DR. JOSHUA MIELE
ACCESSIBILITY RESEARCHER
From Dr. Joshua Miele: “I invent, design, and improve technology that helps blind and low-vision people get better access to the information they need in order to do the things they want to do. Most of the information in the world is presented visually in the form of print, charts, maps, videos, and pictures. For blind and visually-impaired people to succeed in school, work, or daily life, they need information in non-visual forms like braille or sound.”
Dr. Miele has created several projects to help visually-impaired people: YouDescribe provides audio descriptions for YouTube videos. Descriptive Video Exchange allows anyone to describe a video and share it. WearaBraille is a virtual wireless Braille keyboard that attaches to your smartphone. overTHERE is a phone application that uses audio clues to direct the user to specific locations. The Blind Arduino Project is essentially a kit for making accessibility devices and is also a program that offers blind STEM students support. Finally, TMAP is a software that uses data to make a raised map.
Thank you to BARBARA BUTKUS PHOTOGRAPHY for use of the image.
Further Resources
Visit his lab webpage to learn more about his projects
From the New York Times: 40 Years After an Acid Attack, a Life Well Lived.
Smith-Kettlewell Skeri Eye Research Institute—Dr. Miele is Associate Director of Research and Development.
Check out a biography of Dr. Joshua Miele here!
And his profile from Disability Changemakers.
Follow him on Twitter: @BerkeleyBlink