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Presenter(s)
Russell Watson
Product Marketing Manager
Pulse Data International
1 Expo Place
PO Box 3044
Christchurch
New Zealand
Phone: +643 384 4555
Fax +643 384 4933
Email: russellw@pulsedata.com
Russell Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Pulse Data International
1 Expo Place
PO Box 3044
Christchurch
New Zealand
Phone: +643 384 4555
Fax +643 384 4933
Stewart Pegg
Product Manager
Pulse Data International
1 Expo Place
PO Box 3044
Christchurch
New Zealand
Phone: +643 384 4555
Fax +643 384 4933
Many in the low vision community need, or want, to be able to read in comfort for extended periods. The CCTV has assisted many low vision people to read a variety of documents, however there are reports of fatigue and limited reading enjoyment with these devices. To assist people in rediscovering the joy of reading, myReader, the world_s first low-vision auto-reader, was recently launched on the low vision market. It is the most significant low vision assistive technology breakthrough in thirty years. In this presentation myReader will be demonstrated, and its key features and benefits will be described. Early research results will also be shared to reinforce the benefits that the product provides.
Key design aims for myReader were to allow those with low vision to:
* access information as efficiently as possible,
* simplify document navigation, and
* retain the information context.
In its auto-reading mode, it does this by first taking a snapshot of the document, then determining the structure of the document and displaying the information in a form that makes it much easier for the person with low vision to read. The text can be displayed and automatically scrolled in a variety of ways to meet the reading preference of the user. The text can be displayed as a column scrolling down the screen, as a continuous row of text that scrolls across the screen or as one word at a time. For example, in the scrolling column mode, the text is displayed in a form similar to that of the teleprompters or autocues used by television presenters. As is usual with low vision assistive technologies the magnification and display colours can be adjusted. Thus, while myReader magnifies and improves the contrast of text, it does much more than this through its auto-reading capability
In addition to the automatic scrolling ability described above, myReader also provides the user with the capability of navigating around the captured document manually with a trackball or, with the push of a button, stepping through the text one screen at a time. In the automatic scrolling mode the user has the ability to alter both the reading speed and direction. myReader provides full page document capture and display, which also assist the user in manually navigating around a page of text. myReader automatically straightens the captured document, so the user does not need to worry needlessly about the document alignment. To allow the user to undertake tasks that they would normally undertake with a CCTV, myReader also provides the following features
* A live mode for undertaking tasks such as signing checks, where the item to be viewed is magnified by the required amount, and displayed in full colour
* Colour & monochrome modes, with an inverse video mode.
* Eight user definable combinations of foreground and background colours, from a selection of 56 colour combinations.
* Magnification range from 0.7 _ 45.
myReader has been designed with user comfort and portability in mind. It has a folding ergonomic design, which allows the user to adjust the screen height to an ergonomically correct height. This should be compared to most CCTVs where the display sits on top of the unit. Furthermore, as there is no need for an X/Y table, the physical fatigue associated with operating the device is significantly reduced. The folding design also provides portability, with the user being able to fold myReader up and take it to wherever they need.
Preliminary research has been conducted on myReader, where the objective was to compare reading performance to that on a CCTV. The study involved low vision persons and people, without vision impairment, who acted as matched controls. The key results from this study were that most of the subjects preferred reading with myReader to reading on a CCTV. Reading speeds were significantly faster on myReader, than on the CCTV, and comprehension was at the very least maintained. The automatic scrolling capability resulted in the users reporting they were less physically and mentally fatigued.
Thus, this session will demonstrate to participants that myReader has the ability to assist those suffering common eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma, to read in an enjoyable manner. Users of myReader should be able to do much more than spot read, they should once again be able to read their favourite books. Research has shown that reading with myReader is less fatiguing and quicker for users. This comes about through the ability to read documents _no-hands_ in a user selectable automatic format. There is no x/y table required for navigation and reading. Reading with myReader is simple, with the push of a button you can capture the document, sit back and enjoy reading.
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