Page 74 - SEN113 SEN Magazine July-August 2021-V3

74 Award for Read-Aloud App for the Blind Solo developer Winston Chen, who designed an app for people with visual impairment while living above the Arctic Circle in Norway, has been named one of 12 winners worldwide of the prestigious Apple Design Award. Chen’s “Voice Dream Reader” supports text-to-speech as well as visual reading for people who are blind or have low vision, people with dyslexia, or people with impaired motor functions. “For thousands of years, reading meant decoding phonetic symbols in black ink printed on white surfaces,” Chen said. “But the human brain is not wired for that, which is why it takes years to become a proficient visual reader. In fact, our brains are wired to communicate orally. I wanted to explore how technology could allow everyone to learn more naturally -- by listening.” Available on the App Store, Voice Dream Reader has now seen over 350,000 downloads worldwide. The Apple Design Awards recognize excellence in innovation, ingenuity and technical achievement in app and game design. There were 36 finalists in this year’s award. SEN113 senmagazine.co.uk Visual impairment