一個能輔助視障者用觸控式中文點字發送簡訊的研究

Text Messaging for the Visually Impaired: Designing a Touchbased Chinese Braille System

視障者與生俱來缺乏視覺能力，使得視障者難以自行書寫文字，特別是遠距離溝通時，常受到限制，講電話應是最容易的方式，然而日常生活中，明眼人大量使用簡訊，卻無人願意為視障者開發其所熟悉的點字工具，反而只能用鍵盤鍵入或語音轉錄。全世界使用中文的視障者比例最高，本研究設計出輔助視障者專用， 觸控式中文點字簡訊發送器：Chinese Braille Sender (CBS)。過程中邀請光鹽盲人基金會理事長擔任領域專家，深度訪談與實際測試CBS 功能，由於CBS 成本低廉且具語音提示功能，故視障者可以自由地傳遞與接收簡訊，增加語音外溝通的新選擇，CBS 原始碼公開下載，希望有助於視障者的生活福祉。

The inability to see makes it difficult for the visually impaired to write Chinese characters. Historically, this has restricted the visually impaired’s ability to engage in long distance communication, however, the invention of the telephone overcame some of the limitation and eased long distance communication. Currently, people with normal sight often send each other short text messages. Until now, no one has been willing to develop a text messaging system that uses the Braille tools that are familiar to the visually impaired. Current tools for the visually impaired require either a keyboard or some form of speech-to-text conversion. Since a large percentage of the world’s visually impaired are Chinese, this study developed the Chinese Braille Sender (CBS): a Chinese Braille text messaging application for smartphones. To fully understand the needs of the visually impaired, an in-depth interview was conducted with the chairman of the Light and Salt Association who explored his knowledge of the domain. Practical testing of the proposed functionality was also conducted. The voiceprompting functionality of the CBS can assist the visually impaired to freely exchange text messages with others, providing a new, low-cost alternative to oral communication or typing. CBS is available as freeware for anyone who cares about the welfare of the visually impaired.