scholarly journals An indoor navigation architecture using variable data sources for blind and visually impaired persons

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Pedro Gomes ◽  
Joao Paulo Sousa ◽  
Carlos R. Cunha ◽  
Elisabete Paulo Morais
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Variable Data ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

scholarly journals Developing apps for people with sensory disabilities, and implications for technology acceptance models

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-40
Author(s):  
Paraskevi Theodorou ◽  
Apostolos Meliones
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Acceptance Model ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Indoor Navigation ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Acceptance Model ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

The significance of digital assistive technology in everyday life of people with disabilities has been continuously increasing during the last decade. An important example is that of the development of mobile apps which are suitably adapted for use by sensory-deprived people. We are involved in developing two such initiatives. The first offers interactive indoor navigation for blind and visually impaired persons, while the second offers deaf people a user-friendly environment for text depiction of the verbal speech, even when the articulation is defective, which is usually the case when the speaker is deaf. Despite the possible benefits of these apps, this does not necessarily signify automatic acceptance. This study aims to examine factors that may inhibit take up, in order to obviate these as much as possible. Factors contributing to the acceptance of technology may be complex, such as ‘perceived usefulness’, ‘self-efficacy’ and ‘social influence’. An exploratory study of this issue will accrue qualitative evidence from the potential users. The paper concludes by presenting recommendations for the development of a tentative modified Technology Acceptance Model that considers the special circumstances around technology use by disability cohorts, to be tested as the research continues. Keywords: Technology acceptance model, blind and visually impaired, deaf, mobile apps, qualitative analysis. Keywords: Technology Acceptance Model; blind and visually impaired; deaf; mobile apps; qualitative analysis

scholarly journals Conveying facial expressions to blind and visually impaired persons through a wearable vibrotactile device

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. e0194737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik P. Buimer ◽  
Marian Bittner ◽  
Tjerk Kostelijk ◽  
Thea M. van der Geest ◽  
Abdellatif Nemri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Approaches to Increasing Assertive Behavior and Communication Skills in Blind and Visually Impaired Persons

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 794-798
Author(s):  
Rona L. Harrell ◽  
Felice A. Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Assertive Behavior ◽  
Structured Intervention ◽  
Impaired Person ◽  
Assertion Training ◽  
Partially Sighted ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

Many visually impaired individuals are found to be too passive or too aggressive in their social interactions. Lack of assertive behavior is related to the concept of learned helplessness. Components of assertive behavior are described with suggestions for enabling the visually impaired person to develop these skills. The underlying concepts of assertion training are explained along with specific techniques to be utilized in the school or rehabilitative setting. With a structured intervention resulting in improved assertiveness skills, blind or partially sighted individuals can increase their effectiveness in communicating with others and can feel more in control of their lives.

scholarly journals The Interface of Copyright and Human Rights: Access to Copyright Works for the Visually Impaired

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lida Ayoubi
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Copyright Law ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Copyright Laws ◽  
Limitations And Exceptions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Marrakesh Treaty

<p>Reproduction of copyright protected material in formats that are accessible to the blind and visually impaired persons constitutes a copyright infringement unless there are specific limitations and exceptions in place. Most countries do not have copyright limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the visually impaired in their copyright laws. This has contributed to the issue of book famine, meaning the unsatisfactory access to copyright protected material for the blind and visually impaired.  This thesis examines the claims of the visually impaired for improved access to copyright protected works in the context of the interface of human rights and intellectual property rights. This research demonstrates that insufficient access to copyright protected material is discriminatory against the visually impaired and negatively affects their human rights such as the right to education, information, health, employment, culture, and science. Moreover, the thesis analyses the international and domestic copyright law’s impact on the needs of the visually impaired. In analysing the international copyright law, the thesis evaluates the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities.  Highlighting the insufficient consideration for the rights of the visually impaired in domestic and international copyright laws including the Marrakesh Treaty, the thesis proposes adoption of a human rights framework for copyright law to the extent that it affects the human rights of the visually impaired. Such framework requires copyright law to accommodate those human rights of the visually impaired that are dependent on access to copyright protected material.  The thesis offers two categories of measures for creation of a human rights framework for copyright to the extent that it affects the human rights of the visually impaired. The measures include optimisation of already available options and adoption of new mechanisms. The first category discusses minimum mandatory copyright limitations and exceptions and the possibility to harmonise them. The second category covers extra measures such as clarifying the implications of different human rights and copyrights in the context of the book famine; ensuring compatibility of human rights and copyright when adopting policy and law; and, regular monitoring of the impact of copyright law on human rights.</p>

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.

scholarly journals Barriers between community screening for visual problems and treatments in a tertiary center

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Gabriel De Almeida Ferreira ◽  
Marcelo Abrão Rezende ◽  
Roberta Lilian Fernandes de Sousa Meneghim ◽  
Silvana Artioli Schellini
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Community Screening ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Tertiary Center ◽  
Complete Treatment ◽  
The One ◽  
Visually Impaired Persons

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of mobile ophthalmic unit screenings and to investigate barriers between community care and resolution of the problem at a tertiary center. METHODS: This prospective study evaluated a convenience sample from 10 municipalities in São Paulo State, Brazil. Patients were assessed in the municipality by a mobile ophthalmic unit and underwent a complete ophthalmic consultation. Patients were referred as warranted to a tertiary hospital. RESULTS: The mobile ophthalmic unit screened 1,928 individuals and 714 (37%) were referred. The mean age of the referred patients was 57.12 (SD = 19.5) years with best corrected visual acuity of 0.37 (SD = 0.36) logMAR. Forty-seven (6.6%) patients were blind and 185 (26.5%) were visually impaired. Cataracts (44.7%) and pterygium (14.7%) accounted for most referrals. Of those referred, 67.1% presented to the tertiary center. The diagnosis by the mobile ophthalmic unit corresponded to the one by the tertiary center in 88.5% of the cases. There were a significantly higher number of blind and visually impaired persons among those who presented to the hospital. There was a significantly greater attendance among patients living in more distant municipalities from the reference center with a higher number of inhabitants and a greater number of ophthalmologists in the cities of origin (p < 0.05, all comparisons). Complete treatment was performed in 65.6% of patients, and loss to follow-up was the main cause of incomplete treatment in 50.7% of patients. A total of 313 cataract surgeries were performed, which reduced the number of blind patients from 20 to 2 and of visually impaired individuals from 87 to 2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Only 37% of the patients assessed by a mobile ophthalmic unit required referral to a tertiary hospital. Among the referred patients, 67.1% presented to the hospital, and complete resolution after treatment was approximately 65.5%. There was a significant improvement in visual acuity and a reduction in the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment postoperatively.

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