Mobile assistive technologies for the visually impaired

There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in information technology (IT) are increasing the scope for IT-based mobile assistive technologies to facilitate the independence, safety, and improved quality of life of the visually impaired. Research is being directed at making mobile phones and other handheld devices accessible via our haptic (touch) and audio sensory channels. We review research and innovation within the field of mobile assistive technology for the visually impaired and, in so doing, highlight the need for successful collaboration between clinical expertise, computer science, and domain users to realize fully the potential benefits of such technologies. We initially reflect on research that has been conducted to make mobile phones more accessible to people with vision loss. We then discuss innovative assistive applications designed for the visually impaired that are either delivered via mainstream devices and can be used while in motion (e.g., mobile phones) or are embedded within an environment that may be in motion (e.g., public transport) or within which the user may be in motion (e.g., smart homes)

A survey of assistive technologies and applications for blind users on mobile platforms: a review and foundation for research

This paper summarizes recent developments in audio and tactile feedback based assistive technologies targeting the blind community. Current technology allows applications to be efficiently distributed and run on mobile and handheld devices, even in cases where computational requirements are significant. As a result, electronic travel aids, navigational assistance modules, text-to-speech applications, as well as virtual audio displays which combine audio with haptic channels are becoming integrated into standard mobile devices. This trend, combined with the appearance of increasingly user- friendly interfaces and modes of interaction has opened a variety of new perspectives for the rehabilitation and training of users with visual impairments. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of these developments based on recent advances in basic research and application development. Using this overview as a foundation, an agenda is outlined for future research in mobile interaction design with respect to users with special needs, as well as ultimately in relation to sensor-bridging applications in genera

Knowledge Resources for Visually Impaired Persons: An Indian Perspective

The purpose of the study is to identify the sources provided by the universities of India to visually impaired persons to cater their educational requirements. There are 49 Central Universities in India, out of which 15 were selected for the study. The data from selected university libraries was collected using bilateral approach i.e. questionnaire and telephonic interview. It was found that central universities of India are not providing appropriate sources to their visually impaired users to fulfill their educational requirements. Though some universities had taken initiatives in providing the information resources and services, but still there are many aspects which should be looked upon for modification and improvisation. The present study is confined to the central universities of India as it would be difficult to identify each university in India who have started or are in urge to start the services to visually impaired users. It is anticipated that the study would be of immense importance not only for the academic institutions but also for the agencies/organizations working for this user community. The study thus puts light on the situations those are prevailing in academia allied to inclusive education for visually impaired persons and it also provides the way out to overcome such situations. The present study is devoted to particular user community and thus useful for professionals pursuing understanding about the library and information services for these users. Furthermore, the research highlights the present status regarding the availability of the library services for visually impaired users in central universities of India

Feeling what you hear: tactile feedback for navigation of audio graphs

Access to digitally stored numerical data is currently very limited for sight impaired people. Graphs and visualizations are often used to analyze relationships between numerical data, but the current methods of accessing them are highly visually mediated. Representing data using audio feedback is a common method of making data more accessible, but methods of navigating and accessing the data are often serial in nature and laborious. Tactile or haptic displays could be used to provide additional feedback to support a point-and-click type interaction for the visually impaired. A requirements capture conducted with sight impaired computer users produced a review of current accessibility technologies, and guidelines were extracted for using tactile feedback to aid navigation. The results of a qualitative evaluation with a prototype interface are also presented. Providing an absolute position input device and tactile feedback allowed the users to explore the graph using tactile and proprioceptive cues in a manner analogous to point-and-click techniques

Universal Mobile Information Retrieval

International audienceThe shift in human computer interaction from desktop computing to mobile interaction highly influences the needs for new designed interfaces. In this paper, we address the issue of searching for information on mobile devices, an area also known as Mobile Information Retrieval. In particular, we propose to summarize as much as possible the information retrieved by any search engine to allow universal access to information

Experiences of People with Visual Impairments in Accessing Online Information and Services: A Systematic Literature Review

The World Wide Web is the largest source of electronic information in the world. Over the years, rapid advances in the internet have made it less accessible thereby making it increasingly difficult for people with visual impairments to access online information and services. This paper systematically reviews previous research to identify challenges that people with visual impairments face, and the role of accessibility technologies and guidelines to support people with visual impairments in their access to online information and services. The findings discuss three categories emerged from the literature: inaccessible content for the visually impaired, improving website accessibility for the visually impaired, and accessibility technologies and their benefits and limitations for people with visual impairments. The findings further discuss the usability issues which are present in accessing online content, the different attempts that have been made to mitigate these problems, and the different guidelines and tools that can be adopted by web designers to make websites more accessible for the visually impaired. It also discusses the versatility and availability of various accessibility technologies. Although these technologies provide basic access to online information, they are greatly limited in their functionality. Therefore, it is up to the web designers to change their perceptions when designing websites. With the proper use of the guidelines, the capabilities of accessibility technologies can be accommodated in making information provided accessible to all users including those with visual impairments. The contributions of this research are that it offers a rigorous narrative review to summarise the state of knowledge on challenges that people with visual impairments face in accessing online information and services, the support and limitations of accessibility technologies in addressing some of these challenges. In addition, this study identifies gaps and areas that deserve more scrutiny in future research including digital exclusion issues among the visually impaired, explanation on the unwillingness of web designers to develop accessible websites, improvements to accessibility technologies to support increasingly visually complex websites, among others. Since the visually impaired are a diverse group with different degrees of impairments, needs and preferences, we encourage researchers to involve them in future studies. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol11/iss2/3

A Systematic Review of Urban Navigation Systems for Visually Impaired People

Blind and Visually impaired people (BVIP) face a range of practical difficulties when undertaking outdoor journeys as pedestrians. Over the past decade, a variety of assistive devices have been researched and developed to help BVIP navigate more safely and independently. In~addition, research in overlapping domains are addressing the problem of automatic environment interpretation using computer vision and machine learning, particularly deep learning, approaches. Our aim in this article is to present a comprehensive review of research directly in, or relevant to, assistive outdoor navigation for BVIP. We breakdown the navigation area into a series of navigation phases and tasks. We then use this structure for our systematic review of research, analysing articles, methods, datasets and current limitations by task. We also provide an overview of commercial and non-commercial navigation applications targeted at BVIP. Our review contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a comprehensive, structured analysis of work in the domain, including the state of the art, and guidance on future directions. It will support both researchers and other stakeholders in the domain to establish an informed view of research progress

Internet of Things (IoT) in E-commerce: For people with disabilities

© 2017 IEEE. Internet of Things (IoT) is an interconnection between the physical object and digital world. As a result, many e-commerce companies seize the advantages of the IoT to grow their business. However, the world's largest minority are people with disabilities. IoT can lower barriers for the disabled people by offering assistance in accessing information. Increasing Internet accessibility can help to make that happen for both social and economic benefit. This paper presents the proposed integrated framework of the IoT and cloud computing for people with disabilities such as sensory (hearing and vision), motor (limited use of hands) and cognitive (language and learning disabilities) impairments in the context of business-to-consumer e-commerce context. We conclude that IoT-enabled services offer great potential for success of disabled people in the context of online shopping

Exploring the Provision of Information Services for Visually Impaired Students: Lessons Learned from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This study employed a descriptive research method to investigate the provision of information services for visually impaired students (VIS) at the University of Dar es Salaam. The research conducted a comprehensive examination by employing a census sampling technique, targeting a population of 25 VIS. Qualitative methodologies were utilized to collect data, with thematic analysis serving as the means to categorize and describe the gathered information. The study\u27s findings revealed that VIS have specific information needs, notably necessitating orientation programs for university management and the acquisition of effective computer application skills to manage their studies proficiently. Additionally, the study identified commonly used equipment among VIS, including Perkins braille devices, braille embossers, typewriters, long white canes, and audio recorders. Furthermore, the research exposed limitations in inclusive education, which fails to adequately accommodate the information-seeking requirements of VIS. Limited access to modern facilities and challenges related to mobility stemming from less supportive infrastructure were identified as significant barriers affecting the information-seeking process. Generally, the study emphasized that VIS primarily center their information needs around academic requirements. This highlights the imperative of modern facilities and supportive infrastructure to ensure effective information provision for VIS. These insights emphasize the critical importance of addressing the specific information requirements and challenges faced by visually impaired students within the higher education context

Perceptions of Older Veterans with Visual Impairments Regarding Computer Access Training and Quality of Life

The widespread integration of the computer into the mainstream of daily life presents a challenge to various sectors of society, and the incorporation of this technology into the realm of the older individual with visual impairments is a relatively uncharted field of study. This study was undertaken to acquire the perceptions of the impact of the training and issuance of the access of technology upon participants’ quality of life. The study adopted a qualitative research approach employing phenomenological, descriptive, and cross-case components in order to understand the experience of older (over 40) veterans who were legally blind, had completed Computer Access Technology (CATS) training, and had been issued assistive technology. The 9 respondents were selected from veterans who had been through the CATS program and were known to the researcher in an attempt to maximize the range of ages, military experience, and origin of vision loss. This study employed semi-structured interviews that were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Through content analysis, the participants’ responses, originally in 20 categories, were consolidated into 3 categories, which correlated to the questions of this study. During this process, an emergent category, “Background and History of the Participants,” evolved, resulting in a total of 4 categories. The categories reflected the background and history of participants, the impact of blind rehabilitation, current computer usage in daily tasks, and participants’ comments and recommendations. The results demonstrated that the CATS training had a profound impact on the participants upon their return to their homes. The impact included the restored ability to communicate with family and friends, the development of new interests and abilities, the re-establishment of self-worth, a sense of independence, and the feeling of being normal and not a “freak.” 7 of the 9 participants had already returned for additional CATS training during the research process. Of the remaining 2, 1 received on-the-job training, and the final participant would consider returning if his vision deteriorated. Various participants had returned or remained in the workforce, and others performed volunteer work. 6 envision further study through correspondence courses, more CATS training or on their own