Publications Archive

New Beacon, May 1992, 76 (898)

Summary: The leading monthly magazine on issues concerning people with sight problems

• Access to personal computers using speech synthesis
• From margin to centre: A beginning
• Opportunities in social work for blind and partially-sighted people
• Obituary
• Comment
• Letters
• News
• Leisure for all

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Editor: Ann Lee

The Royal National Institute of the Blind

Access to personal computers using speech synthesis

A review of the past decade

Visitors to this month's “Sight 92” exhibition at Midlands, Naidex will find a dazzling array of access technology for visually-impaired people, much of it using speech output. Novice users may be surprised to discover how recently this technology has appeared on the scene in the United Kingdom. PAUL BLENKHORN and DAVID CALDERWOOD, both closely involved with its development, provide a historical perspective.

This article looks at the way access to computers by blind people has developed over the past ten years. We have limited our perspective to activities within the United Kingdom, since if a wider sphere had been attempted the article might Well have become a book.

Historical review

Before the early eighties there was a plethora of home computer types. These ranged from the cheap and simple Sinclair ZX80 through to the (then) sophisticated Commodore PET. Such fragmentation did not encourage programmers to write software for visually-handicapped people.

But a unifying factor was the launch of the BBC computer. The BBC micro was manufactured in Britain by Acorn, and this encouraged its use by schools and other educational establishments. Before too long it became the “British Standard” educational machine with a large user base, including many home users. A particularly useful facility was the “user port” which would enable the connection of a wide range of devices, including modified Perkins braillers.

This standardisation attracted those interested in computer access by blind people, and much pioneering work was carried out by Dr T. Vincent of the Open University. Vincent produced a number of programs written specially for providing spoken output via a speech synthesiser.

Of specific interest here is the talking word processor, which had many facilities later to appear in the screen readers described below.

The Vincent Workstation and other such innovations became very popular within the blind community. But there was one drawback--these 'special' programs were not being used by sighted users. This meant that there were two types of computer program--one for sighted and one for blind users. How much better it would be if both types of user could access the same software.

The question was: how could blind people use the same software as their sighted colleagues? The answer came from the cumbersomely named Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (RCEVH), based at Birmingham University. The RCEVH produced a program which enabled the blind user to examine the computer's screen a line, word or character at a time. The beauty of this solution was that after loading the screen reading software it became invisible. This meant that once the screen reader was loaded another program (such as a standard word processor) could be run, and the blind person could then use it via speech rather than visual output.

A modified version of this program was written for “WordWise” - a popular word processor produced by Computer Concepts. Now blind users had access to exactly the same applications software as their sighted friends and work mates.

This offered tremendous advantages, including the ability to share common files on disk.

The RCEVH added enhancements to their screen reader as they received feedback from blind users. Before too long, the package provided many additional features to make access to commercially available software both cheap and simple. Such was the success of this venture that it is still being used to this day.

By the mid-eighties, the BBC micro was starting to look rather dated. Massive technological strides had been made, and the IBM PC was rapidly becoming the standard computer.

When manufacturers other than IBM started to produce PC clones the price dropped to such an extent that it became popular both at home and in the workplace.

This new standard computer was accessible by blind people using devices such as the Frank Audiodata system, but the price premium of this system proved to be a barrier to home users.

What was needed was a talking screen reader, like the one developed for the BBC, which would run on the IBM PC and its clones. Such a program was produced by Dolphin Systems of Worcester.

Today the IBM PC is still the industry standard computer, and comes in a variety of guises. Home users can buy cheaper varieties which are more than adequate for tasks such as word-processing. Other users may have the need for a portable machine which can be carried .with ease from place to place and used in almost any location. For those with more demanding applications, quite powerful PCs are available.

The beauty of such standardisation is that the same software and screen reader can be used with almost all of these machines.

Developments in screen reading software

The original RCEVH screen reader did little more than provide keyboard echo and a review mode. Keyboard echo meant that every time a key was depressed the speech synthesiser spoke the function of the key – “A”, “shift”, “space” etc.

The review mode came into action with a key combination which would not normally be used by the application program. The text on the computer screen was then frozen, and the cursor keys could be used to examine it line by line or character by character.

After a short while, users requested certain modifications - keyboard echo on every key depression hindered fast typists, and the facility of turning this to word echo was introduced.

With this, the speech synthesis only spoke after a complete word had been typed. The next major enhancement was making the cursor keys read certain text automatically, without the user having to ask the screen reader to read it.

Furthermore, there was a demand for more sophisticated review mode commands such as reading a word at a time or a predefined area (“window”) of text on the screen.

As the program became more popular, user feedback became more demanding. This led to the introduction of additional keystrokes which read specific data such as text on the line up to the cursor position. Wherever possible this facility was made accessible without having to revert to review mode. Such enhancements made the editing of documents very much faster.

Other users wanted to define for themselves what a key spoke when it was depressed. This labelling of keys allowed the user to “teach” keys such as the function keys - a particularly useful feature which acted as a reminder. An example of this might be teaching a key which saved the work to disk to say “work saved” When depressed.

By this time, the memory limitations of the BBC micro had been reached and further enhancements had to take place on the screen reader for the IBM PC. This allowed developments including the recognition of text colour. This was a significant new feature, since screen displays often highlighted important text.

If the screen reader could differentiate between highlighted text and standard text, then only the most relevant port of the display would be spoken. This proved to be a great time saver.

A quantum leap was made when the idea arose of teaching the cursor keys to perform stipulated reading tasks. Cursor keys worked well with word processors, but a different type of flexibility was needed for spreadsheets in order that the active cell could be read. A feature was therefore developed which enabled the cursor key to read only text of the particular colour combination Of the active cell. This enabled the blind user to work on a spreadsheet as efficiently as on a word processor.

The next stage was the ability to monitor the screen to detect any changes. If changes occurred, then an appropriate action, defined by the user, would be taken. Such actions could vary from the speaking of a message to the reading of a section of the screen. With such an abundance of user-defined facilities, it seemed a great shame that all this was lost when the computer was switched off.

How good it would be if all this data could be saved as an environment. Users could then teach the screen reader to do all they wished and then save this information. In this way they could build up a library of environments - one for each application program used. This was to be the next step in the development programme. In fact a system was devised to allow environments to call other environments, thereby allowing more than one environment per program. Some software packages are so complex that they require several environments. An obvious example of this is an integrated package, which contains a word processor, database and spreadsheet. If an environment was to be created for each of these component parts so that the appropriate one was automatically loaded as the user moved between them, it would considerably increase ease of use.

This powerful facility was yet another milestone in the evolution of the screen reader. Following is a description of how a good screen reader can be used to make many standard word processors accessible to a blind person. First text is entered from the keyboard, with either letters or words being spoken as they are typed.

When the document is complete, the user can cursor through the text to proofread the work. If any editing is required, then deletion and addition of text is a simple matter. Most word processors incorporate a spell-check facility, and this is commonly activated by pressing one of the function keys. The function keys can be taught what to say when they are pressed min our example the message "spell check" will suffice.

Once the computer starts to check the spelling, a suspect word is highlighted in a different colour and alternative words are displayed. The screen reader can be taught to watch for the appearance of alternative words, and also inform the user of the word being questioned by speaking it.

What is now required is to examine the alternative words one by one to see if the correctly spelt word has been offered. A sighted user would use the cursor keys to accomplish this.

But the cursor keys are designed to read lines of text. This is where a second environment could be loaded automatically, designed to allow the cursor keys to read only the defined text - that is, the alternative spellings shown on the screen.

Once a suitable word had been selected, the second environment would re-load the first.

Further environments could be created to take advantage of all the word processor's facilities, such as text searches, thesaurus, second window etc.

The final result is a library of environments which makes the word processor 'feel' as if it had been designed specifically for blind people. Such environments make for ease of training. The novice user will not be aware of the work invested in preparing the environments - as far as he/she is concerned the word processor is behaving in a 'natural' way. We believe that this should be the aim of screen readers today, not just for word processors but or all application programs.

Of course, the work of screen reader enhancement must continue - this is no time for complacency. But the past decade has seen massive strides forward in enabling blind people to access computers more easily. In these days when the most humble position in a company demands the use of a computer, such predefined environments, coupled with good training, can help to reduce the steep learning curve considerably.

Biographical notes

After graduating in mathematics from Manchester University, Paul Blenkhorn spent two years developing educational software and systems at the Open University. This was followed by three years at the Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped, looking at the use of computers by blind children and adults. For most of the past five years he has been involved in developing products with Dolphin Systems for people with disabilities. He recently began a lectureship in computation at the University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology.

David Calderwood is an Open University graduate. Before losing his sight at the age of 27, he worked as a production engineer in the electronics industry. Since that time he has been actively involved in the use of computers by blind people. He spent several years with Dolphin Systems, and now works as part of the Project Control Team in the Open University.

From margin to centre: A beginning

Kishor Patel follows up his article in the March issue on services for ethnic minority groups with news of a new initiative in the Talking Book Service

Background

In my last article, I highlighted the fact that visually-impaired ethnic minority groups were not availing themselves of the services offered by statutory and voluntary bodies. I drew attention to some factors affecting this trend, such as dietary, religions and cultural needs, which I feel are specific additional needs of ethnic minority groups.

I would like to reiterate that there are no easy answers, and that more research needs to be undertaken to meet the specific needs of visually-impaired ethnic minority people. As part of an ongoing process, the RNIB is working towards becoming an equal opportunities organisation, both in terms of employment and in terms of service delivery. I believe these two factors are equally important and must be given parity so far as urgency is concerned.

For a number of years now, the RNIB has been providing Talking Books in a language other than English. We already have over a hundred titles in Welsh, in addition to the 8,000 plus rifles in English.

There had been long discussions about extending this to include Asian languages.

When I first took up my post a little over a year ago, I conducted a small-scale study into the specific needs of ethnic minority visually-impaired people, using the Talking Book Service membership as a cohort group. I asked Asian members who were availing themselves of the English Talking Book Service if they would be interested in books in their mother tongue. An overwhelming eighty per cent of respondents said that they would welcome such a service.

Literacy amongst the elderly

Attention was drawn recently in the media to the low level of literacy amongst the over-50s in this country. There are numerous reasons for this, but it is a sad fact that a large section of the elderly population is unable to enjoy books because they had their education interrupted by the war, or are unable to read books beyond the level that a seven year old can read. Literacy as an issue is just as marked in the Asian community as it is for the white community. For elderly Asian women, the problem is compounded because they may not have had formal schooling at all in the Indian subcontinent for economic and cultural reasons. Added to this, they may be increasingly isolated in their homes because of a lack of sufficient knowledge of English to enable them to gain meaningful employment.

For such groups, whether visually-impaired or not, Talking Books are a lifeline - through the spoken word they can have access to a wide range of literature.

It is these particular groups that the RNIB is targeting through the Hindi Talking Book Service. It is hoped that all elderly Asian speakers of Hindi, Hindustani, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu will join the Talking Book Service and once again enjoy the literature of the subcontinent. Once they have joined the Hindi Talking Book Service, RNIB can then in- form them of all the other fifty-plus services that we provide - from employment assistance to special schools, supply of equipment to advice on welfare benefits.

Why Hindi?

There are five major Asian languages which are spoken in the United Kingdom by ethnic minority groups. These are Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. After much discussion we felt that it would be impossible to offer a comparable service in all the major Asian languages found in Britain. We had to opt for one of them if we were going to be realistic and offer a service that we could be proud of.

In the end Hindi was chosen as the language for the Asian Talking Book Service. (I should clarify the position here and state that we have included Hindustani in our definition of “Hindi”.) A number of factors affected our choice. Which language would be the most effective way to reach the largest percentage of the Asian population? Because we are talking about the spoken word, literacy in the language was not an issue. Punjabi would be understood by Urdu and Punjabi speakers, as well as a small number of Gujarati speakers. Gujarati and Bengali were rather restrictive in terms of numbers of people who would understand these languages when it was not their first language. Hindi, being one of the national languages of India, would be accessible to speakers of Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu, as well as a small number of Bengali speakers. Hindi is also the language of the Indian films and videos, and although the percentage of Hindi bilinguals is relatively small, most of the Asian population would understand Hindi/Hindustani through exposure to these. We hope to reach over eighty per cent of Asian visually-impaired people through the medium of Hindi.

Launch of the Hindi Talking Book Service

The Hindi Talking Book Service was launched on April 30 at the RNIB, and already we have had numerous enquiries about the service. In my discussions with various local voluntary groups around the country I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support shown towards this venture. Clearly the need for such a service is great.

We have acquired over fifty titles, ranging from popular Hindi fiction to more serious novels. We have several rifles by Premchand and other lesser known authors such as Dayanand Verma. The fifty rifles were selected in consultation with several ethnic minority librarians specialising in this particular field, who identified the most frequently borrowed Hindi books and selected the most popular.

A number of the titles have been recorded in our own studios by professional broadcasters, while some have been recorded in regional studios. A majority of the titles have been acquired through commercial suppliers. There are plans to obtain another fifty rifles in Hindi over the period May 1992 to April 1993. The selection for the next fifty titles will be governed in part by the requests we get from our readers. Although the Hindi Talking Book Service is available nationally, the RNIB has selected our areas for a pilot study. This will enable us to obtain first-hand information about the service so that we can consolidate and improve it.

We also have a small number of rifles in Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu. There is a separate bi-lingual catalogue (Hindi/English) of Hindi titles available from the Talking Book Service in Wembley - telephone number 081-903 6666.

Opportunities in social work for blind and partially-sighted people

Pauline James reports on an innovative project at the Staffordshire Polytechnic

In developing its new Diploma in Social Work, the Staffordshire Polytechnic made a particular commitment to social work for people with sensory disabilities. This interest, coupled with a commitment to developing equal opportunities, has had an outcome which will be of interest to readers of the New Beacon.

The Sociology Department has a project which has two main aims:

• To develop and disseminate good practice in relation to social work with visually-disabled people.
• To recruit visually-disabled students to the Staffordshire Polytechnic social work course.

Special option in work with blind and partially-sighted people

This option will be one of a number of areas of special study which students can elect to follow in Year Two of their course. The option will consist of 25 to 30 hours of awareness training “what every social worker needs to know”. Topics covered will include: a brief history of the development of services to visually-disabled people; the legislative and administrative framework of provision; an examination of the social, psychological and functional effects of sight loss; and an understanding of its prevalence, distribution and common causes. Consideration will be given to education, rehabilitation and vocational services, and the needs of particular groups of visually-impaired people--such as visually-impaired children and their families, older people, and multi-handicapped visually- impaired people. In addition, students will learn guiding skills and consider environmental issues.

It is recognised that, although a very welcome development, a special option of thirty hours' input will not provide the aspiring social worker with all the skills and knowledge necessary for a “holistic” approach to work with blind and partially-sighted people. With this in mind, emphasis will be placed on the importance of assessment, building a resources file, and interdisciplinary work.

This special option should not be regarded as being in competition with existing specialist training, or as a replacement for rehabilitation training, but as complementary training which will enable social workers to approach work with blind and partially-sighted people from a more informed base.

The inclusion of structured input on the needs of visually-impaired people on a mainstream social work course is a welcome development, which should lead us nearer to the ideal of the “Vision Team” outlined in the discussion document 'The management of visual impairment: The role of social services', produced by the Social Services Committee of the Association for the Education and Welfare of the Visually Handicapped (AEWVH).

Recruitment of visually-disabled students.

The Sociology Department at Staffordshire Polytechnic is actively seeking to recruit blind and partially-sighted students to the Diploma in Social Work course, and aims to have five sight-impaired students on courses by 1994. It is recognised that visually-disabled students will have “special needs” and will require a variety of support and advisory services prior to entry, during the course and in preparing for employment. The Polytechnic is working with specialist bodies such as RNIB student support services to develop the appropriate support system to enable them to fully participate in academic and social life. The model outlined by Todd and Spragg (1991) provides useful C indicators to developing such a service.

One important ingredient in ensuring successful integration has to be the attitude of teaching staff and others who will work with visually-disabled students. Departmental staff have strong commitment and very positive attitudes towards making the courses accessible to blind and partially-sighted people.

Visually-disabled students will have equal access to all course components, and it is not assumed that they will want to specialise in work with blind and partially-sighted people through the special option.

Pauline James is a freelance training consultant who has worked as a social worker and as a rehabilitation worker with visually-disabled people. She has been involved in the training of specialist workers, and is currently working as a development officer/lecturer in social work at the Staffordshire Polytechnic.

An important ingredient is the attitude of teaching staff and others.

Departmental staff have strong commitment and very positive attitudes towards making the courses accessible to blind and partially-sighted people.

Placements for the special option

The introduction of the special option in social work with blind and partially-sighted people will generate a demand for placements in specialist settings, and this is an issue which specialist practitioners need to address--and with some urgency.

CCETSW (Council for Education & Training in Social Work) regulations state that all students on its social work qualifying courses "will be required to receive their practice experience under the supervision of an accredited practice teacher working in an agency approved by CCETSW for that purpose" (CCETSW Paper 26.3, 1989). This means that both the agency and the placement superviser--in this case the specialist worker-- must be accredited.

I suspect that the majority of specialist practitioners who could provide worthwhile placement opportunities are not accredited practice teachers. Without a pool of specialist practice teachers it will be difficult to advance the cause of social work with blind and partially- sighted people and to remedy some of the defects recently detailed in the RNIB Needs Survey.

Although CCETSW emphasises the need for accredited practice teachers to have recognised social work qualification, it also recognises that suitably experienced people with qualifications in a closely related field could be eligible for PAGE 195 accredited practice teacher status. It offers clarification as follows: "A person who is eligible for transitional accreditation under this regulation (3.3.1a) will occupy a post which might otherwise be occupied by a qualified social worker and will hold a qualification in one of the “caring” professions which has relevance to the setting in which they are working." This broad interpretation seems to me to open up the possibility of accreditation to some experienced and qualified rehabilitation workers.

In the interest of an improved service to blind and partially-sighted people I would urge any specialist worker who has an interest in providing placements to social work students to explore the possibility of accreditation with their training department.

The Staffordshire Polytechnic initiative is a welcome move because it aims to improve social work services and to provide training opportunities for blind and partially-sighted people. I would be interested to hear from visually-disabled people who require more information about the course, from practitioners who are either accredited practice teachers or seeking accreditation or from anyone wishing to make suggestions about issues which should be included in the special option.
Please contact Pauline James, 12 West End, Long Whatton, Loughborough, LE12 5DW, tel - 0509-842287.

References

Association for the Education and Welfare of the Visually Handicapped: The management of visual impairment--The role of social services. Discussion paper.

Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work: Improving standards in practice learning. Paper 26.3. 1989.

Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work: Disability issues - Developing anti-discriminatory practice. 1991.

Bruce, I, McKennell, A & Walker, E: Blind and partially sighted adults in Britain - The RNIB survey--Vol. 1. HMSO, 1991.

Spragg, D & Todd, N: Further education for all - A resource model. New Beacon, February 1991, vol 74, no. 884.

Obituary

Harold E Moss

John Colligan writes:

Harold Moss (or “Ginger” as he was affectionately known to many friends and colleagues) died in his sleep on Sunday 8 March. He was 74.

Shortly after demobilisation, he entered the service of the RNIB as a member of the Accounts Department. In 1967 1 appointed him as my personal assistant. His tenure of office was short-lived (less than a month) as, due to the untimely death of Robert Hetherington, the co-ordinator of Appeals branches, there was no one else suitably qualified to fill the vacancy. In his new post, Harold Moss was an immediate success, largely due to his likeability, tact, and innate friendliness. He continued in this post, together with that of assistant secretary of the British Wireless for the Blind Fund, until his retirement through ill health in September 1979.

But he maintained his active interest as a member of all Wireless for the Blind Fund committees until the day of his death.

For some years prior to his retirement he had been dogged by a variety of health problems, most of which would have caused a lesser man to give up. In and out of hospital, he would invariably bob up again, smilingly efficient and cheerful as ever. In addition to his own health problems, for two or three years he nursed his invalid wife until her death in 1980. He never gave up.

Harry was one of the most courageous people I have ever met. Towards the end of the war he suffered great privations in Polish prisoner of war camps, yet he was acclaimed as the life and soul of British POWs.

Harry's loyalty, friendship, courage and fortitude will be remembered by a multitude of friends nationwide who spent any part of life's journey in his company.
John Colligan was Director-General of RNIB from 1950 until 1972.

Donald Bell

Donald Bell, editor of the New Beacon from 1961 to 1986, and Director of Publications for RNIB over the same period, died peacefully at his home in Sanderstead, Surrey, on March 25, aged 69.

A full appreciation will follow.

Comment

Claiming the new benefits: Anyone for tennis?

Andrew Wade and his wife Myra don't see half an inch between them. Was the claiming procedure really designed with people like the Wades in mind?

A letter in the March issue of the New Beacon refers to the 75 per cent Of people left out of the new benefits (Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance).

As far as this goes, my wife and I concur wholeheartedly, but I intend to air another grievance we both have with the system and its discriminatory administration.

The new benefits have been flagged by many people, organisations and even the media as the best thing since Christmas (or, to quote part of the TV advertisement, "It's your money, so why not claim it?").

Everyone is boastful of the fact that disabled people had a tremendous input into this new system, but I do not think that blind and partially-sighted people were given much chance to have a say, or else such a dreadful form could never have been dreamed up.

The form consists of almost forty pages of text, boxes to tick, sections to sign, a piece for your doctor, a piece for those who know you, and offers to have the information in about twelve ethnic languages (what about us?), It may be true that many registered blind people have a sighted spouse, partner or other trusted family member who can act as an unpaid civil servant. But my wife and I do not see half an inch between us, and the form could never have been intended for folk in our circumstances.

The result has been extreme difficulty and frustration with the whole claiming procedure, including the “Wimbledon Tennis Championships” between ourselves and the Wembley Benefit Centre.

Firstly, the forms for each of us were filled in by the Benefit Centre over the telephone, a process which took nearly three hours in total for both forms.

Then we were sent the filled-in forms for the doctor's signature and date, our signature and date, and any comments from a person who knows at first hand how our condition affects us.

We had great difficulty from the word go.

The doctor signed our forms (without having to look for more than twenty minutes!), then showed us where to sign, after which he dated our signatures. The parts from a spouse or other person were written on the word-processor and enclosed, and the whole package sent to Wembley.

Both forms were returned to us. It appeared that Section Two had not been dated or signed.

So we duly had this done by a most trusted friend, who then returned the forms for a second time.

On February 27 the forms were sent back to us again. This time they wanted to hear from two people. We were also told that if we failed to return the forms by March 2 we could stand to lose money.

The letter of explanation sent to us was of no practical use either. A reference is given to quote when enquiring about problems. There are numbers for two enquiry lines (0345-123456, charged at the local call charge, and 0800 882200). But the operators of these have no equipment to call up claims and answer specific queries.

People like myself and my wife are in the worst position to handle the paperwork, and we have contemplated disposing of our forms in the rubbish bin on more than one occasion. To say that the claiming procedure is simple is at best a gross misrepresentation and at worst a very cruel hoax.

There must be many fairer, simpler and non-discriminatory methods of proving eligibility - such as a copy of the registration document, as required for the reduced TV licence charge.

I know that many people will be angry with my comments, but before too much steam comes out of too many ears please ask yourselves this question: If I had absolutely no sight and no possibility of getting a trusted sighted person to complete the forms properly for me, how on earth would I cope? If you can produce a miraculous answer that is sensible, then you have full permission to blow my head off. Meanwhile, I look forward to other readers' comments and experiences of their own applications.

Andrew Wade

Letters

MPs

At the time of the last general election there appeared in your columns (June 1987) a report of an interview with David Blunkett, then newly elected to Parliament. It included references to three previous blind MPs: Henry Fawcett (almost certainly the first blind Member, and Postmaster-General from 1880-1884); Sir William Tindai Robertson (MP for Brighton - for which Fawcett had previously been one of the Members - from 1886 until his death in 1889); and Captain Ian Fraser (later Sir Ian and then Lord Fraser of Lonsdale CH, who had a long career in the Commons before becoming one of the first life peers in 1958).

Sir William Tindal Robertson is a rather shadowy parliamentarian - there is no reference for him in the biographical index in the RNIB reference library. He is noticed in the Dictionary of National Biography, and was a distinguished physician before he lost his sight. He was notable in local affairs in Nottingham and Brighton at different periods of his life, but was never a really major figure in blind welfare. (Unfortunately, the statement by Henry J Wagg, in his very valuable A chronological survey of work for the blind, that Fawcett and Robertson were members for Brighton at the same time cannot be correct.) However, although he also is not noteworthy for his time in the Commons there was briefly another blind member, Frederick Martin, another St Dunstaner, and he too is not in the biographical index in the reference library. He was a professional journalist and served from 1922 to 1924, when he lost his seat to the future Lord Boothby. He thus missed being in the House with Ian Fraser in the latter's first period in Parliament from 1924 to 1929. Martin failed in further attempts to be re-elected, but was distinguished in local affairs in Aberdeenshire until his death in 1950, having been made CBE in 1942.
Kenneth R Whitton, London Wl

Fighting for ourselves

I am prompted to write in anger at a remark made in Donald Nicoll's letter about the National League in your March issue. Advocating the need for a union such as NLBD, he said that "... it's us blind and disabled people who cannot fight for ourselves...." Why not, for Heaven's sake?

Naturally, I am disgusted that Alf Morris's bill to legislate against discrimination against disabled people was talked out (especially by an MP who is disabled), but if Mr Nicoli's attitude prevails people with disabilities do not deserve such legislation! One gets enough of complacency and subservience from people with disabilities, and it's about time we heard of people among us who can and do fight.

This does not mean wanton vandalism or aggressiveness, but by being polite and articulate one can do a great deal for one's disabled colleagues by letting it be known that we have rights too, which need to be acknowledged and recognised. Those of us who can should fight for people frailer and more vulnerable than ourselves (and I humbly apologise if Mr Nicoli is in this situation), but many of us do not come into this category and there is no excuse for not asserting oneself.

Mrs Pam Gulliver, Reading

Terminology

I have recently become concerned at the use, or misuse, of terminology creeping into our work. Arguments have raged for years about terms such as “blind”, “visually impaired”, “visually disabled”, “visually challenged”, “visually disadvantaged”, and the like. Erudite papers have been written explaining the differences between these terms, and recently we have been encouraged to drop the definite article and include the word “people” whenever referring to those with sight problems - ie “visually-impaired people”, or (per- haps better or worse) “VIPs”. It is regarded by some as denigratory to refer to us as 'the blind' or 'the visually impaired', and even more denigratory to omit the definite article without including the word “people” - eg "He does excellent work with visually impaired".

I very much agree with the concept of including the word “people”(although working for the Royal National Institute for the Blind), but I have great difficulty in accepting a term which is creeping into our language more and more: “blind and visually-impaired people”. Surely blind people are the ultimate personifications of visually-impaired people. Those who use “blind and visually-impaired people”, are surely remembering the days when such people were referred to as “the blind and partially sighted”.

I would like to feel that all of us would make a pledge not to use the term “blind and visually-impaired people” at all.

Another label which annoys me intensely is sometimes seen in job advertisements by employers seeking “rehabilitation/mobility officers”.

Mobility is merely part, albeit a very important part, of rehabilitation. I do not recall ever having seen an “advertisement for a rehabilitation/ independent living skills officer”, or “rehabilitation/communication officer”. I realise that the reason for writing such advertisements may be purely administrative - ie the authority .has a post labelled “mobility officer” but not one labelled “rehabilitation worker”. However, I feel that unless we do all in our power to correct this mis-terminology, the myth that mobility officers are somehow different from rehabilitation workers, or that rehabilitation workers have not done the same mobility as their colleagues in the past, will persist.

FW Raffle, Principal, RNIB NMC, Birmingham

Coathanger aerials

The practice by many motorists of using wire Coathangers (free of charge from the dry-cleaners in every high street) as DIY radio aerials may well be considered as a potential danger to the pedestrian public.

Readers' experiences or comments in this respect would be appreciated, as I am hopeful of compiling documented evidence (if any exists) of any incidents in which people have become entangled with, or injured by, this type of temporary fitting.

Regulations within the Road Traffic Act 1988 create offences of keeping/ using a vehicle in a condition which could cause danger to other people. It is possible, therefore, that these might apply in this particular connection.

Any information may be sent to me at the Shropshire Disability Resource Centre, Lancaster Road, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Peter Ryding, Orientation & Mobility Officer Visual Impairment

Living in darkness?

I wish to comment on a letter from Peter Ryding in the February issue about the tape called Living in darkness by Freda Perry.

I object to the title of this. It is the word darkness I take exception to. I have no eyes, but still do not reckon I'm in the “dark”. I see what is around me, and I have a good imagination.

When I had guide dogs I used to visualise the dog I was following and 'see' where I was going.

Probably the title was chosen to sell the book to a pitying public.

What do others of the small amount of totally blind readers think about this? Darkness to me sounds like hell, or a dungeon, or being buried. A very negative image. And surely a guide dog should make one feel one is going from the dark into light! I agree with your correspondent about long cane mobility, and I have tried both. Surely it is “horses for courses” - or rather dogs for those that want them, and sticks for those who can manage without or do not live in suitable conditions.

Mrs M O’Donnell, Hastings

Animal stories wanted

I am hoping to compile a book, the proceeds of which are to go to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

I am in need of any material concerning animals, so if your readers have any stories (long or short, funny or sad), poems or anecdotes of your guide dogs or other pets, I would love to hear from you. The stories must be original, and can be sent to me at the following address: Mrs N Stent, Braeside, Sham Castle Lane, Bathwick Hill, Bath, Avon, BA2 6JN.

I have been a puppy walker and fundraiser for over ten years now.

Hopefully (with the aid of a sympathetic publisher) this will make enough funds for many more guide dogs.
Norma Stent

News

Choice for parents

“Can parents really choose?” is the title of an article in the latest, Spring 1992, edition of the newsletter published by Look, the National Federation of Families with Visually Impaired Children.

The article, by “an angry father” details the difficulties he and his wife have experienced in securing the educational provision of their choice for their blind ten-year-old twin daughter. He asks: "Why do local education authorities have such awesome power. They can lay aside the evidence we offered from three professors, a director of music, a GP, a social worker - and our county councillor. Why do they always believe they know what's best?" He adds that some LEAs have firm views on appropriate provision which can come across as “bullying”, and that sometimes parents are afraid of officialdom, do not know how to answer back, and fear victimisation if they speak out.

This pre-election issue of the newsletter includes statements on policies for special needs education from each of the three main political parties. It is also prefaced by a “manifesto” from Look itself, urging that all education authorities should have in place policies and procedures which ensure that:

• choice is offered to children and parents
• expertise is available to schools, colleges and their staffs
• resources are provided to enable visually-impaired children to gain access to the whole curriculum
• partnership is established between the local education authorities and parents.

Over thirty groups are now linked by the National Federation of Families with Visually Impaired Children, which came into being following a meeting at Birmingham University two years ago. The Federation will be holding its summer weekend and annual general meeting at Dorton House School on June 27 and 28. There is now a head office organiser, from whom details of the meeting and membership information can be obtained.

Contact Judith Gilboy, Look, Queen Alexandra College, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 9TG--tel. 021-428 2441.

DLA and DWA - The way around

A clear, critical guide to the two new benefits introduced last month has been published by the Disability Alliance. “The way around Disability Living Allowance and Disability Working Allowance - A critical guide” provides independent guidance to the benefits for disabled people and all who live or work with them.

Approximately 350,000 disabled people should find themselves a little better off from the introduction of the two new benefits, says the Disability Alliance. But the benefits are so complicated that it feels there is a good chance that many will be unaware of what they can get, how they can get it - and the pitfalls on the way.

Problems to watch out for are signposted throughout the guide. The new assessment and appeals procedures are explored, and a sprinkling of excerpts from parliamentary debates is given to provide insight into the Government's thinking.

The aim of the guide is to spell out clearly who stands to gain - and, just as importantly, who does not. Copies are available by writing to the Disability Alliance ERA, Universal House, 88-94 Wentworth Street, London E1 7SA, enclosing a cheque or postal order for £3.50 payable to Disability Alliance ERA.

CCETSW tackles HIV/Aids and ageism

Living with Aids:

By the end of 1993, there will be twice as many people living with Aids in England and Wales as compared with November-1991, and an even greater increase in Scotland.

Many more will be HIV positive.

To equip social work students in the 1990s to provide appropriate care and support to those who need it, the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work has produced the latest in its series 'Improving Social Work Education and Training', with the title “HIV and Aids in the Diploma of Social Work”.

The authors (who include HIV and Aids trainers and practitioners, course tutors and CCETSW staff), argue that, apart from health promotion, the skills required by DipSW students are not specific to HIV, but that students need to understand how they can be transferred from other areas of social work practice. Also covered are some basic facts about the virus: the difference between HIV and Aids; transmission routes; pros and cons of testing; safer sex and drug use; confidentiality; physical implications (which can, among other things, cause visual impairment); social and psychological aspects; and oppression experienced by people with HIV.

“HIV and Aids in the DipSW” (Improving Social Work Education and Training No. 11) is available, price £4 post free, from CCETSW Information Service, Derby- shire House, St Chad's Street, London WCIH 8AD - tel. 071-278 2455.

Quality work with older people: Institutional discrimination against older people is widespread in social services departments, according to another recent publication in the “Improving Social Work Education and Training” series published by CCETSW. Older people are often not seen by social services managers as requiring the skills and competences expected for work with younger people. Even though older people form a high proportion of referrals to social services departments, social work courses have traditionally given this work only a relatively small place in the curriculum.

In “Quality work with older people”, Mary Winner, a social work education adviser in CCETSW's Community Care team, presents the views of participants in a three - day workshop convened by CCETSW to give work with older people a higher profile on social work courses by developing guidelines for Diploma in Social Work programmes. The aims are to make sensitivity and awareness of issues related to ageing and older people an essential part of any social worker's basic training, and to equip newly qualified social workers to combat ageism wherever they find it. Standards are set for a basic level of understanding for work with older people, including:

• values, such as the right to privacy, dignity, choice, independence and fulfilment
• images of ageing and age discrimination o rights and aspirations of older people and of their informal carers; and the effects of institutional care.

A separate section of the paper covers the currently important areas of assessment and care management, now regarded as essential to the implementation of community care policies and legislation.

“Quality work with older people - Developing models of good practice” (Improving Social Work and Training no. 12) by Mary Winner is available, price £4 post free, at the address given above, or through CCETSW regional offices.

Disability in London

Disabled Londoners have seen little real improvement during the last thirteen years, according to a report published by the London Boroughs Disability Resource Team (LBDRT) during the run-up to the general election.

The report, specially commissioned by LBDRT, looks at seven areas: access, education, community care, employment, benefits, housing and transport. It shows that at best improvements have been slow and piece- meal, and often through the efforts of disabled people themselves. At worst, in some fields, the situation has deteriorated.

The report calls for urgent London-wide action, based on the views of disabled people themselves, to reverse the damaging trends which, according to its findings, have resulted from Government policies over the past thirteen years.

“Disability in London - The last 13 years” is available from the Disability Resource Team, 1st Floor, Bedford House, 125-133 Camden High Street, London NW1 7JR --tel. 071-462 5299; fax 071-482 0796. The London Boroughs Disability [resource Team was set up in 1986 and has been core-funded by a number of London Boroughs, represented by the London Boroughs Disability Committee. The Team is now evolving as a national resource, providing professional services to enable local authorities, social services departments, health authorities and other organisations to respond effectively to the needs of disabled people.

Youth Talking Magazine

Steve Seaton writes:

Youth Talking Magazine was founded in 1991 by Darren Harte and myself - both formerly members of the Hertfordshire-based See Here Talking Newspaper, which was closed in that year to be relaunched as YTM.

The main difference between the two services is that See Here was local and aimed at 13 to 21 year olds, and YTM is national and aimed at 15 to 24 year olds.

The tapes are to be released bi-monthly, and will contain interviews, reports and general information relative to young people with a visual impairment. There is also some non-relevant information, such as music and radio news. The magazine is fast, informative and entertaining. It listens to listeners, and it fills a gap in the market, serving the young visually-impaired person.

The organisation was recently given a large boost when it received a free fast copier worth £1,134. When YTM registered with TNAUK, we discovered that Graft Electronics were giving five free copiers to new Talking Newspapers. We expressed an interest, and the rest is history.

Having the fast copier means that YTM can now do what it wants, which is to try and serve the entire country. Using the old method of domestic tape to tape copying would have taken days. Now all tapes can be copied at the rate of seventeen per hour. The service is now expanding - fast, and any young person who is interested in receiving this tape should either contact me, Steve Seaton, on 0707 331274, or write to YTM care of Darren Harte, 1 Russett Wood, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, AL7 2JL.

YTM would like to extend its gratitude to TNAUK and Graft Electronics for all their help and generosity.

Braille

David McCann (Public Relations Officer, Braille Authority of the United Kingdom) writes: It is over twenty years since Standard English Braille was last comprehensively defined in Parts 1 and 2 of the 'Restatement'. At various times during the 70s and 80s minor modifications were made to the code, so that by now a new edition of 'Restatement' has become worth while. For greater convenience, the 'bible' of SEB will appear in one volume under the new title of 'British braille', to distinguish clearly UK practice from other forms of English braille. When the book comes out later this year, in braille and print, further comment may be appropriate in these pages.

BAUK has a number of specialist code committees, and two new ones have emerged this year: one for the chess code and another for foreign languages. I shall report on these when they have had time to produce recommendations.

The computer committee is in the process of revising and extending the 1985 computer code. This will result in some minor changes to achieve better harmonisation with the mathematics code. The main area of work, however, is being directed at developing a notation for the diagrams for the structured analysis and design method SSADM. The committee is also preparing an eight-dot approach for representing the full 256 ASCII Character set.

As well as being a standard-setting body, BAUK seeks to encourage the use of braille. The braille promotion committee is always looking for new ways of demonstrating the benefits of braille to a wider public.

In the absence of a Moon authority, BAUK has a Moon committee. Recently some improvements have been adopted into the code, and a new teaching package is planned. Particularly for elderly visually- impaired people, Moon can be an easier alternative to braille.

Leisure for all

Audio description on television: New prospects for Europe

New technology currently being developed may transform television enjoyment for millions of visually-impaired European citizens during the second half of the decade. Marcus Weisen, RNIB Arts Officer, reports.

Blind and partially-sighted people have watched television ever since it was created. But Soon, as new technologies are developed, broadcasters will for the first time find themselves in a position to provide visually-impaired audiences with the means of enjoying TV to the full. The magic word is audio description.

Visually-impaired television audiences International figures converge to show that most visually- impaired people watch television, and nearly as much as their fully- sighted peers. In Britain, the RNIB Needs Survey has revealed that 94 per cent watch TV, and 90 per cent own a TV set.

Finland has studied the television watching habits of visually-impaired people aged 14 to 24, of whom 72 per cent watch television daily, including 84 per cent of those aged 14 to 16. How is the noticeable gap in TV watching between Britain and the Finns to be explained? Overall, British culture is more “TV-phile” than is the Finnish. More important, however, is the fact that visually-impaired people in Finland, as in all Scandinavian countries, are doubly disadvantaged: not only is there no audio description, but in addition most feature films in a foreign language are sub-rifled.

Unless their sight is good enough to allow them to read fast-moving titles, there are far fewer opportunities for visually-impaired Finns to enjoy TV in their native language than, say, in the UK or France.

In the USA, the average TV- watching time in 1976 was three hours daily for fully sighted people and two-and-a-half for visually-impaired people. Since then the overall average has escalated to an astounding seven hours daily.

International comparisons bring a few more facts to light which unequivocally establish the need for audio description.

Eighty-one per cent of the young visually-impaired Finns who confess to daily TV watching also go to the cinema at least once a month and share in today's predominantly visual media and film culture as fully as they can, despite a range of well-known access problems. This should be a dear signal for British cinema owners, of whom a third still do not welcome guide dogs and unescorted visually-impaired people.

American research suggests that TV watching could be more popular than radio listening among visually-impaired people.

Of those people having difficulty reading small print, most turn to TV for keeping in touch with current affairs. The RNIB Needs Survey supports this finding, with 94 per cent of visually-impaired people watching TV regularly, against 91 per cent listening to radio. TV is a social pastime, and provides visual information which remains to varying degrees meaningful to many visually-impaired people.

Audio description on TV - the pioneers It is said that some fifty per cent of vital information on TV is relayed visually. A well-crafted audio description, provided during silent intervals of a film, can go a long way towards filling the gap and enabling visually- impaired people to enjoy TV fully on their own terms. With so much in favour of audio description on TV, what has been done so far around the globe to bring it into visually-impaired people's homes?

Japan

Britain is used to looking at the US for pioneering commitment to access to public places, museums and progressive equal rights legislation. It may then come as a surprise that - totally unnoticed by the international community - Japan has had a regular audio description service running continuously since April 1983. It started with a popular two-hour TV drama, “Tuesday Suspense Theatre”, on NTV, the independent television network, a commercial broadcaster which now provides daffy audio description for the programme “Kimino Nawa” (Your Name?) The production cost is borne by the NTV 'Dove of Love' Welfare Foundation. NHK, the Japanese equivalent of BBC, provides a description for one weekly feature and some special events, and bears the production costs.

The majority of TV sets sold in Japan are stereo. Audio description is conveyed only for features in mono, through the spare second channel. All viewers in a household switching on to audio description will hear it.

The United States

1989 saw the launch of a regular audio description service by Descriptive Video Service (DVS), at WGBH, a Boston public broadcasting station which also pioneered sub-rifling. It is now available on popular series such as “Mystery” and “Degrassi High”, carded by fifty-five public broadcasting stations and reaching more than half of American television audiences.

The other audio description provider, “Nostalgia Channel” - a cable TV network - now programmes six weekly hours of audio description, which can be received by 25 million households.

The professionalism of DVS is striking. Their staff of twelve handles outreach, production and service development. Outreach includes a DVS bulletin available in all media, with a circulation of 8,000. There has always been a commitment to extensive audience research.

The DVS experience may well set the trend for development elsewhere. Audio description on TV has seen the growth of two new professions: scriptwriters and narrators. The latter are drawn from the acting professions, not unlike Talking Book readers in the UK.

Would-be scriptwriters are drawn from various backgrounds, but have to submit to thorough intensive auditions where they must provide descriptions for different styles of film snippets and photographs. After selection, scriptwriters undergo an intensive three-day training programme conducted by the Washington Metropolitan Ear, which pioneered audio description in the theatre. Cumulative experience, feedback from viewers and a consumer advisory council mean that expertise continues evolving.

Illustrated word dictionaries are sometimes used to facilitate the quest for high-precision description. On average it takes an eight-hour working day to produce a description for a twenty-minute film sequence.

DVS is responsible for its own funding, with a quarter of annual income coming from the National Endowment of the Arts Challenge Grant.

In the USA, audio description is conveyed by a third separate audio channel, available on stereo sets which are now capturing the lion's share of the US market.

But people with mono TVs can buy adaptors by mail or at a local electronics store.

Europe

The existence of a third separate channel has led to the fast growth of audio description in the United States. Such a channel is not available on European television sets. Satellite transmission on the French D-2MAC norm allows comfortably for the creation of four sound channels, but adaptors are still required and D-2MAC will never become the sole norm for all of Europe.

Europe therefore needs a technology of its own to create the additional sound channel needed. The market implications of such technology go well beyond the confines of Europe. Interest in audio description has recently been mushrooming.

Last May the Finnish Central Federation of the Visually Handicapped, in association with the country's second channel, transmitted a first pilot audio description of the drama “Kansainvalista meininkia” (International affairs). All homes equipped with stereo Nicam TV sets could receive the audio description simply by pushing one button. Similar broadcasts have taken place more recently on Catalan television and are expected in France, under the impetus of Association Valentin Hauy and Audio Vision France.

The latter are already earning their credentials as the European pioneers of audio description in cinema, their support committee boasting both film celebrities and high-ranking administrators of the film industry, while Gaumont is about to equip two cinemas with audio description facilities.

In the realm of television, the Finns, like other European countries, are now seeking the development of a technology allowing for a separate audio channel which does not compete with stereo sound. That is seen as essential if audio description is to have a future.

Britain

Pioneering work in the US has spurred interest in TV audio description in Britain, particularly in the context of the Broadcasting Bill (now passed into law). BBC's 'One in Four' programme screened a documentary on the American experience, thus helping to make audio description far better known than ever before.

RNIB persuaded the Government to incorporate the needs of blind and partially-sighted people in the Broadcasting Bill, creating a European precedent for a legislative framework favourable to the emergence of national and regional audio description services. As a response, the Independent Television Commission (ITC) commissioned a technical feasibility study, concluding that the technology needed can be created.

At the BBC, audio description has also not gone unnoticed. “In Touch” and “One in Four” have both featured the subject, an audio description working party has been created and BBC engineers are liasing with those at ITC. The renewal of the BBC Royal Charter, due for 1996, provides an excellent opportunity for BBC to endorse audio description and, through its commitment, establish it once and for all in the United Kingdom.

The European AUDETEL Project

In December 1991, the European Commission in Brussels granted £350,000 to the AUDETEL Consortium to progress research started by ITC.

Funding comes from the newly-created and socially innovative TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly people) Fund, which provides support for some twenty-one European projects concerned with technology which will benefit people with disabilities. TIDE represents a promising development of EC towards disabled people: whilst the emphasis is on industrial exploitation of research, and the aim the establishment of a cost- cutting single European rehabilitation market, all research funding must be based on a user-friendly approach and support economic and social integration.

Partners in the AUDETEL Consortium are RNIB, ITC, the ITV Association, Manchester University, the Finnish Central Federation of the Visually Handicapped, the Italian TV manufacturer Seleco and the Danish RE Technology, a manufacturer of Nicam technology. During the fifteen-month project, which will come to completion in March 1993, the AUDETEL partners will:

• Produce and demonstrate a simple-to-use audio description receiver box, which can be used with headsets
• determine the optimal sound quality for audio description, giving particular attention to the hearing abilities of elderly people compile guidelines for quality audio descriptions for the attention of European broadcasters
• conduct audience research and identify the most suitable features for audio description o identify studio production requirements and establish economic parameters for audio description production
• identify European legislative measures and other incentives which may accelerate development o initiate European standardisation of technology with the European Broadcasting Union.

From the outset, the project has been a European one. For this partnership is the only sensible way in which a complex set of conditions can be brought together: a commitment on the part of broadcasters to introduce the service, enough audio-described programmes to make purchase of receivers attractive, the emergence of a sizeable market to stimulate industrial mass production and hence low-cost receiver equipment. As some major European TV producers are looking at orientations for future development, it is hoped that one of them will join the AUDETEL Project in due course.

What is the time scale for implementing audio description in Britain and other European countries? Much will depend on the speed of the technology standardisation process, as the prospect of a European and world standard will unfailingly attract a forward-looking producer. But equally important is the readiness of major broadcasters to introduce the service, and of the European Community to develop appropriate policies in support of audio description development.

All the pieces of the jigsaw will fall into place some time during the second half of the decade, with Britain quite possibly the first European country to make the service available.

Audio description has undoubtedly the potential of becoming one of the finest technological innovations ever made for the benefit of visually-impaired people, capable of raising the quality of life of some six to ten million visually-impaired European citizens.

Undoubtedly, this is a challenge that a technologically innovative and socially mature Europe - one which cares for citizens with disabilities and the growing number of older people in the community - cannot ignore.

RNIB will be publishing an AUDETEL newsletter at four- monthly intervals from this month onwards. If you would like to receive copies, please write to AUDETEL Newsletter, RNIB, 224 Great Portland Street, London WIN 6AA.

Acknowledgements

I should like to acknowledge the help of all AUDETEL partners, the European Commission, Descriptive Video Service, the Wash- ington Metropolitan Ear, the Japan Braille Library, Association Valentin Haüy, Audio Vision San Francisco and France, BBC “One in Four”, Raina Haig, Diana Hull and Joanne Lukes.

Content author: ann.lee@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 20/11/2008 11:13