Originally published December 14 2005
Intelligent cards enable customization for computers and ATMs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The intelligent cards enable the visually impaired to customize computers and ATMs automatically. They can be used in cash dispensers, ticket machines, public access computers and more.
The Special Needs Application Program Interface, or Snapi, puts a user's preferences on a smart card.
The cards can be used in cash dispensers, ticket machines and public access computers.
The technology was developed by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in collaboration with Suffolk County Council and two companies based in the West Midlands.
Snapi is software which standardises the coding of individual preferences so they can be stored on a smart card.
The idea has already attracted the interest of local authorities, the Home Office and the banking industry.
"I imagine that local authorities will start using it either later this year or early next," John Gill, RNIB chief scientist, told the BBC News website.
Dr Gill says the first application of the new technology will be for public computers in local libraries.
Photo of a child looking at a computer with a woman Public access computers can also be adapted to suit the user "There is a number of possibilities for various disabilities.
The Department for Transport has already incorporated the new standard into its specification for ticket machines.
And the banking industry has said that it will implement Snapi at some point in the future, but no date has yet been given.
For Dr Gill, the appeal of the technology is that it stores information about a person's preferences rather than about their disability.
"For example, if a person chooses large characters it may simply be because they don't want to wear glasses in public."
One limitation is that not every machine will be able to comply with what the user wants: a user may well request speech output from a cash dispenser but very few ATMs currently have speech enabled.
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