The Captioned Braille Radio Initiative: Providing Emergency Information for Individuals who are Deaf-Blind

Principal researcher

Project details

Start date: 01/10/2009
End date: 31/10/2012

Description: This project focuses research activities on the standardization of a Captioned Braille Digital Radio service model designed to serve consumers who are deaf-blind. Individuals who are deaf-blind require technology that will allow them to obtain the same important information hearing consumers take for granted, such as emergency alerting, disaster relief information, weather, traffic reports, school closings, and breaking news. During emergencies, Americans rely on radio for crucial information to guide their decisions and behavior. The development of captioned radio for the deaf and hard-of-hearing is well under way. This project has already yielded a nationwide demonstration of a captioned radio system with off-the-shelf transmission equipment and reference receivers. Designing and implementing these Captioned Braille Digital Radio standards concurrently along with those of Captioned Radio creates a single unified accessibility standard that can be supported by all digital radio broadcasters and receiver manufacturers for both Type I and Type II braille, including buffering for store and replay. The envisioned Captioned Braille Digital Radio service is designed to work with USB and Bluetooth connections to the consumer’s existing electronic braillers. Service design tests and implements an effective menu structure, and provides porting support for bed-shakers and other assistive devices for activation during overnight emergencies generating immediate evacuation or shelter in place instructions, such as wildfires or tornados.

Other organisations involved in this project

This project is funded by NIDRR.

Last updated: 12/08/2009