The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Technological advances making life easier for people with physical and mental challenges

DENVER, CO - Screen displays that deliver the written word to people who are sight-impaired, the latest ear implants for those who are deaf, and tools for individuals with mental challenges are on the cusp of a major technological revolution, paralleled by a growing aging population.

Developing and testing new devices for people with disabilities in real-world environments should enhance lab research, but sense-heightening technologies cannot replace the development of reading and writing skills, which are essential for understanding language and math, according to scientists at the 2003 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting.

Missing the ability to see does not have to preclude a person from pursuing a career of one's choice, however, if new technology heedlessly tips people who are blind away from studying Braille reading, it can do more harm than good, said Kent Cullers, the inspiration and real-life man behind the blind physicist character in the 1997 movie, Contact.

"A whole generation of blind people is being imperiled by the use of cheap speech 'displays' in preference to more expensive Braille," said Cullers, who is Director of SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Research and Development in Mountain View, California.

Although the evolution of computers and other technological devices helps power the "extension of the senses," Braille is still needed in order to understand language and math, explained Cullers, who has been blind since birth. "Like everyone who produces careful work, blind people must read and write!"

Among the totally blind, about 75 percent are unemployed. However, almost 9 out of 10 of the totally blind who are employed read Braille. Therefore, Cullens said, it is plausible that Braille reading, as with reading in general, imbues workers with the skills needed for competent performance.

Still, much professional material is not easily availa
'"/>


16-Feb-2003


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Grant advances biochemical engineering laboratory
2. Virginia Bioinformatics Institute researcher advances fight against sudden oak death disease
3. Undergraduate research experience advances education
4. UT Southwestern researchers cite recent advances in underlying causes of rare body-fat disorders
5. UCSF finding advances insight into adult stem cells in human brain
6. Federal grant supports advances in infant heart disease at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
7. Human embryonic stem cells may promise medical advances
8. Scientists making advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment to receive awards
9. New advances in thrombosis help further understanding of disease prevention
10. Conference to highlight medical advances resulting from 50 years of DNA knowledge
11. Annual bibliography of significant advances in dietary supplement research 2002
Post Your Comments:
(Date:12/2/2008)...covery of rivers from the effects of acid rain, wi...to a new study by Cardiff University. , The rese...urance of the School of Biosciences took place ove...s. Their findings are published online today in th... Ecology . , Carried out in 14 streams, the res...
(Date:12/2/2008)..., Plant researchers from McGill University and t...ced a major breakthrough in a developmental proces...he first time the reversal of what is called epige...mportant to develop a better understanding of gene...ced crops that produce higher yields, are more res...
(Date:12/2/2008)...ers from two of the nation,s largest industries m...ng with academicians from the University of Housto...blood. , Much like moving oil through a pipeli...oth systems need clean, well-functioning pipes (or...o function with incredible efficiency. Both indus...
(Date:12/2/2008)...s can increase or decrease greenhouse gas emission...e used, University of Illinois researchers report ... dozens of studies to determine how planting new b...he soil. Their findings appear this month in the j...ts use the sun,s energy to convert carbon dioxide ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Climate change setback for acidified rivers 2Plants display 'molecular amnesia' 2Plants display 'molecular amnesia' 3Using the other guy's toolkit: Similarities of pumping blood, oil examined 2Replacing corn with perennial grasses improves carbon footprint of biofuels 2Replacing corn with perennial grasses improves carbon footprint of biofuels 3China Biotics Inc Launches Shining Probiotics Protein Powder 716 1China Biotics Inc Launches Shining Probiotics Protein Powder 716 2Lexicon Pharmaceuticals to Present at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference 712 1Lexicon Pharmaceuticals to Present at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference 712 2Repeat steroids to premature infants linked to cerebral palsy 1654 1Repeat steroids to premature infants linked to cerebral palsy 1654 2Newer Antibiotic Speeds TB Healing 1650 1Newer Antibiotic Speeds TB Healing 1650 2
Other News:
...ril 1 issue of G&D, a Korean research team led by ...w melatonin production is coordinated with the bod...ormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, ...hm (the roughly-24-hour cycle around which basic p...
Bacteria live in, on and around us and other organisms with sometimes very beneficial results. For the first time scientists have shown that one species of insect deliberately cultivates bacteria in i
...le know that their nails always go soft and bendy ... of time. Conversely when you cut your nails they ...s? Biologists working with material scientists at ...est conditions for our nails which may ultimately ...
...fish cell lines and organs such as gills, heart, l...the effects of toxins on fish such as freshwater t...experiments carried out on live fish. Fish Biologi... replace the use of live fish for safety testing o...
...LEM, N.C. -- Researchers at Wake Forest University... to report success using magnetic.resonance imagin...and to.diagnose blocked arteries based on an abnor... possible by speeding up the MRI scanner and.creat...
...at pregnant mothers who drink alcohol risk harming... how much, if any, alcohol is.acceptable during pr...pment,.exactly how toxic alcohol may be at differe...oser to understanding how alcohol hampers the brai...
...OR---The good news: more people than ever are kee...-good news: the longer people keep their teeth,.t...m) problems...But armed with the knowledge that mo...able bacterial infections, dental researchers and ...
...efining a causal relation between acute intrapartu...sus statement......Only a minor part of cerebral p...ntains an international consensus statement on wha... events during childbirth and cerebral palsy. The...
health news:MRI breakthroughs could lead to new tests for heart disease 2health news:How alcohol may harm your baby's brain 2health news:How alcohol may harm your baby's brain 3health news:Changing approaches to treating gum disease 2
...e that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of i...potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs fo...lished in the journal Gastroenterology today (Mond...,000 - 180,000 sufferers of diseases like Crohn's ...
Jerusalem What caused leprosy a widely dreaded disease in medieval Europe to fade from the scene? By the 16th century, the scourge had practically disappeared there.......The reason seems to be, s
...mal thickening of the heart, affects more than 500...known conditions such as Crohn's disease, Multiple...ickening of the heart muscle walls, particularly t...ng chambers. That thickening can affect blood flow...
New Study: GERD Linked to Obesity ......A new analysis of existing studies of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) finds that the risk for GERD symptoms, erosive esophagitis and esophageal cancer in
health news:Cannabis-based drugs could offer new hope for inflammatory bowel disease patients 2health news:Cannabis-based drugs could offer new hope for inflammatory bowel disease patients 3health news:Once-dreaded leprosy 'replaced' by tuberculosis, say researchers 2health news:Surgery gives fresh start to patients with thickened hearts 2health news:Annals of Internal Medicine, tip sheet, August 2, 2005 2