Fw: New development group for open source assistive technology

From: Robert Jaquiss (rjaquiss@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed Dec 31 2008 - 06:35:54 PST


Hello Colleagues:

     I thought the following would be of interest. After some searching, I
found the web site for Project:Possibility.
http://www.projectpossibility.org

Happy New Year,

Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "marbux" <marbux@gmail.com>
To: "Linux for blind general discussion" <blinux-list@redhat.com>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 3:54 PM
Subject: New development group for open source assistive technology

>A relatively new non-profit effort to stimulate development of more
> open source assistive software. Excerpts from the article follow the
> link. I know nothing about this group beyond what it says in the
> article. The planned collaboration between users and developers sounds
> good though.
>
> <http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/18/technology/18software.php?page=2>.
>
> One computer program would allow vision-impaired shoppers to point
> their cellphones at supermarket shelves and hear descriptions of
> products and prices. Another would allow a physically disabled person
> to guide a computer mouse using brain waves and eye movements.
>
> The two programs were among those created by eight groups of
> volunteers at a two-day software-writing competition this fall. The
> goal of the competition, sponsored by a nonprofit corporation, is to
> encourage new computer programs that help disabled people expand their
> capabilities.
>
> ...
>
> Project:Possibility directors have plans for more ambitious projects.
> First, there will be a competition in February with teams of computer
> science students at the University of California, Los Angeles, in
> hopes of multiplying the number of programs to help the disabled. The
> project also plans to create a worldwide open-source Web site on which
> disabled persons and software developers can collaborate on new ideas
> and add to existing programs.
>
> "Imagine a specialist Facebook or MySpace-type social network in which
> users would be involved in designing the tools they want and need,"
> said Stephen Lee, a British software developer who operates
> Fullmeasure.co.UK and is a director of Project:Possibility. "Students
> would talk to users and work on projects that meet needs as well as be
> exciting."
>
> [From article page 2]
>
> Nor does Project:Possibility intend to be a commercial venture, Leung
> said. "We do not plan to earn revenue through a spread of our
> programs. In fact," he said, "we plan to be completely open-source —
> our programs can be downloaded, modified and used by anyone at no cost
> — in hopes that similar programs will spread to other universities and
> around the world with or without our involvement."
>
> [more]
>
> Best regards,
>
> Paul
>
> --
> Universal Interoperability Council
> <http:www.universal-interop-council.org>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Blinux-list mailing list
> Blinux-list@redhat.com
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 02 2012 - 01:30:04 PST