TY - JOUR
T1 - Newly blind persons using virtual environment system in a traditional orientation and mobility rehabilitation program
T2 - A case study
AU - Lahav, Orly
AU - Schloerb, David W.
AU - Srinivasan, Mandayam A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Declaration of Interest: This research was partially supported by a grant from The National Institutes of Health - National Eye Institute (Grant No. 5R21EY16601-2), and was partially supported by The European Commission, Marie Curie International Reintegration Grants (Grant No. FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG).
PY - 2012/9
Y1 - 2012/9
N2 - This paper presents a virtual reality system (the BlindAid) developed for orientation and mobility training of people who are newly blind. The BlindAid allows users to interact with different virtual structures and objects via auditory and haptic feedback. This case study aims to examine if and how the BlindAid, in conjunction with a traditional rehabilitation programme, can help people who are newly blind develop new orientation and mobility methods. Follow-up research based on this study, with a large experiment and control group, could contribute to the area of orientation and mobility rehabilitation training for the newly blind. The case study research focused on A., a woman who is newly blind, for 17 virtual sessions spanning ten weeks, during the 12 weeks of her traditional orientation and mobility rehabilitation programme. The research was implemented by using virtual environment (VE) exploration and orientation tasks in VE and physical spaces. The research methodology used both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, questionnaire, videotape recording, and user computer logs. The results of this study helped elucidate several issues concerning the contribution of the BlindAid system to the exploration strategies and learning processes experienced by the participant in her encounters with familiar and unfamiliar physical surroundings.
AB - This paper presents a virtual reality system (the BlindAid) developed for orientation and mobility training of people who are newly blind. The BlindAid allows users to interact with different virtual structures and objects via auditory and haptic feedback. This case study aims to examine if and how the BlindAid, in conjunction with a traditional rehabilitation programme, can help people who are newly blind develop new orientation and mobility methods. Follow-up research based on this study, with a large experiment and control group, could contribute to the area of orientation and mobility rehabilitation training for the newly blind. The case study research focused on A., a woman who is newly blind, for 17 virtual sessions spanning ten weeks, during the 12 weeks of her traditional orientation and mobility rehabilitation programme. The research was implemented by using virtual environment (VE) exploration and orientation tasks in VE and physical spaces. The research methodology used both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, questionnaire, videotape recording, and user computer logs. The results of this study helped elucidate several issues concerning the contribution of the BlindAid system to the exploration strategies and learning processes experienced by the participant in her encounters with familiar and unfamiliar physical surroundings.
KW - Cognitive map
KW - Haptic devices
KW - Multisensorial environment
KW - Simulation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84865236160&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/17483107.2011.635327
DO - 10.3109/17483107.2011.635327
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 22112148
AN - SCOPUS:84865236160
SN - 1748-3107
VL - 7
SP - 420
EP - 435
JO - Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
JF - Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
IS - 5
ER -