The SAL (Speech Assisted Learning): A Review

The SAL (Speech Assisted Learning): A Review

The Braille Monitor

July 2003

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The

SAL (Speech Assisted Learning): A Review

by

Robert Jaquiss

Robert

Jaquiss uses SAL.

From the Editor: Robert

Jaquiss is a member of the technology department staff of the National Federation

of the Blind. He is a lifelong user of and advocate for Braille. Here is his

report on an exciting new piece of learning technology that will interest every

parent or teacher urging a child to master Braille:

Years

ago, when I learned Braille, all the materials I used were handmade, most of

them by my mother and by my teacher. About the time I started third grade, I

began receiving books from volunteer groups and a few that had been produced

by the American Printing House for the Blind. But my mother made most of my

beginning Braille books. She didn't know Braille, but she had a Perkins Brailler

and a copy of the 1959 edition of the Braille rules. She figured that she could

Braille my books because she only needed to know a bit more Braille than I did.

My pre-Braille materials were strings, rick-rack, and other materials glued

to pages in a book. Soon I could read Braille far faster than Mother could produce

it. Mother would Braille for four hours, and I would come home and read all

her work in less than thirty minutes. When I learned Braille, 30 percent of

blind children learned Braille.

In

the twenty-first century things have changed. There are fewer volunteer Braillists,

and we have a shortage of Braille teachers. Only 10 percent of blind children

are taught Braille. Dr. Sally Mangold, the developer of a new product, SAL (Speech

Assisted Learning), hopes to improve this situation. SAL is a teaching and learning

aid that will assist blind children and adults to learn Braille and good reading

habits. SAL is sixteen inches long, thirteen inches wide, and one-and-a-half

inches high. Most of the top surface is a touch screen that will hold an eleven-by-eleven-and-a-half-inch

piece of Braille paper. In front is a keyboard like that on a Braille 'n Speak.

On the right side is a floppy disk drive for loading lesson materials. SAL uses

a combination of synthesized speech, standard paper embossed sheets (eleven-by-eleven-and-a-half

inches), and barcode identification technology. The speech is used for tutorials,

posing questions, or providing spoken feedback to the user about his or her

performance.

To

use SAL, a user places a bar-coded SAL worksheet on the touch screen and then

closes a latch. SAL has a barcode scanner that reads the print barcode on the

underside of each page. The built-in computer uses the barcode information to

identify an electronic copy of the embossed Braille page under the latch. The

system will then respond correctly to the user. The user listens to spoken instructions,

presses a prompt button when a request has been completed, and changes pages

when requested. SAL responds when a student presses points on the lesson. A

student might hear requests like the following:

"Press

all the letter G's in the first column."

"Press

on the end of the third line."

When

a student responds correctly, SAL makes encouraging comments. If a student responds

incorrectly, SAL will say "wrong answer." When a lesson page has been

completed, SAL gives a score so that the student knows how well he or she has

done. The student can press on a word when reading a book, and SAL will voice

the word. Press on the same word again, and SAL will spell the word and describe

Braille contractions. The keyboard allows a teacher to perform administrative

functions such as setting the language and backing up records and allows a student

to enter answers for math and advanced courseware.

When

a new lesson is used for the first time, the user is asked to insert the diskette

that comes with the lesson. SAL reads the diskette and loads the appropriate

files. A teacher can load all the needed lesson materials before a student starts

using the equipment. SAL also helps teachers by recording student responses.

A teacher can upload these responses to a computer for further analysis.

In

the future software will become available for the creation of materials so that

teachers can create customized materials as needed. The first version of this

software is expected to be released by July 2003 and an enhanced version by

December 2003. In order to create courseware, a teacher will need a Braille

embosser and a wide-format inkjet printer or a printer that can print on sticky

labels. The print printer produces the barcode information.

SAL

is well designed. A lot of thought has gone into designing the hardware and

courseware. The SAL firmware is stored in flash memory, so it will be possible

to upgrade the SAL without returning it to the factory. The SAL hardware costs

$4,500, so its purchase is more feasible for a school than for an individual.

While it is too soon to know what impact SAL may have, it is a well-designed

tool with a lot of potential. SAL will not replace a Braille teacher, but it

certainly can help reinforce good reading practices.

References

Exceptional Teaching Aids,

Inc., 20102 Woodbine Avenue, Castro Valley, California 94546; toll free (800)

549-6999; phone (510) 582-4859; fax (510) 582-5911; e-mail <[email protected]>;

<http://www.exceptionalteaching.com>

Freedom Scientific Inc.,

<http://www.freedomscientific.com>

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