Assistive Technologies as a Search Tool for the Demanded Profile of Special Library

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Yuri Y. Lesnevsky
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Modern World ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Applied Development ◽  
Special Library ◽  
Almost All

Digital transformation of the modern world requires any person, including people with partial or complete vision loss, to have new competencies in organizing their own lives. The share of high-tech services is growing in almost all areas of library and information activities.The process of inclusion of visually impaired people in the world of new opportunities is directly related to the formation of the image of socially active special library. The author analyzes the management decisions and development of the Novosibirsk Regional Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired as a consumer and participant of the intersectoral and interdepartmental market of rehabilitation industry products. The article reveals the role of assistive (auxiliary) technologies in the expansion of a number of educational services for the interested social and professional groups of the population.The empirical basis of the article is the results of the information and applied development of the assistive technology sphere by the specialists of the Novosibirsk Regional Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Various social, technical, regulatory and economic aspects have defined the development of the institution over a long period of time. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed method involves the use of advanced assistive technologies as the basis for expanding the services of special library.The article considers the proactive approach that takes into account the priorities of the readership as an actual and effective way to develop a system of special library and information services. The author proposes and approves as innovation the idea of using the achievements of the related field of activity — accessibility technologies. Educational and training activities of the library in this context become a targeted tool for informing and motivating specialists of various branches. The article shows the need for additional efforts to organize and coordinate the work in the conditions of different levels of competence of specialists. Advanced development of assistive technologies allows expanding the range of users.

Web-Based Teaching and Learning for Blind and Visually Impaired Faculty

2011 ◽  
pp. 124-143
Author(s):  
Maggie Lynch ◽  
Patti DeWitz
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Usability Analysis ◽  
University Support ◽  
Technology Initiatives

Currently, 24% of the population has experienced significant vision loss. Though there has been some progress on developing accessible Web pages, there has been little work on providing Web page development accessibility to visually-impaired faculty. This chapter presents a study designed to assist educational organizations with blind or visually-impaired (BVI) faculty in the development of online courses and in the teaching of those same courses. The study used the tools of interview, usability analysis, and experimentation. Issues discussed include software accessibility, college or university support requirements, motivational factors, instructor skill levels, and strategies for working with BVI faculty. The findings and recommendations are specific to the WebCT environment, but some of the strategies may be generalized to other similar environments. The article ends with a discussion of major technology initiatives currently underway.

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 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.

In Support of Specialized Programs for Blind and Visually Impaired Children: The Impact of Vision Loss on Learning

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.H. Hatlen ◽  
S.A. Curry
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Loss Of Vision ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Visually Impaired Children

The learning needs of blind and visually impaired children can be divided into three categories: needs that are met by adapting the curriculum, needs that are met by changes in methodology, and developmental and educational needs that are unique to these children. To fulfill the needs in each category, it is essential that instruction be provided by special teachers of the visually impaired who are knowledgeable of the effects of the loss of vision on learning, trained in effective methods of adaptation and remediation, and sensitized to the emotional needs of this population.

University Training in New Zealand: An Experience in Distance Education

1989 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. LaGrow
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Professional Qualification ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
University Training ◽  
Level Training ◽  
Take All

This paper describes a graduate level training program for personnel in education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired people in New Zealand. Massey University diploma in Rehabilitation is a new program for those with practical experience and an existing degree or professional qualification in a related field. Candidates may take all of their work extramurally (i.e., by correspondence), except for those in mobility.

Co-Creating an Integrative Framework to Enhance the Museum Experience of Blind and Visually Impaired Visitors

2020 ◽  
pp. 164-191
Author(s):  
Roberto Ivo Fernandes Vaz
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Exhibit Design ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Museum Exhibitions ◽  
Museum Experience ◽  
Physical Access

Millions of people with vision impairments worldwide still experience many barriers when visiting museum exhibitions, given the tenacious ocular centricity of these institutions and the lack of assistive technologies that promote multisensory exhibit design. It is urgent to give priority to issues related to the accessibility of those patrons in museums, as well as their social inclusion, considering that visual impairment is a diverse spectrum. This chapter aims to research blind and visually impaired visitors' experiences in these institutions and presents a proposal of an integrative framework, co-created based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 29 individuals from Portugal. It concluded that sensory, intellectual and physical access must be integrated into the pre-visit, on-site visit and post-visit phases of interaction with cultural institutions, in order to promote a sense of autonomy to visually impaired individuals.

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 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 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.

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