scholarly journals Evaluation of a braille-based colour code proposal for people with visual impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Milam Almeida ◽  
Roberto Cardoso Freire da Silva ◽  
Júlio Cezar Augusto da Silva ◽  
Luiza Beck Arigoni
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Visual Loss ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Daily Routines ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Communication Barrier

People with visual impairment (PVI) are a group that have some sort of visual loss, including individuals with low vision and blindness. As colour is one of the most important elements in transmitting visual information, its lack of access can be configured as an information and communication barrier, which impacts daily routines and social inclusion. The present study evaluates the suitability of a braille-based colour code proposal for PVI called Universal Colour Code (UCC). Based on user experience methods, exploratory interviews, free association of words, effectiveness tests, and assessment of code were conducted. The results show that UCC has potential for PVI who master braille.

scholarly journals Understanding Visual Impairment and Its Impact on Patients: A Simulation-Based Training in Undergraduate Medical Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 238212051984385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Juniat ◽  
Rabia Bourkiza ◽  
Aditi Das ◽  
Raja Das-Bhaumik ◽  
Panagiota Founti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Visual Loss ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Teaching Aids ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Vision Simulation

Introduction: Simulation activities are valuable teaching aids for understanding about living with visual impairment (VI). Our medical students used low-vision simulation spectacles (Sim-specs) to enable learning about VI. Methods: Students made tea and filled dosette boxes using Sim-specs simulating central visual loss (age-related macular degeneration) and navigated using Sim-specs simulating peripheral visual loss (glaucoma). Facilitators recorded errors made for each task. Students completed questionnaires to grade the tasks’ difficulty on a 4-point Likert-type scale. The students also participated in focus groups to discuss how their approach to working with patients may change following this training. Results: In total, 252 out of 254 students participated. Central visual loss provided the greatest challenge when undertaking fine motor skilled activity (dosette box). Highest average number of errors made was for dosette box task (0.70 error), followed by navigation (0.59), then making tea task (0.34). Students scored the most difficult task on average as the dosette box task (3.23 Likert-type points), followed by navigation (2.97), then making tea task (2.63). Our students have shown learning in recognising the challenges of VI and have adapted their approach to patients. Conclusions: Simulation activities are valuable additions to the undergraduate curriculum. Such activities can potentially enable greater empathy for our visually impaired patients.

Characteristics of Physical Training of Persons with Visual Impairment - From Instruction and Workout to Training and Competition

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
Marko Aleksandrović
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Verbal Description ◽  
Tactile Information ◽  
Stage Of Development

SummaryVisual impairment as a congenital condition or acquired state is due to: eye diseases, physical injuries, falls, brain injuries, infections, etc. In relation to the degree of visual impairment, there are blind and low vision persons.Due to insufficient or non-existent visual information at an early stage of development, children with visual impairment are not aware of their own body and space, therefore they have problems with their own motion. The motor development of children with visual impairment is slow, which manifests through delayed walking, inaptitude, clumsiness, frequent fall and bad coordination. On the other hand, it is possible that the ultimate level of motor abilities of people with visual impairment can be approximate or the same as people without visual impairment.For an appropriate approach to physical exercise it is necessary to consider the following in a person with visual impairment: the amount and type of vision, physical, functional, health and mental state. The basic characteristics of implementing physical exercises with this population include: adaptation of teaching methods, adaptation of the exercise space and selection of appropriate requisites and equipment.The way of acquiring knowledge of the low vision children is visual information (regardless of the poor quality of their reception), and for blind children there are audible and tactile information. A constant, detailed verbal description of motions and movements is necessary in order to explain incomplete visual information and associate it with successive tactile information. An individual-led activity ensures understanding of the person with VI on the required movement. The analytical method is the dominant method during instructions and training.Sports in which people with visual impairment can participate are: athletics, chess, judo, ninepin bowling, tenpin bowling, shooting, swimming, torball, football 5, golf, showdown, golf, powerlifting, skiing, riding ... IBSA (International Blind Sport Federation) is an international sports organization that takes care of sports of persons with VI and is a member of the IPC (International Paralympic Committee). Competitions involving people with VI include: Paralympic Games, IBSA Games, world, continental, regional and national championships, as well as many international and national tournaments.

Expanding Freedoms of People With Visual Impairment Through Information and Communication Technologies: Narratives From Bangladesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Kamrul Hasan ◽  
Mahfuz Ashraf ◽  
Padmanesan Narasimhan ◽  
Rimjhim Aggarwal
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Nobel Laureate ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Interpretive Study ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Training And Support

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become an element of strategic importance to all countries. Researchers argue that ICTs may open up new avenues for economic growth, competitiveness and human development. It is widely recognised that ICTs have the potential of overcoming many of the barriers faced by people with visual impairment (VI). Based on an interpretive study using the narrative interview method, this article contributes to this literature by presenting perceptions and understandings of how the use of ICTs can be used to promote the ‘development’ of people with VI in Bangladesh. We approached this study through the economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s work on ‘development as freedom’ that focuses on, among other themes, five dimensions of freedom — social, economic, protective, political and transparency. We collected stories from 18 people with VI who had received ICTs training and support from resource centres, and from some disability rights activists and leaders who use ICTs. Our findings suggest that ICTs can be used as tools for improving the wellbeing of people with VI by enhancing different aspects of freedom suggested by Sen. ICTs tools assist people with VI by providing them with educational and work opportunities, and thus increase the potential for social inclusion and economic development. We conclude that governments, nongovernment organisations and development partners in countries such as Bangladesh may use ICTs to expand different types of ‘freedom’ for marginalised groups such as people with VI and persons with disabilities in general.

scholarly journals Learning Building Layouts with Non-Geometric Visual Information: The Effects of Visual Impairment and Age

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p5915 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1677-1699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy A Kalia ◽  
Gordon E Legge ◽  
Nicholas A Giudice
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Cognitive Maps ◽  
Real Space ◽  
Geometric Information ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Presentation Modes ◽  
Geometric Cues ◽  
Target Locations

Previous studies suggest that humans rely on geometric visual information (hallway structure) rather than non-geometric visual information (eg doors, signs, and lighting) for acquiring cognitive maps of novel indoor layouts. In this study we asked whether visual impairment and age affect reliance on non-geometric visual information for layout learning. We tested three groups of participants—younger (<50 years of age) normally sighted; older (50–70 years of age) normally sighted; and low-vision (people with heterogeneous forms of visual impairment ranging in age from 18 to 67 years). Participants learned target locations in building layouts using four presentation modes: a desktop virtual environment (VE) displaying only geometric cues (sparse VE); a VE displaying both geometric and non-geometric cues (photorealistic VE); a map; and a real building. Layout knowledge was assessed by map drawing and by asking participants to walk to specified targets in the real space. Results indicate that low-vision and older normally sighted participants relied on additional non-geometric information to accurately learn layouts. In conclusion, visual impairment and age may result in reduced perceptual and/or memory processing that makes it difficult to learn layouts without non-geometric visual information.

Psychosocial Links Between Internet Use and Mental Health in Later Life: A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1471-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Forsman ◽  
Johanna Nordmyr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Information And Communication

Research on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) use for active aging is limited. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the link between Internet use and mental health among older adults. The review was conducted based on searches in 9 electronic databases (2002-2014). A meta-synthesis approach was applied, examining quantitative (18) and qualitative (14) studies. The findings from the synthesis of quantitative statistical data indicate an overall positive association between Internet use and mental health and its psychosocial covariates in later life. The psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health identified from the qualitative data were (a) enhanced interpersonal interaction at individual level, (b) increased access to resources within the community, and (c) empowered social inclusion at society level. The results highlight the multi-level psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health, which may be applied in initiatives targeting healthy aging in various settings.

Scant Penetration of Women in the Fourth Industrial Revolution : An Old Problem in a New Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 81–98
Author(s):  
Joseph Mudau ◽  
Ricky Munyaradzi Mukonza
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Critical Scholarship ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Technological Space

A study of every industrial revolution would be incomplete without any reference to the scant inclusion of women in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. It remains true that a plethora of women are still not extricated from the obfuscation of social inclusion in the technological space. The gender inequalities in ICT remains a perennial problem, consequently prompting a new debate. Closely related to this debate is the scant rate of the inclusion of women in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This article opines that men have more freedom to utilise technological devices than women due to, inter alia, limited knowledge regarding technological infrastructure. The article is conceptual in nature and relied on critical scholarship review as a methodological approach to obtain insights. The objective is to argue that gender inequality in ICT is most likely to persist in the 4IR. Furthermore, it provides a summation and conclusion on the 4IR.

Effects of a Disability Simulation Activity on the Achievement, Efficacy, Attitudes, and Interests of Preservice Professionals

2021 ◽  
pp. 0145482X2110466
Author(s):  
Alexandra Hollo ◽  
Carla B. Brigandi ◽  
Casey M. Jelsema ◽  
Mingming Shi
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Single Class ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Disability Simulation ◽  
Experimental Group

Introduction: Disability simulation activities are commonly used for various purposes in higher education; however, instructors may be unaware of controversies regarding their use. The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of an activity using low vision goggles to simulate visual impairment in the context of an undergraduate course in special education. We highlight the need for instructors to consider the appropriateness of disability simulation activities given possible countertherapeutic effects. Methods: In this cluster-randomized trial, 11 classes (248 students) of preservice education and related services professionals were randomized to experimental (lecture + simulation) or control (lecture only) conditions. During a single class session, all students received basic information about visual impairment and watched a video on being a human guide. Students in the experimental group then practiced guiding and being guided while wearing low vision goggles. At the end of class, students completed three Likert-type surveys and later completed a quiz using publisher-developed materials. Results: Results showed individuals in the experimental group reported higher levels of interest and enjoyment than those in the control condition; however, there were no statistically significant differences in attitudes toward persons with visual impairments, confidence or self-efficacy for working with students with visual impairments, content knowledge, or perceptions of activity usefulness. Discussion: Findings of positive engagement in the absence of harmful effects indicate that disability simulation activities should be neither promoted nor denigrated wholesale; instead, instructors must weigh carefully potential benefits and drawbacks. Discussion includes considerations for professional education programs in using such simulations to promote skill acquisition via positive and respectful learning experiences. Implications for practitioners: Instructors who use disability simulation activities are encouraged to consider whether to discontinue this practice or incorporate principles recommended by the disability community and assess outcomes to ensure they are not perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

scholarly journals Implications of a Remote Study of Children With Cerebral Visual Impairment for Conducting Virtual Pediatric Eye Care Research: Virtual Assessment Is Possible for Children With CVI

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Almagati ◽  
Barry S. Kran
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Parent Questionnaire ◽  
Low Vision Clinic ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Vision Function ◽  
E Mail

The Pandemic of 2020 impacted conducting in-person research. Our proposed project already had an asynchronous online component but was later morphed to add a synchronous online component, thereby eliminating the need for in-person assessment. The project compares the results of various tests between a group of children with Cerebral Visual Impairments (CVI) (N = 4) and an age-matched sample of children without CVI (N = 3) from a pediatric low vision clinic. This model was trialed with a small convenient sample of typically developing children in the same age range (N = 4). Given the positive feedback, recruitment for the larger study was done via encrypted e-mail rather than through traditional mailing. The asynchronous components included recruitment, pre-assessment information, the Flemish CVI questionnaire, Vineland-3 comprehensive parent questionnaire for assessment of age equivalent, and vision function tests, such as contrast sensitivity. The synchronous components were administered via Zoom telehealth provided by necoeyecare.org and included assessment of visual acuity via the Freiburg Visual Acuity and Contrast Test (FrACT) electronic software and assessment of visual perceptual batteries via the Children’s Visual Impairment Test for developmental ages 3–6-years (CVIT 3–6). Our virtual testing protocol was successful in the seven participants tested. This paper reviews and critiques the model that we utilized and discusses ways in which this model can be improved. Aside from public health considerations during the pandemic, this approach is more convenient for many families. In a broader perspective, this approach can be scaled for larger N studies of rare conditions, such as CVI without being confined by proximity to the researcher.

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