UNav: An Infrastructure-Independent Vision-Based Navigation System for People with Blindness and Low vision

Vision-based localization approaches now underpin newly emerging navigation pipelines for myriad use cases from robotics to assistive technologies. Compared to sensor-based solutions, vision-based localization does not require pre-installed sensor infrastructure, which is costly, time-consuming, and/or often infeasible at scale. Herein, we propose a novel vision-based localization pipeline for a specific use case: navigation support for end-users with blindness and low vision. Given a query image taken by an end-user on a mobile application, the pipeline leverages a visual place recognition (VPR) algorithm to find similar images in a reference image database of the target space. The geolocations of these similar images are utilized in downstream tasks that employ a weighted-average method to estimate the end-user's location and a perspective-n-point (PnP) algorithm to estimate the end-user's direction. Additionally, this system implements Dijkstra's algorithm to calculate a shortest path based on a navigable map that includes trip origin and destination. The topometric map used for localization and navigation is built using a customized graphical user interface that projects a 3D reconstructed sparse map, built from a sequence of images, to the corresponding a priori 2D floor plan. Sequential images used for map construction can be collected in a pre-mapping step or scavenged through public databases/citizen science. The end-to-end system can be installed on any internet-accessible device with a camera that hosts a custom mobile application. For evaluation purposes, mapping and localization were tested in a complex hospital environment. The evaluation results demonstrate that our system can achieve localization with an average error of less than 1 meter without knowledge of the camera's intrinsic parameters, such as focal length

Effective implementation of the UNCRPD by Thailand State Party: challenges and potential remedies

Abstract Background The Thai government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2008, and the first progress report by the State Party was issued in 2012. This study assesses and identifies gaps in the Government’s implementation of the Convention. Methods Using the Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle as an analytical framework for continuous quality improvement, we reviewed five documents which are: the 2012 State Party report; the list of issues by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the 2015 replies to the list of issues by the Thai government; an alternative report produced by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs); and an alternative report produced by the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. Content analysis is applied to generate the emerging gaps in implementation. Results Thailand’s main advantage is the evolving legal frameworks operating in compliance with the convention, although further amendment is still needed, including effective law enforcement. Conflicting information between the Government’s and alternative reports reflects the shortcomings in the information system that intends to support rigorous monitoring and evaluation. Lacking of concrete measures and outcome indicators on certain articles reflects the State Party’s limited understanding of the concept of human rights and participatory approaches and insufficient institutional capacities for effective implementation. Conclusions To rectify these implementation gaps, a few actions are suggested. This includes amending the laws which violate the rights of persons with psychosocial disability; reforming governance where the monitoring bodies are truly independent from implementing agencies; strengthening cross-sectoral actions; and improving information systems which facilitate monitoring and evaluation where Disabled People’s Organizations and Civil Society Organizations are recognized as true equal partners. Implementation research can provide evidence for further effective implementation

Economic valuation of informal care in Asia: A case study of care for disabled stroke survivors in Thailand

This study values informal care for disabled stroke survivors in Thailand. It applies the conventional recommended opportunity cost method to value informal care in monetary terms. Data were collected by means of face-to-face interviews conducted during 2006. The sample consisted of 101 disabled persons who had suffered a stroke at least six months prior to the interview, and who had a functional status score of less than 95 as measured by the Barthel Index. Average monthly time spent on informal care was 94.6 hours, and the major source of opportunity cost was forgone unpaid work (43.5%). The average monthly monetary value of informal care was 4642.6 baht, based on 2006 prices. This study shows that providing informal care involves a substantial opportunity cost, implying a hidden value to Thai society.Informal care Economic value Cost of illness Stroke Disabled persons Caregivers Thailand

Private obstetric practice in a public hospital: mythical trust in obstetric care.

There is evidence to suggest the decline of trusting relationships in modern healthcare systems. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of trust in medical transactions in Thailand, using obstetric care as a tracer service. The paper proposes an explanatory framework of trust for further investigation in other healthcare settings. The study site was a 1300-bed tertiary public hospital in Bangkok which it provides two forms of obstetric care: regular obstetric practice (RP) and private obstetric practice (PP). Forty pregnant women were selected and interviewed using a set of guiding questions. A thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken to generate understanding and develop an explanatory framework. It was found that patients' trust in obstetric services was influenced by their perceptions of risk and uncertainty in pregnancy and childbirth, and that these perceptions were linked to their social class. Social class also influenced the accessibility and affordability of care to patients. Middle class pregnant women with relatively high-level concerns about risk and uncertainty preferred using PP service as a means to achieve interpersonal trust. These women thought that an informal payment would provide the basis for interpersonal trust between themselves and the chosen obstetricians. In practice, however, obstetricians involved in PP rarely acknowledged this reciprocal relationship and hardly expressed the additional courtesy expected by patients. As a result, PP service only created an expensive impersonal trust that was mistaken as interpersonal trust by patients. Negative outcomes from PP often caused disappointment that could eventually lead to medical litigation. The study suggests that there are some negative impacts of PP within the health system. Negative experiences among PP users may undermine trust not only in the specific doctor but also trust in health professionals and hospitals more generally. Steps need to be undertaken to protect and strengthen existing impersonal trust, which combine institutional trust based on good governance and service quality with trust in the professional standard of practice. The explanatory framework developed through this study provides a foundation for further studies of trust in different specialties and care settings

Private obstetric practice in a public hospital: mythical trust in obstetric care

There is evidence to suggest the decline of trusting relationships in modern healthcare systems. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of trust in medical transactions in Thailand, using obstetric care as a tracer service. The paper proposes an explanatory framework of trust for further investigation in other healthcare settings. The study site was a 1300-bed tertiary public hospital in Bangkok which it provides two forms of obstetric care: regular obstetric practice (RP) and private obstetric practice (PP). Forty pregnant women were selected and interviewed using a set of guiding questions. A thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken to generate understanding and develop an explanatory framework. It was found that patients' trust in obstetric services was influenced by their perceptions of risk and uncertainty in pregnancy and childbirth, and that these perceptions were linked to their social class. Social class also influenced the accessibility and affordability of care to patients. Middle class pregnant women with relatively high-level concerns about risk and uncertainty preferred using PP service as a means to achieve interpersonal trust. These women thought that an informal payment would provide the basis for interpersonal trust between themselves and the chosen obstetricians. In practice, however, obstetricians involved in PP rarely acknowledged this reciprocal relationship and hardly expressed the additional courtesy expected by patients. As a result, PP service only created an expensive impersonal trust that was mistaken as interpersonal trust by patients. Negative outcomes from PP often caused disappointment that could eventually lead to medical litigation. The study suggests that there are some negative impacts of PP within the health system. Negative experiences among PP users may undermine trust not only in the specific doctor but also trust in health professionals and hospitals more generally. Steps need to be undertaken to protect and strengthen existing impersonal trust, which combine institutional trust based on good governance and service quality with trust in the professional standard of practice. The explanatory framework developed through this study provides a foundation for further studies of trust in different specialties and care settings.Trust Relationships Obstetric care Private practice Public hospital Thailand