More of my thoughts in context...
Perhaps the focus may be (partly) redefined if were to reword "digital assistance" in Dinesh's well summarized metrics, to "viable assistance",
"digital" should be a subset of "viable" if/when/where found relevant and useful. Real-life is analogue (not digital ;-)
yes, that is quite practical.
Can we request or work towards getting local authorities and/or sponsors to install hand/guide rails (say some 4 feet tall and 6 feet long) say within the first 18 feet of each street of each intersection ? (numbers are indicative and can be redefined to some agreed and conformable standard).
Yes, that is possible, if you guys want I can provide my humble assistance on this aspect.
These rails would typically located at the edge of the kerb/footpath. No rocket science here... it is common to see such railings at various intersections and places, installed at various times, by various local authorities, mostly with the intention of attempting to guide pedestrian traffic.
that's what I was about to point at. and now a days people are quite handicap aware so no one will make a big issue out of this.
These guide rails to be embossed with markings (braille or otherwise recongisable by the visually impaired).
yes and it should be weather proof.
The exact embossing patterns/style should be defined and guided by recognised/specialist agencies who work in the domains for the visually impaired.
yes, that will be worked out pritty easily with a few research survey.
For those who are not visually impaired, these "embossed guidance" rails are colour coded/painted with the colour scheme which is akin to the classic red-white-blind-person-stick scheme. This will easily convey to the sighted persons that these guide rails serve a special/additional purpose for the visually impaired.
yes agreed.
If we are unable to make this much happen, more technology and/or non-KISS schemes will find it even more difficult to be widely adopted and to become viable and succeed.
Well, that depends on what other alternatives we try to find out.
When the creation (or upgradation of existing) guide rails happen, figure how to drive towards ensuring that those making these also make provisions for electric/energy supply and a small weather proof contaner (like at traffic signals but much smaller I hope)
Yes, that should be taken into account right from the start. the idea of signel posts is perfect to look at.
Stage one gadget, FM broadcast device, fixed frequency, emits predetermined beep/pattern signal to only indicate presence of sign-post-guide-rail for a short radius of say 10-20 feet.
Well, such thing has been tried out at many places including some offices of the National association for the Blind and did not work. some how blind people can have a partial judgement even without these long tomes. what they need is a bit detailed info. walk 10 pases etc.
Alternate/stage two gadget, FM broadcast device, fixed frequency, emits pre-recorded voice guidance signal, indicates presence of sign-post-guide-rail, and tells you few more words about the area...
yes that is what I ment in the previous point. some details will be good enough.
Based off this infrastructure, redploy whatever guidance systems that are catalysed partly by all the discussions that have happened in this context on this forum, further tempered by whatever resources and political-will and technology can/will permit.
let's have a practical and positive mind set towards it. as I said with the given electronics experts on this list, a little exploration might just get us what we need at cost effective rate. an audio driven interface with light weight web pages on a cheep hand held device will be quite good enough. may be we can think about it in at a later phase.
Caveat 1: I do not know if any such schemes already exist or are in use, (The Lord has been kind to me in that I do not have any known physical impairment, and thus have not studied or dwelled much on these kind of needs or domains).
No, such thing has not been tried yet except the stage one of just giving beeps to indicate that some thing is near by. Vispi Mirza, a blind Electronics techi from Delhi had tryed a similar thing.
Caveat 2: If this embossed guide rail (iron tubes and cement masonry) solution is the way to take off, probably this conversation may not have a place on this forum,
no, every thing has to have a beggining, and as I said we will eventually have to make it a very good project with audio driven web interface. don't forget the bus example I had posted before. I have even worked out the solution for two busses standing or even when the streets are narrow. the blind person can just set the bus number he/ she desires and then the system will only inform if that bus is around. I have also worked out the other problems associated with this issue given the fact that blind people only climb the bus from the front. but this email and this thread has become too long, so may we keep some thing for the 16th. *smile*. Krishnakant.