Deafblind University of Tokyo Professor Uses Assistive Technology to Gather Information Over the Internet and to Communicate with Others

When Satoshi Fukushima was born in Kobe, Japan in 1962, there were landscapes and sounds in his world. But, by age 9 he had lost his sight. By age 18 he had lost his hearing too. Today, Satoshi Fukushima is an associate professor in the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, and is a Project Director in the Barrier-Free Department. He relies on assistive technology to communicate and to do his job.

"When I describe my world, I use television as an example," Fukushima says. "A television that has no picture is in a state similar to that of being blind. A muted television is similar to the condition of being deaf. In my world, both the screen and sound are off—so it is the same as when a television is completely switched off. If the way in which humans are in touch with the outside world is similar to our sensory perception of television, then television itself disappeared completely from my world," Fukushima says.

Fukushima once took sight and sound for granted. Now he uses assistive technology to communicate. Besides using documents and references written in Braille, Fukushima uses a computer that is connected to the Internet along with a refreshable Braille display. With these tools he can communicate quickly and effectively via email and he can search and gather information through the Internet. He also uses Finger Braille—a Braille method in which the fingertips of deafblind people are used instead of the keys of a Braille typewriter. With this technique, the human interpreter lightly touches the deafblind person's fingertips to convey the Braille language.

Fukushima combines his assistive technology with human support to collect the information he needs to do his job and otherwise communicate with people. He uses his Windows-based computer and a refreshable Braille display as well as a portable Braille electronic notebook.

To read Braille with the refreshable Braille display requires special software by which text/character information is converted into Braille information and then transferred to the refreshable Braille display. However, the amount of information that can be displayed in Braille at any one time is limited, so if the text volume is large, the translation process becomes very demanding—it can take a lot of time and energy for those who are deafblind to collect information through the Internet since they cannot as effectively skim the pages as those who are sighted.

To address that challenge, Fukushima compensates by using what he calls his "human search engine." I tell my assistant the details of the information I'm searching for, and ask that the information be copied to floppy disks and sometimes sent to me by email. Although I require some human assistance, it is the most efficient way in terms of total time consumption," Fukushima says. This combination of support using technologies and human power is his assistive technology solution.

Assistive Technology Means New Opportunities for Deafblind People

Fukushima started using a computer about 6 years ago. Before he started using email, he had to receive telephone calls and faxes through finger Braille interpreters. "I used to ask an interpreter to translate everything. This made it very difficult when I had an urgent document or needed a reply as soon as possible."

By using emails, he has resolved these problems. Since emails allow him to communicate regardless of the time and without the need of an interpreter, he has more freedom and can respond much more quickly.

Fukushima believes current assistive technology still has room for improvement, too. "Most products are not designed with deafblind people in mind from the beginning, so often they are not really easy to use. As voice recognition technology continues to be improved, I think a refreshable Braille display which can automatically display the voice of your conversation partner won't be just a dream. However," he says, "in the end, machines will not solve everything, so, I think it is important that a combination of human support and technology be combined for the complete solution."