Adapting Personal Computers for Blind and Speech-handicapped Users

Occupational Capabilities. The occupational capabilities of the MHSS offer the greatest potential benefit to a handicapped individual. There are many blueand white-collar jobs that can be adapted for MHSSbased performance. However, this area also poses the greatest software challenges because efficient software subroutines will be needed to interface the MHSS with the occupational equipment. The most obvious blue-collar job opportunities center around the operation of electrical or electronic machinery that is monitored by visual means. Such jobs exist in many places as a result of increasing automation. Automation reduces manual labor but still requires some operators for their visual abilities. In many of these jobs, a motor-handicapped person is no longer at a disadvantage. For instance, printed circuit companies have a setup machine for automatic drills. The operator of this machine enters drill hole positions. With simple controls, he manually moves a cursor around on a projected image of a printed circuit. He centers optical crosshairs on a hole, punches a button, and the data are automatically entered into a computer. Once set up, the job is 90070 visual and 10% manual. By replacing the manual cursor with a motor drive, using voice control through the MHSS, and building some simple software, that task could easily be performed by a motor-handicapped person. There are even more opportunities for white-collar jobs. Most white-collar occupations are designed to be performed at a desk arranged with various tools, information, and, of course, the telephone. During the last few years, technology has begun to simplify