Creating smart accessible media using RoboBraille

RoboBraille is a free, award-winning service, capable of automatically converting documents into alternate formats. The goal of the project is to explore new smarter and easier methods to prepare and produce educational material in alternate formats using RoboBraille and other relevant free ICT tools.

Problems Targeted

Visually impaired people often have difficulty accessing print materials, primarily because the development of such materials in a barrier-free format is often difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. Therefore, people with disabilities are often less informed and lack resources compared to those who are not visually impaired.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

Partners from six European countries have explored how RoboBraille can be exploited as a learning tool in a variety of educational settings, and have published their findings in the RoboBraille Best Practice Catalogue. During the project, partners discovered the need to develop a practical hands-on training course aimed at improving the skills of teachers, parents, and alternate media producers so as to support people with visual and reading impairments in a timely and inclusive way. These professionals must learn to use new ICT tools, such as RoboBraille and others – especially as the development of new digital platforms and formats, such as tablet computers, smartphones, and eBooks readers, is moving rapidly forward, creating a host of new reading, writing, and learning opportunities for the visually and reading impaired.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

Partners of the project are special schools, national resource centers, colleges, universities, NGOs, disabled peoples' organizations, assistive technology providers, and private consultants. They represent the various forms and levels of the educational system as well as the ICT, accessibility, and media experts required to ensure sufficient critical mass to create courses and conduct trainings for teachers, parents, and alternate media producers who are supporting the reading and visually impaired. Other partners in new countries with new languages would be appreciated.

Pictures

Promoting Robobraille tools in 6 Eastern European countries