Akihiro Arakawa, 
CEO, Rabbit Co. Ltd., 

People with visual impairments have tremendous difficulty in both reading and writing, thus the utilization of assistive technology has become an indispensable tool for these people. For this reason, people with visual impairments, whether it be at the workplace or in their daily lives, owe a great deal to this technology. The history of these devices and that of computers share a close relationship with one another simply because computers are necessary for the processing of information that these devices make possible.

The first aspect to be improved was access to writing. Before assistive technology was developed people with visual impairments had to enter either KANA or English letters. After the introduction of AOK Braille Japanese Word Processors (developed by Kochi Systems Development Inc.) in the mid-1980s, however, these people were able to dictate what they wanted to say into the word processor while using both Kana and Kanji. Before this development, it was still impossible to directly convert words which used the alphabet into Kanji characters. For this reason, when writing sentences using Kanji/Kana, it was necessary to connect codes to Braille icons. It was required that people with visual impairments had to memorize all of the icons and their corresponding Kanji characters. Then, with the gradual advancement of computers, the codes did not have to be memorized for converting Kanji/Kana and could simply be done by touch-typing. 

By the mid-1990s, computer technology had advanced from a basic format to MS-DOS, and from MS-DOS to Windows. With this advancement came the possibility of text-to-speech capabilities. In other words, a scanner, which could recognize the Kanji/Kana, was connected to the computer. Then this scanner, with OCR technology 'read' what was on the page. There were, however, many kinds of literature that were still  'unreadable' by the scanner because of their complex layout, but books with less complex layout were readable. 

With the technology mentioned above, it became possible for people with visual impairments to distinguish between documents that are necessary or not. These people used to have to keep all of their mail, even if they were just flyers, until a sighted person could tell them if the mail was worth keeping or not. In the 2000s, a device that specialized in reading print was developed. This devise synthesized a scanner and a computer making it unnecessary to use them separately anymore. Thanks to this device, it was now possible for people to use it easily, even if they were not very knowledgeable with technology. 

With the advent of Windows, it now became possible for people with visual impairments to be able to write like their nondisabled peers by using speech-to-text software. People with visual impairments also could now operate Windows, Word and Excel. As a result, a great change was brought about. The spread of cell phones also had a big impact. Now these people could send messages as well as email by using speech-to-text. This had a positive effect on not only work, but also the personal lives of these people. A device that significantly changed the lives of people with visual impairments is the advent of smartphones and their subsequent use by these people. The use of smartphones, although limited at first, started around 2015. At first, the major usages were telephoning, emailing and listening to music. In 2018, however, some smartphones were equipped with OCR camera features that functioned as a reading device using a built-in automated voice which actually read whatever the smartphone saw. If made life much more convenient because it is portable, unlike the desktop type previously used, thus easy to use. In addition to this, smartphones have other useful functions. For example, by using LINE or other video call applications, it is now possible to ask for help in seeing remotely through the camera. These applications are widely used for the brief reading of documents, looking for dropped items, as well as searching for nearby places. 

Recently in 2019, the glasses-type AI OCR, 'OrCam' device came out. Moreover, currently various additions to this device such as 'Angel Eyes' or 'Envision Glasses' are on sale. These products feature the latest in AI technology usage and natural looks. Imagine if you hold up your smartphone to read the signs in town and someone is standing in front of you. You may hesitate to use it as a reader outside. You don't have to worry about it, however, if the device is a glass-type. In addition, some of the devices can read the signs and barcodes even at a distance, and others can call with the camera and project what is seen through the 'Angel Eyes' or 'Envision Glasses' to another person's smartphone. As can be seen by these examples, the lifestyles of people with visual impairments have been greatly altered thanks to AI technology. 

Still other functions can be performed when smartphones are combined with Bluetooth and WI-Fi. This combined usage can be seen in such places as air-conditioner control and checking a person's weight and blood pressure. It is now possible to access many things with the use of audio technology in smartphones. In short, with the advancements of AI technology reading and writing for people with visual impairments has come a long way. 

There are products, however, that have not changed much at all, except for minor changes in size, shape and function. An example of this is the Braille Display Device. This device can not only be used to read books written in braille, it can also automatically translate the original written text into braille and read the contents by forwarding the data to the devices. The voice can be speeded up which is a big benefit. Braille is useful in remembering proper nouns and numbers. One can also search and add comments on the braille display. This device is indispensable for scholarship and work- related tasks. It may even be possible in the future to confirm what the device has seen through the AI camera.

In order to learn anything new it takes practice. Efficiency will be lowered if one thinks they are poor at using technology. It's better if one just thinks new technology are like 'inflexible friends.' Let's have fun and make good relationships with the new devices.