[A computer-controlled telephone exchange for improving the occupational possibilities of blind patients]

Working conditions in telephone exchanges are undergoing major changes with the penetration of computer technology. Although overall telephone utilization continues to grow, more and more jobs are being lost by the impact of rationalization. Operator jobs in private exchanges, at the same time, rank high among the job opportunities for disabled people, specifically for the blind. Workstation adaptations, on the other hand, are a valuable working aid for all blind or visually impaired operators, in that they use blindness-adapted information output via the Braille terminal. Pins (dots) being used to represent written information on a braille keyboard, the device in this application is not used as an input but for output purposes. The information a sighted person reads from an LC (line) display, is literally "put at the fingertips" of a blind operator. Following an overview of technical details of both conventional and adapted exchanges, the present report deals with operator training and employment opportunities for blind persons in private branch exchanges.