Content uploaded by Maria Claudia Buzzi
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Maria Claudia Buzzi
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Making Visual Maps Accessible to the Blind
Abstract and Figures
Visual maps deliver content in a simple and effective way. They can be useful for various purposes in areas such as street
guidance, surrounding information, and education. However, sightless persons are unable to explore visual maps and risk being
cut off from several multimedia Web applications. In this paper, starting from accessibility issues of map-based applications,
we discuss possible interaction modalities and devices to use for truly achieving usage perspectives desired by blind people.
New ways to interact with a mobile device (such as gestures or touch commands) and possible solutions for making a map truly
effective are investigated. In order to better explain the issues and needs of blind users accessing visual maps, an example
of an interaction is presented.
Figures - uploaded by Maria Claudia Buzzi
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Maria Claudia Buzzi
Content may be subject to copyright.
... Designs and features of the map appear to be the most critical aspects that should be considered so as to ease comprehension and to embed user-friendly element, especially for usage among those visually impaired. Some of the basic map abilities which are required for users required are to explore a map, to identify the map borders, and to determine the position within or outside of the map, to identify the path between source and destination, as well as the ability to explore any additional related issues [10]. Therefore, in order to make a visual map accessible for the visually impaired, some of the following aspects have to be included. ...
... First, the user should be able to read the textual content through the help of assistive technology, such as screen reader or voice synthesizer. Second, the map should include audio icons and aural symbols in order to provide additional information when the user explores the map [10]. The design of the audio icons must be in the form of a raised dot in a particular size that is suitable within the map [9]. ...
... The next essential aspect refers to touch and vibration feedback. The map must be able to have special tactile material for each item and the ability to give different intensity of vibration to inform the user on a specific area [10]. The visually impaired would face some restrictions in accessing certain information, especially when the map is web-based. ...
Assistive technology is initiated to aid those visually impaired to fulfil their tasks independently, rapidly, and easily. As such, tactile map is an assistive technology that has been widely used for navigation to enable those visually impaired to visualize the geographical information about a particular place. Nevertheless, its usability and availability in Malaysia are scant. This paper aims to investigate the usability issues of tactile map, identify the requirements and proposed a conceptual prototype named TacTalk. Qualitative research method in the form of face to face interviews were carried out with the visually impaired residing at Saint Nicholas’ Home for the Blind in Penang. Results from the findings identified four emerging usability issues: poor design of tactile map due to limited space, misinterpretation of information, complexity of symbols used and difficulty in memorizing directions. The proposed solution, ‘TacTalk’, refers to a ‘talking tactile map’ incorporated with audio support. TacTalk is comprised of two components, which are: a tactile map with built-in buttons, and a mobile application that plays the audio files. There is a connection between the buttons on the map and the TacTalk mobile application via Bluetooth. An audio instruction is played when the button is pressed by the user. The results of this work hope to overcome the fear of the visually impaired to travel alone. Hopefully, it can inspire and empower them to explore the use of assistive technology in future.
... In contrast, auditory maps mostly use speech conversion and electronic maps, and other related technologies for blind navigation. Guided electronic maps intended for the visually impaired are commonly accessed through assistive technologies and screen readers on mobile devices [213]. ...
... Subsequently, in 2010, a virtual tactile map was introduced, which relied on the use of a Force Display device for rendering [215]. In a subsequent study, Buzzi et al. [213] approached the topic of map-based applications from the standpoint of BVIP and discussed the relevance of interactive devices in addressing accessibility issues for visually impaired individuals. Their aim was to develop visual maps that could be "seen" by individuals with visual impairments, thus providing a valuable reference point for future development in this area. ...
Purpose:
In this article, we comprehensively review the current situation and research on technology related to outdoor travel for blind and visually impaired people (BVIP), given the diverse types and incomplete functionality of navigation aids for the blind. This aims to provide a reference for related research in the fields of outdoor travel for BVIP and blind navigation.
Materials and methods:
We compiled articles related to blind navigation, of which a total of 227 of them are included in the search criteria. One hundred and seventy-nine articles are selected from the initial set, from a technical point of view, to elaborate on five aspects of blind navigation: system equipment, data sources, guidance algorithms, optimization of related methods, and navigation maps.
Results:
The wearable form of assistive devices for the blind has the most research, followed by the handheld type of aids. The RGB data class based on vision sensor is the most common source of navigation environment information data. Object detection based on picture data is also particularly rich among navigation algorithms and associated methods, indicating that computer vision technology has become an important study content in the field of blind navigation. However, research on navigation maps is relatively less.
Conclusions:
In the study and development of assistive equipment for BVIP, there will be an emphasis on prioritizing attributes, such as lightness, portability, and efficiency. In light of the upcoming driverless era, the research focus will be on the development of visual sensors and computer vision technologies that can aid in navigation for the blind.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe visual deficiency can easily help blind and visually impaired people (BVIP) to develop psychological disorders.There are few, if any, devices to meet the outdoor travel needs of BVIP in all aspects.There is no comprehensive summary and overview in the field of outdoor navigation for the blind.The selection of appropriate assistive devices can help BVIP better understand the information of their surroundings and make safer and more effective outdoor trips.
... The literature suggests that special education or learning services should be put in place for the visually impaired (Lahav, 2014;Power & Jürgensen, 2010;Ramiati et al., 2020) and that provision is made to help them access visual information (Buonamici et al., 2015;Buzzi et al., 2011Buzzi et al., , 2015Ferati & Sulejmani, 2016;Fitzpatrick et al., 2020;Iwamura et al., 2020;Kimuro et al., 2020;Maidenbaum et al., 2013;Miao et al., 2011;Naves, 2011;Ramiati et al., 2020;Schloerb et al., 2010;Sulong & Sulaiman, 2018). ...
... Just as visually impaired software developers need navigation tools to assist them in their work, visually impaired people need tools, tactile charts, maps, recipes, geometry and left/right signifiers to assist them in their everyday life (Buzzi et al., 2011(Buzzi et al., , 2015Coughlan et al., 2020;Engel et al., 2020;Fitzpatrick et al., 2020;Hosokawa et al., 2020;Kimuro et al., 2020;Mealin & Murphy-Hill, 2012;Miao et al., 2011;Schloerb et al., 2010;Sulong & Sulaiman, 2018;Trinh & Manduchi, 2020;Wongkia et al., 2012). ...
While the rapid growth of online education during the Covid-19 pandemic has posed challenges for students and teachers alike, little is known about the experiences of visually impaired people in this respect. This study asks whether and how visually impaired students and teachers in Malaysia may be facing challenges in accessing and delivering online education-challenges that are unique to the visually impaired, to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to Malaysia. Following preliminary consultations with civil society, government, and education experts familiar with issues facing visually impaired people, semi-structured interviews were held virtually with several visually impaired students and a visually impaired teacher at a school for the blind in Malaysia. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts yielded critical insights into the needs of visually impaired learners with respect to online education and what technological solutions are available. Overall, our findings constitute a critique of how assistive technology is ostensibly being used to facilitate access and delivery of online education among the visually impaired. Deployment of assistive software and hardware without adequate training and attention to their use in an online education context was found to frustrate rather than promote learning. Furthermore, in a world that extols visual reality, technology is used largely to translate the visual to the non-and partially sighted, often at the expense and gradual de-emphasis of non-visual skills like Braille literacy. The implications are that visually impaired learners, already marginalised, risk being increasingly de-skilled, under-resourced, and devalued if attention is not given to their unique learning needs under the conditions engendered by the 'new normal.'
... The literature suggests that special education or learning services should be put in place for the visually impaired (Lahav, 2014;Power & Jürgensen, 2010;Ramiati et al., 2020) and that provision is made to help them access visual information (Buonamici et al., 2015;Buzzi et al., 2011Buzzi et al., , 2015Ferati & Sulejmani, 2016;Fitzpatrick et al., 2020;Iwamura et al., 2020;Kimuro et al., 2020;Maidenbaum et al., 2013;Miao et al., 2011;Naves, 2011;Ramiati et al., 2020;Schloerb et al., 2010;Sulong & Sulaiman, 2018). ...
... Just as visually impaired software developers need navigation tools to assist them in their work, visually impaired people need tools, tactile charts, maps, recipes, geometry and left/right signifiers to assist them in their everyday life (Buzzi et al., 2011(Buzzi et al., , 2015Coughlan et al., 2020;Engel et al., 2020;Fitzpatrick et al., 2020;Hosokawa et al., 2020;Kimuro et al., 2020;Mealin & Murphy-Hill, 2012;Miao et al., 2011;Schloerb et al., 2010;Sulong & Sulaiman, 2018;Trinh & Manduchi, 2020;Wongkia et al., 2012). ...
While the rapid growth of online education during the Covid-19 pandemic has posed challenges for students and teachers alike, little is known about the experiences of visually impaired people in this respect. This study asks whether and how visually impaired students and teachers in Malaysia may be facing challenges in accessing and delivering online education – challenges that are unique to the visually impaired, to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to Malaysia. Following preliminary consultations with civil society, government, and education experts familiar with issues facing visually impaired people, semi-structured interviews were held virtually with several visually impaired students and a visually impaired teacher at a school for the blind in Malaysia. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts yielded critical insights into the needs of visually impaired learners with respect to online education and what technological solutions are available. Overall, our findings constitute a critique of how assistive technology is ostensibly being used to facilitate access and delivery of online education among the visually impaired. Deployment of assistive software and hardware without adequate training and attention to their use in an online education context was found to frustrate rather than promote learning. Furthermore, in a world that extols visual reality, technology is used largely to translate the visual to the non- and partially sighted, often at the expense and gradual de-emphasis of non-visual skills like Braille literacy. The
implications are that visually impaired learners, already marginalised, risk being increasingly de-skilled, under-resourced, and devalued if attention is not given to their unique learning needs under the conditions engendered by the ‘new normal.’
... Some works exploiting gamification and pervasive games with the aim of engaging more users in mapping accessibility barriers and facilities [14], [15]. Considering the accessibility of the interface, different research works present solutions to adapt the navigation system interface and to render the maps in an accessible way through the smartphone screen or audio (e.g., screen reader voice) [16]- [18]. ...
... Moreover, since the system has been created mostly to support the community of people with disabilities and special needs, we modified the OpenTripPlanner GUI, making the web interface accessible and responsive (see Figure 1). We have exploited a set of adaptation techniques, in terms of maps rendering, color, font size, etc. which have been previously used in the fields of accessibility [17], [18] and perceptual cartography [16]. An example of map rendering, specific for color blindness users using CartoCSS (a Mapnik stylesheet pre-processor [36]) is shown in Figure 2. In the next Section, we present the augmented reality navigation system that exploits our customized platform to provide the accessible and personalized paths by using smart wearable devices. ...
... Buzzi et al. [89] discussed potential interaction modalities needed to produce accessible maps to blind users. Mainly, the modalities are gesture and vibration based. ...
Accessibility revolves around building products, including electronic devices and digital content, so that diverse users can conveniently utilize them, irrespective of their capabilities. In recent years, the concept of touchscreen accessibility has gained a remarkable attention, especially within the considerable reliance on mobile touchscreen devices (MTDs) for information acquisition and dissemination as we witness nowadays. For users who are visually impaired, MTDs unlock different opportunities for independence and functioning. Thus, with the increasing ubiquity of MTDs and their potential extensive utility for all demographics, it becomes paramount to ensure that these devices and the content delivered on them are accessible. And while it might seem straightforward to achieve accessibility on MTDs, attaining this outcome is governed by an interplay between different elements. These involve platform (i.e., operating system) built-in support of accessibility features, content rendering modalities and structures pertaining to user needs and the peculiarities of MTDs as informed in standard accessibility guidelines, user studies uncovering preferences and best practices while interacting with MTDs, national legislations and policies, and the use of third-party devices such as assistive technologies. In this paper, mobile touchscreen accessibility for users who are visually impaired is surveyed with focus on three aspects: (1) the existing built-in accessibility features within popular mobile platforms; (2) the nature of nonvisual interaction and how users who are visually impaired access, navigate, and create content on MTDs; and (3) the studies that tackled different issues pertaining to touchscreen accessibility, such as extraction of user needs and interaction preferences, identification of most critical accessibility problems encountered on MTDs, integrating mobile accessibility in standard accessibility guidelines, and investigation of existing guidelines in terms of sufficiency and appropriateness.
... Par ailleurs, il est nécessaire de respecter les points cardinaux (Nord, Sud, Est, Ouest) [6]. ...
As part of the law enforcement of 11 February 2005, all the Public-Access Buildings shall provide access to information to all visitors including the visually impaired ones. However there is no standardized design rules for referral plans. In this article, we will present a serie of recommendations drawing on good practices collected from experts of visual impairment and extracted either from the literature or from interviews of practitioners.
... Tactile maps help delivering direct spatial information through design features such as raised lines. Thus, they are often used to investigate the non-visual aspect related to navigation, or as a way-finding tool for visually impaired people [18,19]. However, interactive audio maps are often designed for touch screens employing haptic feedback, and literature lacks of examples of textile maps conveying sonic ambiences from geographic locations. ...
Sonic maps are an increasingly popular form of exploring soundscapes, and are a possible means of communicating the experience of a soundwalk. We describe how a printed key influenced exploration of an interactive textile sonic map. We explain the technology behind the map, employing capacitive sensing and real-time audio processing. The sonic map contained 18 binaural recordings extracted from a soundwalk. Thirty participants explored the map. The strengths and limitations of the interfaces were established, and participants' modes of exploration were identified. Results show how the use of the key map levelled the location preference. The participants' experience with the interface suggested possible uses of e-textiles for soundscape awareness promotion and studies, and in the field of interactive audio.
Die Teilnahme am Bildungsalltag beginnt damit, dass man sich am Campus orientieren kann. Unter einem inklusiven Campusplan wird im Rahmen dieses Beitrags ein interaktiver und barrierefreier Online-Campusplan verstanden,
der auf physische Barrieren hinweist und inklusive Angebote der Universität hervorhebt. Zu diesen Angeboten zählen beispielsweise Informationen zu barrierefreien Zugängen, Standorten von Beratungsstellen, Wickeltischen sowie (All-Gender-) Toiletten. Zudem muss der Plan in der Bedienung barrierefrei sein, sodass Nutzende von assistiven Technologien, wie z.B. einem Screenreader, einen gleichwertigen Zugang haben wie ihre Kommiliton*innen bzw. Kolleg*innen.
Ein Ziel ist es, eine nachhaltige Lösung zur Umsetzung eines inklusiven Campusplans zu finden. Eine Untersuchung des State of the Art von barrierefreien Campusplänen gibt einen Überblick über die möglichen inhaltlichen Merkmale sowie die technischen Umsetzungen. Anschließend werden Problemstellungen und Lösungsansätze diskutiert, sodass dieser Beitrag eine Grundlage für die Umsetzung eines inklusiven Campusplans bietet.
With the exponential growth in the scientific interest on assessing the blind users experience in the web environment, it is essential to develop studies that correlate usability features lined up to the accessibility features. At the same time, with technological resources advances and access to information through different devices, there is a gap in the UX investigation in mobile devices, specifically, in the blind users experience. Therefore, this work proposes a systematic literature revision, identifying the main blind users experience methods applied in the mobile devices interaction. Thus, 805 scientific articles were identified through the literature, which approached subjects like usability, blind users experience and mobile devices. Through result extraction, sixteen different applied methods were identified in the blind users experience on mobile devices interaction. It is pointed out the applicability of methods supported by expert reviewers, the observation techniques, trial studies, validation and conformity verification with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
We present the initial design and development of Virtual Navigator -a virtual haptic and audio training simulator for route navigation. Virtual Navigator allows blind and visually impaired cane users to practice navigation skills and route learning in the built environment. Currently route training is supplied on a one-to-one basis causing it to be limited and expensive. We hope that development of Virtual Navigator will allow such training to be augmented with self taught sessions and be made more widely available.
Many people with visual impairments do not read Braille and have problems interpre7ng tac7le informa7on [1]. Some of them have enough residual vision so that if streets and their names were presented in the proper color, size, and style, they could benefit from customizable large print maps. Such maps would allow people with low vision to study a new area, pre-‐plan travel, and have portable maps to consult while naviga7ng in unfamiliar areas. This paper presents an algorithm for placing street names on street maps produced by the Tac7le Map Automated Produc7on (TMAP) soHware in the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format.
Multimodal interactive maps are a solution for providing the blind with access to geographic information. Current projects use a tactile map set down on a monotouch display with additional sound output. In our current project we investigated the usage of multitouch displays for this purpose. In this paper, we outline our requirements concerning the appropriate multitouch tactile device and we present a first prototype. We conclude with future working propositions.
To overcome display limitations of small-screen devices, researchers have proposed techniques that point users to objects located off-screen. Arrow-based techniques such as City Lights convey only direction. Halo conveys direction and distance, but is susceptible to clutter resulting from overlapping halos. We present Wedge, a visualization technique that conveys direction and distance, yet avoids overlap and clutter. Wedge represents each off-screen location using an acute isosceles triangle: the tip coincides with the off-screen locations, and the two corners are located on-screen. A wedge conveys location awareness primarily by means of its two legs pointing towards the target. Wedges avoid overlap programmatically by repelling each other, causing them to rotate until overlap is resolved. As a result, wedges can be applied to numbers and configurations of targets that would lead to clutter if visualized using halos. We report on a user study comparing Wedge and Halo for three off-screen tasks. Participants were significantly more accurate when using Wedge than when using Halo.
Traditional tactile cartography is complicated by problems associated with braille labeling and feature annotation. Audio-tactile display techniques can address many of these issues by associating spoken information and sounds with specific map elements. This article introduces Talking TMAP – a collaborative effort between The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute and Touch Graphics, Inc. Talking TMAP combines existing tools such as the World Wide Web, geographic information systems, braille embossers and touch tablet technology in new ways to produce a system capable of creating detailed and accurate audio-tactile street maps of any neighborhood. The article describes software design, user interface and plans for future implementation.
Tactile maps offer access to spatial-analog information for visually impaired people. In contrast to visual maps, a tactile map has a lower resolution and can only be inspected in a sequential way, complicating the extraction of spatial relations among distant map entities. Verbal assistance can help to overcome these difficulties by substituting textual labels with verbal descriptions and offering propositional knowledge about spatial relations. Like visual maps, tactile maps are based on visual, spatial-geometric representations that need to be reasoned about in order to generate verbal assistance. We present an approach towards a verbally assisting virtual-environment tactile map (VAVETaM) realized on a computer system utilizing a haptic force-feedback device. In particular, we discuss the tasks of understanding the user's map exploration procedures (MEPs), of exploiting the spatial-analog map to anticipate the user's informational needs, of reasoning about optimal assistance by taking assumed prior knowledge of the user into account, and of generating appropriate verbal instructions and descriptions to augment the map.
In this work, we report on a solution for providing support to the blind using mobile museum guides by exploiting the haptic channel as a complement to the audio/vocal one. The overall goal is to improve the autonomy and social integration of blind visitors. We followed an iterative approach in which the proposed system went through various user evaluations and further refinements. The final solution includes vibrotactile feedback enhancement for orientation and obstacle avoidance obtained through the use of unobtrusive actuators applied to two of the user's fingers combined with an electronic compass and obstacle detector sensors connected wirelessly to the mobile guide. Our study indicates that vibrotactile feedback is particularly useful to provide frequent unobtrusive indications of useful dynamic information, such as the level of proximity of an obstacle or the distance from the right orientation.
In this paper, we propose an automatic approach, complete with a prototype system, for supporting instant access to maps for local navigation by people with visual impairment. The approach first detects and segments texts from a map image and recreates the remaining graphical parts in a tactile form which can be reproduced immediately through a tactile printer. Then, it generates an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file, which integrates both text and graphical information. The tactile hardcopy and the SVG file together are used to provide a user with interactive access to the map image through a touchpad, resulting in a tactile-audio representation of the original input image. This supports real-time access to the map without tedious conversion by a sighted professional. Evaluations with six users who are blind show that the created tactile-audio maps from our prototype system convey the most important map information and are deemed as potentially useful for local navigation.
The lack of tactile feedback available on touchscreen devices adversely affects their usability and forces the user to rely heavily on visual feedback. Here we pro-pose texturing a touchscreen with virtual vibrotactile textures to support the user when browsing an interface non-visually. We demonstrate how convincing pre-recorded textures can be delivered using processed audio files generated through recorded audio from a contact microphone being dragged over everyday sur-faces. These textures are displayed through a vibrotactile device attached to the back of an HTC Hero phone varying the rate and amplitude of the texture with the user's finger speed on the screen. We then discuss our future work exploring the potential of this idea to allow browsing of information and widgets non-visually.