The company that first captioned radio so that people who are deaf or
hard-of-hearing don't miss out on the latest news is demonstrating yet
another piece of translational technology this week in Northern
Kentucky.
NPR Labs, the
research and development arm of National Public Radio, has been working
on ways to caption radio broadcasts for years. Products include
on-screen captions as well as a
dual-screen option for cars
that allows drivers to see only a customized map of their location
while passengers view a printed story on the same screen from a
different angle.
So when visually impaired listeners spoke out, anxious to receive the
same kind of access to written news as their peers, NPR Labs responded.
The new technology uses some elements of existing translation devices to
create a direct port from the written transcript to transfer it to
Braille.
NPR Labs chose to debut and test their innovative new product at the
American Association of the Deaf-Blind (AADB) 2011 National Symposium, a gathering of service support providers as well as the deaf-blind. It runs June 19 through 24 in Ft. Mitchell.
Do Good:
• Check out the
agenda for the symposium.
• Learn more about
accessible radio.
•
Give a gift to support the work of Support Service Providers for the deaf-blind.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo courtesy NPR Labs
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