They use flashlights, darkness and a technique called painting with light. The blind photographer directs a sighted assistant to focus and compose the view frame. The camera shutter is kept open for several minutes in a darkened room while the sitter is slowly painted with a flashlight. This gives rise to a very distinctive photograph, characterised by luminous distortions and blurred and glowing forms.

The Talking Camera or Kurzweil-NFB Reader consists of a digital camera packaged with a pocket computer. It is designed to read documents and the camera has a field of view report feature which can be used to align the document and reader. The device is rather expensive to be used purely as a camera and further developments would be required to recognise people and other objects than documents and align them with the viewer.

18.4.5.3 Gardening

While few specific tools or assistive technology for blind gardeners seem to have been developed, a number of organisations for blind people provide gardening tips. One of the few special tools, devised by a blind gardener in 1968, consists of a right angle, marked with studs for measuring planting distances. It can be made of plastic piping or wood and used for helping to square corners, planting shrubs and marking an area for lawn maintenance, which generally requires two right angles to be combined, as well as measuring planting distances. In this case two right angles are put at opposite ends of a flower bed and joined with cane, string or another piece of wood or plastic.

The Kent Association for the Blind and Vision Magazine in the UK have provided the following useful suggestions: