160 research outputs found
TEACHERSâ CONTRIBUTION IN DEAFBLIND STUDENTSâ BRAILLE LITERACY
Deafblindness constitutes a dual sensory impairment that is caused by acquired or congenital factors. Assistive technology has converted learning into an approachable good for them. Based on the literature review, braille turned out the most effective assistive device that promotes deafblind (DB) childrenâs literacy. However, education without human contribution cannot operate properly. For that reason, teachers play a vital role in childrenâs learning development and can act as the mediators of the provided knowledge. The educational personnel has to bear in mind that every DB child has unique necessities. Consequently, it is imperative need to teach them the suitable combination of methods and techniques consolidated with their knowledge and experience. This research study will employ the methodology of qualitative research as well as the method of semi-structured interviews with teachers of DB students, in order to discover efficient strategies of teaching braille that could build childrenâs literacy in the school environment.
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Disabled children and young peopleâs uses and experiences of digital technologies for learning
This report presents findings from a participatory, in-depth qualitative study to explore disabled children and young peopleâs formal and informal learning practices. Interviews and observations in classrooms took place with seven disabled young people and nine teachers to gain their perspectives about disabled young peopleâs uses of digital technologies at school. Visually impaired children and young people were chosen as an illustrative case for the project and to overcome claims that treating disabled children as a homogenous group was unhelpful for understanding the differences between disabled children. The findings showed that children and young people use and are positive about digital technologies to support formal and informal learning. Digital literacy skills were well developed and enabled the young people to use digital technologies effectively and safely. Mobile devices such as tablets were found to be particularly useful both for learning generally and for accessibility in order to access the curriculum. Nevertheless, digital technologies could sometimes make young people feel self-conscious and stigmatised. Some subject teachers were more on-board than others in supporting disabled young people and this meant that there was sometimes a lack of inclusive pedagogical design which resulted in an extra workload for disabled children. Follow-up interviews carried out two-three years after initial data collection showed that changes were minimal despite the introduction of policy change such as the introduction of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
Disabled children and young peopleâs uses and experiences of digital technologies for learning
This report presents findings from a participatory, in-depth qualitative study to explore disabled children and young peopleâs formal and informal learning practices. Interviews and observations in classrooms took place with seven disabled young people and nine teachers to gain their perspectives about disabled young peopleâs uses of digital technologies at school. Visually impaired children and young people were chosen as an illustrative case for the project and to overcome claims that treating disabled children as a homogenous group was unhelpful for understanding the differences between disabled children. The findings showed that children and young people use and are positive about digital technologies to support formal and informal learning. Digital literacy skills were well developed and enabled the young people to use digital technologies effectively and safely. Mobile devices such as tablets were found to be particularly useful both for learning generally and for accessibility in order to access the curriculum. Nevertheless, digital technologies could sometimes make young people feel self-conscious and stigmatised. Some subject teachers were more on-board than others in supporting disabled young people and this meant that there was sometimes a lack of inclusive pedagogical design which resulted in an extra workload for disabled children. Follow-up interviews carried out two-three years after initial data collection showed that changes were minimal despite the introduction of policy change such as the introduction of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
BRAILLESHAPES : efficient text input on smartwatches for blind people
Tese de Mestrado, Engenharia InformĂĄtica, 2023, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de CiĂȘnciasMobile touchscreen devices like smartphones or smartwatches are a predominant part
of our lives. They have evolved, and so have their applications. Due to the constant
growth and advancements in technology, using such devices as a means to accomplish a
vast amount of tasks has become common practice.
Nonetheless, relying on touch-based interactions, requiring good spatial ability and
memorization inherent to mobile devices, and lacking sufficient tactile cues, makes these
devices visually demanding, thus providing a strenuous interaction modality for visually impaired people. In scenarios occurring in movement-based contexts or where onehanded use is required, it is even more apparent.
We believe devices like smartwatches can provide numerous advantages when addressing such topics. However, they lack accessible solutions for several tasks, with most
of the existing ones for mobile touchscreen devices targeting smartphones. With communication being of the utmost importance and intrinsic to humankind, one task, in particular, for which it is imperative to provide solutions addressing its surrounding accessibility
concerns is text entry.
Since Braille is a reading standard for blind people and provided positive results in
prior work regarding accessible text entry approaches, we believe using it as the basis for
an accessible text entry solution can help solidify a standardization for this type of interaction modality. It can also allow users to leverage previous knowledge, reducing possible
extra cognitive load. Yet, even though Braille-based chording solutions achieved good
results, due to the reduced space of the smartwatchâs touchscreen, a tapping approach is
not the most feasible. Hence, we found the best option to be a gesture-based solution.
Therefore, with this thesis, we explored and validated the concept and feasibility of
Braille-based shapes as the foundation for an accessible gesture-based smartwatch text
entry method for visually impaired people
Mobile Phones as Assistive Technologies: Gaps and Opportunities
In the last decade, mobile phones have become invaluable allays in the everyday lives of
people with disabilities. Even in low and middle income countries mobile phones are highly
popular and the penetration rate of mobile technology is almost three times higher than for
desktop computers and broadband lines. Despite their diffusion and their importance, large
datasets on how people with disabilities in lower resourced settings use mobile phones, the
services they access and the barriers they encounter when interacting with mobile
technology, are scarce. This article presents data from a survey with 1000 participants that
explored how people with disabilities use mobile phones and the impact that mobile
technology has on their daily lives. Findings highlight the presence of a mobile gap with
many people with disability struggling to acquire and operate mobile phones independently.
Most respondents had only access to basic or feature phones that lacked appropriate
accessibility features and offered limited functionality. However, participants still described
mobile phones as invaluable tools that could increase access to basic services and offer
support in many important activities in their daily lives
Case Study in Modeling Accessibility for Online Instruction.
Ph.D. Thesis. University of HawaiÊ»i at MÄnoa 2017
THE CROSS-SENSORY GLOBE: Co-Designing a 3D Audio-Tactile Globe Prototype for Blind and Low- Vision Users to Learn Geography
This MRP presents a co-operatively and iteratively designed 3D audio-tactile globe that enables blind and low-vision users to perceive geo-spatial information. Blind and low-vision users rely on learning aids such as 2D-tactile graphics, braille maps and 3D models to learn about geography. I employed co-design as an approach to prototype and evaluate four different iterations of a cross-sensory globe that uses 3D detachable continents to provide geo-spatial haptic information in combination with audio labels. Informed by my co-design and evaluation, I discuss cross-sensory educational aids as an alternative to visually-oriented globes. My findings reveal affordances of 3D-tactile models for conveying concrete features of the Earth (such as varying elevations of landforms) and audio labels for conveying abstract categories about the Earth (such as continent names). I highlight the advantages of longitudinal participatory design that includes the lived experiences and DIY innovations of blind and low-vision users and makers
Understanding the Themes of Disability Discourse Through Reddit Comments
With the advent of internet forums, sharing opinions in a public sphere has never been easier, especially for those facing marginalization in their communities. Forums offer a neutral, semi-anonymous space wherein people may feel more compelled to share intimate details about the characteristics of their lives. This paper focuses on internet forums related to disabilities, specifically those found on Reddit, and uses Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to extract topics from the corpus of 3 subreddits: r/Blind, r/ADHD, and r/Disability. The features are then put into key term groups that are defined by a key phrase. This created category taxonomy is then used to qualitatively analyze the topics of discussion themselves through the posts and how these topics change over time
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