аЯрЁБс>ўџ ;=ўџџџ:џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС7 №П3bjbjUU @7|7|/џџџџџџlммммммм№шшшш є№2Љ Ћ Ћ Ћ =ш дМ д $A a8Д мД фммЩ ффф~ммЉ фЉ фєфиQ мм  фбѕкР№јш’Ri  п 0q ,™ф™ ф№№ммммйComputer-Based Enabling Technologies for the Visually Impaired We are seeking support for a research project aimed at deploying a new approach to computer-based modelling and computer programming that will enable the visually impaired to participate more actively in the development of technologies for interaction with their environment and for communication with others. 1. The context for our research Our ability to live in a fulfilling way depends crucially upon the extent to which we can access and understand the state of our environment. Knowledge about this state is essential where issues of control and communication are concerned. Nowadays computer technology enables us to enrich our environment and give us new modes of access to it in ways in which sighted people take for granted – for instance, through the Internet, spreadsheets, recreational programs, and utilities such as electronic calendars and organisers. Though the visually impaired cannot acquire the same direct access to visual experience, they can also acquire very rich perceptions of state, and compensate for their lack of sight through the development of tactile, aural and memory skills. Computer-based technology can also play a significant role here – for instance, through audio and speech recognition, and the use of special keyboards, sensors and actuators. There are two aspects to computer-based technology the visually impaired: the physical devices and media that supply the interface to the environment (as framed by hardware) and the conceptual framework that situates the user in this environment (as framed At present, computer software for the visually impaired is developed by sighted people using conventional programming paradigms. The aim of our project is to deploy a new approach to developing software for the visually impaired that addresses several key problems stemming from the current approach: Problem 1: getting the requirements right is particularly challenging as the perceptions of the sighted developer and the visually impaired user can be radically different. For instance, it is hard for a sighted developer to conceive how a blind person is able to make use of auditory cues to discriminate between physical locations []. Problem 2: the traditional software development process generates products that are optimised for the execution of a preconceived repertoire of specific functions, but the needs of the visually impaired user are hard to circumscribe, and ideally embrace needs that arise on-the-fly in ways that cannot be anticipated. For instance, a visually impaired person might wish to use the computer to support their communication with a sighted person in a way that was unprecedented, such as playing a new board game. Problem 3: Problems 1 and 2 can only be addressed by promoting a more direct engagement of the visually impaired in the actual development process, but conventional software development relies heavily upon complex visual organisation of data. 2. The technical issues our work would help to address. Visual interfaces have an exceptionally important role in modern computing. The visually impaired are at a great disadvantage in relation to technologies such as the personal computer and the internet. The impact of being disadvantaged in this respect is compounded by the fact that (necessarily) almost all software development is carried out by sighted people (unsurprisingly) with the needs and capabilities of the sighted person in mind. The principal aim of our proposed project is to exploit a new way of modelling using computers that we believe offers much better prospects for effective use and development by the visually impaired. We envisage that our methods can lead to a culture whereby groups of visually impaired people can cooperate via modes of electronic communication simpler than the internet in developing technology that is well-adapted to their general needs and can readily be customised to suit particular circumstances. In the first instance, we would expect such a scheme to focus on the cooperative development of software for shared use, initially with the principal input from IT specialists trained in our methods, but subsequently in a largely independent fashion. The products of this development would include utilities to help the partially sighted to communicate with each other with the aid of computer models (somewhat similar in their role to the diagrams and maps that sighted people use) and to help them participate more fully in interaction with sighted people (for instance, giving them access via the computer to the sorts of artefact that sighted people routinely use for technical and recreational purposes). In principle, our approach is well-suited to the broader challenges of developing general technological solutions that exploit hardware, software and special-purpose devices. For instance, our approach could support the development of systems to enable a visually impaired person to program appliances to suit their specific needs in their domestic environment. It could also lead to special-purpose personal computing technologies that would be specifically designed for use by the visually impaired. This would be an appropriate target for further research subject to the successful completion of our initial project and further funding at a suitable level. 3. The research background to our proposal A full discussion of the technical background to our research is inappropriate here. A key point is that our work involves a radically new approach of computer-based modelling ("Empirical Modelling - EM") that has proved its potential through an extended and wide-ranging programme of research and project work based at ЬЧаФTV (see http://dcs.warwick.ac.uk/modelling/ for more details). In brief, since 1985, the EM project has addressed topics that include engineering design, interactive geometric modelling, concurrent systems modelling, business process re-engineering, decision-support and educational technology, has attracted some 30 or so graduate students, and led to the generation of special-purpose software tools that have been applied in perhaps 150 or more student projects. Some 60 papers have been published over this period, and more than 50 presented at international conferences and workshops worldwide. There is ongoing international collaboration with universities in Japan, Brazil and Russia. Funding over this period has been obtained from the EPSRC, The Royal Society, BT, IBM, the BBC and Matra Datavision. The culture that we would like to introduce to the visually impaired community is similar to that we have established amongst project students at ЬЧаФTV. In our approach, computer use takes on the characteristics of an apprenticeship - students first explore and experiment with existing models, then adapt and extend them as they acquire confidence with the tools. We envisage that - subject to adapting our existing tools and models appropriately - we could train visually impaired people (for instance, pupils at special schools) to pioneer the development of computer models that they could then share and customise to the special needs of others who are less competent to participate in the programming activity. There are two main respects in which we think our approach is well-suited for the visually impaired. The construction process has appropriate qualities: The mental demands of building computer models using our techniques are quite different from those associated with conventional software development. Traditional programming involves a complex process of pre-planning in which all the information needed to frame the intended application is gathered and organised. This activity involves a large amount of communication and documentation in which visual elements are prominent (as in the diagrams of the standard Universal Modelling Language). Our model building engages with the computer from the beginning, and involves incremental extension that serves a similar purpose to the exploratory work that precedes conventional programming. In our approach, the programmer 's mind is directed towards apprehending and exploring the current real-world state rather than conceiving complex patterns of behaviour. Whereas conventional program statements can have a complex structures and extend over many lines, single-line definitions are the key element in our modelling. And whereas the order of conventional program statements is crucial, and it can be exceptionally hard to cross-reference data values, the order of definitions is not important, and the way in which they reference each other can be inferred from their form. Our approach gives a unifying perspective on human and computer activity: Our approach allows an unusually close integration between human and automated activities. The conceptual framework for our modelling is defined with reference to how users and participants in the modelling get access to (that is, in the broadest sense, "observe") the current state. This enables - indeed obliges - us to take explicit account of the capabilities of the people interacting with our models, in respect of both their sensory and physical and cognitive capabilities. The features of the computer model are then framed directly in terms of people's observables, so that they can be customised to suit many different target users. In this way, we expect that many of our existing models can be adapted for use by the visually impaired without comprehensive reprogramming. In particular, we have a number of computer models that have been designed for educational use under the auspices of a university-funded project (entitled COMICAL - for Cognitive Observation-oriented Modelling for Interactive Computer Assisted Learning) that we intend to distribute to UK schools. Using such models to supply personalised models for individual visually impaired users and to enhance communication between visually impaired and sighted users are aims well-aligned to the objectives of the COMICAL project. There is also a significant connection with ongoing research into applications of our principles in the area of interactive television at the BBC that are being led by Dr Richard Cartwright, a former research student from the Empirical Modelling research group. 4. The proposal To initiate work in this area, we would like to fund a one-year studentship that would lead to an MSc. The approximate costs of such a programme would be as follows: Fees for an MSc by research: Ѓ3K Maintenance for 12 months: Ѓ12K Travel and subsistence: Ѓ5K Computing resources: Ѓ5K Total Ѓ25K By way of additional explanation, the travel and subsistence component would be directed at making contacts with visually impaired people who could act as consultants and potential developers or users as well as other IT specialists with expertise in this field. We would like to establish a link with one or more UK schools with special expertise relating to the special needs of the visually impaired, such as the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh with whom we have made informal contact in the past. We would expect to collaborate, especially in the early stages of the project, with Prof Allan Newell's research group at Dundee, which has specialist expertise in IT for special needs. We also intend to contact a blind computer programmer in the Czech Republic who contributes software to an annual Libre Software convention at which our research group will be making a presentation at Bordeaux in July 2001. We hope to limit the sophistication of the computing resources we use to reasonable demands that can be met from a modest budget using an up-to-date PC platform. This takes into account the speech recognition and audio capabilities that we would need initially, but does not allow for the special-purpose devices (such as special keyboards and tactile output devices) that could be exploited in the longer term. ?w—L ТХ§Aя #!&&o&q&™,Љ,3ћјђјјћјћјюјюћјћј6CJ 5CJ\CJ5CJ?@vw—˜K L z { Э Ю ЮЯТУФХ§ўЕЖABЗИя §§§§§§§§ћћћћћћћ§§§§§§§§§§§§§§3ўя № %&&&˜,™,Љ,Њ,R-S-u-–-Г-Ю-Я-о-п-3§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§Аа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %А i@@ёџ@ Normal5$7$8$9DH$_HmH sH tH <A@ђџЁ< Default Paragraph Font*B`ђ* Body TextCJ/ @џџџџ?@vw—˜KLz{ЭЮЮ Я Т У Ф Х § ў ЕЖABЗИя№%"&"˜(™(Љ(Њ(R)S)u)–)Г)Ю)Я)о)п)/˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€3я 33ЂЋœІMO" + Ќ И  ˆ’(0ыє U^;DYbЅЊЋЕ&T]ўv  !!!ю"ї"7#@#І$Б$Ч$б$N&W&Э&й&~(‡( ))3)<)_)b)- -/н ч П Ч œЇШгт ы Z'f'/333333џџ DefaultJC:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Word\AutoRecovery save of letter.asdDefault C:\My Documents\Blind\letter.docDefault C:\My Documents\Blind\letter.docDefault C:\My Documents\Blind\letter.docDefault C:\My Documents\Blind\letter.docС(<>pyџџџџџџџџџh „а„˜ўЦа^„а`„˜ўOJQJo(З№h „ „˜ўЦ ^„ `„˜ўOJQJo(oh „p„˜ўЦp^„p`„˜ўOJQJo(Ї№h „@ „˜ўЦ@ ^„@ `„˜ўOJQJo(З№h „„˜ўЦ^„`„˜ўOJQJo(oh „р„˜ўЦр^„р`„˜ўOJQJo(Ї№h „А„˜ўЦА^„А`„˜ўOJQJo(З№h „€„˜ўЦ€^„€`„˜ўOJQJo(oh „P„˜ўЦP^„P`„˜ўOJQJo(Ї№С(<џџџџџџџџ         /џ@HP LaserJet 5L PCL (Copy 2)LPT1:PCL5EMSHP LaserJet 5L PCLHP LaserJet 5L PCL (Copy 2)”@gіњ,, @MSUD7HP LaserJet 5L PCLф%d HP LaserJet 5L PCL (Copy 2)”@gіњ,, @MSUD7HP LaserJet 5L PCLф%d €MMрhЙMB/а@џџUnknownџџџџџџџџџџџџG‡:џTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& ‡:џArial?5 ‡:џCourier New;€WingdingsAаBcUЦ dUЦНЮЮ&R!„ЅРxx€20dЇ/ @„џџџDefaultўџ р…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0PˆœЈДРд ф№   $08@Hфssss Normal.dotDefault5faMicrosoft Word 9.0@Ў*g@lvYлкР@ЁРѕкРЮЮ&ўџ еЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0ш hp|„Œ” œЄЌД М ЩфRЇ/   Title  ўџџџ"#$%&'()ўџџџ+,-./01ўџџџ3456789ўџџџ§џџџ<ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РFР3эбѕкР>€1Tableџџџџџџџџџџџџ!™WordDocumentџџџџџџџџ@SummaryInformation(џџџџ*DocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџџџџџ2CompObjџџџџjObjectPoolџџџџџџџџџџџџР3эбѕкРР3эбѕкРџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq