BBC Learnings · Section 6

Digital help for blind people

What do Homer, Ray Charles and Jorge Borges all have in common, Georgina?

Level: C1 · 110 sentences

Transcript

  1. What do Homer, Ray Charles and Jorge Borges all
  2. have in common, Georgina?
  3. So, that's the ancient Greek poet Homer,
  4. American singer Ray Charles and Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.
  5. I can't see much in common there, Neil.
  6. Well, the answer is that they were all blind.
  7. Ah, but that obviously didn't hold them back.
  8. I mean, they were some of the greatest artists ever.
  9. Right, but I wonder how easy they would find it living
  10. and working in the modern world.
  11. Blind people can use a guide dog
  12. or a white cane to help them move around.
  13. Yes, but a white cane is hardly advanced technology.
  14. Recently, smartphone apps have been invented
  15. which dramatically improve the lives of blind people around the world.
  16. In this programme on blindness in the digital age,
  17. we'll be looking at some of these inventions,
  18. known collectively as assistive technology.
  19. That's any software or equipment that helps people work
  20. around their disabilities or challenges.
  21. But first, it's time for my quiz question, Georgina.
  22. In 1842, a technique of using fingers to feel
  23. printed raised dots was invented,
  24. which allowed blind people to read.
  25. But who invented it?
  26. Was it a Margaret Walker?
  27. b Louis Braille or c Samuel Morse?
  28. I've heard of Morse code, but that wouldn't help blind people read,
  29. so I think it's b Louis Braille.
  30. OK, Georgina, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme.
  31. One remarkable feature of the latest assistive technology is its practicality.
  32. Smartphone apps like Be My Eyes allow blind users
  33. to find lost keys,
  34. cross busy roads and even colour match their clothes.
  35. Brian Mwenda is CEO of a Kenyan company developing
  36. this kind of technology.
  37. Here he explains to BBC World Service programme, Digital Planet,
  38. how his devices seek to enhance, not replace, the traditional white cane.
  39. The device is very compatible with any kind of white cane.
  40. So once you clip it onto any white cane,
  41. it works perfectly to detect the obstacles in front of you.
  42. And it relies on echolocation.
  43. So echolocation is the same technology used by bats
  44. and dolphins to detect prey and obstacles and all that.
  45. You send out a sound pulse
  46. and then once it bounces off an obstacle,
  47. you can tell how far the obstacle is.
  48. When attached to a white cane, the digital device,
  49. called Sixth Sense, can detect obstacles,
  50. objects which block your way, making it difficult for you to move forward.
  51. Sixth Sense works using echolocation.
  52. a kind of ultrasound like that used by bats
  53. who send out sound waves which bounce off surrounding objects.
  54. The returning echoes show where these objects are located.
  55. Some of the assistive apps are so smart they
  56. can even tell what kind of object is coming up ahead,
  57. be it a friend, a shop door or a speeding car.
  58. I guess being able to move around confidently really boosts people's independence.
  59. Absolutely, and it's challenging stereotypes around blindness too.
  60. Blogger Fern Lullum, who is blind herself, uses assistive apps every day.
  61. Here she is talking to BBC World Service's Digital Planet.
  62. I think the more that society sees blind people in the community,
  63. at work, in relationships, it does help to tackle
  64. all of these stereotypes.
  65. It helps people to see...
  66. blind and visually impaired people in a whole new way
  67. and it just normalises disability.
  68. That's what we need.
  69. We need to see people just getting on with their life
  70. and doing it and then people won't see it
  71. as such a big deal anymore.
  72. It'll just be the ordinary.
  73. Fern distinguishes between people who are blind
  74. or unable to see and those who are visually impaired,
  75. experience a decreased ability to see.
  76. Assistive tech helps blind people lead normal,
  77. independent lives within their local communities.
  78. Fern hopes that this will help normalise disability treat something
  79. as normal which has not been accepted as normal before.
  80. So, being blind doesn't have to be a big deal
  81. an informal way to say something is not a serious problem.
  82. Just keep your eyes closed for a minute
  83. and try moving around the room.
  84. You'll soon see how difficult it is and how
  85. life-changing this technology can be.
  86. Being able to read books must also open up
  87. a world of imagination.
  88. So, what was the answer to your quiz question, Neil?
  89. Ah yes, I asked Georgina who invented the system of reading
  90. where fingertips are used to feel patterns of printed raised dots.
  91. What did you say, Georgina?
  92. I thought it was b Louis Braille.
  93. Which was of course the correct answer.
  94. Well done, Georgina.
  95. Louis Braille, the inventor of a reading system
  96. which is known worldwide simply as Braille.
  97. I suppose Braille is an early example of assistive technology
  98. systems and equipment that assist people with disabilities to perform everyday functions.
  99. Let's recap the rest of the vocabulary, Neil.
  100. OK. An obstacle is an object that is in your way
  101. and blocks your movement.
  102. Some assistive technology works using echolocation
  103. a system of ultrasound detection used by bats.
  104. Being blind is different from being visually impaired having
  105. a decreased ability to see whether disabling or not.
  106. And finally, the hope is that assistive phone apps
  107. can help normalise disability change the perception of something
  108. into being accepted as normal.
  109. So that disability is no longer a big deal,
  110. not a big problem.