scholarly journals Improving the Audio Game–Playing Performances of People with Visual Impairments through Multimodal Training

2017 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Bălan ◽  
Alin Moldoveanu ◽  
Florica Moldoveanu ◽  
Hunor Nagy ◽  
György Wersényi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sound Localization ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Training Procedure ◽  
3D Audio ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Haptic Learning

Introduction As the number of people with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) is continuously increasing, rehabilitation and engineering researchers have identified the need to design sensory-substitution devices that would offer assistance and guidance to these people for performing navigational tasks. Auditory and haptic cues have been shown to be an effective approach towards creating a rich spatial representation of the environment, so they are considered for inclusion in the development of assistive tools that would enable people with visual impairments to acquire knowledge of the surrounding space in a way close to the visually based perception of sighted individuals. However, achieving efficiency through a sensory substitution device requires extensive training for visually impaired users to learn how to process the artificial auditory cues and convert them into spatial information. Methods Considering all the potential advantages game-based learning can provide, we propose a new method for training sound localization and virtual navigational skills of visually impaired people in a 3D audio game with hierarchical levels of difficulty. The training procedure is focused on a multimodal (auditory and haptic) learning approach in which the subjects have been asked to listen to 3D sounds while simultaneously perceiving a series of vibrations on a haptic headband that corresponds to the direction of the sound source in space. Results The results we obtained in a sound-localization experiment with 10 visually impaired people showed that the proposed training strategy resulted in significant improvements in auditory performance and navigation skills of the subjects, thus ensuring behavioral gains in the spatial perception of the environment.

scholarly journals Software Design for Low-Latency Visuo-Auditory Sensory Substitution on Mobile Devices

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Maxime Ambard
Keyword(s):  
Software Design ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Video Stream ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Low Latency ◽  
Moving Obstacles ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Auditory Transduction ◽  
Impaired People

Visuo-auditory sensory substitution devices transform a video stream into an audio stream to help visually impaired people in situations where spatial information is required, such as avoiding moving obstacles. In these particular situations, the latency between an event in the real world and its auditory transduction is of paramount importance. In this article, we describe an optimized software architecture for low-latency video-to-audio transduction using current mobile hardware. We explain step-by-step the required computations and we report the corresponding measured latencies. The whole latency is approximately 65 ms with a capture resolution of 160 × 120 at 30 frames-per-second and 1000 sonified pixels per frame.

Selecting and Purchasing Clothing: The Experience of Visually Impaired People in Hong Kong

2000 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ng Sau Fun Frency ◽  
Hui Chi Leung Patrick ◽  
Choy Lin Foong May
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Selection Criteria ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People

This study analyzes the decision-making process for selecting and purchasing clothing of 81 people in Hong Kong who are visually impaired. Data were collected through personal interviews. The results show that problems such as unsatisfactory sales services and insufficient clothing information still exist for people with visual impairments (both the group with blindness and the group with low vision), and also reveals that people who are visually impaired have different views on the relative importance of selection criteria for purchasing clothing than do their sighted peers.

Passive Haptic Learning of Taiwanese Braille Writing for Visually Impaired Individuals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien-Hsing Chou ◽  
Yi-Zeng Hsieh ◽  
Shih-Syun Lin ◽  
Tao-Jen Yang ◽  
Wei-An Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Teaching System ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Practice Mode ◽  
Input Module ◽  
Haptic Learning ◽  
User Friendly

In this article, a passive haptic learning method for Taiwanese Braille writing was developed for visually impaired individuals through the employment of an effective user-friendly learning strategy. This system was designed with portability and low cost by applying the learning concept of passive haptic learning. This system designed a pair of gloves for visually impaired people to study Braille writing. Furthermore, we also designed a Braille writing teaching system for visually impaired people to learn and practice the Braille writing. Depending on the learning content, the corresponding vibration motors on the glove fingertips vibrate to produce the Taiwan Braille input gestures. The visually impaired people then feel tactile vibration feedback from the glove fingertips. In addition, the corresponding auditory feedback is provided from the Braille writing teaching system. After receiving a series of tactile vibration feedback, user’s finger muscles could memorize the corresponding Braille input gestures by the passive haptic learning. In the practice mode, the teaching system randomly selects practice content and announces the selected content in an auditory manner. Visually impaired users must then input the corresponding Braille codes by using the Braille writing input module. This mode can further reinforce users’ memorization of correct Braille codes for Mandarin characters.

scholarly journals Sensory Substitution for the Visually Impaired: A Study on the Usability of the Sound of Vision System in Outdoor Environments

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 1619
Author(s):  
Otilia Zvorișteanu ◽  
Simona Caraiman ◽  
Robert-Gabriel Lupu ◽  
Nicolae Alexandru Botezatu ◽  
Adrian Burlacu
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Vision System ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
White Cane

For most visually impaired people, simple tasks such as understanding the environment or moving safely around it represent huge challenges. The Sound of Vision system was designed as a sensory substitution device, based on computer vision techniques, that encodes any environment in a naturalistic representation through audio and haptic feedback. The present paper presents a study on the usability of this system for visually impaired people in relevant environments. The aim of the study is to assess how well the system is able to help the perception and mobility of the visually impaired participants in real life environments and circumstances. The testing scenarios were devised to allow the assessment of the added value of the Sound of Vision system compared to traditional assistive instruments, such as the white cane. Various data were collected during the tests to allow for a better evaluation of the performance: system configuration, completion times, electro-dermal activity, video footage, user feedback. With minimal training, the system could be successfully used in outdoor environments to perform various perception and mobility tasks. The benefit of the Sound of Vision device compared to the white cane was confirmed by the participants and by the evaluation results to consist in: providing early feedback about static and dynamic objects, providing feedback about elevated objects, walls, negative obstacles (e.g., holes in the ground) and signs.

scholarly journals DESIGN SPECIAL SCHOOL MATERIAL FOR THE STUDENTS WITH VISUAL DISABILITY USING ( THE KURDISH LANGUAGE FIRST TIME WITH BRAILLE IN THE WORLD ) AND BARCODE TECHNOLOGY

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Yasar A. Al-Jaleeli
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Special School ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Visual Disability ◽  
Visual Disabilities ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
The World ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
First Time

Purpose of the study: It has been presented by the researcher in this paper to be relied upon in the design of curricula for visually impaired people using barcode technology in The Kurdish region and the Kurdish speakers, in this paper the researcher use the Kurdish language with the Braille first time in the world and he hopes to add this language to usage of Braille in the next modifying in UNESCO organization because of it is now the second official language in Iraqi law. Methodology: In these study characters of the Kurdish language has been investigated. Students with visual disabilities in the form of various groups gathered to be taught using the signs of Kurdish language. Their progress during this effort has been reported through this article Results: Braille is not exclusive to people without another. It is an easy-to-read and writes tool for people with visual impairments. Although the Kurdish population is more than 30 million, their language is not mentioned in the UNESCO Guide until 2018.

scholarly journals Design and implementation of an educational game considering issues for visually impaired people inclusion

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Valério Neto ◽  
Paulo H.F. Fontoura Junior ◽  
Rogério A. Bordini ◽  
Joice L. Otsuka ◽  
Delano M. Beder
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Educational Resource ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractIn recent years there has been an increase in research focusing on the effectiveness of using video games as educational digital resources that can contribute to the learning process at different levels, which has also subsidised the development of educational games. However, these games are mostly visual and not accessible to people with visual impairments. As an educational resource, it is essential that the design of educational games be conducted not only with a focus on the balance between playful and educational aspects, but also with a focus on including the largest number of people. This article, therefore, aims to describe the design, implementation and evaluation processes of an accessible version of the educational game Em Busca do Santo Grau, based on EduGameAccess – a set of recommendations that integrates educational, playability and accessibility aspects for people with visual impairments.

scholarly journals Studying Attitude to own Disability in Blind and Visually Impaired Young People Using the Technique "Cinquain"

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Shcherbakova ◽  
Y.V. Baskakova
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People

The article discusses the attitude of people with visual impairments to the limited capabilities of their health. We prove the necessity of search of new diagnostic tools for the detection of subjective perception of limitations associated with the disease in young visually impaired people. We describe the "Cinquain" technique and its use as a psycho-diagnostic tools. We provide the results of the study on the basis of which it is concluded that "Cinquain" may be used as a projective psychodiagnostic method to work with people who have vision problems. This technique is appropriate to be used to identify major psychological problems associated with the perception of own disability. This article will be useful for managers and specialists of organizations and agencies involved in the rehabilitation of the visually impaired, as well as all those who are interested in current problems and psychological rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

scholarly journals Multi-Sensory Color Expression with Sound and Temperature in Visual Arts Appreciation for People with Visual Impairment

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1336
Author(s):  
Jorge Iranzo Bartolome ◽  
Gilsang Cho ◽  
Jun-Dong Cho
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Multimodal Systems ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Sound Color ◽  
Sensory Color ◽  
Musical Sounds

For years the HCI community’s research has been focused on the hearing and sight senses. However, in recent times, there has been an increased interest in using other types of senses, such as smell or touch. Moreover, this has been accompanied with growing research related to sensory substitution techniques and multi-sensory systems. Similarly, contemporary art has also been influenced by this trend and the number of artists interested in creating novel multi-sensory works of art has increased substantially. As a result, the opportunities for visually impaired people to experience artworks in different ways are also expanding. In spite of all this, the research focusing on multimodal systems for experiencing visual arts is not large and user tests comparing different modalities and senses, particularly in the field of art, are insufficient. This paper attempts to design a multi-sensory mapping to convey color to visually impaired people employing musical sounds and temperature cues. Through user tests and surveys with a total of 18 participants, we show that this multi-sensory system is properly designed to allow the user to distinguish and experience a total of 24 colors. The tests consist of several semantic correlational adjective-based surveys for comparing the different modalities to find out the best way to express colors through musical sounds and temperature cues based on previously well-established sound-color and temperature-color coding algorithms. In addition, the resulting final algorithm is also tested with 12 more users.

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