ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Abstract

Visual impairment is a disability resulting in partial or complete loss of vision. It results in hindrance to performing daily chores, thereby decreasing the quality of life. This study aims to augment the user’s experience with digital interfaces (e.g., the display system of personal computers and smartphones) through the design of an efficient system enabling easier and more effective user navigation. Assistive technology for the visually impaired and blind people is a research field that is gaining increasing prominence owing to an explosion of new interest in it from disparate disciplines. The field has a very relevant social impact on our ever-increasing aging and blind populations. While many excellent state-of-the-art accounts have been written to date, all of them are subjective in nature. We performed an objective statistical survey across the various sub-disciplines in the field and applied information analysis and network-theory techniques to answer several key questions relevant to the field. To analyze the field, we compiled an extensive database of scientific research publications over the last two decades. We inferred interesting patterns and statistics concerning the main research areas and underlying themes, identified leading journals and conferences, captured growth patterns of the research field; identified active research communities, and present our interpretation of trends in the field for the near future. The study of the educational process of students with visual impairments shows that they can generally receive a successful education on an equal basis with others. On the other hand, the educational process of students with visual impairments is accompanied by several difficulties associated with the fact that they cannot see. One of the ways to effectively solve this problem is computer assistive technologies based on programs for the blind and visually impaired, information sources (through sound reproduction, an auxiliary point, or listening to a large text). Computer assistive technologies are easy to understand and allow you to work independently with a regular personal computer, and general-purpose programs (MS Word, Internet Explorer, etc.) to obtain a normal user experience. For students with visual impairments, these functions have a significant compensatory effect, allowing assistance to the visually impaired ( scanning, reading plain text, preparing printed documents, etc.).