◇ Gyeonggi Province is implementing a VOICEYE code for the visually impaired as part of its G-Life news service starting this year. ⓒ Gyeonggi G-News

Gyeonggi Province is implementing a VOICEYE code that converts printed text to voice using smart phones for those who cannot read type such as people with visual impairments or presbyopia.

The province will implement a VOICEYE code as part of its G-Life news service starting this year to increase accessibility to printed information pertaining to the province. Gyeonggi Province is the only local authority in Korea to implement such a VOICEYE code as part of its news service.

VOICEYE codes, which appear similar to QR codes, contain text information equivalent to two printed pages in a small square 2D bar code. If you use the VOICEYE application installed on your smart phone or a speech translator, which is an exclusive bar code reader for the visually impaired, to scan a VOICEYE code, the text is transformed to voice. It also offers a text enlarger function and translation function by connecting to the Google Translator application, and can thus be utilized in a variety of ways.

You can search for the free VOICEYE application on iPhone’s AppStore or Android Market by using the keyword VOICEYE. Text-to-speech functions will be activated by turning on VoiceOver on your iOS device, and Talkback (a text-reading function) on your Android device through the main settings menu.

The speech translator can be used at a reasonable price if you are a beneficiary of government-supported projects such as the National Information Society Agency’s IT Assistive Device Project (10-20% of the cost to be covered by the user) or the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Rehabilitation Aids Delivery Project (100% supported by the agency).

VOICEYE codes are standardized for insertion in the upper right-hand corner of documents. If a speech translator or smart phone stand is pointed at the upper right-hand corner of such a document, a speech translator scanner or smart phone camera automatically scans the VOICEYE code. You will hear a beep while the code is being scanned.  Once code recognition has been completed, a ringing notification is made and the application reads the content or shows the text on screen.

Gyeonggi Province plans to actively expand the use of VOICEYE codes in printed information relevant to provincial residents such as official documents or notifications.

“We have also published news in braille for the visually impaired, but we realized a lack of accessibility in that only 10% of the intended beneficiaries could read braille,” said Kim Byoung-cheol, a public relations official of Gyeonggi Province. “The implementation of the VOICEYE code is good news for those like the visually impaired who have difficulty accessing information.” 

For more details about VOICEYE codes, please refer to the VOICEYE website (www.voiceye.com) or call 02-2028-2300.

ⓒGyeonggi G-News | Lee Jun-gyun eyekle@hanmail.net 

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201402131334476705C048&s_code=C048