ENCANTOS E ENCONTROS DA BIBLIOTERAPIA PARA PESSOAS COM DEFICIÊNCIA VISUAL = BIBLIOTHERAPY CHARMS AND MEETINGS FOR PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

A leitura possui um vasto significado na vida do ser humano, independentemente do ambiente ou da forma como aconteça. Especialmente por meio da Biblioterapia, ela pode representar grandes transformações e, para as pessoas com deficiência visual (de forma congênita ou adquirida), pode oferecer oportunidades de identidade, integração e expressão, despertando possibilidades importantes que podem ser trabalhadas e incluídas por bibliotecários em seu ambiente informacional. Com o objetivo de descrever sobre a prática e essas possibilidades, realizou-se uma breve revisão de literatura, somada à descrição de duas sessões de Biblioterapia realizadas na biblioteca de um instituto especializado mediado por uma Bibliotecária, na Paraíba, em João Pessoa. Assim, foi possível identificar como a leitura auxilia a pessoa com deficiência visual a desvendar, recordar e se encantar com um mundo cheio de descobertas, imaginação e diversão, mesmo de forma diferente. Resultados apontam inúmeros benefícios e demonstram o quanto a Biblioterapia favorece a inclusão das pessoas com deficiência visual nas sessões desenvolvidas nas bibliotecas e amplia os horizontes profissionais do bibliotecário em relação aos seus usuários.AbstractReading has a vast meaning in human life, regardless of the environment or the way it happens. Especially through Bibliotherapy, it can represent great transformations and, for people with visual impairment (congenital or acquired), it can offer opportunities for identity, integration and expression, awakening important possibilities that can be worked on and included by librarians in their informational environment. In order to describe the practice and these possibilities, a brief literature review was carried out, together with the description of two Bibliotherapy sessions held in the library of a specialized institute mediated by a Librarian, in Paraíba, João Pessoa. Thus, it was possible to identify how reading helps the visually impaired person to unravel, remember and be enchanted by a world full of discoveries, imagination and fun, even in a different way. Results point out numerous benefits and demonstrate how bibliotherapy favors the inclusion of people with visual impairments in the sessions developed in libraries and expands the librarian's professionalhorizons in relation to their users.

Audiodescription des arts plastiques. Autoportrait de Dora Maar

The article addresses the problem of intersemiotic translation: translating images into words. The first part deals with the issue of image hermeneutics. Following this, eye tracking research is briefly described and museum audio description for the blind and visually impaired is introduced. A case study of Self-portrait of Dora Maar is carried out, highlighting the importance of sight in the artist’s work. The text tries to answer the following questions: Who and using which techniques and strategies should translate images into words for recipients with visual disabilities, so that the translation is satisfactory and adapted to their perception? How to provide a visually impaired person with an aesthetic experience without imposing our own perception of the image on them?

Investigation of Input Modalities Based on a Spatial Region Array for Hand-Gesture Interfaces

To improve the efficiency of computer input, extensive research has been conducted on hand movement in a spatial region. Most of it has focused on the technologies but not the users’ spatial controllability. To assess this, we analyze a users’ common operational area through partitioning, including a layered array of one dimension and a spatial region array of two dimensions. In addition, to determine the difference in spatial controllability between a sighted person and a visually impaired person, we designed two experiments: target selection under a visual and under a non-visual scenario. Furthermore, we explored two factors: the size and the position of the target. Results showed the following: the 5 × 5 target blocks, which were 60.8 mm × 48 mm, could be easily controlled by both the sighted and the visually impaired person; the sighted person could easily select the bottom-right area; however, for the visually impaired person, the easiest selected area was the upper right. Based on the results of the users’ spatial controllability, we propose two interaction techniques (non-visual selection and a spatial gesture recognition technique for surgery) and four spatial partitioning strategies for human-computer interaction designers, which can improve the users spatial controllability.

Person Identification Using Face and Speech Recognition for Visually Challenged with Mask Detection

A system and method for facilitating a visually impaired person for identifying a person. The method includes the step of storing a plurality of instructions for facilitating the visually impaired person identify the person in front of them by their face and/or voice characteristics by updating our project with Mask Detection using OpenCv and keras. It includes the step of receiving voice signals from the person present in surrounding of the visually impaired person and includes the step of capturing the pictures of a particular person and their surroundings of the visually impaired person and storing the processed data into the database or any storage devices. The data will be processed to AWS server or any local storage for processing and determining the person with the help of the database we already have. After processing and identifying the person with the help of face and voice recognition modules the name is sent to the visually impaired user’s phone in the form of a text message which will be read aloud by his phone’s virtual assistant.

Sign Language Translator Using YOLO Algorithm

Sign language is a terminology that encloses a motion of hand gestures which is an environment for the auditory impairment, individual (deaf or dumb) to deal with others. Nevertheless, so as to impart with the hearing impaired individual, the communicator obtains to acquire acquaintance in sign language. As follows is frequent to make undoubted that the message provided by the hearing impaired person acknowledged. This implemented system propounds an implementation of real time American Sign Language perception in Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with the support of You Only Look Once version (YOLO) algorithm. The algorithm initially executes data acquisition, subsequently the pre-processing of gestures and are conducted to trace hand movement utilize a combinational algorithm.

A CNN-Based Wearable Assistive System for Visually Impaired People Walking Outdoors

In this study, we propose an assistive system for helping visually impaired people walk outdoors. This assistive system contains an embedded system—Jetson AGX Xavier (manufacture by Nvidia in Santa Clara, CA, USA) and a binocular depth camera—ZED 2 (manufacture by Stereolabs in San Francisco, CA, USA). Based on the CNN neural network FAST-SCNN and the depth map obtained by the ZED 2, the image of the environment in front of the visually impaired user is split into seven equal divisions. A walkability confidence value for each division is computed, and a voice prompt is played to guide the user toward the most appropriate direction such that the visually impaired user can navigate a safe path on the sidewalk, avoid any obstacles, or walk on the crosswalk safely. Furthermore, the obstacle in front of the user is identified by the network YOLOv5s proposed by Jocher, G. et al. Finally, we provided the proposed assistive system to a visually impaired person and experimented around an MRT station in Taiwan. The visually impaired person indicated that the proposed system indeed helped him feel safer when walking outdoors. The experiment also verified that the system could effectively guide the visually impaired person walking safely on the sidewalk and crosswalks.

The Use of Digital Technologies as a Pedagogical Tool for Students with Visual Impairments

This study presents as a problem-question whether the use of the audiobook will provide the visually impaired person with the condition to adhere, take ownership, make individual and collective use ofnew technologies, these human creations whichrepresent the possibility of an increasingly growing mastery of information never imagined and its new ways of use.Within this context, the research has the following objectives: to analyze the importance of the audiobook as a pedagogical tool, as mediator of reading classes for students with visual impairment; to analyze whether digital technologies can be used to support the teaching and learning process.Regarding tothe approach ofthe problem, the research has a qualitative focus. For data collection, interviews and online questionnaires sent by WhatsApp were used. The research population and sample comprised 13 (thirteen) subjects. To carry out the interviews, several technological resources were used: Google Meet; WhatsApp and cell phone (phone call).Due to the pandemic –Covid 19 and the inevitable social isolation, digital technology was the best option for conducting the research. The interviews were transcribed using theTranscriber for Whatsappand Call Recorderapplications. The study reveals that digital technologies can and should be used to support the process of teaching and learning to students with visual impairments.That the audiobook represents another reading alternative, a complement, a support, with its own attractions, benefiting people with or without disabilities.As from the social representations extracted from the research subjects’speeches, it was possible to see that assistive technologies need to gotogether with the Braille system, called as a literacy technology, a method whichallows the visually impaired to read and write without intermediation, in other words, the person has direct contact with the text.

Digital Assistant for Sound Classification Using Spectral Fingerprinting

This paper describes a digital assistant designed to help hearing-impaired people sense ambient sounds. The assistant relies on obtaining audio signals from the ambient environment of a hearing-impaired person. The audio signals are analysed by a machine learning model that uses spectral signatures as features to classify audio signals into audio categories (e.g., emergency, animal sounds, etc.) and specific audio types within the categories (e.g., ambulance siren, dog barking, etc.) and notify the user leveraging a mobile or wearable device. The user can configure active notification preferences and view historical logs. The machine learning classifier is periodically trained externally based on labeled audio sound samples. Additional system features include an audio amplification option and a speech to text option for transcribing human speech to text output. Keywords: assistive technology, sound classification, machine learning, audio processing, spectral fingerprinting