[NFBV-Announce] Information you can use!

Mon Mar 20 03:57:59 UTC 2023

Hey NFB Family and Friends,

Please read below for information on meetings and happenings going on
virtually and/or in person especially for low vision and blind consumers,
new products and devices and other interesting tidbits.

Information you can use.

Good morning, 

The Senior Center of Leesburg will be hosting a health and wellness fair on
April 25th, feel free to reach out to the senior center directly if you have
any questions.

Thank you!

Erin Nesbitt

Elder Resources Community Outreach 

Area Agency on Aging 

Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Services

From: Annette Carr, Fairfax

Be My Eyes Announces New Tool Powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 to Improve
Accessibility for People Who are Blind or Have Low-Vision

Virtual VolunteerT is the first-ever AI-powered digital visual assistant
powered by OpenAI's new GPT-4 language model 

Be My Eyes <https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink
<https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bemye
yes.com%2F&esheet=53361649&newsitemid=20230314005425&lan=en-US&anchor=Be+My+
Eyes&index=1&md5=32828be05a74547ca417e3fc297a1ab2>
&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bemyeyes.com%2F&esheet=53361649&newsitemid=2023031400
5425&lan=en-US&anchor=Be+My+Eyes&index=1&md5=32828be05a74547ca417e3fc297a1ab
2> , the mobile app that allows anyone to assist visually impaired people
through live video calls, today announced Virtual VolunteerT, the first-ever
digital visual assistant powered by OpenAI's new GPT-4 language model. 

The new tool from Be My Eyes integrates OpenAI's latest generative AI
technology, with the goal of providing an unprecedented level of
accessibility and power to the 253 million people who are blind or have low
vision globally. 

"We are entering the next wave of innovation for accessibility technology
powered by AI. This new Be My Eyes feature will be transformative in
providing people who are blind or have low vision with powerful tools to
better navigate physical environments, address everyday needs, and gain more
independence," said Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes. "We are thrilled to
work with OpenAI to further our mission of improving accessibility for the
253 million people who are blind or have low-vision, with safe and
accessible applications of generative AI." 

The Virtual Volunteer feature will be integrated into the existing app and
contains a dynamic new image-to-text generator powered by GPT-4. Users can
send images via the app to an AI-powered Virtual Volunteer, which will
answer any question about that image and provide instantaneous,
conversational visual assistance for a wide variety of tasks. 

What sets the Virtual Volunteer tool apart from other image-to-text
technology available today is the context it provides, with highly nuanced
explanations and conversational abilities not yet seen in the digital
assistant field. For example, if a user sends a picture of the inside of
their refrigerator, the Virtual Volunteer will not only be able to correctly
identify the items within, but also extrapolate and analyze what can be
prepared with those ingredients. The tool can also then offer a number of
recipes for those ingredients and send a step-by-step guide to prepare them.

This new feature promises to not only better support the blind and
low-vision community through the Be My Eyes app, but it will also offer a
way for businesses to better serve their customers by prioritizing
accessibility. Be My Eyes plans to begin beta testing this with corporate
customers in the coming weeks, and to make it broadly available later this
year as part of the company's Accessible CXT offering. 

Since its founding in 2015, Be My Eyes has worked to connect its 6.3 million
volunteers to users to assist them with everyday tasks, and the company's
mission is to make the world more accessible for people who are blind or
have low vision. 

In the near future, Be My Eyes plans to apply this technology to provide
people with powerful tools and capabilities to enrich their virtual
assistant experience in complex ways - for example, navigating a train
system in an unfamiliar place, traveling in a foreign country where
translation support is needed, browsing websites and social media platforms,
online shopping, and a host of other scenarios to be discovered in testing. 

People who are blind or have low vision can register
<https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink
<https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bemye
yes.com%2Fdownload&esheet=53361649&newsitemid=20230314005425&lan=en-US&ancho
r=register&index=2&md5=affb216f79886e0199139dba3434491e>
&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bemyeyes.com%2Fdownload&esheet=53361649&newsitemid=20
230314005425&lan=en-US&anchor=register&index=2&md5=affb216f79886e0199139dba3
434491e>  for the wait list in the iOS app. Just like the existing volunteer
service, this tool is free for all blind and low-vision community members
using the Be My Eyes app. 

About Be My Eyes 

Based in Denmark and launched in 2015, Be My Eyes is a global community that
connects people who are blind or have low vision with sighted volunteers or
company representatives. On the app, volunteers assist blind and low-vision
users through a live video connection and work together to tackle challenges
and handle a wide range of tasks. With the Specialized Help feature, blind
and low-vision users can connect with company representatives for accessible
customer support. The app harnesses the power of generosity, technology, and
human connection so that people who are blind or have low vision can lead
more independent lives. Be My Eyes is accessible in more than 150 countries
worldwide and in over 180 languages. The app is free and available for both
iOS and Android 

View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230314005425/en/

The White Cane: A Key to Independence
Tech Talk Tuesday
Tuesday, March 21 at 1 p.m.

Join by video:

<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bc
d9&id=868d9081bb&e=d672bca4d3> https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89782365782
Join by phone:
(301) 715-8592
Meeting ID: 897 8236 5782

Join Sharon Payne, COMS, COVT, to learn how a white cane could help you.
When used correctly, a white cane can open your abilities to navigate in
public and give you more confidence!

Bring your questions! It is highly recommended to join via computer with
your video enabled.

Listen and watch replays of recent webinars and events, including POB Tech
Talk Tuesday events, at:
<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bc
d9&id=760d422a14&e=d672bca4d3> www.youreyes.org/replays

<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bc
d9&id=bebc805aee&e=d672bca4d3> 

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<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bc
d9&id=e352d43e39&e=d672bca4d3> 

Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington serves the
District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George's counties of Maryland,
and Northern Virginia.

Thank you for supporting local sight-saving programs. Learn more at
<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bc
d9&id=eeef5623c5&e=d672bca4d3> youreyes.org.
Copyright C 2023 Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington,
All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington 

415 2nd Street NE, Suite 200

Washington, DC 20002

Add us to your address book
<https://youreyes.us14.list-manage.com/vcard?u=939b8acf4b5eb247b7120bcd9&id=
0574169d77> 

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From: Annette Carr, Fairfax

P&GT Chooses D-Series for Tactile Labeling on Shampoo and Conditioner

Overview

P&G's goal is to be a leader in the area of inclusive package design for its
products. Touching and improving lives is not just a slogan for P&G and its
people; it's a core belief that they all share. With this in mind, P&G is
continually working to enable inclusive packaging design into its portfolios
to further improve its consumers' lives.

Fast facts

*             P&G serves nearly 5 billion people around the world, with a
strong

portfolio of trusted, quality, leadership brands. The P&G community is made
up of 99,000 employees in approximately 70 countries worldwide.

*             It is estimated that 10% of all adults in the US have a visual

impairment, for whom simple tasks, such as differentiating between personal
care products during use, can be incredibly difficult.

*             The National Federation of the Blind reports that there is a

'Braille literacy crisis' in the United States. Fewer than 10% of those who
are registered legally blind in the US are Braille readers, and just 10% of
blind children are learning to read the tactile writing system. 

Introduction

As one of the world's largest and most trusted suppliers of consumer and
personal care products Procter and Gamble (P&GT) recognizes the importance
of making sure that products and services can be used and enjoyed by
everyone. 

Simple tasks can be a real challenge for those living with a visual
impairment, like telling the difference between personal care products, such
as bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Even for consumers with poor or
reduced sight, it can be difficult to identify products while in the shower
or bath - where sight aids, such as glasses, contact lenses, or magnifiers,
are not typically used. P&G recognized this issue and set out to find a
solution. 

"Most shampoo and conditioner bottles are designed to look and feel the
same," says P&G's Special Consultant for Inclusive Design, Sumaira Latif,
who is registered blind herself. "We realized that we have a huge
opportunity to improve the lives of those with a visual impairment by
changing our products and packaging, and encouraging other businesses to do
the same."

"It may seem like a small thing, but there are hundreds of these little
things that visually impaired people like myself have to spend time checking
and rechecking each day," continues Latif. "If you want to be independent,
if you want to be confident, you don't want to be asking your brother, your
mother, your sister, your husband, your children 'What bottle is this?'

especially in such a private location as a shower." 

Using Braille may seem like a solution here, but Latif recognized that a
very limited number of people who are blind or visually impaired are Braille
users. 

"Most people with visual impairments cannot read Braille - it takes months,
if not years to learn, and really you have to start young to develop the
sensitivity. Most people develop visual impairments in later life, and
Braille is no longer an option," says Latif. "It was important that we
invent a feature which could be universally recognized and would work for
people who haven't had the opportunity to learn Braille." 

By choosing a simple, more universal approach to differentiate the bottles,
P&G hopes to make the bottle more accessible, not just to those with a
visual impairment, but for anyone who may struggle to tell the products
apart during use. 

Herbal EssencesT bio:renewT

With her colleagues at P&G, Latif came up with the innovative idea of
including tactile notches on the bottles to enable them to be easily
differentiated by touch. P&G set out to experiment with a new tactile-coded
design for the Herbal Essences bio:renew line of shampoos and conditioners.

"We want to help the world see with their hands," explains Latif. "A simple
differentiator doesn't just help people with low or no vision, it also helps
people who don't have English as a first language, or those who normally
wear corrective glasses or contact lenses - you would be surprised by the
number the number of able-bodied, sighted people who tell me that they mix
up shampoo and conditioner in the shower." 

First steps

To keep design costs and production impacts to a minimum, Latif and her P&G
colleagues sought a

solution capable of putting tactile markers onto its existing bottles,
rather than creating the bottles with the markers already in place. Using a
laser coder to etch the markers during production seemed like an optimal
solution, however the team knew there would be complexities involved in
marking the bottles without compromising the packaging or significantly
impacting production time. 

"While the objective is clearly worthy, we recognized that to be successful,
the new approach must not impact productivity. We process hundreds of
bottles a minute on each bottling line; changing a manufacturing process is
complicated when you're dealing with those kinds of quantities," says Latif.

"We needed a solution which could fit into our existing production lines
without making a significant impact to production line speeds." 

Partnership with Domino

"We approached several different coding and marking suppliers with the
brief, and Domino stood out as the only supplier dedicated to working truly
collaboratively with us to find the most appropriate design and solution for
creating the markers," says Kevin Higgins, Engineer at P&G. 

The decisive factor was Domino's scientific expertise and highly
collaborative and iterative design testing to uncover the best solution for
the inclusive bottle design. The P&G team were invited to visit Domino's
specialist laser testing labs in Hamburg, initially to discuss the
requirements for the project, and then again for a two-day working session
to identify the best possible solution. 

"The initial brief from P&G was for coding the bottles with triangle, circle
and square symbols," says Dr. Stefan Stadler, Team Lead at the Laser
Academy. "From initial testing it was ascertained that these symbols would
be difficult to distinguish by touch so we presented some different options
which could be more easily differentiated." 

The chosen design features a row of raised lines on the bottom of the back
of the shampoo bottles with two rows of raised dots in the same place on
conditioner bottles. 

The key to the project's success was in ensuring that the laser did not
puncture the bottles or weaken the barrier strength of the substrate. The
Laser team identified the bottom of the bottle, where the plastic is at its
thickest, as the best location for the tactile labeling, where it would be
easily identifiable without compromising the integrity of the packaging. 

Sample testing

In initial sample tests,

CO2 laser coders confirmed the initial scientific analysis and were
successful in etching the required vertical line and circle markers, leaving
a tactile mark without compromising the substrate. 

Domino's Laser team used a 3D microscope to analyze the etching depth across
nine different colored PET bottles (the Herbal Essences bottle substrate)
with two different coding modes: moving and stationary. The absorption rate
of the colored bottles was measured using an FT-IR spectrometer to ascertain
whether there was a correlation between coding depth and plastic color. 

"We discovered that laser absorption at the tested wavelengths is
independent of the color of the bottle," says Stadler. "The same solution
could be replicated using different colored PET, which means that a wide
range of product brands could adopt this, regardless of the color of their
bottles. This means that it could be an easy step for other manufacturers to
follow P&G's lead and adopt the same marking method." 

To ensure that the laser solution would not compromise the product packaging
Domino's Laser team spent more than a week testing the parameters of the
laser to establish the most appropriate specifications. A 3D-profiling
report detailing the testing process reassured the P&G team that introducing
this additional labeling requirement would not affect the integrity of the
product at any point during the supply chain. 

"At P&G, our goal is to delight the consumer throughout the entire
purchasing process. From first seeing the bottles on the shelf through
squeezing out the last drop of product from the bottle, it is important that
the consumer is delighted with his or her purchase throughout the process,"

says Higgins. 

"Bottle integrity is of the utmost importance to us because this is the
first thing the consumer sees and the last thing they touch. The bottle not
only has to look good, it also has to perform throughout its entire life and
compromising its integrity was a concern for us. Through measurements and
modelling, we were able to find parameters that not only delivered the
tactile feel we wanted but also did not compromise our bottle integrity."

Validating the solution

To ensure the new stripes and circles approach would work for consumers, P&G
presented the newly-coded Herbal Essences bio:renew bottles to the Royal
National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK for consumer testing. A
follow-up focus group with visually impaired consumers overwhelmingly
approved of the new inclusive bottle design. 

Following successful consumer feedback, P&G began using Domino's laser
solution to mark Herbal Essences bio:renew shampoo and conditioner bottles
at various manufacturing plants in the US and at selected contract packers
from January 2019. 

The inclusive bottle design was a hit, receiving many positive reviews from
the those living with partial or complete sight loss, with active bloggers
and spokespersons for the blind community sharing their experiences online.

"I always have difficulty figuring out what I'm grabbing in the shower,"

says Holly Bonner, Owner of  <http://blindmotherhood.com/>
BlindMotherhood.com. "These bottles are identical, but I don't have to use a
bump dot or a rubber band to differentiate what I'm going to be using. So, I
think that this is an amazing idea." 

"While [P&G] are doing this with the visually impaired community in mind,
this could also be great for little kids.[and].people who are losing their
vision later on in life.this is going to be very useful for them," she
continues. 

"The best part about this whole thing is that a blind woman designed it. A
blind woman who has worked for the company for 18 years designed it. So, it
is not some sighted person that came up with this idea. This is somebody who
is blind, who understands, who gets it. It's amazing. I think that Herbal
Essences has done a great job."

Based on the success of the initial trial, P&G rolled out the new inclusive
design across all its US range of Herbal Essences bio:renew shampoos and
conditioners.

Driving industry change - P&G's goal for the beauty industry

On 4th May 2020, Latif took part in a webinar hosted by the people behind BE
MY EYES, an innovative web-based application for blind or visually impaired
people, which enables users to be connected to volunteers via videocall who
can assist with visual tasks. As part of the webinar Latif spoke about the
challenges faced by blind and visually impaired people at home, and in the
workplace, and how more companies are working to make their products
accessible to those with disabilities - including P&G with their new coded
bottles. 

"I was happy to hear about the new-and-improved, tactile shampoo and
conditioner bottles," writes Blogger and BE MY EYES user Tia Wojciechowski,
who sat in on the webinar. 

"Almost all shampoos and conditioners are in matchy-matchy twin bottles. I
guess people like it better that way, because it looks cuter in their
bathrooms. Now there are bottles that are cute and tactile!" she continues.

"Herbal Essences.have added tactile lines on the backs of the bottles.

Nothing that should inconvenience hair care product companies into spending
a lot of extra money, and make them have to jack up the price."

The long-term aim of P&G's project is to encourage more manufacturers to
create

inclusive packaging designs for beauty and personal care products, which are
often used by visually impaired consumers at times when they are unable to
rely on glasses or contact lenses. The simple icon approach applied to
Herbal Essences bio:renew could provide a global way of allowing
differentiation, bringing freedom and confidence to millions of blind and
visually impaired consumers in the US and elsewhere. 

Domino is here to support your needs and is capable of testing your specific
products to provide recommendations for these markings. Domino welcomes
visits to the Laser Academy and other advance testing facilities, to allow
for better understanding of Domino technologies and their capabilities. 

If you are interested in discussing how Domino's <
<https://www.domino-printing.com/en-us/products/d-series>
https://www.domino-printing.com/en-us/products/d-series> laser coding
solutions could be used to design inclusivity into your product packaging,
or for any coding and marking requirements, please get in touch. 

<
<https://www.domino-printing.com/image-library/case-studies/P-and-G/P&G_Incl
> https://www.domino-printing.com/image-library/case-studies/P-and-G/P&G

Peace,

Jacki Bruce

Corresponding Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

RISE/Silver Bells Outreach Coordinator

 <mailto:jackibruce6 at gmail.com> mailto:jackibruce6 at gmail.com
 <tel:(757)291-1789> tel:(757)291-1789
 <http://www.nfb.org/> www.nfb.org
 <http://www.nfbv.org/> www.nfbv.org

Follow us on Twitter @NFBVirginia
Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia

Live the life you want.

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want

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