Technology Articles and Research

Blind student 'hears in colour' 
BBC News
February 14, 2005
Abstract: Victor Wong, a graduate student from Hong Kong studying at Cornell University in New York State, had to read coloured maps of the upper atmosphere as part of his research.  After some trial and error, he developed software that turns colours into musical notes, which allows him to do so.

Blind graduate student 'reads' maps using CU software that converts color into sound
Cornell Chronicle 
January 27, 2005
by Thomas Oberst
Abstract: Victor Wong, a Cornell graduate student from Hong Kong who lost his sight in a road accident at age 7, is helping to develop innovative software that translates color into sound. "Color is something that does not exist in the world of a blind person," explains Wong. "I could see before, so I know what it is. But there is no way that I can think of to give an exact idea of color to someone who has never seen before."  The inspiration for using image-to-sound software came in early 2004 when Wong realized his problems in reading color-scaled weather maps of the Earth's upper atmosphere—a task that is a necessary part of his doctoral work in Professor Mike Kelley's ECE research group.

Wired to Work: A Qualitative Analysis of Assistive Technology Training for People with Visual Impairments  
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
November 2003. Volume 97, Number 11
Author(s): Karen E. Wolffe, Tony Candela, and Gil Johnson
Abstract: This article details the qualitative results of focus groups with adults who are visually impaired and received assistive technology training (AT) and with AT trainers. The participants described the state of AT training in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century from their perspectives as students and teachers. Their insights cover the critical needs of people with visual impairments who want to learn AT and the competencies required of their trainers.

Survey of the Use of Assistive Technology by Illinois Students Who Are Visually Impaired 
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
February 2002, Volume 96, Number 2
Author(s): Gaylen Kapperman, Jodi Sticken, and Toni Heinze
Abstract: Few studies have addressed the use of assistive technology by persons who are visually impaired (that is, are blind or have low vision). Many experts have written opinions on the topic; most agree that assistive technology is essential for visually impaired individuals to be full participants in a technological society, and many barriers impede access to equipment and training (Augusto & Schroeder, 1995; Mack, Koenig, & Ashcroft, 1990; Parker et al., 1990; Scadden, 2000). In Lewis and Edwards's (1998) study of the use of assistive technology in Florida, over half the teachers of visually impaired students who participated stated that they would have found preservice courses in assistive technology useful. They admitted that they were not familiar with many of the devices mentioned in the survey and had difficulty acquiring the training that is necessary to teach students to use the devices. The purpose of the telephone survey reported here was to determine the level of use of assistive technology among students with visual impairments (K-12) in Illinois who are academic readers and thus, in the authors' estimation, could benefit from training in assistive technology.

Implementation of Assistive Technology with Students Who Are Visually Impaired: Teachers' Readiness 
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
February 2002, Volume 96, Number 2
Author(s): Gerald H. Abner and Elizabeth A. Lahm
Abstract: Teachers of students of visual impairments in Kentucky were surveyed to identify the current assistive technologies their students were using and to identify the teachers' possible unmet training needs. Although the teachers had access to and used computer-based technologies, they lacked the training and support for teaching specific technologies to their students, so only half their students used these technologies.

Recognition of Tactile Patterns in a Graphic Display: Evaluation of Presenting Modes 
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
July 2000, Volume 94, Number 7
Author(s): Yutaka Shimizu, Masami Shinohara, and Hideji Nagaoka
Abstract: This article presents details of a study that examined the effectiveness of various presenting modes for computer-driven tactile displays. The methods, results of the study, and advantages of the relief mode for visually impaired persons are given.

A Prototype of the Freely Rewritable Tactile Drawing System for Persons Who Are Blind 
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
June 2002, Volume 96, Number 6
Author(s): Tetsuya Watanabe and Makoto Kobayashi
Abstract: This article presents a study which developed a device that enables blind users not only to draw but to erase raised lines as freely as they want to. This device provides a way to solve the indelibility problem of tactile drawings and a level of interactivity with graphics not previously available to blind users.

Access to Multimedia Presentations for Students with Visual Impairments
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
April 2002, Volume 96, Number 4
Author(s): Anne L. Corn and Robert S. Wall
Abstract: This survey of the use of technology and multimedia presentations by 410 teachers of students with visual impairments found that the teachers were more at ease with general technology than with technology designed specifically for students with visual impairments. When adapting traditional materials, the teachers tended to use simpler, less technological solutions even when they were not entirely appropriate.

Making Tactile Charts on a Personal Computer for Blind Students in the Allied Health Professions
Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness
May 2002, Volume 96, Number 5
Author(s): Tsuguo Yoshida and Nobuyuki Ohtake
Abstract: This article describes how to make tactile charts on the basis of medical images and how blind students evaluate these charts. The article discusses the methods which could be used to make a tactile chart, the importance of establishing rules for editing the source images for conversion to original tactile charts, and factors which contribute to the conventional X-ray comprehension by blind students.