Technology Development Association for the Disabled have introduced computers for the blind and most of the assisting tools (magnifying glass, binoculars, reading aids, and Braille system) on their website. We also found some tools that are very useful. They are: a white can which is commonly used by the blind, a baseball cap that we didn’t know it would be of use, and iPhone which is really convenient to the visually impaired.
White Cane
The most common assisting tool that we see is the white cane. We asked Yen-Ching’s father what the difference between the white cane and a walking cane is. He said since the canes are usually white, they are called the white cane. The handle part is wrapped with softer material, and the end is wrapped in gum and colored red. The cane can be disassembled to six short sticks and put away. The cane is mainly used to detect objects in the path of the user. Unlike most canes are used for hiking and supporting elders or the disabled, the white canes are made of different material. Supporting canes are made strong, but the white canes are lighter for the visually impaired to use. The color white is designed for identification. Those who are slightly visioned will be able to see the cane. It also helps pedestrians and cars to see when the user travels at night time. We learned from the Internet that there are canes in Japan and Taiwan that can detect objects and give audible warnings. However, we didn’t meet anyone using this kind of canes in our interviews. Those electronic canes should be expensive and inconvenient to use on rainy days. We are confident better canes will be developed in the future.
Baseball Cap
When we were having interviews with the visually impaired, Yen-Ching shared her father’s experience with us. Other than the white cane, her father would wear a baseball cap. The white cane can only used to detect objects on the ground. If there are objects above ground level, he might hit them with his face. The baseball cap protects the face from hitting obstacles because the stiff eyeshade projects in the front and reduces chances of hitting with the face. That is one advantage other than blocking the sun. We think it will be even more useful If there is some infrared sensing installed on the cap. While facing objects in the front, the cap will detect it and warns the wearer. This kind of smart-cap might be useful to the visually impaired.
Below are dangers that cannot be detected by the white cane:
1. Paid-phones in the arcade
2.Billboards that are positioned too low
iPhone
During our visit to the blind baseball team, we saw a player named Kuo-Jui Chang using his cellphone to follow the live game of NBA player Jeremy Lin. We found out the game was not announced through radio. His phone would read the text like a tiny computer. We asked him where he bought the product, and he told us it was an iPhone. Volunteer Yu-Hsuan Chang told us there are many apps that support not only English but also Mandarin. We found it very humane. We hope those phones will be have more humane designs, such as supporting Fukien, Hakkah, and aboriginal languages. It will be even better if those phones can take commends. We found out from the Internet that iPhone 4s has already had that function, but it only supports English at the moment. We hope the engineers will design cellphones that understand Mandarin and help the visually impaired.
