scholarly journals Does tactile image have to be tactual?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-59
Author(s):  
Jarosław Wiazowski
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Information Delivery ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Visual Displays ◽  
Delivery Format ◽  
Tactile Image ◽  
Graphical Presentation

This article is an analysis of educational assistive technologies that support learners with visual impairments in access to and interaction with graphics for mathematics and related academic areas. We will focus on options for students who require non-visual displays accessed via different remaining senses. Images, diagrams, tables or graphs constitute a significant portion of contemporary math textbooks students work with in schools (Dias et al., 2010; Edman, 1992). They convey information in a more succinct format or illustrate concepts that need a graphical presentation. Options available to put the students with visual impairments on a par with their sighted peers when it comes to creating and interacting with non-visual graphics will be listed and discussed. What has been thought of touch-only information delivery format, has been gaining a new interaction and exploration modality. We will propose a classification of non-visual graphics and how these different propositions impact the didactic process.

scholarly journals Tracking and Classification of Head Movement for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems

Sensors ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 435
Author(s):  
Carlos Wellington P. Gonçalves ◽  
Rogério A. Richa ◽  
Antonio P. L. Bo
Keyword(s):  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Functional Movement ◽  
Involuntary Movements ◽  
Motor Disabilities

The use of assistive technologies can mitigate or reduce the challenges faced by individuals with motor disabilities to use computer systems. However, those who feature severe involuntary movements often have fewer options at hand. This work describes an application that can recognize the user’s head using a conventional webcam, track its motion, model the desired functional movement, and recognize it to enable the use of a virtual keyboard. The proposed classifier features a flexible structure and may be personalized for different user need. Experimental results obtained with participants with no neurological disorders have shown that classifiers based on Hidden Markov Models provided similar or better performance than a classifier based on position threshold. However, motion segmentation and interpretation modules were sensitive to involuntary movements featured by participants with cerebral palsy that took part in the study.

Creating Tactile Graphs for Students With Visual Impairments

2019 ◽  
pp. 223-240
Author(s):  
Terence W. Cavanaugh ◽  
Nicholas P. Eastham
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Graduate Schools ◽  
Student Research ◽  
The Cost

Educational technologists are often asked to provide assistance in the identification or creation of assistive technologies for students. Individuals with visual impairments attending graduate schools are expected to be able to work with data sets, including reading, interpreting, and sharing findings with others in their field, but due to their impairments may not be able to work with standard displays. The cost and time involved in preparing adapted graphs based on student research data for individuals with visual impairments can be prohibitive. This chapter introduces a method for the rapid prototyping of tactile graphs for students to use in data analysis through the use of spreadsheets, internet-based conversion tools, and a 3D printer.

Indoor Navigation Aid Systems for the Blind and Visually Impaired Based on Depth Sensors

2021 ◽  
pp. 187-223
Author(s):  
Fernando Merchan ◽  
Martin Poveda ◽  
Danilo E. Cáceres-Hernández ◽  
Javier E. Sanchez-Galan
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Microsoft Kinect ◽  
Depth Sensors ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Depth Vision

This chapter focuses on the contributions made in the development of assistive technologies for the navigation of blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals. A special interest is placed on vision-based systems that make use of image (RGB) and depth (D) information to assist their indoor navigation. Many commercial RGB-D cameras exist on the market, but for many years the Microsoft Kinect has been used as a tool for research in this field. Therefore, first-hand experience and advances on the use of Kinect for the development of an indoor navigation aid system for BVI individuals is presented. Limitations that can be encountered in building such a system are addressed at length. Finally, an overview of novel avenues of research in indoor navigation for BVI individuals such as integration of computer vision algorithms, deep learning for the classification of objects, and recent developments with stereo depth vision are discussed.

Assistive Technologies and Computers

2016 ◽  
pp. 444-464
Author(s):  
Thais Pousada ◽  
Betania Groba ◽  
Laura Nieto ◽  
Javier Pereira ◽  
Alejandro Pazos
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Environmental Context ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
International Classification Of Functioning ◽  
Technology Support ◽  
Occupational Performance ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
The Individual

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2001) provides the term disability as a part of the multi-aspects of the interaction between the individual and social environmental context in which it operates. Therefore a disabled person is a person who has impairment, activity limitation or participation restriction. A person in this situation can present difficulties in occupational performance. It is necessary to develop a set of resources, technological or otherwise, to offset these difficulties, decrease the distance between exclusion and participation and contribute to the integration of people with functional diversity in society. These resources are called support products or technology support, but do not eliminate the deficits, they can eliminate the limitation of the performance of persons with disabilities.

scholarly journals Sonification: Review of Auditory Display Solutions in Electronic Travel Aids for the Blind

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Bujacz ◽  
Paweł Strumiłło
Keyword(s):  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
Auditory Display ◽  
Independent Mobility ◽  
Signal Processing Algorithm ◽  
Surface Segmentation ◽  
Musical Sounds ◽  
Electronic Travel Aids

Abstract Sonification is defined as presentation of information by means of non-speech audio. In assistive technologies for the blind, sonification is most often used in electronic travel aids (ETAs) - devices which aid in independent mobility through obstacle detection or help in orientation and navigation. The presented review contains an authored classification of various sonification schemes implemented in the most widely known ETAs. The review covers both those commercially available and those in various stages of research, according to the input used, level of signal processing algorithm used and sonification methods. Additionally, a sonification approach developed in the Naviton project is presented. The prototype utilizes stereovision scene reconstruction, obstacle and surface segmentation and spatial HRTF filtered audio with discrete musical sounds and was successfully tested in a pilot study with blind volunteers in a controlled environment, allowing to localize and navigate around obstacles.

Implementation of Assistive Technology with Students who are Visually Impaired: Teachers’ Readiness

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald H. Abner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Lahm
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Training And Support

Teachers of students of visual impairments in Kentucky were surveyed to identify the current assistive technologies their students were using and to identify the teachers’ possible unmet training needs. Although the teachers had access to and used computer-based technologies, they lacked the training and support for teaching specific technologies to their students, so only half their students used these technologies.

Assistive Technologies in Museums for People With Visual Impairments

2021 ◽  
pp. 256-276
Author(s):  
Susana Vasconcelos Mesquita ◽  
Maria João Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Large Group

Museums are important cultural places where technology, and specifically assistive technology, offers a prime opportunity for people with visual impairments to access the exhibition and the space. People with visual impairments represent a large group of the population but still experience several constraints during their museum visits. Nevertheless, there are few studies on the importance of assistive technologies in museums. This chapter aims to discuss the relevance of technology in museums and to identify guidelines to implement assistive technologies in order to improve the experience of people with visual impairments during their visits to museums. A reflection on the potential of assistive technologies for people with visual impairments and some guidelines are provided in order to promote more accessible and inclusive museums.

scholarly journals ColorWatch: Color Perceptual Spatial Tactile Interface for People with Visual Impairments

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Muhammad Shahid Jabbar ◽  
Chung-Heon Lee ◽  
Jun Dong Cho
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Recognition Accuracy ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Concept Design ◽  
Abstraction Level ◽  
Color Sensor ◽  
Color Identification

Tactile perception enables people with visual impairments (PVI) to engage with artworks and real-life objects at a deeper abstraction level. The development of tactile and multi-sensory assistive technologies has expanded their opportunities to appreciate visual arts. We have developed a tactile interface based on the proposed concept design under considerations of PVI tactile actuation, color perception, and learnability. The proposed interface automatically translates reference colors into spatial tactile patterns. A range of achromatic colors and six prominent basic colors with three levels of chroma and values are considered for the cross-modular association. In addition, an analog tactile color watch design has been proposed. This scheme enables PVI to explore artwork or real-life object color by identifying the reference colors through a color sensor and translating them to the tactile interface. The color identification tests using this scheme on the developed prototype exhibit good recognition accuracy. The workload assessment and usability evaluation for PVI demonstrate promising results. This suggest that the proposed scheme is appropriate for tactile color exploration.

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