Orientation Maps for the Physically Handicapped

Abstract

Little is known about the concepts of the environment by congenitally and adventitiously blind people. Non-visual maps can help some blind people with orientation and mobility. Word maps can be made using tape recorders but verbal descriptions have serious limitations in some applications. The paper will concentrate on the design, production and evaluation of embossed maps; the main problem areas are:(i) Identification of useful landmarks to a blind pedestrian.(ii) Coding this information in an embossed notation so that it can be read by touch.(iii) Production of the embossed map.(iv) Reading and interpretation of the information on the map.The application of computer-aided design techniques has enabled high quality maps to be produced which are relatively inexpensive when compared to the traditional labour-intensive manual methods of production. Experiments have been undertaken to identify sets of discriminable symbols and to compare various formats. Finally the paper will try to identify the most useful directions for future research in this field.