DEVELOPMENT OF A SMARTPHONE DEVICE FOR READING AIMED AT LOW-VISION PEOPLE

Many people with total or partial visual impairment can use assistive technology (AT) to facilitate daily living activities. Smartphones and, especially, their applications, can be a tool of easy access and applicability as AT. The aim of this study was to develop an application for use on a smartphone or tablet to improve the visual ability of people with low visual acuity. The software, called Oftcam, was developed using the ANDROID operating system, written in Java Android under the Java version JDK 1.7, supporting the minimum version of Android 2.2. Its operating mechanism includes capturing and adjusting the image of interest to the users according to their needs: expansion, change of background and decentralization of the image of interest. The development of this free, easy-to-handle application will provide the possibility of integration between the user and the auxiliary professional, being, in practice, a mobile resource of health. Considering that most people have an increasing access to phones and tablets, we believe the use of this application is a good alternative to integrate the need and practicality in the daily lives of the visually impaired people.