edited by Cynthia G. Hawkins
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
National Braille Press Announces New Trustees
National Braille Press (NBP) has three new trustees and a returning trustee.
The new trustees are Mark Blocker, a partner at Sidley Austin; Katie Carvalho, an actuary at Liberty Mutual; and Jamie Crane, a blind advocate with notable experience at the Colorado Center for the Blind and Google. Returning is David Kennedy, a senior leader at Columbia Threadneedle Investments U.S.
Changes for I Love Braille
If you enjoy the I Love Braille events sponsored by the East Bay Center for the Blind, please make a note of these changes.
Time: Thursdays, 12pm ET, 9am PT
Zoom Link: https://acb-org.zoom.us/j/85372703181?pwd=RPKxZFbc1l6Y0jl2YGs18MajwereIz.1
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,85372703181#,,,,*123456#
Phone: +13126266799
Meeting ID: 853 7270 3181
Passcode: 1961
For archives of the I Love Braille sessions, visit https://www.eastbaycenterfortheblind.org/i-love-braille-podcast/.
To get to the archives of the I Learn Braille sessions, go to https://www.eastbaycenterfortheblind.org/i-learn-braille/.
A Video Magnifier for Your iPhone
Eschenbach Optik of America, Inc. recently introduced Optaro®, the first video magnifier specifically made for a smartphone. This revolutionary new product easily attaches to an iPhone and turns two devices — a video magnifier and a phone — into one.
By downloading the free Optaro app, the Optaro camera module communicates with an iPhone, turning the phone into a video magnifier (up to 15x magnification). The LED illumination can be adjusted or turned off, ensuring a glare-free image. There are 14 color mode options. There is also an adjustable reading line, a read aloud function, and a customizable menu. Learn more at www.eschenbach.com/optaro/.
Real-Time Descriptions of Surroundings
A world of color and texture could soon become more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision through new software that narrates what a camera records.
The tool, called WorldScribe, was designed by University of Michigan researchers and was presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Pittsburgh in October.
The tool uses generative AI (GenAI) language models to interpret the camera images and produce text and audio descriptions in real time to help users become aware of their surroundings more quickly. It can adjust the level of detail based on the user’s commands or the length of time that an object is in the camera frame, and the volume automatically adapts to noisy environments like crowded rooms, busy streets and loud music.
For more information, visit https://worldscribe.org/.