High Tech Software Help for Low Vision Individuals
Use of speed reading software for low-vision individuals prompts a new joint research program at Ensight Skills Center for Visual Rehabilitation.
Fort Collins, CO (PRWEB) April 10, 2008
SoftOlogy IdeaWorks™ and Ensight Low Vision Skills Center today announced a joint research program to investigate the benefits of RapidReader® accelerated reading software to help low vision individuals rehabilitate and normalize their reading ability.
There are 16 million Americans with low vision Vision loss is the third leading cause of disability in the U. S. There are 78 million Baby Boomers in America and every day 10,000 of them turns 50 years old. As baby boomers get older the issue of eye disease takes on a new significance. It may mean that a newly minted 50 year old is now caring for an aging parent who daily loses more sight to macular degeneration. Or it may mean that, as that boomer ages it is they who are on the path to severely impaired vision. Degenerative eye disease affects millions of people every year and it not only strikes at the sufferer. Its effect is felt across families, the health care system and society as a whole.
Ensight Skills Center is a model for a new kind of quality of life support center that's emerging to address this growing problem. It's a Fort Collins Colorado based non-profit founded to provide low vision clients with rehabilitation, support, training and adaptive technology to enhance their life skills.
"Ensight is always seeking out new technologies to help level the playing field for our clients," said Denny Bettenhausen founder and Executive Director of Ensight. "One important area is helping them to regain their ability to read. It's in this context that the collaborative effort with SoftOlogy IdeaWorks evolved."
SoftOlogy IdeaWorks created RapidReader accelerated reading software for the general population but in recent trials its unique display methodology appears to have significant and immediate benefit for those with low vision.
"When using a magnifier I have to navigate across each page and often have to take the time to re-read a word or sentence that I missed," says Bettenhausen. "With the RapidReader software I'm able to sit comfortably in front of my computer and I can read and fully comprehend the material in less than half the time with far less effort."
RapidReader was developed from more than seven years of research conducted at Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California, and SoftOlogy IdeaWorks. Using a unique patented display that converts onscreen text into an experience much like watching a movie, RapidReader places text on a computer screen one word at a time in a large-font at a speed the reader chooses. It's patented "speech mimic" technology applies pacing to the text display that mirrors the rhythms of human speech. This combination multiplies reading speed and eliminates the need to move the eyes across a page to follow the words. For those with low vision, being able to maintain focus on one location appears to have great advantages for reading.
According to Ensight's Bettenhausen, RapidReader's method of displaying text integrates closely with the "steady-eye" technique Ensight teaches as a first step in helping clients to maximize the effectiveness of their remaining vision. Steady-eye helps the reader position reading materials in an area where they have some residual vision, but requires them to physically move the book or magazine past their steady-eye focal point to read a line of text. With RapidReader an individual can sit in front of the computer, find their focal point on the screen where the reading material is displayed directly in the focal area. "There is no eye tracking necessary and eliminating the need to re-focus appears to increase both reading efficiency and comprehension," said Bettenhausen.
Ensight's clients include individuals with deficits such as age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataract, glaucoma, muscular dystrophy and eye injury. The research subject group is anticipated to include school age children, the elderly, veterans and others who have specific workplace or environmental issues. The purpose of the first phase of the study is to find ways to optimize RapidReader to address the vision issues for as wide a range of circumstances as possible.
"To discover that our company may have developed a way to make reading more accessible to those with low vision is extremely exciting." said Peter McIan CEO of SoftOlogy IdeaWorks. "Through this partnership with Ensight we hope to find new ways to integrate RapidReader into the daily lives of those with low vision. The goal is to provide an easy to use tool for helping people regain their connection to reading."
About Ensight Skills Center
The Ensight Skills Center and the Curtis Strong Center for Visual Rehabilitation strive to help individuals with vision loss develop the skills, strategies and confidence necessary to accomplish their goals in all stages of life.
About RapidReader
For more information about RapidReader, its patented technology, screen shots and backgrounder, please visit the online media kit. http://www. rapidreader. com/media. html (http://www. rapidreader. com/media. html)
There is a free trial of all the RapidReader Products available at: http://www. rapidreader. com/free_demo_1.html (http://www. rapidreader. com/free_demo_1.html)
About SoftOlogy IdeaWorks:
SoftOlogy IdeaWorks Inc. is an invention and intellectual-property corporation devoted to developing computer technology to accelerate the acquisition of knowledge.
We create "Software for the Human Operating System" ™
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