https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/b00b669e-f8e9-43eb-a6a3-e661355ce38d Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Help us preserve, scan and post more rare and endangered films! Join us on Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com This film "Information Technology for the Disabled" (1988) shows pioneering innovations developed by companies such as IBM, Splink and Centronics in order to aid people with disabilities in office settings. It also offers viewers a brief understanding of what it is like for the disabled working in the office in the late 1970's, early 1980's. In short, "Information Technology for the Disabled" shows normal office procedures (1:16) conducted by a disabled person. It opens with a rotary phone (:10) in an office staffed by disabled persons (:36). The camera runs around the office showing vintage tech items including a PET-IEE (1:01). The Microwriter (1:29) enabled easy operation by single hand use or by those with limited hand movement. Microwriters were first demonstrated in 1978 dating the film to the late 1970's. It was a landmark development created in the UK. Close shots show the display screen (2:03). A Centronics printer follows (2:14). At an airport, the departures screen informs travelers of flights heading for the UK (2:29). A blind Senior Civil Servant travelling for work opens his suitcase to revealing a Versabraille system (2:53); likely the Model P2C. The device was introduced by the American company, Telesensory in December of 1979. The Ultratec Uniphone (4:22) enables communication through text messaging. A disabled programmer, Jeff (5:20) uses his nose in order to type. The original model was clunky; nose typing often caused mistakes. Innovations are discussed; the keyboard on the microcomputer was modified and a word stall was added in order to enable typing a single phrase with one stroke (5:46). This particular terminal was known as the 'Mate' and was software driven (5:56). A BP employee, Leslie (6:20) runs fingers over braille (6:20) and uses an IBM Braille Model D (6:29). Another employee, Hazel (7:19) reads a document using an Optacon (7:39). The camera zooms in on the pins which form letters as she goes (7:48). The history behind the Optacon follows (7:59) beginning with the reader in 1970. This innovative technology for the mute (8:38) created by Splink was developed in the UK by a doctor for his stroke patients. The employee scrolls through an array of vocabulary (8:52). A young girl named Joanne (9:12) uses the experimental Mavis system (9:15) developed and researched at the Natural Physical Laboratory. She operates special switches to drive the pointer (9:43). A turtle robot (10:32) is used in demonstration. Disabled youth play with a train set (11:15). The Mavis board is used to control the train set (11:27). Special acknowledgements close out the film (12:16) for British Petroleum and the Gatwick airport. Other tech companies involved in the film follow (12:30). The film was narrated by Peter Baldwin (12:38). It was produced by NPL Film and Video Unit (12:54). The Optacon (OPtical to TActile CONverter) is an electromechanical device that enables blind people to read printed material that has not been transcribed into Braille. The device consists of two parts: a scanner which the user runs over the material to be read, and a finger pad which translates the words into vibrations felt on the fingertips. The Optacon was conceived by John Linvill, a professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, and developed with researchers at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International). Telesensory Systems manufactured the device from 1971 until it was discontinued in 1996. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrS6OitFWrQ Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:22:39 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/b00b669e-f8e9-43eb-a6a3-e661355ce38d All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.