By akademiotoelektronik, 14/10/2022

How AI can help the schooling of the blind and visually impaired

What if artificial intelligence could help blind and visually impaired?In Suise Romande, a team of researchers from the Haute École de Gestion Arc (Heg Arc) in Neuchâtel was able to respond in the affirmative.Led in collaboration with the educational center for students with disabilities of sight (CPHV), the project "Automatic Accessible Conversion of textbooks" was recently distinguished by the 1st prize for innovation in the Asylum Foundation.

Support the task of adapter transcribers

Contacted by the editorial staff, Cédric Baudet, professor and researcher at the HEG ARC, explains that the pilot phase has already made it possible to create software capable of supporting the task of adapter transcribers in Switzerland.The latter work to make the digital teaching material accessible (textbooks in PDF format, course supports, slides, etc..) learners with visual disabilities.

AI algorithms have been trained by researchers from image recognition technologies (the texts being analyzed here as if they were images).It was necessary to train Deep Learning models to understand the very specific layout of this material."When we feed artificial intelligence, it is provided with course supports and exercises that must be labeled to designate all the specific elements, for example an instructions, an image, an answer area, etc..», Details Cédric Baudet.Once the labeling is sufficient, AI can reproduce in different contexts what it learned.

Transcription independently

After this pilot phase, the research project continues.The objective is twofold: to improve the AI created, but also to allow the use of software directly by blind and visually impaired.It is not a question of being able to do without the complex and precise work of transcribers-adaptors, but of giving the possibility of producing independently, for example directly in class, a simple conversion of educational support which would not have been transcribedand suitable.Especially for original documents created by teachers.

To improve this AI, the challenge is to find enough content to feed it.However for rights of rights, the departments of public education or the publishers do not directly give access to their supports, underlines Cédric Baudet.The professor hopes that new discussions will change the situation.Trained from French equipment, the software could in the future be adapted to other national languages.