NavMol 2.0 - A Molecular Structure Navigator/Editor for Blind and Visually Impaired Users

The NavMol 2.0 program, a software that enables the navigation of molecular structures and chemical reactions by blind and visually impaired (BVI) users, is presented. The software enables BVI users to interpret and edit molecular structures by making use of common accessibility tools. NavMol 2.0 uses voice synthesizers and time clock polar type coordinates to communicate with the blind user and, at the same time, displays a conventional chemical sketch on the screen for sighted users. The new version of the program is based on the Chemistry Development Kit (CDK) that provides a chemoinformatics infrastructure. In order to help the navigation, automatic perception of structural features and their location were implemented, including functional groups, rings, and reaction centers. The editing features enable the building of chemical structures that can be exported and subsequently utilized in other software packages. This software is especially suited to be used by BVI researchers or in "inclusive classrooms", providing BVI students equal opportunities, greatly enhancing the communication between BVI and fellow sighted students, as well as teachers.