Sighted individuals often develop significant knowledge about their environment through what they can visually observe. In contrast, individuals who are visually impaired mostly acquire such knowledge about their environment through information that is explicitly related to them. Our work examines the practices that visually impaired individuals use to learn about their environments and the associated challenges. In the first of our two studies, we uncover four types of information needed to master and navigate the environment. We detail how individuals’ context impacts their ability to learn this information, and outline requirements for independent spatial learning. In a second study, we explore how individuals learn about places and activities in their environment. Our findings show that users not only learn information to satisfy their immediate needs, but also to enable future opportunities – something existing technologies do not fully support. From these findings, we discuss future research and design opportunities to assist the visually impaired in independent spatial learning.
Uncovering information needs for independent spatial learning for users who are visually impaired. Nikola Banovic, Rachel L. Franz, Khai N. Truong, Jennifer Mankoff, and Anind K. DeyIn Proceedings of the 15th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers and accessibility (ASSETS ’13). ACM, New York, NY, USA, Article 24, 8 pages. (pdf)
Megan Hofmann, Julie Burke, Jon Pearlman, Goeran Fiedler, Andrea Hess, Jon Schull, Scott E. Hudson, Jennifer Mankoff: Clinical and Maker Perspectives on the Design of Assistive Technology with Rapid Prototyping Technologies. ASSETS 2016: 251-256
Cynthia L. Bennett, Keting Cen, Katherine Muterspaugh Steele, Daniela K. Rosner: An Intimate Laboratory?: Prostheses as a Tool for Experimenting with Identity and Normalcy. CHI 2016: 1745-1756
Optional:
Jeremiah Parry-Hill, Patrick C. Shih, Jennifer Mankoff, Daniel Ashbrook: Understanding Volunteer AT Fabricators: Opportunities and Challenges in DIY-AT for Others in e-NABLE. CHI 2017: 6184-6194
Disability studies and assistive technology are two related fields
that have long shared common goals–understanding the
experience of disability and identifying and addressing relevant
issues. Despite these common goals, there are some important
differences in what professionals in these fields consider
problems, perhaps related to the lack of connection between the
fields. To help bridge this gap, we review some of the key
literature in disability studies. We present case studies of two
research projects in assistive technology and discuss how the
field of disability studies influenced that work, led us to identify
new or different problems relevant to the field of assistive
technology, and helped us to think in new ways about the
research process and its impact on the experiences of individuals
who live with disability. We also discuss how the field of
disability studies has influenced our teaching and highlight
some of the key publications and publication venues from which
our community may want to draw more deeply in the future.
Sighted individuals often develop significant knowledge about their environment through what they can visually observe. In contrast, individuals who are visually impaired mostly acquire such knowledge about their environment through information that is explicitly related to them. Our work examines the practices that visually impaired individuals use to learn about their environments and the associated challenges. In the first of our two studies, we uncover four types of information needed to master and navigate the environment. We detail how individuals’ context impacts their ability to learn this information, and outline requirements for independent spatial learning. In a second study, we explore how individuals learn about places and activities in their environment. Our findings show that users not only learn information to satisfy their immediate needs, but also to enable future opportunities – something existing technologies do not fully support. From these findings, we discuss future research and design opportunities to assist the visually impaired in independent spatial learning.
