In pairs, discuss these questions.
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What sort of difficulties do you think are experienced by computer users with limitations of vision or mobility?
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What types of device could be helpful to blind users?
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How can a person with mobility limitations communicate with a computer?
Computers for the disabled
A Read the text and find the following.
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the laws which ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities in the USA and the UK
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how the blind student in the photo interacts with the machine
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the systems which type on the screen what is being said in meetings
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the type of software which reads printed material, recognizes the text and then sends it to the PC
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the system which is activated by the user's eye movements
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the switch which can be used by someone with quadriplegia
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the function of voice recognition devices
A Braille embosser prints a hard copy of a text document in Braille
Computers for the disabled
Computers have taken a dominant role in our society, meaning most jobs now require access to computers and the Internet. But what happens if a person is blind, deaf or motor-disabled? They needn't worry. The latest assistive technology is designed to help them use computers and do their jobs in the office, learn at school, or interact with their families at home. In addition, new laws oblige companies to adapt the workplace to accommodate disabled people. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the UK's Disability Discrimination Act make it illegal for employers to discriminate against people with disabilities.
To work effectively, most blind users need to have their computers adapted with technologies such as Braille, screen magnifiers, speech synthesis and Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
Braille keyboards have Braille lettering on keyboard overlays, allowing the blind user to easily identify each key.
For output, there are printers, called Braille embossers, that produce tactile Braille symbols on both sides of a page at high speed.
For someone with limited but usable vision, a screen magnifier may be appropriate. This type of software can enlarge text and images appearing on the screen by up to
-
times.
A speech synthesis system is used to read aloud the work on the computer. It has a speech synthesizer, which produces the audio output, and a screen reader - the program which reads aloud text and menus from word processors, databases and the Web.
OCR uses a flatbed scanner and specialized OCR software to read printed material and send the text to the computer. The PC can then produce a copy of the text in Braille, a magnified copy, or a version that can be read aloud by a speech synthesis system.
Deaf computer users can overcome many communication difficulties with the aid of visual alerts, electronic notetakers and textphones. Visual alerts are indicators that alert the deaf user when they receive new mail or when there is a system error. So instead of hearing a sound, the user is alerted by a blinking menu bar or by a message on the screen. Electronic notetakers use software that types a summary of what is said in meetings onto the computer screen.
Textphones allow the deaf to type and read phone conversations. They are also called TDDs (Telephone Devices for the Deaf) or TTYs (TeleTypewriters). They can be used in combination with relay services, where an operator says what the text user types, and types what a voice phone user says. Deaf people can also communicate via SMS and instant messaging.
A
textphone
Motor-impaired workers unable to type on a standard keyboard can employ expanded or ergonomic keyboards, on-screen keyboards, adaptive switches and voice recognition systems.
On-screen keyboards are software images of a keyboard that appear on the screen and may be activated with a trackball, touch screen, screen-pointing device, or eye movements. In an eyegaze system, the keys on the virtual keyboard are activated by the user's eyes when they pause on a key for two or three seconds.
video
camera
Eyegaze
technology consists of a video camera and image processing
software, which determines the eye's gazepoint on the screen
Switches come in many shapes and sizes. They are operated by muscle movements or breath control. For example, a pneumatic switch - known as a sip and puff
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allows someone with quadriplegia to control the PC by puffing and sipping air through a pneumatic tube. People with quadriplegia can also use sip and puff joysticks.
Finally, there's voice recognition, which allows the computer to interpret human speech, transforming the words into digitized text or instructions.
A
specialized keyboard for children with physical disabilities
В Complete the crossword with words from the text on pages 43-44.
ACROSS
. keyboard presents a
2 An.
graphic representation of a keyboard on the desktop screen and allows people with mobility impairments to type data using a joystick or a pointing device.
Visual allow deaf users to be
notified of incoming mail or error messages without hearing a tone.
A screen makes the computer
screen more readable for users with poor vision.
A system of reading and writing using raised dots, which enables blind people to read by touch.
. has a
• I»J
Noun phrases
adjective present participle 's genitive noun
DOWN
-
Unlike a standard telephone, a.
small screen and a keyboard that transcribes a spoken voice as text. It is used for text communication via a telephone line, ideal for people who have hearing or speech difficulties.
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A Braille is an impact printer that prints
text as Braille, by punching dots onto paper.
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A speech synthesizer is used in conjunction with a
screen to convert screen contents into
spoken words.
Language work: noun phrases
A Look at the HELP box and then the noun phrases 1-6. Decide what type of modifier (a-d) is placed before the 'head' in each case.
Infotech 1
Computers today 20
Technical specifications 37
unit з Inside the system 37
What is inside a PC system? 38
Language work: defining relative clauses 44
How memory is measured 47
A PC system 49
6 Your ideal computer system 51
unit4 Buying a computer 57
Vocabulary tree 66
Recommending a computer 66
unit 5 Type, click and talk! 72
Interacting with your computer 72
Describing input devices 72
Describing functions and features 74
The keyboard 80
Mouse actions 81
6 Speech recognition systems 82
The eyes of your computer 83
Facts and opinions 84
Language work: superlatives 85
Language work: suffixes 86
Press release: a digital camera 31
Describing a camera 31
Your computer screen 32
How screen displays work 32
Ergonomics 37
Language work: instructions and advice 37
An ergonomic school or office 38
nit8 Choosing a printer 38
Language work: connectors 1 41
Choosing the right printer 41
Multi-function printers 42
Language work: comparatives 42
6 Reading quiz - printer adverts 43
unit 9 Devices for the disabled 44
Assistive technology 44
Computers for the disabled 45
Language work: noun phrases 48
Assistive technologies for the blind 53
Investing in assistive technologies 53
Storage devices 54
Types of magnetic drive 56
Unit 10 Magnetic storage 56
Buying a portable hard drive 56
Magnetic storage 57
Language work: precautions 58
Word building 59
Explaining hard drive precautions 59
CDs and DVDs 57
unit и Optical storage 57
Optical discs and drives 57
Language work: connectors 2 61
Choosing storage devices 55
Format wars 56
Flash-based gadgets 57
unit i2 Flash memory 57
Memory in a flash! 58
Language work: word building 70
Describing flash drives 74
Vocabulary revision 75
Windows Vista 65
Language work: countable and uncountable nouns 67
Writing a summary 69
unit i4 Word processing (WP) 70
Word processing features 70
Word Sudoku 72
The Cut and Paste technique 73
Language work: giving and following instructions 74
WP tools 75
Spreadsheets and databases 77
Spreadsheet programs 77
An invoice, a business letter and a fax 79
Databases 80
Language work: plurals 85
Software at home and at work 85
unit i6 The Internet and email 88
Internet basics 88
Internet FAQs 88
Email features 93
Unit 17 The Web 88
The collectives of cyberspace 90
Language work: collocations 2 92
E-commerce and online banking 94
Language work: the prefixes e- and cyber- 97
What do you use the Web for? 102
unit is Chat and conferencing 89
Netiquette 91
R и free 4 a chat? 91
At a cybercafe 97
Plan your own cybercafe 97
unit i9 Internet security 98
On alert 98
Security and privacy on the Internet 98
Safety online for children 108
!■ The history of hacking 112
Language work: the past simple 118
6 Internet issues 123
Creative software 124
unit20 Graphics and design 126
Computer graphics 126
Language work: the -ing form 130
The toolbox 132
Choosing graphics software 134
Describing graphics 134
unit2i Desktop publishing 136
What is desktop publishing? 136
Language work: order of adjectives 138
Steps in a DTP publication 111
Writing a letter 108
E-publishing versus paper publishing 113
unit22 Multimedia 110
1 Multiple forms of media 110
Components and system requirements 110
Multimedia magic! 112
Language work: conditional sentences 114
Applications of multimedia 116
unit23 Web design 117
A typical home page 117
2Web page design 117
Language work: modal verbs 116
Designing a website 117
unit24 Program design and computer languages 121
Programming 121
Steps in programming 121
Computer languages 123
Word building 124
Language work: the infinitive 126
Visual BASIC and VoiceXML 127
Java applets 128
The Java language 126
Language work: the -ed form 131
Your experience with computers 133
Unit 26 Jobs in ICT 134
IT professionals 134
Job advertisements 134
A letter of application 136
A job interview 137
Language work: the present perfect 138
6 Applying for a job 137
Computers tomorrow 138
unit27 Communication systems 140
Information and communications technologies (ICT) 140
Language work: the passive 139
VoIP technology 142
Mobile phones 142
SQO 144
unit 28 Networks 140
Small networks 140
Networking FAQs 145
Language work: phrasal verbs 147
WANs and satellites 148
unit29 Videogames 150
Game platforms 150
Game genres 152
Game genres 152
Language work: adverbs 147
Present and future trends in gaming 148
The pros and cons of gaming 149
unit зо New technologies 150
rO 150
RFID tags 152
3Language work: future forms 154
Making predictions 156
Appendix: a model CV 159
Glossary 160
Irregular verbs 177
Acronyms and abbreviations 179
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voice-activated computer
-
pointing device
В Explain the noun phrases in A.
Example:
disabled
worker = a
worker who is disabled
A noun phrase is a phrase that has a noun as its head. This noun can be accompanied by a modifier that gives information about the head.
modifier head
speech recognition
compatible computer
A noun phrase can function as the subject or object of a verb. It can contain the following range of modifiers:
-
adjectives
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have a portable computer.
= a computer which is portable
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present participles
-
use this drawing program.
= a program that draws
-
's genitive
The files are on the director's computer.
= the computer which belongs to the director
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nouns
-
need to buy a colour scanner.
= a scanner which uses colour
Assistive technologies for the blind