1. The Scripor Alphabet – a world of colours
One of the first things a child learns about the outside world is the concept of color. This concept is accessible from an early age and it is a prime way of structuring the immediate environment. Precisely because of this level of accessibility, color became, over time, an easy means of transmitting some information, building, from a cultural point of view, an entire symbolism around colors. There are areas of everyday life where we can talk about a standardized and universal conventional use of colors, with wide distribution, especially in terms of traffic signs, signaling dangerous situations, marking brands, logos, etc. A world where information comes to people through them. Not, however, for the visually impaired.
Until recently, the chromatic dialogue and identification of colors were impossible for the visually impaired, elderly, color blind or severely visually impaired people. The solution came from Tudor Paul Scripor, whose remarkable achievement breaks down the barrier between color and blind people.
A short presentation in just 150 seconds by Melania Medeleanu:
or at length in the Banca Transilvania podcast with Andi Moisescu: https://www.bancatransilvania.ro/podcast/listen/despre-egalitatea-de-sanse-si-inluziunea-sociala-a-persoanelor-nevazatoare-cu-tudor-scripor
2. What is the Scripor Alphabet and how does it work?
The Scripor alphabet succeeds in closing the gap between color and visually impaired people by delivering a tactile representation of color. This tactile color coding system now allows blind people to read, write, identify, recognize and effectively differentiate colors.
The tactile color alphabet is a concept based on the completion of the Braille alphabet and is used only for colors. Using the principle of Universal Design* the Scripor alphabet algorithm is based on internationally recognized color theory and includes the three primary colors: RED, YELLOW, BLUE; secondary colors: ORANGE, GREEN, PURPLE; tertiary color BROWN; achromatic colors: GRAY, WHITE and BLACK.
The word – “color” – regardless of language, dialect, culture, geographical area – has been reduced to a single, simple and universal symbol. The color is represented by a combination of dots, which are positioned in a cell similar to the Braille alphabet.
*https://universaldesign.org/definition
3. Continuing the Braille legacy
The Scripor alphabet is a concept based on the continuation of the Braille alphabet and is used only for colors. A Braille cell is composed of six dots; two parallel vertical rows of three points. The Scripor Alphabet cell is composed of ten points in total; three columns, three rows and an orientation point, or reference point. It is omnipresent in the representation of each color and is positioned above the second column from the first row.
The positions of the points are identified by numbers from one to nine and the number 10 is assigned to the waypoint. It fulfills a dual role:
- determines the position of the cell (like the number 12 on a clock face or north on a compass)
- eliminates any confusion between Braille and Scripor representations
4. Representation of colors and shades
A combination of points in a single cell is used to represent a color, any additional cells represent light or dark hues, hues, saturation, or color intensity.
Due to the simplicity of the Scripor alphabet, it is very compatible with assistive technologies.
5. Removal of color barriers
“One of the first benefits is emotional, but important. That is trust.” Diana Danciu, visually impaired student, 23 years old.
DAILY REALITY
In the absence of universal color standardization, people with visual disabilities face integration difficulties or even discrimination on a daily basis. Color is present in every industry and every aspect of everyday life (education, science, clothing, pharma, cosmetics, food, health, tourism & orientation, ecology, architecture, visual arts, sports, entertainment, defense, the system of vote, and many others).
6.The advantages of using the Scripor alphabet
This concept considerably improves the quality of life of visually impaired people, provides a sense of belonging and increases the degree of safety and autonomy.
A new world full of options
Products, services and jobs are becoming more inclusive thanks to the Scripor alphabet. Millions of non-color-differentiated items multiply into trillions of choices for the visually impaired, turning them from almost non-existent customers to satisfied, returning customers.
Using accessible tags, accessible or provided/free, blind athletes can now equip their martial arts belts and recognize flags and medals. Blind or visually impaired people may soon be able to individually shop for healthier/eco foods, choose their favorite products based on color alone and buy clothing and cosmetics, board games and toys, becoming more independent and confident .
Safety and security
By implementing this concept, products become safer for everyone. Blind people are now given the possibility to pre-check the properties of a product. It eliminates the confusion of purchasing a product for a purpose other than that for which it was created, an incident with high frequency, unfortunately, in the world of the blind.
Color barriers are also removed due to the short learning time** of the Scripor alphabet. Just as visually impaired children learn colors before the letters of the alphabet, blind children can learn the color alphabet before Braille.
**The time to assimilate the Scripor alphabet is approx. 30 minutes. For those familiar with the Braille alphabet, the time to learn the Scripor alphabet is much reduced.
Note. The average time to assimilate the Braille alphabet is 2 years.
7. The 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. In at least one billion (or nearly half of these cases), the vision impairment could have been prevented or has not yet been addressed.
B. Indirect
Parents, professionals in fields such as health, education, 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 of 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 a proof of normality and respect for the community in which they operate.
THE IMPACT
Visual impairment is an enormous global financial burden, with annual global costs of lost productivity associated with visual impairment due to uncorrected myopia and presbyopia estimated at approximately US$300 billion.
8. Laws regarding the accessibility of products and services
European and national legal context
By law no. 232/2022, the Government of Romania approved the transposition into domestic legislation of the European accessibility requirements applicable to products and services, provided for in directive no. 882/2019 of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
In the spring of 2022, H.G no. 490 for the approval of the National Strategy regarding the rights of persons with disabilities, “A fair Romania” 2022-2027, was published by the GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA in the MONITORUL OFICIAL “[ith number no. 375.
The 2022-2027 strategy has eight priority areas, and the first area is our area, or rather chapter IV, “Accessibility”. People with disabilities must have physical, informational and communicational access to the products, services and programs that society makes available to its members. Accessibility is the basis for the full participation of people with disabilities in social life.
According to the Ministry of Labour, the adopted document aims at stimulating the active participation of people with disabilities in life in the community, increasing the degree of awareness of the needs of the community, as well as visibility in society, aspects that lead to the improvement of the quality of life and the increase in the level of employment among these people.
The objective of the strategy is to ensure the full and effective participation of people with disabilities, based on freedom of decision, in all areas of life and in an accessible and resilient environment.
9. Practical application
Companies that include the innovation of the tactile alphabet of colors are the promoters of the inclusion and accessibility of products and services for a ignored category of customers. We have identified the following areas and industries where the Scripor alphabet is a game changer and offers mutual advantages:
EDUCATION, by signing the Collaboration Protocol between the Ministry of Education and the Scripor Alphabet Association. Thus, Romania officially becomes the first country in the world to implement the tactile alphabet of colors, Scripor intended for blind people.
The global e-Learning platform for learning the Scripor alphabet
- The tactile alphabet of colors
- Interdisciplinary aids using the tactile alphabet of colors
- manual
- coloring books + pencils/carrios
- educational touch boards: geography, biology, zoology, anatomy, etc
- colored paper
- painting paints
- plasticine
- pleasant and punctuation for manual writing/reading of the Scripor alphabet
- colored tactile labels
- courses
- research
12. Personal care, cosmetics
- Eye shadows
- Colored nail polish
- Rhinestones
- Lipsticks
- Mascaras
- Massage oils
13. Food industry, kitchen
- Nutria-score
- Accessible menus for everyone
- Dark/white chocolate
- flat/mineral water differentiation
- refreshments
- wines
- tea
- spices
- sauces (mustard, sweet/spicy ketchup)
- salt/pepper
- jams, compote
- brown/white sugar
- white flour, cornmeal, semolina (if packed, they are very hard to be distinguished, both at home and on the shelf)
- paint for Eastern eggs
- cookies
- candy, jelly
- cutting boards of different colours (meat, vegetables, etc.).
15. Medicine
- dentistry – toothbrushes
- drugs
20. Professional inclusion
- Sorting based on colours
23. Accessibility of ATMs
24. Signage, tactile maps
The tactile maps, which use the Scripor Alphabet, represent a valuable and complete source of information for people without any visual problems, but even more so for the blind people or the visually impaired, which also have an essential role in developing their orientation and mobility skills.
- Public institutions
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Subways, airports, train stations
- Parks
- Botanical garden
- Zoo
- Archaeological sites
- Elevators
25. Assistive technology
- Tab with tactile display
27. Military
(not for public use)
28. Blind involvement
The involvement of visually impaired in the development of new products and services is the biggest priority in our organization.
We truly believe in our motto “Nihil de Nobis, sine Nobis” or “Nothing about us without us” which is based on this principle of participation. We apply it “ad literam” in every phase of each project that we create. Our blind employees and volunteers are 100% implicated starting from the identification of need, development, consultancy, testing, promotion and selling. The blind people are the key decision-makers in the development and the implementation of the solutions we offer.
29. Intellectual property
This code was patented, promoted and implemented in order to make it accessible and available.
From the intellectual property’s point of view, Scripor Alphabet is internationally protected through a multitude of patent and registered brands. All of these are owned by Scripor Alphabet SRL, which in turn gives them up to other entities that want to include the colour touch alphabet of the colours in their products.
The intellectual property guarantees us the fact that Scripor coding system implements itself in a right, uniform, standardized way by the production companies.
It will allow us to generate jobs and income for the purpose of innovation’s sustainability in the mentioned fields, but also the innovations’ implementations, either free or through the lowest possible cost for the blind, as well as for the purpose of sustaining these facts.
A substantial part of the added value returns to the community in the form of donations from us consisting of educational equipment and materials to schools, universities, associations of blind partners, etc., to increase awareness, popularity and use of accessability tools gathered under the dome of the Scripor Alphabet.
30. Prizes and recognitions
Scripor Alphabet Association – Zero Project Award, Innovative Solution 2023, Essl Foundation, Austria – February, 2023
Tudor Paul Scripor – Innovation Prize, Gandit In Romania Gala, Bucharest – December, 2022
First place, Young Ambassador, national stage, “Interdisciplinary auxiliary using the color tactile alphabet – Romania” – June, 2022
Tudor Paul Scripor – Global Outstanding Leadership Award, Education 2.0 Conference, Dubai – March, 2022
Scripor Alphabet Association, Organization of the Year, WORLD IDOL 2021, Chance for the Blind Foundation, Warsaw – September, 2021
Product of the Year 2021, Scripor Alphabet – manual for learning the colour touch alphabet, Chance for the Blind Foundation, Warsaw – September, 2021
First place, Participatory Budgeting, Cluj-Napoca Mayor and the City Counsil – November, 2019
Gold Medal and Special Award, Hungarian Inventors Association, OTLET CLUB 13 Egyesulet, Hungary – June, 2019
Golden Madal, the Inventors’ Society from Banat, Timisoara – June 2019
The Grand Prize of the German Inventors Associations, 2019, Scripor Alphabet, Salon International des Inventions de Geneve – April 2019
GOLD Medal, Salon International des Inventions de Geneve – April 2019.
Coming from a blind student, the testimonial below no longer needs any introduction. He captures the mission so well, but especially the essence of our project. We invite you to join and support our efforts to create a better, more accessible and beautiful world for blind children, young people and adults around the world.
