Dear Readers,
     We are proud to announce that after several long hours of data entry, our mailing list has
grown to over 3,000 in number, including individuals, schools, and companies from across the
nation and all over the world.
     Hopefully, you have received your new copy of The Bumpy Gazette at the correct address.  If
not, please contact us at the number or internet address below to make any changes.  If you or
your coworkers would like additional copies of this issue or the inaugral issue, please let us know.
We are also able to provide computer disk and braille copies of the gazette upon request.  When
contacting us, please provide all pertinent information, including your name, address, and phone
number.  Also, let us know if you would like RTI's informational packet describing all our
products.  And please feel free to share our number with everyone you know!  Thank you - Amy
Denekamp

1-(800) 948-8453   or
 internet address: DAVESREPRO@AOL.COM
 
 
 

                             DotsPlus

John Gardner
Professor of Physics
Oregon State University
301 Weniger Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331
tel: (541) 737-3278
e-mail: gardnerj@ucs.orst.edu

     When I lost my sight in mid-career, my computer with its voice synthesizer became my major
tool for reading, writing, and manipulating information.  As fantastic as this machine is, there is
much information that I still cannot access, simply because words are not enough.  Scientific
literature, even elementary school math and science textbooks, are crammed with equations,
tables, charts, graphs, pictograms, and many other figures that provide information that often
cannot be expressed easily in words.  Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words.
     Of course, I am not the first blind person to have this problem.  For many decades, people in
organizations providing services for the blind have been transforming this kind of information into
some form that blind people could use.  Such transcribing is an art, and an enormous amount of
loving human labor is required for every equation, every table, chart, graph, picture, etc.  The
need far outstrips the resources of the organizations that do this work.  I am sure that I could
easily keep a dozen dedicated people busy with my needs alone.  Obviously, there is no way for
me to have a dozen people working for me, so I just don't have access to much of the information
that I really need.
     I find this lack of access particularly frustrating, because most of the information that I want is
available by computer.  All scientists prepare their papers electronically, and most new books and
scientific journals are available on CD-ROMs, over the Internet, or by other computer-access
methods.  Unfortunately, most authors, publishers, and people who write authoring programs still
think only in terms of visual presentation.  Consequently, even though most of the information I
want is available on my computer, I can still only read the text.  Other information is just as
inaccessible as if it were on a printed page.
     Several of us at Oregon State University are working on alternate display methods that we
hope will make much of this electronically available information accessible to blind people.  It may
be years before some of our more ambitious projects result in products that will be widely
available.  However, our DotsPlus technology is just about ready for use in some circumstances,
and we are working hard to make it even more widely useful.  We expect soon to have authoring
kits available for applications using standard Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 fonts as well as a
LaTeX authoring kit.  These will be available free by ftp or by mail for a nominal handling charge.
     DotsPlus is more of a philosophy than a technology.  It was originally developed as a way to
display complicated equations in a tactile form that retains the two-dimensional formatting used
by sighted people.  For example, fractions are printed with the numerator above the denominator
separated by a horizontal line.  Superscripts are raised and subscripts are lowered.  DotsPlus is
particularly useful for things like matrices and determinants (these are basically little tables used in
advanced math).
     The DotsPlus philosophy, developed though a consensus of a few dozen blind scientists and
educators, is to use braille only for objects that cannot easily be identified by their shape.
Therefore, letters, numbers, most punctuation marks, and a few other symbols, are represented by
braille dot patterns.  Plus-signs, parentheses, and most of the arcane symbols of advanced math
and science are represented by raised shapes.  An enlargement factor of approximately 2.5 from
standard print is adequate for most symbols.  Some symbols are exaggerated to make them more
tactilely recognizable, but all are easily identifiable by sighted readers.
     We are now using DotsPlus to display a wide variety of graphical information.  Most figures in
math and science textbooks can be represented using DotsPlus.  In principle, if the information is
stored in an intelligent format, a blind person could make the transformation to DotsPlus without
assistance.  There are some special cases where this may be possible today, but in practice,
transformation of most things to DotsPlus now must be done by a sighted person.  However, the
transformation should be much faster and more accurate than the labor-intensive methods used in
previous years.
     Let me explain by example.  Suppose a graphic image has been created with some standard
word processor or graphics program, and one wants to make a copy for a blind person.  The
words, math symbols, etc. included in the computer files are generally represented by fonts that
can be changed at will.  The file should be read into the program that created it and enlarged if
possible up to about 3 times its original size.  Then all fonts should be changed to the SuperPlus
font that we distribute with our DotsPlus authoring fonts.  Most of the SuperPlus characters look
like 24-point Courier, but many are wider in order to match the size of the DotsPlus font.  For
example, the plus, minus, and equal signs are wider than 24-point Courier.
     With luck, the words, formulas, etc. will still fit in the space available to them.  If not, the
sighted editor will have to arrange the words so they do not cover any vital information.  We
recommend that this page be printed on standard paper, then the font changed to the DotsPlus
fonts, and this second figure printed onto Flexi-Paper (or printed on plain paper and copied onto
Flexi-Paper).  Put the Flexi-Paper through the Tactile Image Enhancer, and the job is done.  The
copy with the SuperPlus fonts can be attached to the tactile copy if the blind user wants a faithful
image that sighted people can read.
     If a figure is available only as a picture on paper, it can be scanned into a computer graphics
image, the text images blocked and converted to characters by a recognition program (see the
article by Dave Schleppenbach in this issue), and then the above procedure can be followed to
produce a DotsPlus representation.
     Many figures will require little or no additional editing, but there will certainly be some that
will need major work by a sighted editor.  For example, we find that many block diagrams cannot
be represented conveniently unless one uses very large paper.  The size can be reduced and the
figure made more convenient for a blind user by using labels and then giving text descriptions
below the block diagram or on a separate page instead of putting the braille text on the block
diagram itself.  The font change also cannot represent special typefaces such as italic, bold, or
script.  When the typeface is important, then a typeface indicator must be put in by hand.
     The DotsPlus Braille characters are an 8-dot version of Grade 1 Braille in which each dot
pattern is unique independent of its position.  It is important, for example, to be able to distinguish
a period from the letter d or an exclamation point from the letter f in case the letter is subscript.
This is done by joining the dots in punctuation mark characters with thin lines that are not
noticable in normal reading but can be distinguished from letter braille characters when context is
not adequate.  Capital letters are indicated by an extra dot below the first column, the same
convention used on 8-dot computer braille displays.  Numbers are those of European computer
braille (Digits 1-9 are the letters a-i with an extra dot-6, and 0 is dot-346, the -ing sign of Grade 2
Braille).  Except for the numbers and a redefined question mark (dots 2356), Americans who can
read Grade 1 Braille should have no difficulty reading most DotsPlus expressions.  A few other
symbols, such as the asterick, the "at" (@) sign, and the infinity sign also appear as Braille, but
most other symbols are raised images.  Obviously, a blind reader must learn these characters to
use DotsPlus, but the learning curve should be much less severe than, for example, learning the
Nemeth Code or the American Computer Braille Code.
     These Braille characters are a subset of the GS Braille Code that Prof. Norberto Salinas
(University of Kansas) and I have developed.  GS is a dual 6/8 dot Braille code modeled on the
uniform braille code.  More information on DotsPlus and the GS code is available on the World
Wide Web at http://dots.physics.orst.edu or contact the author at the address given above.
 
 
 
 

    TEACHING SCIENCE TO THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED: THE VISIONS LAB

David Schleppenbach
Director, VISIONS LAB
Purdue University
1393 BRWN Box #725
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Voice/Message: (317) 496-2856
FAX: (317) 494-0239
E-mail: engage@sage.cc.purdue.edu
World wid web: http://www.chem.purdue.edu/facilities/sightlab/index.html
 

     The areas of science and mathematics have traditionally been inaccessible to those students
with visual impairments.  Complex and high-tech fields such as Chemistry, Physics, Engineering,
Biology, and Mathematics are rife with visually presented concepts and information.  Historically,
this complex visual information has not been made available for widespread use in a format easily
accessible for blind and visually impaired students.  This lack of information, in turn, leads to
decreased interest in scientific fields by the blind, and thus few visually impaired scientists exist to
both provide standards for imparting scientific knowledge to the blind and also to serve as
mentors and role models for those visually impaired students wishing to pursue careers in the
sciences.
     The Purdue University VISIONS Lab, which stands for Visually Impaired Students Initiative
on Science, is a research laboratory dedicated to providing access to the numerous science
courses at Purdue.  Since its inception in the summer of 1995, this university-funded lab has both
served as a production facility for providing visually impaired students with educational materials
and as a research lab for developing new adaptive technologies.  Interestingly, the VISIONS Lab
was part of a university-wide response to the problems that visually impaired students face when
attending a major university, and included the efforts of individuals from the Office of the
President to the individual Teaching Assistants themselves, and everyone in between.  As of
Spring 1996, the VISIONS Lab has worked with two blind pre-medicine majors and one
low-vision graduate student in Chemistry.  The VISIONS Lab has been involved with course
work from many different departments including, but not limited to, Mathematics, Chemistry,
Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Psychology, Biology, Agronomy, and Spanish.  As can
be seen, the VISIONS Lab has rapidly expanded beyond its initial design to become a gestalt
facility, encompassing and supporting the daily needs of the students as well as predicting and
planning for future needs.
     The approach of the VISIONS Lab to solving specific academic problems encountered by
visually impaired students can be divided into two distinct halves: educational needs and
technological needs.  It is often the case that the latter is most easily provided; however, it is of
paramount importance that the educational requirements of learning not be lost in the forest of
high-tech, glamorous equipment.  To this end, the VISIONS Lab administrators participate in
planning the student's course needs on a semester-by-semester basis with the help of case
conferences with the student, his or her instructors, and several university student service
organizations such as the Dean of Students Office.  After the needs have been assessed, the
scientists involved in the daily operation of the lab take charge and develop the necessary
technology to realize these educational necessities.  The VISIONS Lab currently employs several
graduate and undergraduate students, under the administration of the director, who develops and
produces the educational materials needed by the students on a daily basis.
     In order to fully understand the power and usefulness of this approach, the two halves of the
VISIONS Lab problem-solving strategy will be examined for two courses from two disparate
disciplines.  Two courses to be discussed in detail are Organic Chemistry and Calculus.  These
classes serve as excellent examples of the technological and educational advances developed by
the VISIONS Lab and available as educational standards on the World Wide Web.  In every case,
the adaptive technologies used for a particular class depend primarily on the abilities and strengths
of the students.  For example, a student skilled in Braille will receive most of the course
information in tactile format; whereas, a student geared towards auditory learning will be the
recipient of taped lectures, computer-synthesized screen readers, and other vocal learning
methods.
     The VISIONS Lab originally was conceived as a means to solve a nagging problem in
Mathematics, specifically dealing with a particular Calculus course.  Calculus is a special challenge
for the blind, as it is very difficult (and sometimes not possible) to interpret all of the mathematical
information orally.  What was needed at Purdue was a way for the blind students and faculty to
quickly and easily interact with each other and communicate complex mathematical ideas.  Since
the two blind students at Purdue were different types of learners, one auditory and the other
tactile-oriented, a general strategy to service both was desperately needed.  The solution to this
problem, which was produced by the VISIONS Lab during its initial development stages, was to
develop a software program that would translate mathematical and scientific equations into a
format appropriate for blind students.  The initial approach was to convert the equations into the
standard Nemeth Braille code for mathematics; later, modifications were made to allow speech
output of the equations (this is still in development).  The program is available on the VISIONS
Lab homepage at http://www.chem.purdue.edu/facilities/sightlab.index.html and is freeware,
together with a manual explaining its use.  Also available is a tutorial manual to the Nemeth code,
that follows most example equations in the Nemeth Braille Code for Science and Mathematics,
1972 rev., and translates it into Braille using the program.  The program was created as a giant
macro for WordPerfect for Windows version 6.0 and 6.1 and produces all output in proper
Nemeth Braille code.  This allows the various secretaries at Purdue who type materials for the
Calculus courses to submit the tests in electronic format to the VISIONS Lab.  The secretaries
must follow a few simple typing conventions when creating the documents, but these conventions
in no way prevent the final document from being used by BOTH sighted and blind students.  Also,
the typing conventions are clearly detailed with examples in the manual and are usable by
someone with no knowledge of Braille.  The VISIONS Lab, upon receipt of the electronic copy
of the document, converts the equations into Braille using the macro.  The literary portion of the
document is then translated using a commercially available Braille translator, the Duxbury (TM)
Braille Translator for Windows.  Many other translators would be suitable as well, however, such
as MegaDots (TM) from Raised Dot Computing.  The final Braille document is embossed on a
Braille printer such as the VersaPoint Braille embosser.  This entire process, from receipt of the
electronic document to printing of the Braille copy takes about five minutes per page translated
on average.  Of course, documents that are not in electronic format or that include special items
may take longer.  This process is certainly easier than translating the entire document by hand,
which may take days or weeks.
     After the development of the Braille translator software, the next natural step was to allow for
speech output of equations as well.  This project, currently under development, will allow
students to translate the equations themselves and have the information read to them via a
standard software package (TextAssist (TM) for the SoundBlaster (TM) family of sound cards).
Concomitant with this project is another in sound imaging.  This project attempts to vocally image
two- or three-dimensional objects (such as matrices in math or molecules in chemistry) in three
dimensions around the listener's head.  This is currently being done with the SoundBlaster (TM)
card and the Qsound (TM) software technology, as well as a pair of Altec Lansing (TM)
Surroundsound (TM) speakers.
     Of course, some aspects of Calculus require more advanced treatment.  For example, much of
advanced Calculus deals with the interpretation of two- and three-dimensional graphs,  and how
aspects of them relate to mathematical equations.  This information simply cannot be
communicated orally, and yet it is vital that the student understand graphical relationships, since
many key ideas in science and math are too complex to be interpreted symbolically.  Indeed, the
use of models and visualization to simplify complex ideas is a critical skill for future scientists;
blind students, like any other student, must be able to assimilate vast amounts of data at a glance
by the use of graphs and diagrams.  In order to deal with this problem, the use of a Tactile Image
Enhancer (TM) from Repro-Tronics, Inc. was used.  Various standard computer graphing
packages such as MathCad, Maple, and Mathematica were modified to produce graphs with
Braille labels created by the Duxbury Braille Font for Windows (TM).  After printing these images
in ink, the images were transferred via Xerox to Tactile Image Enhancement paper and converted
into a raised Tactile Image via the Tactile Image Enhancer.  When appropriate, these graphs and
diagrams were embedded in the Braille text of the document by cutting and pasting.  For images
that are not reproducible by the computer or available in electronic format, scanners were used
with a graphics program like CorelDraw (TM) to produce ink output for subsequent image
enhancement.  This general technique, like the equation translation, has two advantages: the
ability to accept electronic forms of diagrams for enhancement, and the overall speed of the
process.  For diagrams received in electronic format, the entire process from modifying to pasting
into the Braille document can take less than 15 minutes.
     The second subject dealt with by the VISIONS Lab, and perhaps the most challenging, is
Organic Chemistry.  This field involves several problems that are especially difficult for blind
students.  First, Organic Chemistry involves a tremendous volume of material, which is barely
tolerable by many sighted students and can be too much for some blind students to keep up.  This
is mainly because of the lengthy process of listening to taped or read materials.  Second, most of
the material in Organic Chemistry is two- or three-dimensional in nature, and it is critical to have
an understanding of spatial relationships of molecules to be a functional organic chemist.  Finally,
the laboratory part of the class must be modified to allow blind students to use the laboratory
equipment, perform experiments, and take data.
     For the Organic Chemistry lecture, the main problem was in translating the material into
Braille or tactile images for the blind students.  The main process once again involved the
translation macro, which can also translate all chemical reactions not involving complicated two-
or three-dimensional molecules.  For those molecules which are not expressible in linear format,
tactile images were once again imbedded in the appropriate part of the text.  For producing Braille
tactile diagrams of chemical structures, several standard chemical drawing programs were used,
including HyperChem, ChemDraw, Chem 3D, and Chem Windows.  These modifications have
been standardized and are available on the World Wide Web.  Also, some modifications and/or
additions to the existing Nemeth code had to be developed to allow for complex chemical
reactions and structures, as this was not a part of the existing code.  Whenever possible, the spirit
of the Nemeth code was kept in mind when developing new conventions.  Thus, many of the
conventions are very small adjustments to existing rules and symbols to allow for inclusion of
information from the world of Chemistry.  These new Braille conventions are also available via
the VISIONS Lab homepage on the World Wide Web.  One problem with converting chemical
diagrams is that often the diagrams are too complex or too crowded for successful tactile
interpretation.  Because it is difficult to decide what information (if any) can be excluded from a
complex chemical diagram without loss of meaning, careful consideration was given to
educational adaptations.  With the help of Chemistry faculty and teaching assistants, the diagrams
are simplified on a case-by-case basis, with the main goal of remaining as true as possible to the
original diagram.  In general, many diagrams can have their original meaning preserved by simply
enlarging the details to allow proper tactile resolution of things such as location of atoms,
movement of electrons, etc.
     A final problem for the blind Chemistry students was in the evaluation of their learning.  Often
when taking tests or quizzes, the Organic student must demonstrate knowledge by drawing
detailed diagrams of reaction mechanisms or chemical structures.  Three different approaches
were used to combat this problem.  First, a Velcro box was constructed with Velcro pieces that
attach to the surface and stick.  The pieces are differently shaped and labeled in Braille as to the
identity of the piece.  The geometry of the particular piece indicates its identity as well.  For
example, carbon atoms are squares labeled with a "C", and in chemical reactions, Carbon bonds
with four other atoms (indicated by the four sides of the square).  Electrons are represented by
small circles.  This allows the student to interact with a tutor, teaching assistant, or proctor and
demonstrate a reaction to someone who does not know Braille but does know Chemistry.  A
second approach was the use of raised line drawing kits, such as the Swail dot inverter or the
Sewell raised line drawing kit, both available from the American Printing House for the Blind
(TM).  Here, both the student and proctor can draw "stick" diagrams (which are commonplace
means of expressing reactions in Organic Chemistry) and interact in real time just like a sighted
student with an ink pen.  A final approach was the creation of software, still in development, that
will take Braille typed on carbonless copy paper (which makes an ink image of the Braille dots),
scan this Braille into electronic format with a scanner, and re-convert this scanned Braille into
text.  This would allow blind students to hand in assignments in Braille for the professor (who
knows nothing about Braille) to later grade and return.  The eventual goal for this would be to
have a computer act as the intermediate between professor and student; that is, the computer
would translate from print-to-Braille or vice versa and serve as the interpreter for the blind
student and the professor.
     The Chemistry laboratory also presented several formidable challenges.  The first concern of
many members of the Chemistry faculty was the safety of both the blind student and their
assistants also in the laboratory.  Thus, any adaptations made must account for safety and
proactively prevent any possible dangerous situations from arising.  To this end, it was decided
that a sighted laboratory assistant, together with the technological adaptations, would be best for
all involved.  This situation has been beneficial for the blind student as well as the other students
and teachers, because the blind student has the opportunity to fully explore the laboratory
environment with immediate feedback from the assistant, and can learn interactively along with
the other students.  As far as the technological aspects of the laboratory equipment, some
modifications were made to the actual equipment, allowing for knobs and buttons to be Brailled
and so forth, and all the laboratory materials were available in Braille.  Most of the readings and
measurements were taken with the use of the lab assistant, who acted as the blind students "eyes"
and "arms" for some of the work, such as taking a reading from a dial, mixing chemicals, heating
solutions, etc.  Some work is currently being done in the VISIONS Lab to convey some
laboratory instruments such as spectrophotometers to voice-output systems.  However, the more
promising area of research in the VISIONS Lab has been in the area of virtual instrumentation.
The VISIONS Lab is currently exploring, with the use of both in-house and commercial programs
such as LabView, the creation of virtual experiments on the computer that would have
voice-input and voice-output control interfaces.  Purdue currently uses virtual instrumentation for
a number of its laboratory courses, so the task is to modify the existing software.
     As can be seen, the VISIONS Lab is both adapting existing technology and creating new
technology to solve specific problems presented by having blind students in science.  We have
made these advances available on the World Wide Web in the hopes that others working on
similar problems will join with us in an attempt to solve some very challenging problems.  It is our
sincere hope that the advances developed in the VISIONS Lab will serve as impetus for the blind
students to begin to explore the realms of science that have been so difficult to learn for so long.
Purdue's long-range plan for the VISIONS Lab is one of optimism and hope that many blind
students both at Purdue and around the world will take advantage of some of the standards
developed here.  Together with adaptive technologists around the globe, the VISIONS Lab hopes
to make the future of science education for the visually impaired a brighter one, indeed.
 
 
 
 

From Information Technology and Disabilities, 1, 4, 1994.  (revised April 1996)

          A GRAPHICAL CALCULUS COURSE FOR BLIND STUDENTS
 

Albert A. Blank, Computer Science Department, College of Staten Island, CUNY,
Karen L. Gourgey, Computer Center for the Visually Impaired, Baruch College, CUNY,
Michael E. Kress, Computer Science Department, College of Staten Island, CUNY.
 

     For blind students seeking education and a career in science, engineering and mathematics, the
calculus has presented a formidable barrier.  This is not simply due to the intrinsic difficulty of the
subject, which is obstacle enough for most students.  The special additional hurdle for blind
students is the substantial graphical componenet of the typical calculus course.  There are two
major aspects of that graphical component: primarily, there is the representation of geometrical
objects, especially the graphs of functions; then, there is the presentation of mathematical
formulas as a graphic display.
     Under a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Computer Science Department
(CSD) of the College of Staten Island and the Computer Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI)
of Baruch College are developing text materials and providing an environment to offer blind and
visually impaired students technologically assisted access to the graphical content of the calculus.
The goal of the project is to equal or exceed the quality of courses for students with unimpaired
vision.  We are installing facilities for reading mathematical text and graphics directly without help
of sighted readers.  It is only quite recently that any such technology has become practical and
affordable for institutions.  We can expect that it will become so for individuals before long.
     We wish to bring such a course into being for the students who need it right now.  For that
reason, we are trying to base our system, insofar as possible, on "off-the-shelf" technology and
courseware, rather than try to invent much of it.
     For basic course content, we are using the successful self-paced mastery course in calculus
developed at Carnegie-Mellon University for students of science, engineering and mathematics,
developed by Albert Blank assisted by Raymond E. Artz.  This is being supplemented by essential
prerequisite materials that visually impaired students may lack.  The original text was oblivious to
the special needs of these students.  For example, the original text stated in its second paragraph,
"The axes divide the coordinate plane into four quadrants which are traditionally labeled with
Roman numerals as shown in Figure 1-1."  No further clarification was given.  Many small
adaptations have been made for accessibility, and the improvement in explicit detail is expected to
help all students.
     The use of a course designed for self-pacing is basic to the program.  Our students work with
new multisensory media that present the course materials and augment their skills with new
language and new techniques of expression for presenting their own work.  They will generally
need extra time, effort, and training.  Furthermore, thorough mastery is vital because the calculus
is fundamental to most science and engineering.  Moreover, mastery is important in order to give
the students confidence that they can become proficient in areas that are hitherto largely
inaccessible to them.
     Many of the problems of presentation to students with visual impairments can now be
addressed with existing technology in a multimedia, multisensory environment:
-- audio-tactile tablets can be prepared and programmed beforehand to present graphics.
-- scanners with optical character recognition (OCR) software can be used to read conventional
printed text into ASCII files.  Braille printers with appropriate translation software can render
those files in Braille.
-- for those who do not read Braille or even those who do, screen reading systems provide access
to ASCII encoded text files.
-- enlarged display screens are available for those with lesser degrees of impairment.
-- Hyperdermia techniques can be used to provide easy access at will to information in the
courseware.
-- touch tablets coupled with special software and hardware can enable students to create their
own tactile and graphics for study.  The software permits transformation to conventional print for
presentation of their work to sighted persons.

1. Presentation of graphics.
     We are using the touch sensitive NOMAD audiotactile tablet to present an audiotactile graphic
image.  The actual graphic is an embossed pattern on a soft plastic sheet 16.5 inches wide by
11.75 inches high.  The diagram is drawn on a rectangular coordinate grid with 1 inch by 1 inch
meshes.  The lettering of the figure is in Nemeth Braille.  The more significant features in the
graphic are presented in higher relief with wider lines than the lesser ones, giving tactile
expression to the varying importance of the different details.  There is a button at the bottom of
each vertical grid line; when it is pressed, the NOMAD voice synthesizer gives the x-coordinate of
the line.  Similarly, a button on the left of a horizontal grid line voices its y-coordinate.  Pressure
at the intersection of the axes will voice, "origin".  Pressure at any other point of the x-axis will
voice "x-axis", etc.  At the upper right of the graphic, there is a column of diamond-shaped
buttons.  Pressure on one of these will voice the associated keyword.  Any feature of the graphic
can be programmed to voice three levels of information in succession.  This is especially useful
when applied to the graphic's I.D. box placed in the lower right corner.  At that location, the first
level of information gives the figure number and name.  The next levels can give the names of the
features of interest.  The third level, if any, presents further infomation about the graphic or the
lesson as the instructor desires.  NOMAD lacks high level editing capabilities but it is easy,
though sometimes tedious, to program.
     The grid spacing and button placement described here is maintained for all the graphs the
student will use in the course.  The keywords will differ depending on the lesson.  The origin and
axes may lie anywhere or even be located outside the picture frame.  The coordinates of
successive grid points on the axes can differ by some other constant than one.  At the same time,
the constant structures of the graphics will offer a consistent, familiar environment in which the
student can operate securely.
     The hope for the future is that the process of making a graphic will be fully automated so that
a blind person can operate interactively at a work station to create and analyze such a graphic
without requiring the assistance of a sighted person.  A major step in that direction is the
AudioCad program for speech enhanced computer drawing.  This can be coupled with the
NOMAD for tactile input or input can be entirely from the keyboard.

2. Presentation of formulas.
     Formulas introduce special problems that technology has not resolved in simple ways:
a. Optical character recognition.  OCR programs offer great promise.  However, they are not yet
completely reliable readers even of straightforward literary text.  Moreover, technical print
containing formulas is still far beyond their capabilities.
b. Braille.  Braille systems for rendering formulas exist and others are in development.
     The Nemeth code was developed specifically for the purpose of rendering mathematical
expressions in Braille.  Nemeth is a superset of Grade 1 Braille.  It uses standard six dot Braille
and, by virtue of adroitly constructed combinations of Braille characters, is able to represent very
complex expressions.  The Nemeth system needs to use compound characters to represent many
of the symbols that are single characters on a keyboard.  A more significant difficulty is that the
code is deficient in the graphical elements of complex mathematical expressions that enable the
sighted learner to develop an intuitive grasp of the material.
     Computer Braille is a six dot system which represents letters, numerals, and punctuation
(including parentheses, brackets, and braces).  It is most useful for communicating between
ASCII based and Braille based devices without the need for a great deal of translation.  Computer
Braille can be used for mathematical formulas but its use doesn't make it easier or faster for
understanding them.
     A hybrid system is being developed by Prof. John A. Gardner at Oregon State University
under an NSF grant.  This is the DotsPlus system which combines eight dot Braille with tactile
display of some of the graphical elements in technical formulas.  (With eight dots per Braille cell,
a true one-to-one match could be made between Braille cells and ASCII's eight bit bytes.  This
would be even more useful for blind programmers than computer Braille but this is not an
objective of DotsPlus).  We plan to test the DotsPlus system in the course of our program but it,
in common with other Braille systems, requires preliminary training of our volunteers and cannot
be deployed immediately.  Anything but the limited use of Nemeth Braille will have to be
postponed.
C. Voice presentation.  Until we are able to install more advanced methods of presenting technical
text, we are simply using the time-honored method of preparing audio cassettes made by a trained
reader.
     The application of voice synthesis to read ASCII encoded text files appears to be the most
promising method in sight.  In our multimedia laboratory, we shall soon install T.V. Raman's
program, ASTER.  ASTER has great parsing and expressive capabilities.  It can auditorily render
the structure and content of a mathematical formula in ways analogous to a graphical display.
ASTER has excellent hypertext facilities that permit sophisticated random search for information.
These capabilities exceed those of a trained mathematical reader, as demonstrated by cassette
tapes prepared by Recordings for the Blind, Princeton, NJ.  ASTER reads technical ASCII files
written with the LaTeX macro package for the mathematical typesetting language, TeX.  The
combination of LaTeX and ASTER has a special advantage: it is possible to use a command set
that expresses the semantic content of a symbol as well as its typographical form.  For example,
the symbol (a,b) for an ordered pair of entities is used in mathematics in many different contexts
and interpretations.  If it were used to represent the coordinates of a point in a plane, say, it would
be possible to use a special LaTeX macro that would cause the symbol to be printed as usual but
cause ASTER to speak, "point a comma b".
     As yet, ASTER requires substantial hardware and software resources that would usually be
available only in an institutional setting.  Until ASTER is installed, mathematical formulas can be
written out in English for synthesis by screen reading programs.  For example, the formula
                          (a+b) / (c+d)
could be typed as "fraction   a plus b   over   c plus d", where the extra spacing is to be read as
brief pauses.

3. Presentation of student work.
     The LaTeX macro package is a comprehensive word processing program for literary text
enhanced by special facilities for processing technical formulas.  It is already the most common
form for the computer processing of mathematical text, and extensions of LaTeX are being
developed for other sciences.  LaTeX offers a special benefit to our students, who generally have
keyboarding skills: they can present their work in LaTeX.  A LaTeX source file uses only
keyboard symbols.  Since LaTeX expresses the semantic content of a formula through simple
macros that can be interpreted either by print graphics, Braille, or voice synthesis, it can be used
as a common basis for all computer assisted presentation of technical text.  The effort to learn the
few LaTeX commands appropriate to a particular course of study is about the same that any
student would devote to learning the symbolism of the subject.  It would be unnecessary for a
student to learn many, if any, of LaTeX's visual typesetting commands.  Work executed in LaTeX
could be printed in typeset form by the student for submission to the instructor or the LaTeX
source file could be viewed in that form on the instructor's screen.  With appropriate software and
a Braille printer, the student's work could be saved in hard copy for future use.  Wherever
ASTER is installed, the student could review his or her work in audible form with the assistance
of ASTER's search facilities.  Without ASTER, we would expect that audible review could be
done by standard screen reading systems "trained" to render the LaTeX commands.  For example,
"$\sin (x) $", would be voiced as, "the sine of x".

Conclusion.
     It is our hope that others will act along the lines explored by us.  The technology for education
and training for careers in science, engineering, and mathematics of people with visual disabilities
is already here.  As an added bonus, much of that same technology can do double duty and serve
people with certain kinds of learning disabilities.  We need not and should not wait for the
technology to reach a higher state of perfection as, surely, it will.  We can upgrade
component-by-component as the technology improves.  For now, we can enjoy the marvelous
advances that permit us to do what would have been impossible a scant two years ago when our
group first contemplated instituting such a program.
 
 

                         Acknowledgments
     We are grateful to Julio C. Perez for reviewing the section on braille and contributing his
knowledge.
     This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, Experimental Projects in
Human Resources and Education, Grant No. HRD 9450166, "Multisensory Calculus for Teaching
Students with Visual Impairments," 1994.
 
 
 
 

Repro-Tronics' Products

     As you can see from this issue's articles, each of these projects have found that the use of
products supplied by Repro-Tronics has greatly assisted in the ability to either create or read the
Tactile documents needed . For anyone who is unfamiliar with RTI's product line, we are
including a brief description of each product below:

TACTILE IMAGE ENHANCER (TIE) and FLEXI-PAPER
     The Tactile Image Enhancer is a machine that, in conjunction with Flexi-Paper will create
a tactile image of any image desired .  The process is simple: place the Flexi-Paper in the paper
tray of your office copier.  Place the original document on the copier glass and produce a copy
onto the Flexi-Paper.  Then take the sheet of paper and feed it through the TIE.  In twelve
seconds, the paper emerges, and all print images are raised.  Alternative methods of placing
images on Flexi-Paper are to write on it with a Grease Pencil or with a Schwain All-Stabilo #8045
black pencil (Thanks for this tip goes to Don Walker from Harvard University).  We have also had
success by imaging Flexi-Paper in a dot matrix printer (with a good fresh ribbon) and then passing
it through the TIE.
     Flexi-Paper  is a very unique capsule paper that was developed by Repro-Tronics. The
product has the special ability, once the image has been reproduced and raised, to be able to be
folded or crumbled without distorting the tactile image.  Thus, mobility maps can now be folded
and carried in a person's shirt pocket.  This property also means that Tactile documents that have
been produced will be very long lasting and durable.
     FLEXI-PAPER is available in this variety of sizes: 8 1/2 X 11,  11 x 11 1/2,  11 x 17,  A3,
A4, and now, to accommodate note taking with the Thermo-Pen, we have added 50 sheet packs
of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 size Flexi-paper.
THERMO-PEN
     The Thermo-Pen brings portability to the fast and simple creation of tactile documents.
This device, which is about the size and shape of a large marking pen, is attached by means of a
wire to a battery box.  In the box there is mounted two 9 volt batteries. When the two devices are
plugged together, the very tip of the pen is activated.  Once activated, the pen is used to write
directly upon Flexi-Paper.  As the pen is passed along the surface of the paper an instantaneous
tactile image is formed.  This device weighs only 4 ounces, making it truly a carry- with-you
necessity.
BUMPY PICTURES  (  AudioCAD  { CAN'T ANYONE DRAW ? } and AudioPIX )
     Bumpy Pictures  is the new software product introduced by Repro-Tronics that enables
sighted blind and visually impaired people to be able to create diagrams, pictures, maps, etc.,
without requiring assistance.  The program consists of two separate elements, AudioCAD and
AudioPIX.
     Bumpy Pictures  is a DOS based program that can use a touch tablet, both as an input
device for creating and as an interpreting device when reading tactile documents.  The tablets that
are supported by Bumpy Pictures are the following: Edmark Touch Window, Quantum
Technology/APH Nomad, Concept Keyboard Infomatrix A3, Microtek Unmouse, Humanware
Mastertouch.  A keyboard only mode for input is possible and no tablet is necessary.  The
program includes Provoice speech synthesizer, and supports the following speech output devices:
Sound Blaster, Digispeech portable, Adlib, IBM Sound Card, Echo II, and the computer's own
internal speaker.
     AudioCAD is the portion of the program used to create the tactile document, and
AudioPIX is the portion of the program that is used to read tactile documents by generating an
audio response to any portion of the document which is touched.
     AudioCAD consists of 28 functions, which are accessed using the function keys F-1
through F-9, F-10 is help. These functions allow for the creation of circles, squares, triangles, and
virtually any shape desired.  The diagram can be labeled in Braille, then the Braille can be placed
wherever desired.  As a sighted teacher, friend, or relative of a blind person, simply take a
drawing from a book, textbook, magazine, or newspaper and TRACE it with your finger, a pencil,
or other stylus into a form defined automatically by AudioCAD.  Then print it or emboss it.  Once
a diagram has been created, there are facilities to output it to either a Braille embosser ( 28
different embossers drivers are included ) or to print, wherein the Braille Graphics are converted
from Braille dots to smooth line drawings, for easier reading ( 539 various printer drivers are
included ).  Files can be saved, reloaded, or modified.  Within AudioCAD, there are 4 different
methods by which data can be input, which are the following:  Blind using a touch tablet, Blind
using keyboard only, Sighted using a touch tablet, Sighted using keyboard only.
     AudioPIX is the portion of the program that allows already created documents to be
transformed into a file. Then when a tactile document is placed upon the tablet  and the
appropriate area is touched, pressing down on the tablet surface will generate an audio output
describing that particular point in the document.  AudioPIX requires the use of the tablet in order
to function.
     Complete working DEMONSTRATION kits are available at no cost. The limitations of
the demo kits are that files can neither be loaded nor saved, and only 25% of the drawing will be
printed or embossed.  Demonstration versions may be freely copied, and any order that includes a
returned demonstration disk will receive a 10% reduction toward the purchase of the program.
AUDIO -TACTILE  READING KITS
     The Audio-Tactile Reading Kits are available both in print  and on disk.  The Kits are
designed to teach how to read and create tactile diagrams. They are available in both A3 and 8 1/2
x11 size formats.  The files that correspond toa particular set of drawings are loaded into
AudioPIX, then the appropriate drawing is placed upon the touch tablet.  As each particular
tactile point of the drawing is touched the audio response describes it.
     The Kits available at this time are: SPORTS, CONCEPTS, MAP READING, HOW
MANY ?, HUMAN BIOLOGY and ALPHABET SOUP.
 
 
 

Repro-Tronics' Dealers

Repro-Tronics has a lengthy list of authorized RTI Dealer Companies and contact information.
Not all dealers are authorized to sell all RTI products.  Please call Repro-Tronics for further
information and details concerning the dealers near you at 1-800-94T-TILE (1-800-948-8453) or
contact Dave Skrivanek at the internet address: DavesRepro@aol.com