Smartphones-Based Assistive Technology: Accessibility Features and Apps for People with Visual Impairment, and its Usage, Challenges, and Usability Testing

The main objective of this research is to provide a procedure set, oriented by a clear and rigorous protocol that allows the replication of results regarding the accessibility claims of products and systems available for the blind community, thus validating their robustness. The goal during the experiment was to compare user preferences and effectiveness when performing tasks with the voice synthesizers JAWS and DOSVOX and a braille keyboard. The adopted evaluation protocol includes the following methods: usability testing, focus group, and user satisfaction survey. The study developed with the proposed protocol investigates assistive technology adequacy to target users. The tasks performed by 30 users were categorized as activities of entertainment, learning, and social inclusion. It is considered that the main contribution of this chapter is to provide the protocol and methodology, adapted for use in evaluations of accessibility products and devices.

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Assistive technology solutions for aiding travel of pedestrians with visual impairment

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering ◽

10.1177/2055668317725993 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 205566831772599 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Piyush Chanana ◽

Rohan Paul ◽

M Balakrishnan ◽

PVM Rao

Keyword(s):

Assistive Technology ◽

Visual Impairment ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Sensor Technology ◽

Independent Mobility ◽

The Real ◽

Surrounding Environment ◽

Processing Techniques ◽

Real Challenge ◽

Specific Part

This work systematically reviews the assistive technology solutions for pedestrians with visual impairment and reveals that most of the existing solutions address a specific part of the travel problem. Technology-centered approach with limited focus on the user needs is one of the major concerns in the design of most of the systems. State-of-the-art sensor technology and processing techniques are being used to capture details of the surrounding environment. The real challenge is in conveying this information in a simplified and understandable form especially when the alternate senses of hearing, touch, and smell have much lesser perception bandwidth than that of vision. A lot of systems are at prototyping stages and need to be evaluated and validated by the real users. Conveying the required information promptly through the preferred interface to ensure safety, orientation, and independent mobility is still an unresolved problem. Based on observations and detailed review of available literature, the authors proposed that holistic solutions need to be developed with the close involvement of users from the initial to the final validation stages. Analysis reveals that several factors need serious consideration in the design of such assistive technology solutions.

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Assistive Technology for Visual Impairment and Trainers at Schools for the Blind in Delhi

Assistive Technology ◽

10.1080/10400435.2020.1839144 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Suraj Singh Senjam ◽

Allen Foster ◽

Covadonga Bascaran

Keyword(s):

Assistive Technology ◽

Visual Impairment

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RFID AND VIRTUAL REALITY TEST SETUP FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Acta Electrotechnica et Informatica ◽

10.15546/aeei-2021-0001 ◽

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.

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Provision of Assistive Technology for Students with Visual Impairment in University Libraries in India

DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology ◽

10.14429/djlit.39.3.14329 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 104-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anand M Dodamani ◽

Sukanya M Dodamani

Keyword(s):

Assistive Technology ◽

Visual Impairment ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Library Services ◽

University Libraries ◽

Staff Members ◽

Systematic Exploration ◽

The Status ◽

Library Websites ◽

The University

The use of advanced IT applications has enabled the university libraries to provide innovative library services to their patrons. While the general students are getting all required services from the libraries, the students with visual impairment have continued to face challenges in accessing the library collection. The technology to help overcome these challenges is available today in the form of assistive technology (AT). Unfortunately, a majority of the university libraries in the country do not have this technology in their libraries due to which a huge amount of information stored in the books and journals subscribed by them has become out of reach of the students with visual impairment. The present study was conducted to ascertain the status of AT to support students with visual impairment in university libraries. The study which has covered around 185 universities, provides the first systematic exploration of the status of AT in university libraries in India. The major findings of the study in context of university libraries in India are: 12.97 per cent having Braille Books in their collection; 22.70 per cent have made provision for AT for students with visual impairment; 22.70 per cent have accessible library websites; 21.08 per cent have designated staff members to serve the students with disabilities; 22.70 per cent have ‘written disability policy or ‘documented minutes’ related to the ‘library services for the students with disabilities’.

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