amen zwa, esq.I published a book, more than a decade ago, on the #Akai #EWI 5000 #windcontroller/#synthesiser, aimed at wind instrument #musicians who wish to expand their tonal palette. I suppose it was well received—both people who read it told me so.
Not long after the publication, a UK-based professional saxophonist, who is totally blind, contacted me. He thanked me for the book, but he explained that the fingering diagrams I presented in the book were inaccessible to him. Obviously! That revelation struck me like a thunder. I wrote this article for him, as an addendum to my book.
https://amenzwa.github.io/music/EWI5000VisuallyImpaired/
Since the early 1980s, I had worked with CG and GUI, both in academic research and in industrial application domains. Yet, I did not pay enough attention to the plight of those who are perceptually impaired. In due course, I took conscious steps toward remedying that serious shortcoming, in my systems design work.
Today, we have $0.99 MCUs, and even cheaper sensors, that offer adequate performance and compactness for augmentative technologies for those with perceptual impairments. A cheap #FitBit can indeed be used for just such a purpose, in addition to monitoring the wearer's steps. #AI could make this entire segment of technology much, much more capable, not to mention eminently more affordable.
So, why do all these assistive technologies cost more than the sale price of one's first-born on the open market?
I must say, I am heartily ashamed for my own part, or rather, that which I should have had, in service of society, but did not.
Penance....
Playing The Akai EWI5000 Electronic Wind Instrument (2015-10-16) - Kindle edition by Zwa, Amen. Arts & Photography Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
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Alex Enkerli