A real onsite handy reading gadget for the sightless

Abstract

While there are many existing solutions that assist individuals who are blind with accessing print such as Braille books, refreshable Braille devices, audio recordings, screen readers, and text scanners; none of these provide a reading experience that parallels the ease with which sighted persons access print. For example, these currently available technologies don’t allow the user to take a book from the shelf, peruse the table of contents, and then fl ip through the pages of a book to find the desired page. Aside from Braille and DAISY books, the user even finds it awkward to re-read difficult passages in a book, as is often necessary when studying a textbook or a reference book. The goal of the onsite-Reader project is to allow the readers who are blind or visually impaired to do all of these things.