scholarly journals Strategies of planning online scientific projects for blind and visually impaired students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. Gradaleva ◽  
Maria Houston
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Visually Impaired Students ◽  
Tools And Techniques

The paper describes distance learning opportunities for blind and visually impaired students. The research aims at analyzing various tools and techniques that are necessary for their participation in online scientific projects and conferences. Methodology includes analysis of pedagogical studies, the survey carried out during International Conference for Students at Samara State Technical University, examination of educational activities performed for blind and visually impaired students all over the world, in particular the experience of American Foundation for the Blind. The findings show that distance learning programmes for blind and visually impaired people are becoming popular in many countries, but in Russia there are only a few of them. The authors prove the necessity of doing research in this sphere. It is recommended that more distance learning opportunities are created for such students at Russian universities. The analysis shows that it is even easier to plan the inclusion of blind and visually impaired students in the online scientific events that are not new and have already been held for wider public. The authors conclude that it is essential to adapt the existing system of distance learning using special tools and techniques, which are described in the article. These are accessible platforms, software used with assistive technologies, keyboard controls, audio description, smartphone apps, etc. Special emphasis is laid upon planning webinars for blind and low vision participants. This research can serve as a guide for making online scientific events accessible for all people.

scholarly journals A Smart Vision Based Navigation Aid for the Visually Impaired

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kommey ◽  
Kumbong Herrman ◽  
Ernest Ofosu Addo
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Navigation ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Audio Signals ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Outdoor Scenes

Due to the ever increasing number of blind and visually impaired people in the world, there has been a great amount of research dedicated to the design of assistive technologies to support them. The various assistive technologies apply different techniques including laser, ultrasonic sensors and image processing. Autonomous navigation is a significant challenge for the visually impaired, it makes life uncomfortable for them and poses serious safety issues. In this paper we review the progress made so far in vision based systems and propose an approach for developing navigation aids through techniques used in other autonomous systems like self-driving vehicles. The proposed system uses a front camera to capture images and then produces commensurate guiding audio signals that allow the user freely move in their environment. An extra rear camera is included to allow the user to obtain more information about the scene. Care is taken however not to overload the user with information. The proposed method is tested both in indoor and outdoor scenes and is effective in notifying the user for any obstacles. The goal of this paper is to propose a model for and to develop subsystems for an intelligent, high performance, affordable and easy to use image based navigation aid for the visually impaired.

Information Communication Assistive Technologies for Visually Impaired People

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Minn Ang ◽  
Kah Phooi Seng ◽  
Tee Zhi Heng
Keyword(s):  
Independent Living ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Mobile Interaction ◽  
Handheld Device ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Recent Developments

The information explosion era provides the foundation for a technological solution to enable the visually impaired to more independent living in the community. This paper first provides a review of assistive technologies for visually impaired people. Current technology allows applications to be efficiently distributed and operated on mobile and handheld devices. Thus, this paper also summarizes recent developments of assistive technologies in mobile interaction. It then presents the Wireless Intelligent Assistive Navigation Management System Using SmartGuide Devices for visually impaired people. The “SmartGuide” of the system is built as a standalone portable handheld device. The system is to assist blind and low vision people to walk around independently especially in dynamic changing environments. It also includes a camera sensor network to enhance monitoring capabilities for an extra level of security and reliability. Finally, the paper presents an improved system with some new designs involving mobile interaction.

scholarly journals Audesc: Translating Images into Words for Spanish Visually Impaired People

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana I. Hernández-Bartolomé1 ◽  
Gustavo Mendiluce-Cabrera1
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Social Sector ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Audiovisual Translation

Abstract Although audiovisual translation is a relatively new field within Translation Studies, it is widening its perspectives to recent areas. Some of them are particularly concerned with minority groups, such as sensory impaired people. Specifically, the blind and visually impaired constitute an unexplored group. In this paper we introduce the system of “audio description,” which translates images into words to make audiovisual products accessible to this special-needs social sector. Since not much literature on the topic is available, we will provide the background and some general procedures for this type of intersemiotic translation. However, our greatest interest will be Audesc, the Spanish audio descriptive project developed by ONCE (the Spanish Organisation for the Blind), mainly applied to the cinema and the theatre. Finally, our paper hints at attaching the audio describer’s role to the audiovisual translator’s.

scholarly journals Accessibility of Tables in PDF Documents

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nosheen Fayyaz ◽  
Shah Khusro ◽  
Shakir Ullah
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
The Web

People access and share information over the web and in other digital environments, including digital libraries, in the form of documents such as books, articles, technical reports, etc. These documents are in a variety of formats, of which the Portable Document Format (PDF) is most widely used because of its emphasis on preserving the layout of the original material. The retrieval of relevant material from these derivative documents is challenging for information retrieval (IR) because the rich semantic structure of these documents is lost. The retrieval of important units such as images, figures, algorithms, mathematical formulas, and tables becomes a challenge. Among these elements, tables are particularly important because they can add value to the resource description, discovery, and accessibility of documents not only on the web but also in libraries if they are made retrievable and presentable to readers. Sighted users comprehend tables for sensemaking using visual cues, but blind and visually impaired users must rely on assistive technologies, including text-to-speech and screen readers, to comprehend tables. However, these technologies do not pay sufficient attention to tables in order to effectively present tables to visually impaired individuals. Therefore, ways must be found to make tables in PDF documents not only retrievable but also comprehensible. Before developing such solutions, it is necessary to review the available assistive technologies, tools, and frameworks for their capabilities, strengths, and limitations from the comprehension perspective of blind and visually impaired people, along with suitable environments like digital libraries. We found no such review article that critically and analytically presents and evaluates these technologies. To fill this gap in the literature, this review paper reports on the current state of the accessibility of PDF documents, digital libraries, assistive technologies, tools, and frameworks that make PDF tables comprehensible and accessible to blind and visually impaired people. The study findings have implications for libraries, information sciences, and information retrieval.

scholarly journals Visualization without Vision – How Blind and Visually Impaired Students and Researchers Engage with Molecular Structures

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Croix J. Laconsay ◽  
◽  
Henry B. Wedler ◽  
Dean J. Tantillo ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Three Dimensional Objects ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Visually Impaired Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Tools And Techniques

This article examines the tools and techniques currently available that enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals to visualize three-dimensional objects used in learning chemistry concepts. How BVI individuals engage with and visualize molecular structure is discussed and recent tactile (or haptic) and auditory methods for visualization of various chemistry concepts are summarized. Remaining challenges for chemistry education researchers are described with the aim of highlighting the potential value of educational research in further enabling BVI students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Information Communication Assistive Technologies for Visually Impaired People

2017 ◽  
pp. 17-43
Author(s):  
Li-Minn Ang ◽  
Kah Phooi Seng ◽  
Tee Zhi Heng
Keyword(s):  
Independent Living ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Mobile Interaction ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Recent Developments

The information explosion era provides the foundation for a technological solution to enable the visually impaired to more independent living in the community. This paper first provides a review of assistive technologies for visually impaired people. Current technology allows applications to be efficiently distributed and operated on mobile and handheld devices. Thus, this paper also summarizes recent developments of assistive technologies in mobile interaction. It then presents the Wireless Intelligent Assistive Navigation Management System Using SmartGuide Devices for visually impaired people. The “SmartGuide” of the system is built as a standalone portable handheld device. The system is to assist blind and low vision people to walk around independently especially in dynamic changing environments. It also includes a camera sensor network to enhance monitoring capabilities for an extra level of security and reliability. Finally, the paper presents an improved system with some new designs involving mobile interaction.

scholarly journals Towards a Training Framework for Improved Assistive Mobile App Acceptance and Use Rates by Blind and Visually Impaired People

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paraskevi Theodorou ◽  
Apostolos Meliones
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Psychological Features

The development of mobile apps, which are either suitably adapted or especially designed for use by sensory-deprived people, have contributed significantly to the continuously increasing adoption of digital assistive technologies by people with disabilities. Throughout the design of two assistive navigation mobile apps for blind and visually impaired people (BVI), a set of everyday practices and psychological features of the BVIs with respect to the use of mobile technology was identified. Specifically, interviews with BVIs were held at the first stage of the design process. The analysis of the responses revealed that appropriate training of a BVI on how to use these apps plays significant role on the anticipated app adoption and use rate. This study presents the everyday practices and psychological features of the BVIs, as they were inferred from the analysis of the interviews. It is argued that these psychological features and practices must be considered in the development of training practices concerning the use of the proposed technology. Towards this direction, a framework for the adequate training of BVIs on the use of assistive mobile apps is presented. Consideration of this framework during the development of assistive mobile apps for BVIs could contribute towards higher adoption rates.

scholarly journals An Art History & Art Making Course for Blind Adults

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Street Thoma
Keyword(s):  
Art History ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Audio Description ◽  
History Of ◽  
Visually Impaired Students ◽  
Philadelphia Museum Of Art

<p>The manager of the Philadelphia Museum of Arts accessible programs gives a history of the institution&rsquo;s services for people with disabilities, with particular attention to services for the blind and visually impaired.&nbsp; These include descriptive tours, touch tours, three-dimensional tactile interpretations of two-dimensional works, and a long standing art history and art making class for blind and visually impaired students, Form in Art.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;Key words:</p><p>Philadelphia Museum of Art, museum accessibility, touch tours, descriptive tours, audio description, blind artists, art education for the blind and visually impaired.&nbsp;</p>

Identification of Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in Sri Lanka

1988 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 370-372
Author(s):  
T. Munasinghe ◽  
L. F. Campbell ◽  
J. Harary ◽  
N. L. Sloan ◽  
R. Texley
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Comparative Cost ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Helen Keller ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Alternative Identification ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

A study using three techniques to identify blind and visually impaired people was conducted by Helen Keller International in Sri Lanka during February and March of 1987. These techniques are compared to the validating supervisor identification of people who are blind or have low vision. The alternative identification methods evaluated were: 1) utilizing key informants from the surveyed communities; 2) utilizing students from local schools; and 3) conducting a house-to-house survey in study villages. The ability to correctly determine those truly blind or with low vision and the comparative cost of each method were also evaluated.

A Program for Sighted, Blind, Low Vision, and Disabled Volunteers

1985 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 352-353
Author(s):  
Jeannette Franks
Keyword(s):  
Social Service ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Social Service Agency ◽  
Job Descriptions ◽  
Volunteer Program ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People

This article describes the structure of a volunteer program in a social service agency serving blind and visually impaired people in Seattle, Wash. The program's screening and placement processes, job descriptions, evaluations, statistics and manual are reviewed. Examples of volunteering, including opportunities for handicapped volunteers, are given.

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