Assistive Technology for People with Low Vision: Equipment for Accessibility of Visual Information

2016 ◽  
pp. 701-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Talita de Oliveira ◽  
Julia Vieira Bozo ◽  
Maria Lucia Leite Ribeiro Okimoto
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Low Vision

scholarly journals Bringing Things Closer: Enhancing Low-Vision Interaction Experience with Office Productivity Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (EICS) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Hae-Na Lee ◽  
Vikas Ashok ◽  
IV Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
User Study ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Usability Study ◽  
Presentation Software ◽  
Screen Magnifier ◽  
Word Processors ◽  
Grid Layout

Many people with low vision rely on screen-magnifier assistive technology to interact with productivity applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation software. Despite the importance of these applications, little is known about their usability with respect to low-vision screen-magnifier users. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a usability study with 10 low-vision participants having different eye conditions. In this study, we observed that most usability issues were predominantly due to high spatial separation between main edit area and command ribbons on the screen, as well as the wide span grid-layout of command ribbons; these two GUI aspects did not gel with the screen-magnifier interface due to lack of instantaneous WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) feedback after applying commands, given that the participants could only view a portion of the screen at any time. Informed by the study findings, we developed MagPro, an augmentation to productivity applications, which significantly improves usability by not only bringing application commands as close as possible to the user's current viewport focus, but also enabling easy and straightforward exploration of these commands using simple mouse actions. A user study with nine participants revealed that MagPro significantly reduced the time and workload to do routine command-access tasks, compared to using the state-of-the-art screen magnifier.

Perceptions of Assistive Technology by Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments in Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 488-501
Author(s):  
Eman Al-Zboon
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Awareness Programs ◽  
Effective Use

Introduction: Ethical practices and technology are current trends in education for individuals with disabilities. This study investigates the perceptions of assistive technology expressed by teachers of students with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision) in Jordan. Methods: The research involved 20 teachers. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and analysis carried out via the constant-comparative method. Results: The results highlight the challenges that teachers perceive in using assistive technology with their students, particularly regarding computer use, the willingness of a child to use a particular device, the lack of such technologies in schools and in the home, and a lack of training in the home. The results highlight perceived external barriers to the effective use of assistive technology, including those related to finance, training, societal attitudes, and family support. It appears that assistive technology can also have negative effects, which can be considered an ethical issue, since such technologies can expose students with visual impairments to negative community attitudes, addiction, bullying, abuse, and extremism. Discussion: Teachers highlight the issues they experience in using assistive technology with students with visual impairments in Jordan, which can be explained by the contextual conditions in the country. Implications for practitioners: Decision-makers in the field of visual impairment need to consider these issues through providing professional development, addressing financial barriers, and conducting awareness programs for students regarding the effective use of assistive technology.

Réapprendre à voir le monde : Rééduquer les personnes atteintes de dégénérescence maculaire en exploitant les capacités perceptives et cognitives de la vision périphérique

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 339-352
Author(s):  
Guillaume Giraudet ◽  
Christian Corbé ◽  
Corinne Roumes
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Peripheral Vision ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Sensory Data ◽  
Eccentric Fixation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Vision Care

ABSTRACTAge-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a frequent cause of vision loss among people over age of 60. It is an aging process involving a progressive degradation of the central retina. It does not induce total blindness, since it does not affect the peripheral vision. Nonetheless, it makes difficult to read, drive, and perform all daily activities requiring fine details perception. Low-vision care consists in inducing an eccentric fixation so that relevant visual targets impact an unaffected retinal locus. It is necessary but not sufficient to enhance visual extraction. The present work aims to draw the attention of low-vision professionals to the necessity of developing new re-education tools. Beyond the perceptual re-education linked to an optimization of visual information extraction, a cognitive re-education should also be provided in order to enhance the interpretation processes. Indeed, the spatial-frequency properties of the visual world no longer match patient perceptual habits. The visually impaired person has to learn again to use these new sensory data in an optimal way. Contextual information can be a precious help in this learning process. An experimental study involving young people provides elements for another method of low-vision care, in terms of visual cognitive re-education.

scholarly journals UX Design for the Visually Impaired to Improve Health Information Accessibility

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.4) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Woo Jin Kim ◽  
Min Ji Kim ◽  
Il Kon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Recognition Rate ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Information Accessibility ◽  
Ux Design ◽  
Information Recognition ◽  
Improve Health

This study was conducted on individuals with low vision, who constitute the highest population among visual impairment patients. We conducted an experiment to determine whether there was an improvement in accessibility to visual information for the visually impaired after applying the UX design guidelines. Additionally, we analyzed whether this UX design affects the information recognition rate for the non-disabled individuals. 

Characteristics of Physical Training of Persons with Visual Impairment - From Instruction and Workout to Training and Competition

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
Marko Aleksandrović
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Verbal Description ◽  
Tactile Information ◽  
Stage Of Development

SummaryVisual impairment as a congenital condition or acquired state is due to: eye diseases, physical injuries, falls, brain injuries, infections, etc. In relation to the degree of visual impairment, there are blind and low vision persons.Due to insufficient or non-existent visual information at an early stage of development, children with visual impairment are not aware of their own body and space, therefore they have problems with their own motion. The motor development of children with visual impairment is slow, which manifests through delayed walking, inaptitude, clumsiness, frequent fall and bad coordination. On the other hand, it is possible that the ultimate level of motor abilities of people with visual impairment can be approximate or the same as people without visual impairment.For an appropriate approach to physical exercise it is necessary to consider the following in a person with visual impairment: the amount and type of vision, physical, functional, health and mental state. The basic characteristics of implementing physical exercises with this population include: adaptation of teaching methods, adaptation of the exercise space and selection of appropriate requisites and equipment.The way of acquiring knowledge of the low vision children is visual information (regardless of the poor quality of their reception), and for blind children there are audible and tactile information. A constant, detailed verbal description of motions and movements is necessary in order to explain incomplete visual information and associate it with successive tactile information. An individual-led activity ensures understanding of the person with VI on the required movement. The analytical method is the dominant method during instructions and training.Sports in which people with visual impairment can participate are: athletics, chess, judo, ninepin bowling, tenpin bowling, shooting, swimming, torball, football 5, golf, showdown, golf, powerlifting, skiing, riding ... IBSA (International Blind Sport Federation) is an international sports organization that takes care of sports of persons with VI and is a member of the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). Competitions involving people with VI include: Paralympic Games, IBSA Games, world, continental, regional and national championships, as well as many international and national tournaments.

Assistive Technology Use among Older Adults with Vision Loss: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Canadian Newspapers

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Katharine Fuchigami ◽  
Colleen Mcgrath ◽  
Jordana Bengall ◽  
Stephanie Kim ◽  
Debbie Laliberte Rudman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Full Text Review

Abstract Low vision assistive devices are often positioned as enabling continued social participation and engagement by older adults in everyday activities; however, previous research suggests that the use of such technologies is restricted by various environmental factors. With little attention previously paid to the discursive environment, this critical discourse analysis critically examined how aging persons with vision loss and assistive technology (AT) were constructed and the occupational possibilities promoted and marginalized through technology use in six Canadian newspapers. In total, 7,289 articles were screened, 1,867 articles underwent a full-text review, and 51 articles were selected for data analysis. Results highlight four key discursive threads related to the framing of disability and AT, positioning of seniors with vision loss, and the ideals and occupations to be attained through AT, and point to the importance of re-configuring discourses addressing AT for seniors with vision loss to expand occupational possibilities and embrace collaborative design approaches.

Assistive technology for children and young people with low vision

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Thomas ◽  
Annegret Dahlmann-Noor ◽  
Lucy Barker ◽  
Gary Rubin
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Children And Young People

scholarly journals RFID AND VIRTUAL REALITY TEST SETUP FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Ingmar BEŠIĆ ◽  
◽  
Zikrija AVDAGIĆ AVDAGIĆ ◽  
Kerim HODŽIĆ
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Object Localization ◽  
Color Mapping ◽  
Test Setup ◽  
Impaired Person ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Visual impairments often pose serious restrictions on a visually impaired person and there is a considerable number of persons, especially among aging population, which depend on assistive technology to sustain their quality of life. Development and testing of assistive technology for visually impaired requires gathering information and conducting studies on both healthy and visually impaired individuals in a controlled environment. We propose test setup for visually impaired persons by creating RFID based assistive environment – Visual Impairment Friendly RFID Room. The test setup can be used to evaluate RFID object localization and its use by visually impaired persons. To certain extent every impairment has individual characteristics as different individuals may better respond to different subsets of visual information. We use virtual reality prototype to both simulate visual impairment and map full visual information to the subset that visually impaired person can perceive. Time-domain color mapping real-time image processing is used to evaluate the virtual reality prototype targeting color vision deficiency.

scholarly journals Evaluating alternative styles of audio description in an animated comedy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Riccio
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Television Show ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Entertainment Value ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Study Questionnaire ◽  
Alternative Styles

Audio description is the practice of adding extra auditory cues into visual media to explain visual information to blind and low vision viewers. This thesis investigates the impact of conventional and alternative styles of audio descripton on the blind and low viewers' comprehension, entertainment experience, trustworthiness of the audio description narrative, and style preference. Eighteen blind and low vision participants took part in the study. The participants were divided into two groups, and asked to watch three episodes of the television show Odd Job Jack in a single audio description style. Each participant was asked to complete a pre and post study questionnaire, and a post episode questionnaire at the completion of each episode. Results indicated that the alternative style of audio description provided better understanding, entertainment value and is more trustworthy. Yet, there is no distinct preference among the blind or low vision viewers for either audio description style.

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