- Email: [email protected]
visual information system for the handicapped
Int. J. Man-Machine Studies (1981) 14, 29-37
MAVISmA microprocessor driven audio/visual information system for the handicapped JULIA HOWLETTt, C. R. EVANS:~ AND N. BEVAN
Division of Numerical Analysis and Computer Science, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, U.K. AND T. J. FOLKARDw AND R. F. PENN82
Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, U.K. MAVIS uses a microprocessor to extend as widely as possible the activities that a handicapped person can carry out. Users can read, write, modify and store information, and interact creatively with their environment. It is designed for use at home, in education and as a tool to enable a handicapped person to carry out a job. A Mark II version has been constructed which is housed in a briefcase and connects to a standard television receiver. Other attachments can be added as required by the handicap of the owner and the purpose of use.
1. Introduction The National Physical L a b o r a t o r y ' s M a n / C o m p u t e r Interaction G r o u p has worked with a team from L o u g h b o r o u g h University of Technology on a project to study ways in which microprocessors could be used to help handicapped people. The rapid pace of development in this area suggests that, in the relatively near future, cheap but powerful multi-purpose systems will be available for use by people with various types and degrees of handicap. The M A V I S project is a pilot study aimed at developing just such a system. Original ideas for the M A V I S system came from two fairly clearly defined areas. Firstly, the great need of severely handicapped children to play, manipulate toys, do lessons, scribble, draw and control their environment "naturally" like other children. G r e a t frustration arises in the child that ,.annot communicate or m o v e without the aid of another individual. The second area of need is that of the adult who may not be able to work unaided because of the limitations that handicap imposes. The adult handicapped person needs to control independently aspects of the h o m e or work e n v i r o n m e n t - - f o r example, to open doors, to answer telephones, to turn on lights and fires, e t c . - - a n d to handle information for reading, writing and leisure activities. To date, various specialpurpose control systems kave been built, e.g. Possum devices for typewriters, environmental switching systems, tape recorders and so on. This often means that the handicapped person requires m a n y pieces of equipment, carefully placed and separately adapted, in various parts of the house. Although m a n y of the existing systems t Now with St Margaret's Software Ltd. Now Mrs Julia Schofield. Deceased. wNow at MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham, U.K. 82Now at Bell-Northern Research Laboratories, Canada. 29
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J. H O W L E T T E T A L .
are now quite sophisticated it is unfortunately true that another person's help is often required. Our main goal therefore has been to try to build a microcomputer-based system that could control a variety of devices. This system, which we named MAVIS, was planned as a general device which could be readily adapted to individual needs. This approach should also make any required changes easy to implement, both for the growing child and for those with a progressive handicap. Thus the same piece of equipment can stay with a user for a considerable period of time--an important psychological point. We also decided that the value to the handicapped of the various public information systems, for example, Viewdata and Teletext, could not be ignored. The prototype system so far developed offers these facilities as well as information handling and environmental control.
2. Overview of MAVIS and its applications MAVIS is a highly flexible communication aid for the physically and/or sensorily handicapped. Users will include those who cannot speak, those who cannot write or type, and anyone whose handicap prevents them having full control of their environment, including the deaf and those with visual handicaps. Already an advantage of the MAVIS approach can be seen---its usefulness to those with a multiple handicap, such as severe spastics. The major purpose of MAVIS is to enlarge the range of opportunities for users to communicate their thoughts, needs and creations. It has already been mentioned that a child unable to manipulate and explore its environment tends to get frustrated, often causing emotional difficulties. In both adults and children the lack of ability to communicate may result in loss of interaction and socialization. Figure 1 shows the MAVIS system as essentially a microprocessor linked to a television screen and a number of other devices. Figure 2 shows a manufactured version of MAVIS in use. The user can input information in a variety of ways including keyboard, special actuator, puff/suck tube, etc. This information is directed to the
Microprocessor ondinformation store
S u c k ~ Switches
Environmentalcontroller FIG. 1. T h e M A V I S system.
AUDIO/VISUAL SYSTEM FOR THE HANDICAPPED
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FIG. 2. MAVIS Mark II (Ferranti). microprocessor which then sends commands to the various peripheral devices. Other attachments include a printer, an environmental controller, and any device which can be connected to the standard V24 interface. The bulk data store provides MAVIS with a large m e m o r y so that information shown on the screen, and necessary systems material, can be stored and retrieved when required. In addition, a cassette unit is used to hold material which can be exchanged between MAVIS users. This range of peripheral devices, which will be increased as the research and evaluation continues, allows an individual MAVIS system to be tailored very easily to suit the requirements of a particular person. A fairly simple programming language (PLUM) is also available to allow new applications to be added either by the user or a teacher or therapist.
3. Current facilities This section describes a basic MAVIS system and the special peripherals and software that could be added. 3.1. A BASIC SYSTEM MAVIS is basically a domestic information system to which a wide range of peripherals can be attached. In almost all applications, two hardware units and two software /nodules are present. These are the processor with its internal memory, the television set, the operating system and the editor and text handler. A n input unit also has to be present, which can be a standard keyboard, or any other appropriate device. These units form a basic MAVIS system, capable of storing and manipulating text, charts and simple diagrams, and thus doing more-or-less anything that can normally be
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carried out with paper, pen, scissors, snopake, sticky tape, a filing cabinet and a waste-paper bin. The television screen is used to display prepared material which is input via the keyboard (or other device). Special system commands and editing functions are used in preparing information. The screen contains 24 lines of text each of 40 characters. However, six of these lines of text have special functions (see Fig. 3). The top line of the screen always contains a page number and title. At the bottom of the screen there are five reserved lines. The first of these is used for commands or error messages. The remaining four are used to display the selection matrix. The television screen is full colour. Diary March 17
March 20
page 6: 2.45 4.:50
Dentist Dr Harding
5.50
P G Visit
March 1 4 - 2 0
Title line
User area ( 18 lines)
Command line E A S L M C P d Rubout T H N D U Y G K X " v <> C T R W F B V Q Z Newline
Home Nos Tab Commnd Esc Words
MatriK area (4 lines)
FIG. 3. Screen allocation when using MAVIS editor.
MAVIS also contains a bulk store which acts as a filing cabinet where pages can be stored for future reference. It is intended that the next MAVIS units will incorporate magnetic bubble memory for this purpose with mini-cassettes being used for back-up storage and information exchange. Magnetic bubbles are a recent development in computer memory technology. Being solid-state devices they offer reliability, economy and a large capacity. The information held in them is not destroyed when their power supply is switched off. 3.2. INFORMATION HANDLING
The programs for manipulating, storing and retrieving text, form the heart of MAVIS, and we call this part of the system "the editor". Normally, the editor uses bulk storage, the screen and an input channel although it often needs to communicate with other devices such as printers. On our current system, the input can either be via the keyboard or by use of a puff/suck tube. It can already be seen that this system in itself is virtually a complete MAVIS, especially with a printer attached, and would be a most useful personal information system for the non-handicapped as well as the handicapped.
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33
The editor provides the user with a means by which text can be created, altered, stored and read. It also offers other facilities, including programming in the applications language PLUM. For basic text handling, editing commands can be entered either from the keyboard or by a matrix selection method. In both cases the same commands are used but the actual input to the editor is carried out differently. The commands available when using the MAVIS editor are basically single English words describing the action of the command. They include page selecting and turning ( F O R W A R D , BACK), creation and deletion of text (INSERT and ERASE), positioning and tidying of text (JOIN pages together command, SPLIT page command), etc. All commands are preceded by an "escape" character which positions the cursor (a flashing white square on the screen) in the protected command and message area at the bottom of the screen. The user may also title his text, deposit it in bulk store and form an index of documents in storage. It has been mentioned previously that a matrix selection method of typing can be used. The bottom four lines of the screen are filled with a matrix of characters. A cursor may be moved within the matrix by use of the puff/suck tube and characters or words selected. The selected items then appear in the upper part of the screen or trigger an action. This kind of selection is familiar to Possum users. (Possum is normally taken to mean control of a piece of equipment by use of a breath tube. The idea of using breath and an air switch was thought up in the early 1960s by Mr Reg Maling. A person is given a tube and a matrix of letters and uses puffing and sucking to select those that are required.) MAVIS uses a full eolour television screen and the Teletext character set and this of course means that the editor has to handle changes of colour. The character set used allows pictures to be drawn, and thus a further facility of the editor is to offer graphics. When graphics are being used, some of the characters have special meanings, in order to allow continuous lines and picture features to be built up. In addition to drawing on the screen, the pictures created can be printed. The printer is compatible with the screen (although it does not offer colour) and produces pictures of reasonable quality. Other "drawing devices", like graph plotters and very high quality printers, are at present too expensive for inclusion in the system. 3.3. MORE USES OF THE SCREEN The information handling capacity of MAVIS provides a very powerful tool, especially since the screen is full colour. MAVIS will often be used for reading, and it is intended that books, and other reading material, should be kept in the bulk store and read from the screen. While this would seem to require a large amount of preparation, computers are being used increasingly in printing and it is hoped to use some of this material in data form with the minimum amount of conversion. Certainly in the early stage material will have to be specially prepared, but the overhead of preparation is a small price to pay if it provides independence for its user, particularly since there is no really successful page turner available. 3.4. POINTER BOARDS AND BLISS SYMBOLS These two facilities are normally offered for very small children who are usually Severely physically handicapped and cannot talk. Both serve as an excellent introduction to MAVIS for the small child, as they will introduce some of the basic concepts
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of typing and communicating. MAVIS may have to have minor alterations carried out to remove the apparent complexity of the system for the uninitiated small child. For example, a keyboard with a set of very large coloured buttons might replace the normal MAVIS keys and this would also be of great value in the case of the kinds of psychomotor impairment present in spastics.
Pointer boards Very young severely handicapped children usually have a "Pointer Board" to assist them in communicating. This consists of a matrix of pictures which include items like food, drink, toilet, books, etc., the child selecting from the pictures what is required. This type of picture board, and the selection method, can easily be presented on MAVIS. In the current system, a set of pictures is displayed on the screen with one of the options being, "go to the next set of pictures". Obviously, using MAVIS, it will be easy to add new pictures and remove unwanted ones. Another method would be to page through the pictures on the whole screen until the correct one is found, and this would be particularly suitable for a child with a sight defect or as a basic introduction to the system. The audio facility of MAVIS could also be used with the Pointer Board facility, for example ringing an alarm signal for "I want a person". This might assist a busy adult and at the same time offer reward and fun to the child. Bliss symbols Bliss symbols are, in some ways, an extension of the pointer board concept. Charles Bliss (Vanderheiden & Grilley, 1975) devised a set of pictorial symbols representing common words and objects, which could be put together to form statements and sentences (see Fig. 4). These have been found to be of particular use in assisting young children, usually at the pre-reading stage, to communicate ideas and make statements about their environment. Successful experiments with Bliss symbols have been conducted in this country at a school for severely handicapped children at Chailey Heritage, in Sussex. Unfortunately, at present, only four Bliss symbols can be displayed on the MAVIS screen at one time if resolution is not to be lost. Full sets of symbols would have to be displayed on a separate board positioned next to MAVIS, the symbol selection being carried out by paging through the available symbols and using the cursor. Selected symbols could be stored, displayed and/or printed, and adding to the vocabulary of available symbols would be easy. 3.5. M U S I C
A music facility has been provided so that severely physically handicapped children can play their own tunes. The tune playing facility is basically a "notes" selector. Notes are represented by letters of the alphabet, and are played using a tone generator. To hear a complete tune, the PLAY command is used. Musical features such as staccato or slurring, and loudness and length of notes, can also be indicated. 3.6. F R E D
FRED (Flexible Reach Extending Device), is a small mobile device measuring about 12 in. in height, capable of moving around on the floor or any other suitably large surface. It has been used with MAVIS on an experimental basis.
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V'
21' HAPPY
A
E WANT TELEVISION FIG. 4. The MAVIS television display showing Bliss type symbols.
FRED is controlled through the usual MAVIS range of inputs and can be made to move in any direction. In addition it has a gripper which can be used to pick up and carry small objects. This is a facility which could have considerable advantages from an educational point of view: FR E D could, for example, hold a pen in its gripper and draw on the floor as it moved around. The attraction of FR E D to children will encourage them to develop the skills required to make it draw and manipulate objects. As well as controlling FR E D directly, a child will be able to build up and store a set of instructions which can subsequently be obeyed by FRED. Thus children can be introduced to the concept of programming. Once simple programming has been mastered, then PLUM, the programming language for the system, can be introduced. 3.7. PROGRAMMING MAVIS
As mentioned above, a simple programming language called PLUM has been implemented for writing MAVIS applications. This is a block-structured language and includes capabilities similar to BASIC.
4. General comments and future work MAVIS is a totally new concept in aids for the handicapped, and its true test will come when handicapped people first begin to use it and provide the necessary feedback on its strengths and weaknesses.
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J. HOWLE'VI" E T A L .
MAVIS is seen in the preceding paragraphs either as a specialized information system or a "teaching aid". As a communication aid for the handicapped much more development is required. In the following sections we describe, briefly, how we intend to extend MAVIS. 4.1. MAVIS " M A R K II"
The prototype MAVIS (Mark I) was designed and built as a test bed for ideas, and as a feasibility study. Several technical changes have been made possible by the rapid development in computer technology, thus enabling us to make the Mark II version both faster and considerably smaller (Fig. 3). The Mark II version has been engineered by Ferranti Instrumentation Ltd.
5. Special applications In our plans for the development of MAVIS we have been obliged to concentrate on some areas of handicap before others. In our initial work, the basic system consisted of a processor box, a teletext screen, a cassette unit and programmable keyboard. The editor and the programming language P L U M were also part of this basic system. By adding a selection of input and output devices we have developed the current system which will be most useful to the severely physically handicapped. In the next stage of the work, it is planned to study MAVIS with particular reference to those with one or more sensory disability as opposed to psychological handicaps. This will require new modules to be built--for example speech vocabularies, braille input and output devices, etc. 5.1. MAVIS AS AN AID FOR THE D E A F
The Ceefax public information system was originally conceived as a means of communication with the deaf, and for them MAVIS is an extension of this idea. In fact we see MAVIS as a communication aid for the deaf in two special areas--in telephone communication and in interactive groups such as school classes. Already, teletypes and similar equipment have been connected to deaf people's phones to enable them to communicate with each other or with friends. MAVIS is also suitable for this application and offers the advantage of silence in addition to its other facilities. Obviously, the inclusion of Viewdata facilities would also be a most useful aid to the deaf person. In classrooms and other groups, the deaf person may have incredible trouble in communicating--a fact not appreciated by most non-handicapped people. For example, where no sound cues exist it is impossible to be sure which individual is talking, if anyone at all. Also the act of lip-reading tends to be a highly skilled task and tiring for the individual. The Open University have in fact used a network of screens for the deaf, in their summer schools. A master terminal is present on which notes of the discussions are recorded. The deaf person has his own screen connected to the master. MAVIS could be used in the same way as a communication system for storing discussion, notes, etc. 5.3. MAVIS AS AN AID TO THE SPEECH IMPAIRED This application is closely linked to the previous one as speech impairment is frequently associated with deafness. If a person is unable to communicate verbally, speech
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synthesis techniques should be employed to assist. Future MAVIS systems therefore will offer a vocabulary or "dictionary" of simple phrases and words that can be easily strung together, by the user, to form sentences. 5.3. MAVIS AS AN AID FOR THE BLIND Speech synthesis would also play a large part in aiding the blind, although in a slightly different role. Already talking calculators and "reading machines" are on the market. A speech system attached to MAVIS would allow readout of the stored information as well as spoken Teletext and Viewdata. Unrecognizable or difficult words would be spelt. However good and useful speech systems become, braille will still be used by some blind people. There is currently a great need for a silent brailler, preferably portable, for use in libraries, meetings, lectures, etc. There is also a demand for a brailler with a range of keyboards and for a light touch brailler keyboard for those with some loss of movement in their arms or fingers. MAVIS as an information system could play a most useful role in these applications. Detaching the television screen would of course, be possible, but in some cases a display is a most valuable communication aid. Input to the system would be either via the keyboard or by special brailler keys capable of producing the six dots and other functions. Output from the system would either be a volatile display of pins or a printer capable of punching braille on sheets of special paper. Software would be provided to translate text into braille.
6. Conclusions This report has attempted to give an overview of the MAVIS project. At the time of writing further extensions of the system are in the design and production stage. While stressing its considerable potential utility for the handicapped we do not with to lose sight of the fact that MAVIS is in essence a general purpose domestic information system and communications aid which could have considerable applications for the non-handicapped.
Reference VANDERHEIDEN, G. C~ & GRILLEY,K. (Eds). (1975). Non Vocal Communication Techniques and Aids for the Severely Physically Handicapped. Baltimore: University Park Press.
MAVISmA microprocessor driven audio/visual information system for the handicapped JULIA HOWLETTt, C. R. EVANS:~ AND N. BEVAN
Division of Numerical Analysis and Computer Science, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, U.K. AND T. J. FOLKARDw AND R. F. PENN82
Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, U.K. MAVIS uses a microprocessor to extend as widely as possible the activities that a handicapped person can carry out. Users can read, write, modify and store information, and interact creatively with their environment. It is designed for use at home, in education and as a tool to enable a handicapped person to carry out a job. A Mark II version has been constructed which is housed in a briefcase and connects to a standard television receiver. Other attachments can be added as required by the handicap of the owner and the purpose of use.
1. Introduction The National Physical L a b o r a t o r y ' s M a n / C o m p u t e r Interaction G r o u p has worked with a team from L o u g h b o r o u g h University of Technology on a project to study ways in which microprocessors could be used to help handicapped people. The rapid pace of development in this area suggests that, in the relatively near future, cheap but powerful multi-purpose systems will be available for use by people with various types and degrees of handicap. The M A V I S project is a pilot study aimed at developing just such a system. Original ideas for the M A V I S system came from two fairly clearly defined areas. Firstly, the great need of severely handicapped children to play, manipulate toys, do lessons, scribble, draw and control their environment "naturally" like other children. G r e a t frustration arises in the child that ,.annot communicate or m o v e without the aid of another individual. The second area of need is that of the adult who may not be able to work unaided because of the limitations that handicap imposes. The adult handicapped person needs to control independently aspects of the h o m e or work e n v i r o n m e n t - - f o r example, to open doors, to answer telephones, to turn on lights and fires, e t c . - - a n d to handle information for reading, writing and leisure activities. To date, various specialpurpose control systems kave been built, e.g. Possum devices for typewriters, environmental switching systems, tape recorders and so on. This often means that the handicapped person requires m a n y pieces of equipment, carefully placed and separately adapted, in various parts of the house. Although m a n y of the existing systems t Now with St Margaret's Software Ltd. Now Mrs Julia Schofield. Deceased. wNow at MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham, U.K. 82Now at Bell-Northern Research Laboratories, Canada. 29
30
J. H O W L E T T E T A L .
are now quite sophisticated it is unfortunately true that another person's help is often required. Our main goal therefore has been to try to build a microcomputer-based system that could control a variety of devices. This system, which we named MAVIS, was planned as a general device which could be readily adapted to individual needs. This approach should also make any required changes easy to implement, both for the growing child and for those with a progressive handicap. Thus the same piece of equipment can stay with a user for a considerable period of time--an important psychological point. We also decided that the value to the handicapped of the various public information systems, for example, Viewdata and Teletext, could not be ignored. The prototype system so far developed offers these facilities as well as information handling and environmental control.
2. Overview of MAVIS and its applications MAVIS is a highly flexible communication aid for the physically and/or sensorily handicapped. Users will include those who cannot speak, those who cannot write or type, and anyone whose handicap prevents them having full control of their environment, including the deaf and those with visual handicaps. Already an advantage of the MAVIS approach can be seen---its usefulness to those with a multiple handicap, such as severe spastics. The major purpose of MAVIS is to enlarge the range of opportunities for users to communicate their thoughts, needs and creations. It has already been mentioned that a child unable to manipulate and explore its environment tends to get frustrated, often causing emotional difficulties. In both adults and children the lack of ability to communicate may result in loss of interaction and socialization. Figure 1 shows the MAVIS system as essentially a microprocessor linked to a television screen and a number of other devices. Figure 2 shows a manufactured version of MAVIS in use. The user can input information in a variety of ways including keyboard, special actuator, puff/suck tube, etc. This information is directed to the
Microprocessor ondinformation store
S u c k ~ Switches
Environmentalcontroller FIG. 1. T h e M A V I S system.
AUDIO/VISUAL SYSTEM FOR THE HANDICAPPED
31
FIG. 2. MAVIS Mark II (Ferranti). microprocessor which then sends commands to the various peripheral devices. Other attachments include a printer, an environmental controller, and any device which can be connected to the standard V24 interface. The bulk data store provides MAVIS with a large m e m o r y so that information shown on the screen, and necessary systems material, can be stored and retrieved when required. In addition, a cassette unit is used to hold material which can be exchanged between MAVIS users. This range of peripheral devices, which will be increased as the research and evaluation continues, allows an individual MAVIS system to be tailored very easily to suit the requirements of a particular person. A fairly simple programming language (PLUM) is also available to allow new applications to be added either by the user or a teacher or therapist.
3. Current facilities This section describes a basic MAVIS system and the special peripherals and software that could be added. 3.1. A BASIC SYSTEM MAVIS is basically a domestic information system to which a wide range of peripherals can be attached. In almost all applications, two hardware units and two software /nodules are present. These are the processor with its internal memory, the television set, the operating system and the editor and text handler. A n input unit also has to be present, which can be a standard keyboard, or any other appropriate device. These units form a basic MAVIS system, capable of storing and manipulating text, charts and simple diagrams, and thus doing more-or-less anything that can normally be
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J. HOWLETT E T A L .
carried out with paper, pen, scissors, snopake, sticky tape, a filing cabinet and a waste-paper bin. The television screen is used to display prepared material which is input via the keyboard (or other device). Special system commands and editing functions are used in preparing information. The screen contains 24 lines of text each of 40 characters. However, six of these lines of text have special functions (see Fig. 3). The top line of the screen always contains a page number and title. At the bottom of the screen there are five reserved lines. The first of these is used for commands or error messages. The remaining four are used to display the selection matrix. The television screen is full colour. Diary March 17
March 20
page 6: 2.45 4.:50
Dentist Dr Harding
5.50
P G Visit
March 1 4 - 2 0
Title line
User area ( 18 lines)
Command line E A S L M C P d Rubout T H N D U Y G K X " v <> C T R W F B V Q Z Newline
Home Nos Tab Commnd Esc Words
MatriK area (4 lines)
FIG. 3. Screen allocation when using MAVIS editor.
MAVIS also contains a bulk store which acts as a filing cabinet where pages can be stored for future reference. It is intended that the next MAVIS units will incorporate magnetic bubble memory for this purpose with mini-cassettes being used for back-up storage and information exchange. Magnetic bubbles are a recent development in computer memory technology. Being solid-state devices they offer reliability, economy and a large capacity. The information held in them is not destroyed when their power supply is switched off. 3.2. INFORMATION HANDLING
The programs for manipulating, storing and retrieving text, form the heart of MAVIS, and we call this part of the system "the editor". Normally, the editor uses bulk storage, the screen and an input channel although it often needs to communicate with other devices such as printers. On our current system, the input can either be via the keyboard or by use of a puff/suck tube. It can already be seen that this system in itself is virtually a complete MAVIS, especially with a printer attached, and would be a most useful personal information system for the non-handicapped as well as the handicapped.
A U D I O / V I S U A L SYSTEM FOR THE H A N D I C A P P E D
33
The editor provides the user with a means by which text can be created, altered, stored and read. It also offers other facilities, including programming in the applications language PLUM. For basic text handling, editing commands can be entered either from the keyboard or by a matrix selection method. In both cases the same commands are used but the actual input to the editor is carried out differently. The commands available when using the MAVIS editor are basically single English words describing the action of the command. They include page selecting and turning ( F O R W A R D , BACK), creation and deletion of text (INSERT and ERASE), positioning and tidying of text (JOIN pages together command, SPLIT page command), etc. All commands are preceded by an "escape" character which positions the cursor (a flashing white square on the screen) in the protected command and message area at the bottom of the screen. The user may also title his text, deposit it in bulk store and form an index of documents in storage. It has been mentioned previously that a matrix selection method of typing can be used. The bottom four lines of the screen are filled with a matrix of characters. A cursor may be moved within the matrix by use of the puff/suck tube and characters or words selected. The selected items then appear in the upper part of the screen or trigger an action. This kind of selection is familiar to Possum users. (Possum is normally taken to mean control of a piece of equipment by use of a breath tube. The idea of using breath and an air switch was thought up in the early 1960s by Mr Reg Maling. A person is given a tube and a matrix of letters and uses puffing and sucking to select those that are required.) MAVIS uses a full eolour television screen and the Teletext character set and this of course means that the editor has to handle changes of colour. The character set used allows pictures to be drawn, and thus a further facility of the editor is to offer graphics. When graphics are being used, some of the characters have special meanings, in order to allow continuous lines and picture features to be built up. In addition to drawing on the screen, the pictures created can be printed. The printer is compatible with the screen (although it does not offer colour) and produces pictures of reasonable quality. Other "drawing devices", like graph plotters and very high quality printers, are at present too expensive for inclusion in the system. 3.3. MORE USES OF THE SCREEN The information handling capacity of MAVIS provides a very powerful tool, especially since the screen is full colour. MAVIS will often be used for reading, and it is intended that books, and other reading material, should be kept in the bulk store and read from the screen. While this would seem to require a large amount of preparation, computers are being used increasingly in printing and it is hoped to use some of this material in data form with the minimum amount of conversion. Certainly in the early stage material will have to be specially prepared, but the overhead of preparation is a small price to pay if it provides independence for its user, particularly since there is no really successful page turner available. 3.4. POINTER BOARDS AND BLISS SYMBOLS These two facilities are normally offered for very small children who are usually Severely physically handicapped and cannot talk. Both serve as an excellent introduction to MAVIS for the small child, as they will introduce some of the basic concepts
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J. H O W L E T T E T A L .
of typing and communicating. MAVIS may have to have minor alterations carried out to remove the apparent complexity of the system for the uninitiated small child. For example, a keyboard with a set of very large coloured buttons might replace the normal MAVIS keys and this would also be of great value in the case of the kinds of psychomotor impairment present in spastics.
Pointer boards Very young severely handicapped children usually have a "Pointer Board" to assist them in communicating. This consists of a matrix of pictures which include items like food, drink, toilet, books, etc., the child selecting from the pictures what is required. This type of picture board, and the selection method, can easily be presented on MAVIS. In the current system, a set of pictures is displayed on the screen with one of the options being, "go to the next set of pictures". Obviously, using MAVIS, it will be easy to add new pictures and remove unwanted ones. Another method would be to page through the pictures on the whole screen until the correct one is found, and this would be particularly suitable for a child with a sight defect or as a basic introduction to the system. The audio facility of MAVIS could also be used with the Pointer Board facility, for example ringing an alarm signal for "I want a person". This might assist a busy adult and at the same time offer reward and fun to the child. Bliss symbols Bliss symbols are, in some ways, an extension of the pointer board concept. Charles Bliss (Vanderheiden & Grilley, 1975) devised a set of pictorial symbols representing common words and objects, which could be put together to form statements and sentences (see Fig. 4). These have been found to be of particular use in assisting young children, usually at the pre-reading stage, to communicate ideas and make statements about their environment. Successful experiments with Bliss symbols have been conducted in this country at a school for severely handicapped children at Chailey Heritage, in Sussex. Unfortunately, at present, only four Bliss symbols can be displayed on the MAVIS screen at one time if resolution is not to be lost. Full sets of symbols would have to be displayed on a separate board positioned next to MAVIS, the symbol selection being carried out by paging through the available symbols and using the cursor. Selected symbols could be stored, displayed and/or printed, and adding to the vocabulary of available symbols would be easy. 3.5. M U S I C
A music facility has been provided so that severely physically handicapped children can play their own tunes. The tune playing facility is basically a "notes" selector. Notes are represented by letters of the alphabet, and are played using a tone generator. To hear a complete tune, the PLAY command is used. Musical features such as staccato or slurring, and loudness and length of notes, can also be indicated. 3.6. F R E D
FRED (Flexible Reach Extending Device), is a small mobile device measuring about 12 in. in height, capable of moving around on the floor or any other suitably large surface. It has been used with MAVIS on an experimental basis.
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V'
21' HAPPY
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E WANT TELEVISION FIG. 4. The MAVIS television display showing Bliss type symbols.
FRED is controlled through the usual MAVIS range of inputs and can be made to move in any direction. In addition it has a gripper which can be used to pick up and carry small objects. This is a facility which could have considerable advantages from an educational point of view: FR E D could, for example, hold a pen in its gripper and draw on the floor as it moved around. The attraction of FR E D to children will encourage them to develop the skills required to make it draw and manipulate objects. As well as controlling FR E D directly, a child will be able to build up and store a set of instructions which can subsequently be obeyed by FRED. Thus children can be introduced to the concept of programming. Once simple programming has been mastered, then PLUM, the programming language for the system, can be introduced. 3.7. PROGRAMMING MAVIS
As mentioned above, a simple programming language called PLUM has been implemented for writing MAVIS applications. This is a block-structured language and includes capabilities similar to BASIC.
4. General comments and future work MAVIS is a totally new concept in aids for the handicapped, and its true test will come when handicapped people first begin to use it and provide the necessary feedback on its strengths and weaknesses.
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J. HOWLE'VI" E T A L .
MAVIS is seen in the preceding paragraphs either as a specialized information system or a "teaching aid". As a communication aid for the handicapped much more development is required. In the following sections we describe, briefly, how we intend to extend MAVIS. 4.1. MAVIS " M A R K II"
The prototype MAVIS (Mark I) was designed and built as a test bed for ideas, and as a feasibility study. Several technical changes have been made possible by the rapid development in computer technology, thus enabling us to make the Mark II version both faster and considerably smaller (Fig. 3). The Mark II version has been engineered by Ferranti Instrumentation Ltd.
5. Special applications In our plans for the development of MAVIS we have been obliged to concentrate on some areas of handicap before others. In our initial work, the basic system consisted of a processor box, a teletext screen, a cassette unit and programmable keyboard. The editor and the programming language P L U M were also part of this basic system. By adding a selection of input and output devices we have developed the current system which will be most useful to the severely physically handicapped. In the next stage of the work, it is planned to study MAVIS with particular reference to those with one or more sensory disability as opposed to psychological handicaps. This will require new modules to be built--for example speech vocabularies, braille input and output devices, etc. 5.1. MAVIS AS AN AID FOR THE D E A F
The Ceefax public information system was originally conceived as a means of communication with the deaf, and for them MAVIS is an extension of this idea. In fact we see MAVIS as a communication aid for the deaf in two special areas--in telephone communication and in interactive groups such as school classes. Already, teletypes and similar equipment have been connected to deaf people's phones to enable them to communicate with each other or with friends. MAVIS is also suitable for this application and offers the advantage of silence in addition to its other facilities. Obviously, the inclusion of Viewdata facilities would also be a most useful aid to the deaf person. In classrooms and other groups, the deaf person may have incredible trouble in communicating--a fact not appreciated by most non-handicapped people. For example, where no sound cues exist it is impossible to be sure which individual is talking, if anyone at all. Also the act of lip-reading tends to be a highly skilled task and tiring for the individual. The Open University have in fact used a network of screens for the deaf, in their summer schools. A master terminal is present on which notes of the discussions are recorded. The deaf person has his own screen connected to the master. MAVIS could be used in the same way as a communication system for storing discussion, notes, etc. 5.3. MAVIS AS AN AID TO THE SPEECH IMPAIRED This application is closely linked to the previous one as speech impairment is frequently associated with deafness. If a person is unable to communicate verbally, speech
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synthesis techniques should be employed to assist. Future MAVIS systems therefore will offer a vocabulary or "dictionary" of simple phrases and words that can be easily strung together, by the user, to form sentences. 5.3. MAVIS AS AN AID FOR THE BLIND Speech synthesis would also play a large part in aiding the blind, although in a slightly different role. Already talking calculators and "reading machines" are on the market. A speech system attached to MAVIS would allow readout of the stored information as well as spoken Teletext and Viewdata. Unrecognizable or difficult words would be spelt. However good and useful speech systems become, braille will still be used by some blind people. There is currently a great need for a silent brailler, preferably portable, for use in libraries, meetings, lectures, etc. There is also a demand for a brailler with a range of keyboards and for a light touch brailler keyboard for those with some loss of movement in their arms or fingers. MAVIS as an information system could play a most useful role in these applications. Detaching the television screen would of course, be possible, but in some cases a display is a most valuable communication aid. Input to the system would be either via the keyboard or by special brailler keys capable of producing the six dots and other functions. Output from the system would either be a volatile display of pins or a printer capable of punching braille on sheets of special paper. Software would be provided to translate text into braille.
6. Conclusions This report has attempted to give an overview of the MAVIS project. At the time of writing further extensions of the system are in the design and production stage. While stressing its considerable potential utility for the handicapped we do not with to lose sight of the fact that MAVIS is in essence a general purpose domestic information system and communications aid which could have considerable applications for the non-handicapped.
Reference VANDERHEIDEN, G. C~ & GRILLEY,K. (Eds). (1975). Non Vocal Communication Techniques and Aids for the Severely Physically Handicapped. Baltimore: University Park Press.