March 2016 APH News is now online!

**This Month’s Headlines:

• Louis Braille Book Unveiling
• Dorinda Rife Joins APH as Vice President
• MARCH 25TH DEADLINE to Enter APH InSights Art Competition!
• APH Museum Readers Theater presents, “The Mousetrap”
• Episode Five of TGTV Now Available!
• Treasures from the APH Libraries
• Quick Tipsfrom APH
• Social Media Spotlight
• APH Travel Calendar
• New Products from APH
• The Braille Book Corner and much, much more…
• http://www.aph.org/news

TapTapSee: A Blind and Visually Impaired Camera

TapTapSee is a mobile camera application designed specifically for the blind and visually impaired. Versions are available for both Android and iOS devices. The app utilizes the smartphone’s camera and a mobile screen reader like TalkBack or Voiceover to photograph objects, identify them and speak the identity out loud for the user.

TapTapSee enables the user to double tap on the device’s screen to photograph any two or three dimensional object at any angle, have it accurately analyzed, and defined within seconds. As was stated above, once this process is complete, the mobile screen reader then speaks the identification audibly to the user.

Moreover, TapTapSee includes the following additional features: Repetition of the last image’s identification, ability to upload images from the camera roll, share identification via Twitter, Facebook, text or email, rotor reader, flash toggle, and the ability to save the identified image to the camera roll with the attached tag. The ability to upload images from the camera roll is especially helpful when one wants to determine what pictures are on their phone.

TapTapSee was an American Foundation for the Blind, 2014 Access Award Recipient in January of 2014, a Royal National Institute for the Blind, App of the month in March of 2013 and was inducted into the AppleVis iOS Hall of Fame in 2013.

When the app was first launched, it was free to download and free to use. For a period of time, the app’s developer, citing high maintenance costs, began charging for pictures. One could choose to pay for 100 pictures which never expired or to pay a fee for as many pictures as one could take in a month. Now, however, the app is, once again, totally free to download and use, a fact which garnered high praise from the blind community.

TapTapSee is available through the Apple iTunes Mobile App Store and the Google Play Store. For best results, follow the guidelines set forth by the app developer.

The camera on the phone is located in the top right corner behind the front facing screen of the phone when the device is in the upright position so it is advised to hold the phone about 8-12 inches (20-30 centimeters) away from the object being photographed. This method will help ensure that the object is in the scope of the camera. TapTapSee has an autofocus notification to let the user know when the photographed object is in focus. For best picture identification, wait until the app beeps before taking a picture. The autofocus notification can be turned ON and OFF in the About menu. Pictures snapped with TapTapSee should be taken in a well lit environment. The app also features an automatic flash, which can be turned ON and OFF in the About menu. The barcode on canned goods is almost always located to the left of the seam of the can where the two label ends meet and overlap. Other written information, such as brand, product name and info is usually across from the seam on the opposite side of the can. To get the best results when taking a picture of the label, be sure to keep the camera 8-12 inches (20-30 centimeters) away from the can.

When you open the app for the first time, it presents a privacy notice which you must accept; additionally, you must enable the app to use the camera. Normally a notification pops up right away prompting you to allow this to happen. Note that you can permit or revoke this permission in your phone’s settings app.

Once you accept the privacy notice and give the app permission to use the camera, you are taken into the app. You find a camera and four buttons at the top of the screen - Repeat, Library, Share and About. To take a picture, double-tap on the camera button, the screen where you hear the word “Camera” and wait approximately seven to 10 seconds to receive an identification. The wait time may fluctuate depending on your network connection. The image is sent to the server where it is identified and sent back to the user. The identification then is spoken to the user. Up to three images at a time can be identified. After the third image is identified, unless you save one or more of the images to the camera roll, the app starts back with image one, and the previously taken pictures disappear.

TapTapSee gives users a general identification of any picture taken. However, if, for example, the user takes a picture of a can of soup and wants to know the name of the brand, the application will be able to read the label and return the identification with the brand name. Nevertheless, keep in mind that TapTapSee will only be able to recognize the object that is within the camera's scope and in focus. Lighting conditions are also important for the quality of the identification. Just to see what would happen, I snapped a picture of my pastor who was described by TapTapSee as a “bald man wearing glasses.” While photographing people is not the app’s main purpose, you may find that you can get some general descriptions of people with it. The app even identifies animals and their general color or at least that you have a picture of a dog rather than a cat. I find it most helpful for distinguishing between boxes of k-cups, my favorite use for the app.

The toolbar, as noted, contains four buttons. The Repeat Button restates the last picture identification spoken aloud in case it was missed the first time. The Library Button accesses the device's Camera Roll in order to send images to TapTapSee for identification. To access this feature, simply double-tap the Library button and select an image that you want to have identified from the Camera Roll. The Share Button shares the image via Twitter, Facebook, Email or Text and also includes the option for the user to save the image to the device's Camera Roll. The saved image will include the tag that was provided by TapTapSee.

To download the app, search your app store for “TapTapSee”, and you should find it. Otherwise, for iOS users, go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taptapsee-blind-visually-impaired/id567635020?mt=8

Android users can go to: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.msearcher.taptapsee.android

 

Finally, if you wish to contact the developers of the app, for questions, concerns, or inquiries email us at Contact@TapTapSeeApp.com. Follow us on Twitter @TapTapSee. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TapTapSeeApp.

Throwback Thursday: Our First Talking Book

Our object this week helps us celebrate the 85th anniversary of the passage of the Pratt-Smoot Act on March 3, 1931.  Pratt-Smoot helped create the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped within the Library of Congress.  Originally, the NLS planned to circulate only braille books, but the American Foundation of the Blind and its director Robert Irwin championed the inclusion of audio books too.  In 1936, the American Printing House installed a model sound recording studio, and by the end of the year, APH Superintendent A.C. Ellis was boasting that we were the only institution in the world with the capacity to record and press talking book records.  Our first book was “Gulliver’s Travels,” but unfortunately no copies have been preserved.  Our object is a the first record from Washington Irving’s  “The Sketchbook,” which came on sixteen black vinyl 33 1/3 rpm phonograph records, one of four other books we recorded that year.  You’ll note on the record label that it is a “Phonographic Book.”  We started calling them “Talking Books” in 1937.  It was narrated by APH legend George Patterson, a broadcaster for WAVE radio.  You can hear a short excerpt here.

Quick Tip: Blast Off with Braille!

APH Proclaims that 2016 is the Year for Braille

In light of the recent, official adoption of the Unified English Braille (UEB) code in the United States, we offer a brief (and hopefully interesting) history and review of APH software efforts in concurrence with the transition over the past few years.

Background

Liblouis is an open source library that translates text in multiple languages into many braille codes. It has been in development and use for several years. It provides the translation services for familiar programs, such as JAWS, NVDA, DAISY Pipeline, bookshare.org, and more. (See www.liblouis.org.)
Liblouis is an incredible international effort that exemplifies the power of collaboration: providing a truly useful tool through mutual cooperation. APH first used Liblouis in 2012 to introduce experimental support for UEB on the braille Android™ device called Braille Plus 18. We called it experimental because while it got many of the UEB rules right, there were also several problems.
Software engineers from APH worked with the Liblouis code maintainers to correct the tables, enhance the rules, and provide exceptions; however, it became clear fairly quickly that fundamental architectural modifications were required to fully support some of the new UEB constructs, especially where UEB streamlined consecutive capitalized words and in regards to the treatment of emphasis.
APH programmer Mike Gray worked with international partners to introduce new operation codes, add expression matching, and obsolete unused status bits. While it was our intention to have these modifications released by the official UEB implementation date of January 4, 2016, the process of balancing radical changes while preserving support for dozens of languages and braille codes proved a bit more challenging than first imagined. The good news is that it works, and it works well; and you can use it today, even before the official APH release. Here is how:
Go to http://tech.aph.org/lt and install Send To Braille. Send To Braille is a free-of-charge Windows Send To shortcut that lets you point to a document from File Explorer, select Send To from the context menu, and then pick Braille to translate the file into quality UEB.
Disclaimer: Send To Braille produces "Quick and Dirty" braille. It does not perform any formatting except to preserve line breaks. It also cannot do anything with inaccessible images and other inaccessible complex file elements; however, if you have a simple document, such as a letter, the Send To Braille shortcut creates an accurate rendering of that file in UEB.
Send To Braille uses the APH beta version of Liblouis to translate the document. The quality is there; now the challenge is to continue carefully merging these changes back into the existing Liblouis body of code.

BrailleBlaster

While Send To Braille gives the average user a “quick and dirty” method to get accurate braille, textbook quality braille is essential for educational purposes. This is where BrailleBlaster comes in. BrailleBlaster is an open source project that uses Liblouis for the translation tasks it performs. BrailleBlaster is an editing tool for braille transcribers that gives them the means to translate; format; split into volumes; add transcriber notes; describe images; create braille tables of content, glossaries, and preliminary pages; and input direct braille for particularly difficult operations. In other words, BrailleBlaster provides all the tools necessary for a trained transcriber to efficiently produce a quality embossed braille textbook from an original publisher file, using the raw translation from Liblouis. Preliminary testing results indicate a substantial increase in the number of textbooks that can be produced compared to the current methods.
The development of BrailleBlaster and modifications to Liblouis are part of the REAL Plan (Resources with Enhanced Accessibility for Learning). The REAL Plan is an ongoing initiative of the American Printing House for the Blind to improve the conversion and delivery of braille and other accessible formats to students who are blind.

Transforming Braille

The APH Technology Product Research and Educational Product Research departments are currently guiding the design and field testing of a new, inexpensive braille reader called the Transforming Braille Display. (See http://www.transformingbraille.org/.) The Transforming Braille Group, LLC, with APH’s Larry Skutchan at the helm as CEO, is holding a sales meeting at the 2016 California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference to find wholesalers for the device, which costs one-fifth the price of current refreshable braille technology on the market and can be used on its own as a reader or by connecting to other devices, such as computers, phones, and tablets that support braille input and output.

Nemeth Tutorial

Nemeth is the braille code for mathematics. It has been difficult to find certified teachers and training material for learning Nemeth. APH partnered with Dr. Gaylen Kapperman of the Research and Development Institute and Northern Illinois University to create a universally accessible, online tutorial for learning Nemeth. (See https://tech.aph.org/nemeth/.) This free-of-charge tutorial includes over 50 interactive lessons. It features an accurate braille font, support for MathML, six-key braille input from a QWERTY keyboard, and full support for refreshable braille displays on any modern Web browser with screen reader support.

Braille Buzz

APH designed and is currently field testing a new early childhood toy for learning braille called Braille Buzz. Reminiscent of oldies like the Speak & Spell™ by Texas Instruments, this simple toy includes a braille keyboard, synthesized speech output, braille embossed letter buttons, and interactive braille games.

Braille Calculator

In August of 2015, APH released a firmware upgrade for the Orion TI-84 Plus Talking Graphing Calculator that includes support for refreshable braille displays. For the first time ever, a student can use this advanced calculator and get output in both UEB and Nemeth braille. (See http://tech.aph.org/Orion%20TI-84%20Plus%20Documents/gc_res.htm.)

Visual Brailler

During the transition to UEB, braille transcribers working on the National Library Service (NLS) certification expressed a desire for a way to perform the exercises on an iPad. The Visual Brailler app for iPad serves that purpose. It performs the same functions as a traditional mechanical braillewriter, with the exception of embossing paper, and enables the transmission of lessons through email.
Visual Brailler is free on the Apple® App Store® online store. (See https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visual-brailler/id888739587?mt=8.)

Refreshabraille 18

Refreshabraille 18 is an economical and high-quality 18-cell refreshable braille display and braille keyboard used to connect to a host device such as a computer, phone, or tablet.
In November 2015, APH released the 3rd generation of this device, which includes enhancements such as a better USB connection, improved navigation control, simple Bluetooth pairing, and more ergonomic keys. (See http://tech.aph.org/rbd_info.htm.)

Braille Plus 18

APH recognizes the value in directly integrating a braille display and keyboard into a portable device running a modern mobile operating system; however, in 2015, we regretfully temporarily terminated future production of the braille centric Android smart/phone/tablet called Braille Plus 18. APH is mindful of the value of such a tool; we continue to learn remarkable amounts of relevant information concerning the development of this device. (see http://tech.aph.org/plus_info.htm)

What Else

As you can see from this list of software related activities, APH’s commitment to braille education continues. Similar or greater efforts parallel this dedication in the areas of policy, production, research, and education to name a few.

recorded weather forecasts

Get Recorded Weather Forecasts Any Time

Options for obtaining weather forecasts have increased throughout the years. No longer is one forced to wait for local radio and television stations to broadcast the forecast. Anyone with a smartphone can ask that phone’s virtual assistant for weather conditions and receive basic data like the current temperature, whether or not precipitation is falling and a very basic forecast for a selected location.

Often, however, the information someone seeks is much more detailed in scope, and it may or may not be local weather information. What would someone do, for instance, if they lived in Philadelphia and needed to travel to Seattle—how would they get the forecast for Seattle? The Weather Channel is an option, but because of its national focus, it may not provide all of the information one seeks. In addition, its current practice of providing little audio feedback during its “Local on the Eights”, the time when it shows local weather information on the screen, is unhelpful for blind people—even those looking for their local forecast.

Another option is NOAA Weather Radio, an absolutely necessary service during times of severe weather. While a few smartphone apps provide coverage of some NOAA radio stations, the coverage is spotty much of the time so you can never be sure that you can hear a station from a particular city or state using such an app. Thus, NOAA radio, though it is extremely beneficial while one is in their local area, probably will not help provide information for someone who is traveling until the person arrives atht their destination, preventing the traveler from using the information to make appropriate preparations.

The National Weather Service has provided a solution to this problem. It maintains a listing of recorded weather information which anyone can access 24 hours a day via recorded messages. The list covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and other territories. As you examine the list, you may notice that there is quite a bit of overlap; large areas of one state are covered by one weather service office while some offices cover portions of multiple states. The office in Mount Holly, New Jersey is an excellent example of this tendency as it covers all of New Jersey and Delaware as well as portions of Pennsylvania and Maryland. By calling a given number, you may listen to forecasts for all of the areas covered by a particular weather service office as well as marine forecasts, climate reports and an hourly roundup of temperatures and weather conditions.

The one drawback of this service is that it will not keep you updated on currently occurring severe weather; you cannot depend on the recorded information to do that for you. Nevertheless, if you plan to travel to a certain area, have friends or relatives in a particular place or just want to know what the weather is like somewhere else, this recorded information should assist.

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Throwback Thursday: The Press Room

The Press Room

We are continuing on this week with a look at some great photographs from our company archives.  This one shows the far end of the press room around 1931.  I found this picture hanging in our company lunch room a few years ago.  There is a lot going on.  In the foreground a man in an apron, collared shirt, and vest feeds paper into a heavy steel Thompson-Laureate style platen press.  A curved stand supports a large flywheel on the right side of the press.  You can clearly see the braille embossing plates held open by the jaws of the press.  Believe it or not, you can watch a press like this one operating on a tour of APH today.  We use two of them pretty regularly for special jobs, although most modern output comes from digital presses.  Notice that there are no guards or fences to protect the operator.  (Worker safety was only starting to be a national priority and there were few laws to govern it.)  The bare leather belt on the left is connected to an electric motor that is out of sight.  A naked electric bulb is hanging down from a wire near his head to provide light on cloudy days, but the sunlight streaming through the large windows suggest that was not necessary this day.  The bulb’s wire was rigged on pulleys so you could pull it closer if you needed it.  This is the western side of the second floor of the 1923 annex.  It is where our museum is housed today.  In the background, another worker stands in front of a type case setting printer’s type.  The cases held drawers whose compartments helped organize the thousands of pieces of tiny lead type used to “set up” print publications.  To the right of the type case is a Chandler & Price Platen Jobber Printing Press.  It would be years before APH began making large print books.  Here the C&P is being used to print labels, product catalogs, and to “foil stamp” book titles on book covers.  A few years after this picture was taken, we’d be using a C&P to print record labels for Talking Books.  If you’d like to learn more about the history of our embossing and ink-printing presses, we have several pages on our website.

Reacting to Reactions: Facebook's New Reaction Feature

Facebook has just rolled out an update that makes a significant change to how we interact with posts. Besides the “like” button which has existed since 2009, facebook has now added what it calls “reactions”. Reactions add extra choices besides just liking a post; now you can respond with like, love, haha, wow, sad or angry.

Facebook has stated openly that they strive to make their site accessible; therefore, I was somewhat concerned when I could not access reactions at first. So how does one begin “reacting” to posts? Bear in mind that I use an iPhone and cannot comment on the facebook Android app; if you use Android, it is likely that you can make it work by using what gestures you normally use to access content, but you will have to experiment to make sure.

On your iPhone, read through your newsfeed as you normally do. When you want to react to a post, of course, you can simply tap “like” if that is what you want to do. If you wish to use one of the new reaction choices, you can do one of two things. Use a two-finger split tap, the gesture you would use to like, reply or share without double-tapping to open the post. You should see “react” as a new option; (located just beyond like) double-tap it and flick to the right to hear the choices stated above. Double-tap on the one you wish to select, and your reaction is posted. You can change your reaction at any time if you wish.

The other option is to double-tap and hold on the like button and wait a second or so to hear Voiceover say “react”. Then flick to the right, double-tap on your selection, and the reaction is posted. It is important to note that you must be in the newsfeed to use reactions; you cannot access them when viewing notifications. If you receive notifications when a particular friend adds a post, you must double-tap to open the post and use the double-tap and hold method, the second method I outlined, to react to that post.

When using the computer, as of the time of this writing, I have not been able to get the reactions to come up on m.facebook.com. On the regular facebook site, you place the cursor on the “like” button below the post you wish to react to and press the space bar. Instructions for sighted users tell them to hover over the like button; in this case, the space bar, but not the enter key, does the same thing. You then must move down with the arrow keys and locate the list of buttons which correspond to the react options. The unusual thing is that each button is read twice, and you hear, for instance, “like toggle button” and upon hitting down arrow “like toggle button” again. It appears that you can select either button, and it is unclear if this is a bug or if there is a reason for the two buttons.

As I get more information, I will update this post and make sure to inform you of future updates.