Here at Sight and Sound we make it our mission to build from the ground up and modify existing technology, ensuring that it is accessible to those who cannot interact with the devices in the same way as an entirely able bodied person could.
In some cases, such as for the blind, we often design bespoke technological solutions – as altering already established technology doesn’t usually provide the best solution. A great example of this is the computers we have designed from the ground up for the blind and the visually impaired, alongside the RNIB.
More recently our team in the workshop engineered a fantastic solution for an elderly customer who struggled with arthritis amongst other things, which meant operating a computer became difficult – specifically pressing the buttons to turn the computer on and off (which on most computer systems are quite small and hard to press). When this problem was presented to our guys in the workshop, it would have been very easy to say, “Ok, well we will try and find the computer system with this biggest buttons” – however, this wouldn’t have solved the customers problem.
Instead, workshop engineers James Oliver and Josh Drinnan (pictured above) wired in a completely new way of turning the computer on and off, through the headphone port on the front of the computer. The result is a very visible and large, easy to press button to turn the computer on and and off, wired safely into the new system through the headphone port so there is no way the button can be plugged in anywhere else – and potentially cause damage to the system. The computer works perfectly and the customer was thrilled with the solution the guys came up with.
We are very proud of the team in the workshop for taking the initiative and engineering this solution and it really just goes to show, like everyone here at Sight and Sound, how much they care. If you are interested in your own bespoke accessible computer system, or would perhaps just like to ask us a few questions about one – then please do not hesitate to give us a call on 01604 798070.