Fall 2007

Scott Bass displays his BrailleNote which is connected to GPS technology.

Like some employees here at Seattle Lighthouse, Scott Bass was born Deaf and fully sighted. It wasn’t until he got older that his vision started to deteriorate. Growing up in Lafayette, LA, Scott attended the Fort Lauderdale Oral School in Florida and developed tunnel vision at age 19. By the time Scott was 23 he was totally blind and relied on using a white cane to move around safely.

While working at the Helen Keller National Center in New York, Scott heard about The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. and its Deaf-Blind Program. Today, Scott has been working at the Lighthouse for twenty years in a variety of departments including the Lighthouse machine shop and the canteen area. He currently works in the injection mold area producing quality items for the federal government and private companies.

Scott decided to start Lighthouse orientation and mobility (O&M) training. Earlier this year, Scott was trained in using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

GPS has been integrated into a navigation-assistance system for blind and Deaf-Blind individuals with great results. It works by utilizing the GPS network to pinpoint a traveler’s position on earth and provide directions to nearby points of interest. The wireless GPS receiver acquires radio signals from satellites to chart the location of users and direct them to their destination. Scott describes his GPS as a communication system that connects information about his current location into his , a personal digital assistant (PDA) with electronic braille and voice read-outs. The GPS receiver and the BrailleNote share a connection using Bluetooth technology. “I get all the information from the GPS on my BrailleNote, so I will know if I am standing at an intersection I want,” he says.

“In the past when I would take the bus I had to rely on the bus driver to tell me where I was,” Scott explains. “Now the GPS gives me enough information on my BrailleNote to know exactly where I am.”

Scott says that he has been able to travel independently throughout several states and the greater Washington area as a result of his GPS and the BrailleNote.

Scott also uses a software add-on called Virtual Walk, which gives him information about areas around the city. Before he takes a trip he is able to study maps, memorize routes, and plan accommodations and then take his trip independently and efficiently. “As a Deaf-Blind person, I was not aware that this was available to me as an option,” he says. “There is potential in the GPS system to be a great mobility tool for visually impaired people.”

Currently, the Seattle Lighthouse has three employees who are using the GPS system with a braille output. GPS is becoming popular, but access to equipment is limited. GPS systems can cost $1500 and the BrailleNote costs $6,500 for a total of $8,000.

If you would like to help the Seattle Lighthouse fund tools such as the BrailleNote, please click here.

Interpretation Note: Scott’s comments were translated from American Sign Language (ASL) to English by a certified ASL interpreter.

Previous Page | Horizons Main Page | Home