RE: illiteracy & internet

This reminds me about one new mobile service available
now in Finland.

We have people with hearing (and/or speaking problems).

They have created sign-language, so they "speak" by
showing things with their hands and movements.

There is now a mobile service in Finland where a person
who needs to use this "hand-talking" can communicate
with people who don't understand it and can not communicate
back.

Today there are in 3G network mobile phones which allows
to have a "video-call". There is a service, when a person
who can (only) communicate with "hand-talking" can make
a video--call to the service, where a person is then
translating this "hand-talking" to normal voice. This 
service is using "conference call" so the person who
can not understand "hand-talking" is on the same call.

So this service allows this only "hand-talking" person
to communicate with non- "hand-talking" person.

This service has been used example when "hand-talking"
person need to call to hospital or to the taxation
office etc.

Br. Lauri 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: public-mw4d-request@w3.org 
>[mailto:public-mw4d-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of ext Janusz Lukasiak
>Sent: 30 June, 2008 20:11
>To: public-mw4d@w3.org
>Subject: illiteracy & internet
>
>
>Thank you for mentioning the "lower-literate" category.  By 
>the definition given in
>> http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050314.html
>everybody who tries to read a text in a language one can just 
>about get by in is in this category :-) For example I'm 
>"lower-literate"
>in Russian...
>Of course this is a difficult case to deal with - there is no 
>"dumbing down" CSS,  it's up to the author to use a simple 
>language and layout (which is a Good Idea in any case).
>
>As to distinguishing illiterate and disabled people... well, I 
>never though it would be necessary to state explicitly that I 
>DO (and DID) understand the difference.
>I mentioned the same technique (text-to-voice) because I think 
>I could beneficial to both groups.
>
>> illiterate people
>> in the real world can live easily, that includes e.g. being 
>able to go 
>> to the doctor and describe their symptoms. So i'm sure that 
>through e.g.
>> the use of voice, or through the use of  potentially animated icons, 
>> it would be possible to design systems that help people, without 
>> requiring them to be literate.
>Yes, humans lived as illiterates for millennia,  and they 
>communicated quite happily using voice & gestures only, thanks 
>for reminding us.
>So for a two-way internet use there is an obvious role for a 
>voice recognition system (also of interest to some disabled).  
>
>How all that (text-to-voice and voice-to-text)  is to be 
>included in a cheap mobile phone  isn't obvious :-(
>
>Janusz Lukasiak
>
>
>

Received on Monday, 30 June 2008 19:28:38 UTC