The Challenge expensive upgrades to have the latest screen- The lack of accessible media material in developing reading applications and other software. countries can place someone blind, such as myself, Here is where you come in. The realities of a in a de facto Stone Age when it comes to productivity. population that is 70 to 90 unemployed require In this context, an inexpensive PDA-type computing a solution that is creative, bold, and uncompro- device can be nothing less than revolutionary for a mising. While this is a tough challenge, having blind student. A single device with the functionality somebody such as yourself hacking away at it gives of a talking notebook, calculator, textbook, calendar, us a realistic chance at bringing education and and dictionary is particularly exciting when the employment to millions of blind folk. alternative is having none of these.
Your mission, should you accept it, is to make a Specs computing device accessible to millions of blind The magnitude of the challenge requires much kids around the world. To do this, you need to find more than an incremental improvement on what’s the cheapest device capable of handling Linux, a now available. The solution we need must cost keyboard, a speech synthesizer, and speakers or about $200 and meet the following requirements. earphones. Then, your GPL-licensed creativity will The device must be made entirely of mass-make people like me fundraise in order to mass- produced parts. This is essential because the idea is produce it. to benefit from manufacturing economies of scale
Traditional solutions such as brailled or recorded and have easy availability of hardware and software. books are expensive and often inadequate sub- Your solution will be used as a proof of concept. You stitutes for eyesight when it comes to studying or need not worry if you plugged a PDA board and a working competitively. Conventional computers keyboard together without these being protected using proprietary software are also not a realistic by a sturdy box. The real challenge is getting solution given an estimated blind population of inexpensive hardware and open source software to more than 180 million. A PC can easily cost in talk. Other requirements such as case, assembly, excess of $1,300 when hardware and commercial packaging, and language localization, are things screen-reading software are included. Finally, the someone like myself can fundraise for. gift of a proprietary solution is the gift that keeps The hack must be entirely based on open source on costing, given the constant need to purchase software. This allows your work and that of others
References:
Archives