Web Site Accessibility Blog

Assistive Technologies for the Arab World
Nattiq Technologies, located in Dubai, is a leader of assistive technology to the Arab world. The upcoming GITEX, held in Cairo, Egypt, Nattiq will display their assistive technology in the Arab world. With their software, Hal SuperNova, this uses Windows Media Player to allow blind users to work with multimedia devices, such as TV’s & DVD recorders. They also offer a Pocket Ha which makes a PDA accessible by reading everything on the screen. Nattiq estimated that there are over 6 million blind Arabs in the Middle East, and has developed Arab OCR technology which allows document scanning and reading, which enables any book to be a “talking book�. There are also technologies displayed that enable talking cell phones, which also allow blind users to use a cell phone independently and privately.

Cell Phones & PDA’s
The cell phone talking technology is one that I am interested in seeing soon. It seems, as devices get smaller, they become more unusable by people with blindness or low vision. I realized this the other day as I was attempting to set up a BlackBerry. Any user with a vision or physical need would have difficulty using this device. PDA’s are the same, as they rely totally upon vision prompts and the stylus to use the device.

While personal electronic devices to get smaller, I am surprised that manufacturers are also leaving out greater amounts of the market by creating devices that only teens with small fingers can operate. Why not design for the greatest available market? Creating a smaller device that is totally accessible would also make an easier device to operate for anyone, regardless of any disability.