Exploring the impact of Visual Impairment Awareness Training: Phenomenographic Research with PGCE Secondary Art & Design Trainees

Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) secondary art and design trainees participated in visual impairment awareness training (VIAT), prior to facilitating an art education project for visually impaired (VI) pupils. This was designed to better prepare them for working with a range of learners. A phenomenographic methodology and research approach was adopted – to capture key data relevant to learning, gaining knowledge and understanding in education settings. This contributed to knowledge in the field, highlighting the shift in trainees perspectives towards working with VI pupils, as a consequence of participation in VIAT. Existing literature recognises that VIAT provides an understanding of VI but cannot replicate everyday experiences. The findings as part of this study indicate that initially an empathy response was evoked, as trainees were apprehensive about working with VI pupils. Following VIAT, trainees gained a superficial overview of VI. Having gained experience, an advocacy response was evoked as trainees felt more comfortable asking pupils how their needs could be met

Virtual reality application for navigation training in new environments

Trabajo de Fin de Máster en Ingeniería Informática, Facultad de Informática UCM, Departamento de Arquitectura de Computadores y Automática, Curso 2021/2022.El desarrollo de este proyecto, Aplicación en realidad virtual para el entrenamiento a la navegación en nuevos entornos, está orientado a personas que sufren alguna discapacidad visual, desde ceguera completa a personas que tienen algún tipo de pérdida de visión degenerativa debida a múltiples enfermedades. El objetivo principal es aportar a las personas con discapacidad visual entornos virtuales y seguros para que puedan entrenar la movilidad. Para conseguir esto, se ha creado un modelo 3D de la Facultad de Informática de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid lo que permite a la persona, a través de la realidad virtual, conocer el emplazamiento, poder entrenar y practicar antes de acudir por primera vez al edificio y así conozcan los distintos espacios de este. Se podrán introducir futuras modificaciones que se vayan produciendo en el edificio e incrementar el número de edificios públicos. Para la conseguir la accesibilidad, el sistema ofrece una gran cantidad de retroalimentación que recibe el usuario para poder ubicarse y desenvolverse por el entorno creado. Para conseguir un funcionamiento más personal, la aplicación dispone de un sistema experto que modifica la cantidad de retroalimentación que recibe el usuario, dependiendo de las interacciones de este con el entorno virtual.The development of this project, environments Virtual reality application for navigation training in new, is aimed at people with visual impairment, from complete blindness to people who have degenerative vision loss due to multiple diseases. The main objective is to provide visually impaired people with virtual and safe environments so that they can train their mobility. To achieve this, a 3D model of the Faculty of Computer Science of the Complutense University of Madrid has been created, which allows the person, through virtual reality, to get to know the location, to train and practice before going to the building for the first time and thus get to know the different areas of the building. Future modifications to the building can be introduced and the number of public buildings can be increased. To achieve accessibility, the system provides a large amount of feedback that the user receives in order to locate and navigate through the created environment. To achieve a more personal operation, the application has an expert system that modifies the amount of feedback received by the user, depending on the user's interactions with the virtual environment.Depto. de Arquitectura de Computadores y AutomáticaFac. de InformáticaTRUEunpu

Computational Personalization through Physical and Aesthetic Featured Digital Fabrication

Thesis (Master of Science in Informatics)--University of Tsukuba, no. 41269, 2019.3.2

Dynamic virtual reality user interface for teleoperation of heterogeneous robot teams

This research investigates the possibility to improve current teleoperation control for heterogeneous robot teams using modern Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) techniques such as Virtual Reality. It proposes a dynamic teleoperation Virtual Reality User Interface (VRUI) framework to improve the current approach to teleoperating heterogeneous robot teams

Computer-Based Solutions to Support Those With Colour Vision Deficiency to Access Day-to-Day Information

In modern-day society, we are bombarded with vast amounts of electronic information which we may be expected to make decisions from. Many people have difficulties in interpreting such information due to either physical or cognitive difficulties in using electronic devices, or an inability to identify information as intended by the author. Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) is one such problem that can cause considerable difficulty in the interpretation of diagrammatical information. This is because a Colour Vision Deficient (CVDt) person has difficulty in seeing: colour boundaries, different shades of colour and different hues. There has been some research to aid the CVDt, where the majority of the research in image processing changes or transforms colours in any given image. Such transformations use a number of different algorithms to create a CVDt friendly post-processed image from the pre-processed image. A major problem of current transformation algorithms is that they are aimed for specific contexts and cannot be used in generic contexts. For example, the transformation algorithm may be aimed at aiding the CVDt to view postprocessed images of weather maps only. The aim of this dissertation is to provide an improved post-processed image algorithm. The algorithm is intended to provide the CVDt with greater benefit by being able to interpret the information in the post-processed image correctly. The algorithm used in this dissertation is not a colour transformation algorithm instead it is a colour separation algorithm. This concept of colour separation is novel. The colour separation algorithm, which is called the Halo-Effect Algorithm (HEA), parses a given image row-by-row and pixel-by-pixel until the end of file-marker is reached and a CVDt friendly post-processed image is furnished. When there is a colour change between two identified pixels then a colour boundary has been identified within the pre-processed image and a differently coloured pixel is inserted between two, furnishing the post-processed image. As the pre-processed image is parsed row-by-row then the colour the boundary builds up to form a colour boundary interface where the different coloured pixel are inserted in the post-processed image. In this dissertation the separation pixel is always white. The build-up of inserted white pixels at the colour boundary interface of the pre-processed image produces a halo like effect in the post-processed image which is CVDt friendly. To demonstrate the efficacy of the colour separation concept, the HEA has been developed and implemented. A number of surveys have been conducted using participant responses to questions within each survey. The responses that each participant gave were then collated and analysed statistically. Two statistical techniques were used to test a number of hypotheses around the mean of a sample drawn from a normally distributed population. In this dissertation the normally distributed populations were the survey participants. From the analyses of the responses, the survey population was divided into two groups. One group was identified to have no problem with identification of pre-processed colour boundaries and were called the non-CVDt. A second group was identified to be those who had some problems with the identification of pre-processed colour boundaries and were called the indicative- CVDt. Responses from the two groups were collated and statistical analyses were then conducted to test the significance of any results obtained and also to test the validity of the algorithms under investigation. In this dissertation two currently available, but different, colour transformation algorithms were compared with the colour separation algorithm of the HEA. Each of the two transformation algorithms were originally intended for specific use. One was aimed for spectra maps and the other was aimed for background text. Statistical analyses showed that each of the transformation algorithms provided benefit to the indicative-CVDt for their specific context only. However, statistical analyses also showed that HEA fared well in each of the two specific contexts. Thus, hinting that colour separation of HEA could be used in more general contexts. To confirm that colour separation can provide greater benefit to the indicative-CVDt in more generic contexts than colour transformations further surveys were undertaken. In each survey participants were asked a number of questions about a given image where colour boundaries are expected to occur frequently. One was a map of the provinces of Australia and the other a number of differently coloured geometric shapes. Statistical analyses showed that the colour separation algorithm of HEA provided greater benefit to the indicative-CVDt than the two colour transformation algorithms in both cases. Hence, confirming that colour separation of HEA is beneficial to the indicative-CVDt in generic contexts. Colour separation of the HEA is still in its infancy and a great deal more research is required to determine how great its efficacy is. For example, clinical studies could be undertaken using two sets from one population. One set of participants who would have been diagnosed as non-CVDt, which would be identified as a control group, and a second set who would have been diagnosed as CVDt, which would be identified as a test set

Opening up Opportunities: PGCE Secondary Art and Design Trainees’ Experiences of Teaching Pupils Identified as Having Visual Impairment in Art Education

The aim of this thesis is to explore Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) secondary art and design trainees’ experiences of facilitating an art education project for pupils at a specialist school for visual impairment (VI) and other needs in the Northwest of England. This opportunity is designed to better prepare PGCE trainees for working with pupils identified as having VI. The thesis draws upon fieldwork conducted across two separate academic years at one Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Northwest of England. Data was generated through focus groups with PGCE trainees, at the end of the art education project and again upon completion of the PGCE course in each academic year. I contribute to existing knowledge in the field by highlighting the ways PGCE trainees’ perspectives towards working with VI and SEN, has shifted over the one-year period of the PGCE course. My findings indicate, initially PGCE trainees were apprehensive about working with pupils identified as having VI. However, participation in VI training enabled PGCE trainees to gain an understanding of pupils’ perspectives, they also recognised this could not fully replicate pupils’ lived experiences. PGCE trainees’ subsequent teaching practice placements and feedback they provided, became important indicators of the ways in which they were able to transfer the skills learnt regarding teaching pupils identified as having VI into practice, when working with pupils identified as having a range of SEN. In sum, through following their journey, PGCE trainees, were able to develop as teachers