The Scripor Alphabet: tactile alphabet of colors for blind, color blind and visually impaired people
The tactile standardization of colors – known as the Scripor alphabet – is a concept based on the extension of the Braille alphabet. This innovative, easy-to-learn, and universal chromatic standardization allows persons with visual impairment to read, write, differentiate and recognize colors. Using the principles of Universal Design, the Scripor alphabet is designed to empower the blind, colorblind and people with visual disabilities, enabling them to live inclusively, in a colorful world.
Cross-border/international
Romania
Poland
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Romania, Cluj, Cluj-Napoca City Hall
Romania, Bihor, Marghita City Hall
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Scripor Alphabet Association Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Sanda Last name of representative: Oltean Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: Chef Architect of The Scripor Alphabet Association, Inclusive Design & Accesibilty Consultant Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Nicolaus Copernicus, no. 7 Town: Cluj-Napoca Postal code: 400176 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 745 054 231 E-mail:arh.sanda.oltean@gmail.com Website:https://scriporalphabet.com/
URL:https://www.facebook.com/ScriporAlphabet Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #ScriporAlphabet #TheTactileAlphabetOfColors #SmallDotsBigImpact #Inclusion #Accesibility #Impreuna #ChangeTheWorld
URL:https://www.instagram.com/scriporalphabet/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #ScriporAlphabet #TheTactileAlphabetOfColors #SmallDotsBigImpact #Inclusion #Accesibility #Impreuna #ChangeTheWorld
URL:https://twitter.com/tudorscripor Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #ScriporAlphabet #TheTactileAlphabetOfColors #SmallDotsBigImpact #Inclusion #Accesibility #Impreuna #ChangeTheWorld
URL:https://www.linkedin.com/company/scriporalphabet/ Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #ScriporAlphabet #TheTactileAlphabetOfColors #SmallDotsBigImpact #Inclusion #Accesibility #Impreuna #ChangeTheWorld
Have you ever admired the sunset over the ocean or the azure of the sky? Have you ever felt the warmth of the yellow or the breeze of the blue? How do you decide on the clothes you are going to wear at a specific event? Are they suitable? Do they fuel you with self-confidence? How do you find the products you are searching for, in a supermarket? How do you find a specific office within a public institution? How do you find a specific book inside a library or a piece of art in a museum? Now close your eyes and try to approach these from the perspective of a blind person!
According to the World Health Organization, currently, there are 284 million people in the world who are visually impaired, and 39 million people are blind. Approximately 90% of these people lose their eyesight in different stages of life and face difficulties in day-to-day life.
Until now, chromatic dialogue and color identification were impossible for people who are blind or severely visually impaired. The solution came from the Scripor Alphabet of Colors, which is a remarkable achievement in closing the gap between colors and blind, color-blind people. Completing and enriching the Braille alphabet by adding colors, the Scripor alphabet is designed to empower the blind, colorblind, and people with visual disabilities, enabling them to live inclusively, in a colorful world where they can read, write, recognize, identify, and differentiate colors by touch.
The Scripor Alphabet, based on internationally recognized color theory, includes the three primary colors: RED, YELLOW, and BLUE, secondary colors: ORANGE, GREEN, and PURPLE, the tertiary color BROWN, and achromatic colors: WHITE BLACK, GREY, including shades, tones, and even the intensity.
The Scripor alphabet is universal. The code can be easily learned by anyone, speaking any language, and sharing any culture or geographic location. Furthermore, the simplicity of the Scripor alphabet makes it very compatible with assistive technology
Innovation
Inclusion
Easy-to-Learn
Universal
Equal opportunities
We have 2 main objectives:
1. Education - Scripor Alphabet is the key solution offering access to color information for all the visually impaired or blind people in the world
2. Universal Utility - practical uses in all the major aspects in day to day life for the blind, color blind, or visually impaired.
In terms of learning and sustainability, the first objective is met and evolves through the Scripor Alphabet for children and adults. A learning manual that teaches colors and that comes with a set of tactile labels that the user can apply to objects in the household or workplace for more independence and inclusion. It's available in English and Romanian, can be translated into any language, and can be printed with special Braille printers.
In terms of Utility & Applicability "Nothing about us without us" says the global slogan fighting for inclusion, the first applications and labeling of the Scripor Alphabet solution are the results of direct requests from the blind and visually impaired community.
- The first inclusive art exhibit "ContraPunct" November 2022 Radu Comsa - The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca Romania
- The self-orientation map using color codes made accessible Marghita House of Culture, Bihor County, Romania
- Day-to-day life applications: tactile labeling of products (clothing, food/drinks, books, fashion/beauty, signage, decorations)
- Accessible board games Twister, Uno, Rumy - 2022, Black&White - 2021, Rubik Cube - 2020, etc.
- Sports - accessible martial art belts, equipment, medals, and flags 2021
- Selective recycling for visually impaired people
...and many more
The Scripor Alphabet can be implemented in the production phase by major industries or labeling products after production as affordable and with zero pollution. Also, global decision-makers like the UN or EU have decreed laws that countries have terms until they need to implement inclusion in all aspects of public administration by 2025 (European Accessibility Act)
Did you know that according to a study realized by Danish scientists and published in Sleep Medicine in 2014, people who are born blind cannot identify colors, but they can understand concepts associated with color? Also, they dream in colors, but they don’t know how to represent or describe them. Our brain can, for example, associate red with fire, warmth, expansion, or blue with cold, ice, and contraction.
People who become blind later in life can remember colors for a period of time, while partially sighted people can recognize colors with difficulties. Blind people’s dreams most often contain sounds, smells, and touch, and people who have lost their sight still dream in color. Their dreams are more intense and nightmares occur four times more in blind people than in the general population, according to study sources below.
Sources:
.(1)* Bértolo, H., Mestre, T., Barrio, Al, &Antona, B. 2017. Rapid Eye Movements (REMs) and visual dream recall in both congenitally blind and sighted. In Proc. of SPIE Vol (Vol. 104532C-1).
Schöpf, V., Schlegl, T. Jakob, A., Kasprian, G., Wojtek, R., Prayer, D. and Langs, G., “The relationship between eye movement and vision develops before birth,” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 8 (775), 1-6 (2104)
They cannot see with eyes, they see with their mind and in dreams, and by regaining something that has been taken or made untouchable until now, they regain hope, dignity, beauty, independence, and the feeling of belonging.
Through Scripor Alphabet, we give back experiences, emotions, feelings, and the aesthetic sense. Regarding Visual Arts, Architecture, and Human Rights, Culture is universal and now is accessible, and beneficial for all, including visually impaired or blind, color blind people.
As the Scripor Alphabet Community, consisting of blind or visually impaired people, experts, innovators, and volunteers in different fields, we are engaged in discussions with major or local production entities in different industries to have the code implemented in production phases so that products are available and accessible worldwide with no additional costs.
Our primary objective is to have at least 1 product available in all day-to-day life industries (food, beverages, clothing, beauty, games, sports, greeting cards, holiday products, and so on).
A blind person can't go into a shopping mall and buy day-to-day products on his own, with the Scripor Alphabet many products are now accessible, and inclusive designs of new products open new markets and opportunities for more than 284 million people, worldwide.
Producers can also easily include the Scripor Alphabet solution on their products or consumers can label products when they arrive cheap and affordable.
This generates more social inclusion, independence, and overall happiness for blind consumers that now have a choice, can give feedback, and access new markets.
Imagine being able to match clothes for an occasion, use products that make you feel more beautiful, navigate through a building, select your favorite beverage, and appreciate a new artist and his piece of art. The result increases inclusion, self-reliance, and self-esteem on all social levels for people that need it, and new jobs can be available for them.
We also engage in dialogue with public entities (Mayor's office, Government, United Nations) to have public institutions use color coding mapping and engage in adopting inclusive solutions in day-to-day operations. We offer solutions, products, expertise, and consultancy in implementation.
Tactile labeling is affordable and can easily be implemented with zero impact on the environment. Also, this solution is transforming into a globally accessible learning platform in 2023.
Civil society is invited and welcomed to join our efforts in making the world a better place for everyone. We encourage everyone to join our international community and contribute with time, expertise, and involvement in projects, consultancy, testing, volunteering, and proposing new uses and projects. The proposed ideas are brought forward to interested parties, undergo trials, and then the model is proposed for scaling up.
All the products and projects mentioned below are a direct result of requests from the community or study groups at the request of different stakeholders (producers, merchants, industry leaders, and public institutions).
The visually impaired or blind members are key decision-makers and promoters of our internal/national/international projects or products. Through sponsorships from the private sector, donations, funding from the government sector, and other forms of funding we financed:
-IP
-Research and development
-Education ( inclusive handbooks for geography, biology, arts and crafts, etc)
-Printing and donating The Scripor Alphabet Learning Manuals in schools, and to Associations of the Blind
-NGOs campaigns for creating awareness for the rights of blind people,
-Free colored tactile labels for day-to-day use for people in need
-Testing & Development of new products, applications, assistive technologies, and services (Ex. Public voting, accessible ATMs)
-Easter and Christmas product giveaways
-Accesibilizing public institutions and services
-Free, accessible board games for children to enjoy with friends and families
-Inclusive art exhibits and theaters
-Wine tasting and social activities for visually impaired and blind people (fine wine tasting, dinner in the dark)
-Inclusive judo belts, equipment, medals, and flags
-Accessible healthy products to be used by blind masseurs in hospitals, beauty salons, and the public
Since 2019 we are engaged in dialogue with:
- local, national, and NGOs from abroad that fight for people with visual disabilities. The aim is involvement, insight, and consultancy in developing solutions that improve their lives.
- local, and national public sector. In 2020 we signed a Protocol of Collaboration with the Romanian Ministry of Education. Romania become the first country in the world that implements the Scripor Alphabet Tactile Colors in all 7 special schools for blind and visually impaired children. Also, we undergo dialogue to make public buildings, cultural buildings, museums, public transportation, and hospitals more accessible and inclusive through color-coding mapping.
- local, national, and international stakeholders in food&bevarage industry, clothing and fashion, beauty and cosmetics, games, and sports. We aim in developing products for mass production with tactile labels.
- Arts and Crafts, and visual arts made accessible again.
Design and implementation undergo several phases:
- ideas proposals or needs->research->focus groups-> first trials for implementation. The community is strongly involved in all phases.
- we have early adopters -> tests -> implementation -> result disemnation
- incubation -> build solutions-> scalling solutions
Solution disseminators and acknowledgment - institutions that award international recognition: Policy, Laws, and decision-makers - through Governments, ministries, Zero Project, European Commission, and the United Nations that provide scaling-up solutions, global awareness, methodologies, integration, and acceleration.
Disciplines impacted by our solution:
- Policymakers for inclusion and rights of people with visual disabilities. European Accessibility Act can be amended with new knowledge and good practice amendments.
- Arts and culture by adding a new option and responsibility of inclusion. As an architect, the colors are now accessible to blind or visually impaired people. Also, my work itself can be appreciated by a larger group providing inclusion.
- Education: more accessible learning materials in different fields (geography, biology, visual arts, crafting, clothing).
- Sports: accessible equipment, medals, prizes, belts, and games.
- Mapping of buildings, hospitals, public transportation circuits, and tourist circuits.
- Product labeling: now adding color or color coding initiatives.
- Food industry by labeling large consumer products for type identification (contains meat, vegan, light food, spicy, or other attributes).
- Households products: tactile labels, signing the dangerous bottles and substances making our homes safer.
-Assistive technologies, AI, software
In our current world "novelty" or new is mistaken for "innovation". The Scripor Alphabet possesses features that sets it apart from other similar solutions.
It doesn't require technology to be accessible but can spread with its help. It solves problems faced by the blind community uniquely and simply - tactile affordable labels, offers improved functionality, or provides a new level of convenience or efficiency. It can disrupt multiple industries and change the way people live and work in a good way, making products accessible to markets closed before.
Compared to other product reading, labeling, and orientation solutions, the code displays the following characteristics :
1. Creativity: it offers a solution but every stakeholder can adapt it to its needs
2. No Risk-taking: you don't have to invest millions of dollars in developing new products or research. It takes what the market offers and adds inclusivity, and adaptation.
3. Collaboration: people often avoid problems they can't solve or are too expensive to solve. Now we build bridges between markets and consumers that were denied access.
4. Adaptability: Innovators must be able to adapt to changing conditions and be flexible to meet customer needs. If the Scripor Alphabet solution cannot be implemented in production, it can be individually implemented by stakeholders.
5. Vision: a world of colors made accessible that promotes inclusion.
6. Easy Problem-solving: we can identify problems and develop creative solutions to them.
7. Open-mindedness: we are open to new ideas and input from the community and stakeholders and are willing to challenge the status quo.
8. Resourcefulness: we make the most of the resources available to bring their ideas to life. For example, you can download from the internet a guide to making tactile labels using a needle and a piece of paper. We don't compete with other solutions, we offer choice in simplicity.
9. It's universal.
Having unlimited applicability, the tactile alphabet of colors - Scripor Alphabet - can be transferred, appropriated, and adapted in any context, in any place, and to any category of beneficiaries.
Types of beneficiaries:
A. Direct
The direct beneficiaries are blind people (blindness, amblyopia) and those who cannot distinguish one or more colors. (achromatopsia/color blindness).
According to World Health Organization statistics, globally at least 2.2 billion people have near or distance vision impairment.
Also, large consumer products can be accessible to them at reduced costs.
B. Indirect
Parents, family, friends, professionals in fields such as education, health, sports, teachers, caregivers and those who interact with people with visual disabilities will have improved mutual experiences.
C. Manufacturers and suppliers of accessible products and services
The benefits for companies that produce or provide goods or services accessible with the Scripor Alphabet can be structured into two large categories:
Financial benefits: companies can address an additional market, represented by consumers whose decisions, until that moment, belonged to them only to a small extent;
Reputational and CSR benefits: the respective companies position themselves in the vanguard of accessibility, as proof of normality and respect for the community in which they operate.
1 stage stakeholders - Community approach: we assess the need of the main stakeholders and beneficiaries. The main goal is identifying the most pressing needs and addressing them, thus engaging the solution adopting, resting, and impact measurement. The next step is calling up the solution or product.
Our approach is based on the AGILE methodology. The construction of a Minimal Viable Product, following the BUILD-MEASURE-LEARN sequence, is the approach that allows us to quickly test a hypothesis, quickly launch it to consumers (members of the association play a decisive role here), and reduce losses (avoid waste).
Here we engage also with additional stakeholders in policy-making - disseminating results and also industry - product development and market expansion.
2 stage stakeholders - all the interested parties that improve and become more accessible, promote inclusion, and are part of the day-to-day life of visually impaired or blind people.
We offer freedom of choice in implementation since the first stage, all people are different si they can use the Scripor Alphabet how they see fit and in a way that brings meaningful and positive change in their lives.
Color, a word, regardless of language, dialect, culture, or geography has been reduced to a symbol. To represent a color using the Scripor alphabet, you do not need to know the braille alphabet, or even know how to write or read in any language, because the color has been reduced to a single symbol.
The issue of the non-perception of colors by blind people is a setback in their lives and in the global fight for inclusion. The description of these colors in the Braille alphabet is unfeasible, due to space limitations. Things become even more complicated if there is a need to write a color in several languages of circulation in the respective territory/region. The Scripor alphabet solves this major inconvenience through easy color standardization. The challenge of ignorance or the impossibility of describing color for and by the blind acquires a quick, easy, standardized, internationally accepted solution.
Also, label reading software for visually impaired and blind people takes a lot of time and you need technology/ a good phone. Through tactile labeling by the Scripor Alphabet, we can provide safe and fast solutions globally in every household. Hazardous or toxic materials cannot be mistaken for your favorite drink, your glass/toothbrush/shampoo/perfume/clothes, etc are easily identifiable through a small tactile color label.
Visiting another city, hospital, museum, or administrative building and finding what you are looking for is accessible, fast, and reliable. A lot of institutions use color coding for orientation, now blind or color-blind persons can also benefit from and integrate the solution.
Everybody can feel art, color, and admire masterpieces of new or invaluable art made accessible during a visit to an art event. Not to mention can order a glass of wine and identify the color of the wine.
Visually impaired and blind people can become more independent, build more self-esteem, and can integrate into society more easily.
Both the solution and the inventor were awarded and enjoyed worldwide recognition:
-Zero-Project Awardee 2023, by Essl Foundation, Austria - February 2023
-Innovation Prize, Thinked In Romania, Bucharest, December 2022
-Global Outstanding Leadership Award, Education 2.0 Conference, Dubai, March 2022
-Organization of the year, WORLD IDOL 2021, Chance For The Blind Foundation, Poland – September 2021
-Tactile Learning Manual, Product of the Year 2021, Chance For The Blind Foundation, Poland – September 2021
-Gold Medal and Special Award, Hungarian Inventors Association, Hungary – June 2019
-The Grosse Prize, German Association of Inventors, 2019,Salon International des Inventions de Geneve – April 2019
-GOLD Medal, Salon International des Inventions, Geneva – April 2019
Currently, we received funding and are working on the development of an educational platform whose purpose is to serve as the main node where those interested can learn the Scripor Alphabet, discover practical applicability, get in touch with the accessibility legislation in force, and generate feedback and suggestions for improvement.
The Scripor alphabet needs to increase the level of awareness and knowledge, as permanent resources are needed to contribute to ideation, communication, access to funds, and social inclusion programs.
This year we are in advanced discussion on further implementing the Scripor Alphabet inclusion solution in:
-A special beauty and cosmetics line made accessible by a Farmec factory in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
-First steps in inclusive clothes with tactile labels
-Promoting and implementing the national inclusive geography manual for children in Romania
-Accessible medals and judo belts/equipment with the Romanian Sports Ministry and federations
-Oina our national sport to be accessible
-Further develop, promote, and deliver the Scripor Alphabet ABC in more EU countries
Other scalable initiatives are in development or awaiting approval/trials by the community
