Blind Arabs will feel a sense of inclusion at GITEX this year

Hal 6.03 is a sophisticated program which reads aloud, in Arabic, information being displayed on a computer screen. With Hal, blind and visually impaired Arabs can have easy access to computer systems. Hal's size is under 290MB, a small footprint which makes it fast and responsive to users' interactions.

" One of the greatest challenges to blind users is the fact that Windows is a GUI based platform, a concept blind users can barely imagine", said Auda Hazeem, CEO of Nattiq Technologies. "With its unique Virtual Focus capability, Hal provides blind users with the much needed mouse functions putting them on equal footings with their sighted counterparts using computers", Mr. Hazeem added. With the virtual focus, a blind user may reach to any area of the screen and click on any icon he /she wishes to.

As soon as the computer is turned on, Hal starts speaking with a clear and loud Arabic voice. In a mixed Arabic / English text, Hal automatically switches between the appropriate speech synthesizers providing clear Arabic or English accents depending on the text being read.

Nattiq will demonstrate how a blind user may use popular off the shelf or custom built software packages. Since Windows based applications rely heavily on using a conventional mouse, blind users felt excluded. The Virtual Mouse makes it possible for blind users to browse the internet. They also may send and receive email messages, enter popular chat rooms and fill out internet forms. They also are able to work with Microsoft Word and Excel.

Hal helps narrow the digital gap between blind and sighted users. It will be on display at Gitex at stand M9-1, Sheikh Rashid Hall. Nattiq shares the stand with its strategic partner RDI - Egypt which supplies Hal with its Arabic text diacratizer.

World Heath Organization estimates the number of blind and visually impaired people in the Middle East at over 6 million individuals. A market that was ignored by IT industry until Nattiq addressed this wide niche with offerings such as Hal and Talks, an Arabic screen reader for Nokia and Siemens mobile phones. More blind Arabs find Gitex a technical destination which caters to their specific needs as more adaptive solution companies, like Nattiq, participate in Gitex. This sends a strong message to blind Arabs that they too may have IT tools to be excited about at Gitex.