How to Help a Blind and Deaf Programmer

[Gingi]

 

Hello, Linustechtips forumites! I love this place. I hope this is an appropriate forum, for I have a serious question... 

 

My father is a programmer and worked for many years in that profession. This was great for a long time, but he has a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which means that his vision will degrade (even unto blindness) over time. He has reached the point where he cannot read a screen anymore. He has a screen reader, but he is 3/4 deaf and needs hearing-aids to hear normally. He has a hard time understanding the difference between 'b' and 'd' and 'x' and 's' when spoken or read by the screen reader. He wants to be productive and use his skills to help people: he really likes to make other people's jobs (and lives) easier through his work. Or just to be doing something that is good. He cannot travel easily, and video chats are also hard for him.

 

So that's the short of it. What I would like: thoughts and ideas to help him be a productive part of society and to help him have income. I will be attending school soon (away from home), so I won't be able to help as much as I have in the past.  

 

Please, what do you think would be good for him to do?

 

[Adorable Cat]

I know there are braille displays, may be a good thing to look into, here's just a random one on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/HumanWare-Brailliant-BI-NEW-generation/dp/B007MD1MJQ/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1531544351&sr=8-2&keywords=Refreshable+braille+display

[Guest]

Aside from Braille displays I know there are um.. so scientists developed a way to have the brain port with a computer but only 1 person in the world has this & I’m not sure if it’s even legitimate? 

[Timotheus2]

There are visual and auditory neuroprosthetics that are actively researched and used. I don't know how good they are and if they are commercially available.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroprosthetics

 

22 hours ago, fpo said:

scientists developed a way to have the brain port with a computer

Brain-computer-interfaces (BCI) are a thing and are for example used to communicate with patients suffering from Locked-in syndrome (LIS).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain–computer_interface

[b4ux1t3]

This tickled a memory from a few years back. Scott Hanselman did an interview with a blind Software Technician a few years back. Link here. I haven't listened to the podcast in 4 years, so I don't remember how relevant this is to your specific situation.

 

Aside from that, Braille displays have been mentioned. My mother is a vision teacher, and I have helped her test a few of them in the past. I'll check back on the ones I found that I liked. Mind you, I am neither blind nor deaf, but I do know braille, and specifically tested these displays in the context of developing software. Let me dig up my notes and give you some more info in a bit.

 

EDIT: Aha! So, the best braille display I have tried is the Refreshabraille 18. It's portable, Bluetooth compatible, and works with every code editor I tried it with (Vim, Emacs, VSCode, Atom). However, it is specifically meant to be a mobile model. It's not really intended for long programming or typing sessions.It also has the unfortunate status of being discontinued. However, I would recommend taking a look at the spec and see if it's something that you think your dad might like to give a go. I'm going to see if I can't find a newer alternative.

Edited July 15, 2018 by b4ux1t3
Added more information.

[Gingi]

Thank y'all for these thoughts! These are very helpful. I didn't know that braille displays like that existed. Those might be a very good solution that will help him. I will look into the ones that have been mentioned, and I will listen to the podcast, too.

 

Thank you very much again!

[Yottzumm]

Hi gingi.  I have been interested in gestural computer use for a long time.  Check out the protactile language, tesla suits, Tatum Robotics, robotic mannequins for conversations, robotic skin sensors (DIY).  There’s a lot of stuff coverging.