Here's info on an innovative device that can distinguish colors for the
blind.

kelly

from business Week

   ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY by John M. Williams

   COMPUTER, WHAT COLOR IS MY TIE?

   You hit 40 years old and suddenly, it seems, you're straining to read
   the fine print on a restaurant tab in low light, or squinting to read
   faraway signs on the highway. I know. My vision is declining, and
   vision loss can reduce productivity in the worlplace.

   Many unfortunate employees are blind, color-blind, or have difficulty
   distinguishing between different hues. If an employee can't
   distinguish colors, how can that person compete in the workforce? The
   American Printing House for the Blind has an answer -- ColorTest.

   ColorTest is a handheld device that, when placed in contact with any
   object, will announce the color of that object in a clear
   computer-generated human voice. It can sense up to 150 different color
   nuances and even detects patterns, brightness, and contrast. Using
   ColorTest, blind and visually impaired individuals can sort colored
   folders, forms, or floppy disks. They can select their wardrobe in the
   morning, even differentiate between ripe and unripened fruit at lunch.

   The technology is pretty basic: ColorTest has an artificial eye that
   senses color using a small lamp and several sensors. The lamp emits a
   light beam when a button is pressed. The reflected light reaches the
   sensors, which report the general tendency of a color -- dark blue
   with tones of gray, for example -- to a computer chip, which then
   articulates the hues in human voice. The color analysis can be quite
   detailed -- including specific degrees of brightness and contrast,
   right down to whether the light is natural or artificial.

   After five seconds, the device shuts itself off automatically with a
   deep-tone signal. You can check the status of the rechargeable battery
   with a touch of a button, and adjust the speaker volume to four
   levels. Estimates of the number of people who can benefit from
   ColorTest run from 5 million to 8 million.

   ColorTest costs $695 and comes with a 90-day guarantee on parts. On
   the market since early 1998, several hundred have been sold, all to
   individual buyers. While most are adults, about 20 have been
   teenagers. Nearly all of the purchasers, according to the American
   Printing House of the Blind, are employed and use it for work and
   other activities requiring sight. More women than men are buying it so
   far.

   Dorothy Myers is one ColorTest user whose experience has been very
   positive. After using it for six months, she says, "It has definitely
   altered my life. Being partially blind and always colorblind, I have
   never been able to distinguish colors. In fact, I can not distinguish
   between red or pink, blue or brown. ColorTest tells me the color. Now
   I don't dress in different colors, and so I look better." For years,
   Myers remembers receiving strange looks from people when she was out.
   She knew it was because her colors clashed.

   A programmer for the Transportation Dept. in South Florida, Myers uses
   the product at work when assembling documents or books. She
   enthusiastically says: "I can color-code different sections now. I was
   never able to do that myself. I always had to have someone help me."

   Terry Lawrence purchased ColorTest in June. He uses it when getting
   dressed, when preparing reports, when buying food, and for other
   activities. "ColorTest has made a difference in my life. I am more
   indpendent. I feel better about myself. It's true, technology can be a
   great equalizer for disabled people." Lawrence is colorblind and has a
   40% vision loss. He's a 40-year-old accountant living in Atlanta. He
   adds: "ColorTest has become an extension of my arms. Being
   ambidexterous, I easily switch arms when the other one gets tired of
   holding it."

   Both Myers and Lawrence learned of ColorTest from friends who are
   familar with the activities of the American Printing House for the
   Blind. For more information, you can call that organization at (502)
   895-2405.


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