Highlights:
- Very simple communication system that allows you to communicate with hearing people who do not know Spanish Sign Language or fingerprint.
- You can predefine regular messages, which is very useful, for example to save emergency or medical messages.
- The tool is really accessible to the group for which it is addressed and the possibilities for the interlocutor to introduce written or oral information, amplifies the degree of accessibility of the tool.
Improvement points:
- We think that it would be of interest to analyze the security aspects, since as the operation of the application is designed, the deafblind person has to literally hand over his / her terminal so that the interlocutor can write on it. Perhaps it could be considered to incorporate in the cases that it is required, the connectivity with the terminal of the hearing person, for example.
The application has been tested for two weeks. The installation process is very simple, it does not require prior authentication or registration. Once the CTO is installed, you can consult the Help tapping the screen once with four fingers, or Start using the CTO, pressing two fingers once.
Help screen
The objective of the CTO is to allow communication between deafblind people and their interlocutors, in a way that is accessible to visual characteristics and in person.
One of the recommendations in the first contact with the tool is to use the "Learning Mode", to train the skill of using the writing of messages on the screen.
The messages entered by deafblind people are performed, based on the remains of vision on the touch screen. People with impaired vision can enter messages on the screen either by "Gestures on the screen" or through the "On-screen keyboard". For these people, the screen can be configured with the most appropriate color scheme: Yellow on Black, White on Black, White on Blue, Black on White.
The messages are edited with the letter tracing or through the virtual keyboard and to alternate the communication between deafblind and interlocutor it will be done with a double tap with a finger.
Touch communicator writing screen
The interlocutor can enter the information through an alphanumeric keyboard or by voice, using the "Dictate" option.
Screen with keyboard for the interlocutor to use the communicator
Screen to respond to the deafblind person
Communicator caller screen
The interlocutor can enter the information through an alphanumeric keyboard or by voice, using the "Dictate" option.
Totally deafblind people can also operate the communicator with the Braille line, allowing the exchange between written information between the Braille and ordinary character literacy codes. It is essential to prepare the Braille Line configurations for both iOS or Android. The handling of the application is based on the generic commands common to all the Keyboards-Braille Line, to start the operation with this system it is recommended to review the Help to understand the specific keys of the communicator.
CTO has a list of predefined messages useful for communication and also allows the deafblind user to pre-record their own. These messages are of the type: Request for help, shopping, bus, subway, taxi, bank, doctors and miscellaneous.
The tests have been carried out with a Xioami A1 mobile phone with Android 8.0 operating system
