NETWORK ARCHITECTURE SPEECH SYSTEM (NASS)

THE NETWORK ARCHITECTURE SPEECH SYSTEM (NASS) UTILIZES A NEW APPROACH IN PROVIDING EXCELLENT ACCESS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE TO OFF THE SHELF PROGRAMS (E.G., WORDPERFECT, LOTUS 1-2-3) THAT RUN ON THE IBM PC, AT, PS/2, AND COMPATIBLES. IT DRAMATICALLY CHANGES THE CURRENT SENSORY ADAPTIVE AID ARCHITECTURE BY TRANSFERRING THE "SCREEN READER" SOFTWARE FROM THE PC TO A NEW TYPE OF "SMART" OUTPUT DEVICE (E.G., SPEECH SYNTHESIZER). THIS SMART OUTPUT DEVICE CONTAINS A MILLION BYTES OF MEMORY AND MAY BE "TAUGHT" DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS. THE NASS CREATES AN EXCELLENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH MANY INNOVATIVE FUNCTIONS MAY BE CREATED TO PROVIDE AN OPTIMAL ADAPTIVE AID FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED USERS. IT HAS THE ADVANTAGES OF MINIMIZING MEMORY SPACE REQUIREMENTS ON THE PC AND MAXIMIZING THE MEMORY SPACE ON THE SMART OUTPUT DEVICE. THE RESULT IS AN EASY TO USE SYSTEM WHICH OFFERS NEARLY UNLIMITED GROWTH POTENTIAL TO SOLVE THE EVER-INCREASING PROBLEM OF MAPPING TWO-DIMENSIONAL VISUAL SCREENS TO THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA OF SPEECH OR BRAILLE. THE END USER PRICE OF NASS WILL BE SIMILAR TO EXISTING ADAPTIVE AIDS, DUE TO DECREASES IN COMPUTER COMPONENT COSTS AND INCREASES IN COMPUTER PROCESSOR SPEEDS. THE NASS APPROACH IS A QUANTUM STEP FORWARD IN PROVIDING SUPERIOR ACCESS TO THE PC FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE.