1. Making the world more accessible.
High-tech devices for children and
people with visual impairment
PETRIC MARINA
Master of Speech Pathology and Audiology
BABES BOLYAI University
Cluj Napoca, Romania

2. Low vision
Low vision describes any condition of
diminished vision that is uncorrectable by
standard eyeglasses, contact lenses,
medication, or surgery that disrupts a
person’s ability to perform common age
appropriate visual tasks (Jutai et al., 2007).

3. Effects of low vision
 It is been considered that it affects four major areas:
- the social and the emotional,
- language,
- cognitive and,
- mobility and orientation.
 It is interesting to see the impact of those effects on the
functioning and learning potential of the individual.
 The parent’s feelings will affect their relationship with each
other and with the child and this in turn will influence the
child’s emotional and social development.

4.  Regarding the language the researchers discovered some evidence of
differences in language development in the area of:
-the acquisition of the sound system or phonology
-the syntactic use of words
 Visual impairment has an effect on the acquisition of concepts and
meaning.
 The terms mobility and orientation have specific meaning for people
who are visually impaired and for the professionals who work with
this client group. Without clear vision children may experience
difficulty in creating a mental map of their surroundings

5. Assistive technology
 Assistive technology is an interdisciplinary field of
knowledge comprising products, resources,
methodologies, strategies, practices, and services that
aims to promote functionality for visually impaired
people with regard to autonomy, independence, quality
of life, and social inclusion
 Examples of assistive technologies for vision
rehabilitation include handheld magnifiers; electronic
vision enhancement systems; and mobility-related
devices such as long canes and night-vision systems.

6.  These types of devices and
interventions allow individuals with low
vision to lead productive lives and to
maintain their independence in everyday
activities.
 Often, the success with an assistive
device is determined by how satisfied the
user is with it (Jutai, Fuhrer, Scherer, &
DeRuyer, 2005).

7.  According to Raasch, Leat, Kleinstein, Bullimore, and
Cutter (1997, p.289), effectiveness is ”the degree to with
a desired or planned improvement is accomplished in
the subjects’ usual environment”.
 The desired outcome of low vision rehabilitation is for
individuals to attain the maximum function of any
remaining vision they may have; increase their level of
functional ability; increase their independence; and, as
a result improve their quality of life (Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality Technology
Assessment, AHRQ,2004; Jutai et al., 2005).

8. Closed circuit television (CCTV)
 CCTV’s tend to be used today for children with more
severe visual impairment who require a higher degree of
magnification than can be obtain from an optical type of
device.
 It comprise a television camera mounted above an X-Y
moveable table and connected to a video display monitor.
 A great advantage of the CCTV system is the ability to vary
the illumination and contrast of the image produced. A
child with a visual impairment will often prefer a higher
contrast than exists on the original document

9.  In most cases the camera is fixed, pointing down
towards the platform, requiring the object to be placed
underneath the camera lens. There are available in
either monochrome or color versions.
 More complex CCTV systems may provide additional
features. They may be linked to a typewriter or
interfaced with a computer.

10.  Limited evidence from one good-quality case
series (Goodrich & Kirby, 2001), suggested that
the participants' speed and duration of reading
were significantly greater with CCTV systems than
with prescribed optical devices.
 Moderately strong evidence indicates that
electronic stand-mounted or handheld CCTVs can
improve reading performance and are generally
preferred by persons with low vision over
standard non electronic optical devices (Jutai,
Strong, Russell-Minda 2009).

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6aTBrW1Qfs

12.  When people seek services because of visual impairment,
they often state their need in terms of being able to resume
reading or being able to travel independently.
 Before individuals could effectively use the device to read
letters, bills , books, magazines, and other print materials they
need a reading training, including the mechanics of using the
device and the cognitive and perceptual strategies necessary
to read with the device.
 To overcome the disability created by a severe visual
impairment, people need a combination of interventions,
including an appropriately prescribed device, training in its
use, and other support services.

13.  Individuals who are visually impaired frequently
encounter vision and accessibility-related
challenges when using the Internet or
performing other common computing
functions.
 Some studies indicated that visual acuity and
contrast sensitivity are significantly associated
with the performance of computer tasks.
 Other studies shown that the sizes of icons and
sets were significantly associated with the
accuracy of performing computer tasks

14.  A larger icon size was significantly associated with a shorter
time to complete tasks
 Adaptive technologies, such as text magnification, screen
readers, and digital image enhancements (Leat, Omoruyi,
Kennedy, & Jemigan, 2005) can help both to enhance and to
substitute for the visual and sensory functions that are
required during computer use.
 Software that enlarges text and graphics makes computers
accessible to people even with severe visual impairments,
and voice synthesizers open up the computer to totally blind
individuals.

15. Computer accessibility
 Refers to the accessibility of a computer
system to all people, regardless of
disability or severity of impairment. It is
largely a software concern;
 When software, hardware, or a
combination of hardware and software, is
used to enable use of a computer by a
person with a disability or impairment,
this is known as Assistive Technology.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5-g3Rt3c2Q

16. Zoom Text
 ZoomText is a stand-alone piece of software
designed for visually impaired people.
 It is available for the Microsoft Windows operating
systems 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7 and 8.
 The program allows you to see and hear
everything on the computer screen as well as
providing access to applications, documents,
email and the Internet.

17.  ZoomText has dual monitor support and is capable of
magnifying the screen up to 36 times; it also allows you
to choose which part of the screen is magnified.
 Color controls help improve the clarity of the screen
and mouse pointers can be resized.
 It also provides enhanced navigation capabilities to
help the user to launch programs and find documents
on the desktop and find the hypertext links and controls
on web pages, find words or phrases.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJ5jZnk6ZQ

18. Concerning the importance of using assistive
technology resources in educating students with
visual impairment, 84.2% of the teachers declared
that the resources were very important to enhance
reading and writing skills as well as to communicate
with the world on an equal basis (95.8%).
In addition, they made information available and
the content of the teaching material more attractive than
the traditional resources (93.7%), improving the students’
quality of life, facilitating the learning process (91.7%), and
allowing them to rewrite correct texts (87.5%) with
autonomy and privacy (66.7%) .

19. References:
 Bennet, D. (1997). Low vision devices for children and young people with
visual impairment. In Monson, H., McCall, S., Arter, C., Mclinden, M.,
Stone, J. (ed) Visual Impairment. Access to Education for Children and
Young People. London: David Fulton Publishers.
 Feritas Alvares et al., (August 2009). Assistive technology applied to
education of student with visual impairment. Revista Panamericana de
Salud Publica. Vol. 26., Issue 2, p 148-152.
 Goodrich, L.G., (March 1, 2003). Available and Emerging Technologies for
People with Visual Impairment. Generation, Vol. 27, Issue 1, p 64.
 Jutai, W. J., Strong, G. J., Russell-Mind, E., (April 2009). Effectiveness of
Assistive Technologies for Low Vision Rehabilitation: A systematic review.
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, Vol. 105. Issue 4, p 235-239. Pr
 Kingsley, M. (1997). The effect of a visual loss. In Monson, H., McCall, S.,
Arter, C., Mclinden, M., Stone, J. (ed) Visual Impairment. Access to
Education for Children and Young People. London: David Fulton Publishers.
 Márkus, B., (2011). E-Learning experience. Geographia technical, No 2,
p45-55.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_accessibility