Multimodal virtual reality versus printed medium in visualization for blind people

In this paper, we describe a study comparing the strengths of a multimodal Virtual Reality (VR) interface against traditional tactile diagrams in conveying information to visually impaired and blind people. The multimodal VR interface consists of a force feedback device (SensAble PHANTOM), synthesized speech and non-speech audio. Potential advantages of the VR technology are well known however its real usability in comparison with the conventional paper-based medium is seldom investigated. We have addressed this issue in our evaluation. The experimental results show benefits from using the multimodal approach in terms of more accurate information about the graphs obtained by users

Exploring computer-generated line graphs through virtual touch

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a haptic interface designed to provide access to line graphs for blind or visually impaired people. Computer-generated line graphs can be felt by users through the sense of touch produced by a PHANToM force feedback device. Experiments have been conducted to test the effectiveness of this interface with both sighted and blind people. The results show that sighted and blind people have achieved about 89.95% and 86.83% correct answers respectively in the experiment

Interactivity Improves Usability of Geographic Maps for Visually Impaired People

International audienceTactile relief maps are used by visually impaired people to acquire mental representation of space, but they retain important limitations (limited amount of information, braille text, etc.). Interactive maps may overcome these limitations. However, usability of these two types of maps had never been compared. It is then unknown whether interactive maps are equivalent or even better solutions than traditional raised-line maps. This study presents a comparison of usability of a classical raised-line map vs. an interactive map composed by a multi-touch screen, a raised-line overlay and audio output. Both maps were tested by 24 blind participants. We measured usability as efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction. Our results show that replacing braille with simple audio-tactile interaction significantly improved efficiency and user satisfaction. Effectiveness was not related to the map type but depended on users' characteristics as well as the category of assessed spatial knowledge. Long-term evaluation of acquired spatial information revealed that maps, whether interactive or not, are useful to build robust survey-type mental representations in blind users. Altogether, these results are encouraging as they show that interactive maps are a good solution for improving map exploration and cognitive mapping in visually impaired people

A Support System for Graphics for Visually Impaired People

As the Internet plays an important role in today’s society, graphics is widely used to present, convey and communicate information in many different areas. Complex information is often easier to understand and analyze by graphics. Even though graphics plays an important role, accessibility support is very limited for web graphics. Web graphics accessibility is not only for people with disabilities, but also for people who want to get and use information in ways different from the ones originally intended. One of the problems regarding graphics for blind people is that we have few data on how a blind person draws or how he/she receives graphical information. Based on Katz’s pupils’ research, one concludes that blind people can draw in outline and that they have a good sense of three-dimensional shape and space. In this thesis, I propose and develop a system, which can serve as a tool to be used by researchers investigating these and related issues. Our support system is built to collect the drawings from visually impaired people by finger movement on Braille devices or touch devices, such as tablets. When the drawing data is collected, the system will automatically generate the graphical XML data, which are easily accessed by applications and web services. The graphical XML data are stored locally or remotely. Compared to other support systems, our system is the first automatic system to provide web services to collect and access such data. The system also has the capability to integrate into cloud computing so that people can use the system anywhere to collect and access the data

An empirical evaluation of a graphics creation technique for blind and visually impaired individuals

The representation of pictorial data by people who are blind and sight impaired has gathered momentum with research and development; however, little research has focused on the use of a screen layout to provide people who are blind and sight impaired users with the spatial orientation to create and reuse graphics. This article contributes an approach to navigating on the screen, manipulating computer graphics, and user-defined images. The technique described in this article enables features such as zooming, grouping, and drawing by calling primitive and user-defined shapes. It enables blind people to engage in and experience drawing and art production on their own. The navigation technique gives an initiative sense of autonomy with compass directions, makes it easy to learn, efficient to manipulate shape with a the simple drawing language, and takes less time to complete with system support features. An empirical evaluation was conducted to validate the suitability of the SETUP09 technique and to evaluate the accuracy, and efficiency of the navigation and drawing techniques proposed. The drawing experiment results confirmed high accuracy (88%) and efficiency among blind and visually impaired (BVI) users

Blind drawing: investigation into screen location tracking for computer aided interactive drawing

One of the main problems faced by blind learners is lack of drawing technologies that support images and diagram drawing without the help of a sighted support worker. Even though some technologies have been experimented in the past, blind learners have not been keen on tactile drawing due to: the difficulty of the drawing task, the length of time taken to complete a simple task and the inefficiency of the drawing experience. This paper presents a blind drawing technology that introduces a drawing technique with screen navigation, sectioning and sizing. This will provide blind learner with an interactive drawing environment, which will improve the understanding of a concept or, a subject matter. It will contribute to the improvement of the overall quality of learning and drawing experience by mapping their mind images into objects and spatial information. This technique promotes an interactive and easy drawing environment to build objects, associations, layout information by zooming, navigation, and grouping. It will lead to future possibilities such as 3D world modelling, printing and multisensory integration of inputs and output methods

An empirical evaluation of a graphics creation technique for blind and visually impaired individuals

The representation of pictorial data by people who are blind and sight impaired has gathered momentum with research and development; however, little research has focused on the use of a screen layout to provide people who are blind and sight impaired users with the spatial orientation to create and reuse graphics. This paper contributes an approach to navigating on the screen, manipulating computer graphics, and user-defined images. The technique described in this paper enables features such as zooming, grouping, and drawing by calling primitive and user-defined shapes. It enables blind people to engage and experience drawing and art production on their own. The navigation technique gives an initiative sense of autonomy with compass directions, makes it easy to learn, efficient to manipulate shape with a the simple drawing language and takes less time to complete with system support features. An empirical evaluation was conducted to validate the suitability of SETUP09 technique and to evaluate the accuracy, efficiency of the navigation and drawing techniques proposed. The drawing experiment results confirmed high accuracy (88%) and efficiency among BVI users

Instructional eLearning technologies for the vision impaired

The principal sensory modality employed in learning is vision, and that not only increases the difficulty for vision impaired students from accessing existing educational media but also the new and mostly visiocentric learning materials being offered through on-line delivery mechanisms. Using as a reference Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA) and IT Essentials courses, a study has been made of tools that can access such on-line systems and transcribe the materials into a form suitable for vision impaired learning. Modalities employed included haptic, tactile, audio and descriptive text. How such a multi-modal approach can achieve equivalent success for the vision impaired is demonstrated. However, the study also shows the limits of the current understanding of human perception, especially with respect to comprehending two and three dimensional objects and spaces when there is no recourse to vision

Translating Scientific Content into Accessible Formats with Visually Impaired Learners: Recommendations and a Decision Aid Based on Haptic Rules of Perception

Students with visual impairments (VI) miss out on science because of inaccessible visual graphics (such as pictures and diagrams) of the phenomena that are the focus of curricula. My project examines how efforts to translate these into non-visual representations, such as raised line graphics, tend to be less effective than expected because they are perceived using “rules” of haptic perception by VI learners but developed using “rules”' of visual perception by sighted designers. In response, I introduce my recommendations, in the form of a decision aid, informed by a series of interlinked concatenated studies consisting of user testing, workshops, and co-design sessions composed of multi-disciplinary teams that included VI educators, learners, inclusive designers, musicians, and domain experts from engineering and the cognitive neuroscience