Abstract

In today’s world, digital technology and smartphones have become a part of our everyday lives. Smartphones are one of the most advance forms of digital technology that can be viewed as assistive technology for disabled, including for individual with a visual loss. However, they are often not considered as assistive technology for visual impairment and blind, especially in low middle-income countries. There have been a lot of development in the mobile technology that incorporates computer technology, including electronic information, communication technology as well as touch-screen accessibility. Such an advancement in smart technology of mobile devices leads to the transformation of the interface technique from visual smartphones interaction into a truly eyes-free means interaction by using other body senses, such as haptic, gesture, and sound, etc. These innovative accessible features and applications enhance the accessibility of smartphones significantly to individuals with visual impairment. There are many built-in accessible features and third-party accessible applications that enable to access many useful information and contents in the smartphones. Such aesthetic technology facilitates in performing daily activities, independent functioning, movement, social inclusion and participation, educational activities, accessing information of today’s digital society, sighted help, and finally helps to improve the quality of life. Therefore, these smart technologies make smartphones to serve as assistive technology for people with visual impairment and blindness. The smartphones are visually and physically demanding, and are ubiquitous any time and any place, and user can carry it at everywhere. They are universally design, so less social stigma to the users and less discomfort when using it. To view smartphones as assistive technology universally, healthcare providers, caregivers or rehabilitation professionals need to be informed, and make aware of the beneficial aspect of smartphones and its accessibility. Finally, engineers and developers are continuously fostering to develop more innovative and readily accessible apps for visual impairment. Since single app does not fit all purposes for visual impairment and blind, there is a potential need of developing clinical guidelines on the use of such accessible apps or features that will help to recommend appropriately for various types of functions.

Highlights

  • These people need to live with independent lives, and cope these daily challenges and difficulties resulting from visual impairment whether it is at home, workplaces, schools, or market

  • With ongoing advance in smartphone technologies, it is becoming even more feasible for the person with visual impairment to rely on mobile technology in understanding their immediate surrounding, and to access huge amounts information that can improve their level of independent functioning, movement, social inclusion, participation, educational activities, and helps in improving the Smartphones for Vision Rehabilitation: Accessible Features and Apps, Opportunity

  • This study reported that many participants were interested to use other accessibility features if they are familiar and trained on how to use such accessible features of a smartphones

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Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization classifies the blindness as a severe disability that corresponds with its category VI, whereas the category VII is considered to be a maximum severity [1]. Visual impairment and blindness are problems which can affect significantly in functioning for daily living activities, to live with independent life, indoor and outdoor movement, social inclusion & participation, communication, employment, and impacted on the quality of life [2–4]. Many smart digital assistive technologies based on electronic information, communication technology for visual impairment have been gaining a lot of importance across the world in recent times [7, 8] Such smart assistive technologies have many accessible features and accessible applications for persons with disabilities, including low vision and blindness. With ongoing advance in smartphone technologies, it is becoming even more feasible for the person with visual impairment to rely on mobile technology in understanding their immediate surrounding, and to access huge amounts information that can improve their level of independent functioning, movement, social inclusion, participation, educational activities, and helps in improving the Figure 1. Smartphones have become a part of our everyday life and replacing gradually the traditional assistive devices (such as Braille materials Figure 2) in doing various routine tasks and bringing the solutions [10, 11]

Smartphones assistive technology for persons with visual impairment
Accessible built-in features for visual impairment and blind
Third party accessible applications for visual impairment and blind
Use among visually impaired and blindness
Advantages in using accessible features and applications
Challenges in practices and application
Usability evaluation for visual impairment
Inspection methods
Conclusion
Findings
10. Recommendations
Full Text
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