Our Technology
CurIO is a real time multi-sensory (tactile + audio) computer display for people with blindness and severe visual impairment. It represents code structures as a pattern of moving elements and allows users to selectively read out text/ code of interest with in-built voice synthesizer. Imagine it to be a pin board with moving elements, where a blind person can touch and feel the structure of code in real time!
What are we solving?
The only computer accessibility technology available to people with visual impairments are screen readers and refreshable braille displays. While they are great to read an e-book, write a document or browse the internet, they are not meant for programming tasks and
is really frustrating to code
They read content linearly.
Comprehending code is like reviewing a book. Sighted people can skim through a book to understand its content. With screen readers and braille displays this is nearly impossible. One has to read through word by word, line by line.
Imagine having to read through thousands of lines of code at a time, to first understand the contents of the code and then debug it !
The limited working memory of humans do not allow large pieces of information to be remembered temporarily for navigation and while solving a problem. Since a visually impaired user needs to first read through all lines, mentally map the logic even to make any modification, it becomes very frustrating.
As a result, there are less than 1% blind programmers around the world, and much of them as hobbyists. Our vision is to enable them with coding skills at a professional level, so that they can find equal job opportunities in the rapidly growing digital economy
Did you just say skimming? It is not possible in coding.
- Pawel Urbanski, professional blind programmer (Poland)
It takes a lot of time to code with braille displays
Yuma Decaux, professional blind programmer (Australia)
Screen Readers make a different tone of beeps for different indents. This will drive you crazy, especially when you are coding for like 10 hours.
- Pawel Urbanski, professional blind programmer (Poland)
It is nearly impossible to quickly skim, navigate to specific lines and debug code effectively, on par with sighted professionals, with screen readers and refreshable braille displays, the only computer accessibility technology available to people with visual impairments
This is exactly what CurIO solves
What makes CurIO different?
CHUNKING
Breaks
large pieces of text to smaller, manageable, comprehensible chunks
NON-BRAILLE
For universal accessibility,
represents digital information without braille since global braille literacy is less than 10%
CROSS COMPATIBLE
Can be used across all popular IDEs and text editors
MINIMALIST UI
Interaction design based on familiar mental models, low adoption barrier
ALLOCENTRIC ELEMENTS
Based on familiar spatial navigation models, that define relative position of different interaction elements from a fixed point of reference
MULTI- SENSORY INTERACTION
Reduces sensory fatigue when working for longer period of time
LOW COGNITIVE STRAIN
Adapted to be within the comfortable levels of working memory, to reduce cognitive strain
COMPATIBLE with many popular programming languages
Where can CurIO be impactful?
WORKPLACES
To enable companies hire people with visual impairments for jobs that require coding skills
To allow companies to hire from traditionally marginalized talent pool, improve business performance, in addition to being a goodwill gesture and reduce turnover rates, since people with disabilities tend to look for stable jobs
MAINSTREAM COLLEGES
To enable students with visual impairments access mainstream STEM education such as computer science and in other growing digital economy technologies
INDIVIDUALS
To enable people with visual impairments upskill themselves and find high paying jobs or for an enthusiastic hobby
SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
To enable non-profits organizations to effectively upskill blind students with coding skills along with other computer skills and place them in high paying jobs in the Digital Economy Industry
Connect upskilled individuals with freelance projects from companies
