The Wayfinding Project

Fundamental Issues in Wayfinding Technology

Summary

This project is designed to strengthen the foundations of wayfinding technology for assisting blind and visually impaired individuals to travel safely and independently. Rather than developing additional devices to add to the existing plethora, we hope to address some of the fundamental issues that will inform future technology solutions and interventions. What information do blind and visually impaired travelers really want and need for safe independent travel? Why is there such an extreme range in navigational facility within the visually impaired population? What are the upper limits of the information that can be gained from traditional Orientation and Mobility training and environmental cues? How are the subtle auditory cues affected in subpopulations with different types of hearing loss? How should wayfinding performance, and barriers to it, be quantified so that future progress can be measured? What is the role of advance travel planning? By pursuing answers to these fundamental questions, we hope to provide a research-based foundation to inform and improve 1) O&M instructional strategies; 2) the design of new wayfinding technologies; and 3) future research.

Project Description

Introduction

This project aims to address some of the outstanding fundamental issues that stand in the way of optimal development and adoption of wayfinding technologies for blind and visually impaired travelers. Specifically, we aim to gain a better understanding of the real needs, problems, possibilities and outcomes for the different subpopulations (including those with multiple disabilities); investigate the impacts of hearing impairments on wayfinding; develop and validate new approaches to travel performance measurement; and study methods of incorporating travel planning into the overall picture of wayfinding and technology. Instead of answering the question “How can this technology be adapted to the blind user?” we want to ask “What information is actually needed by a visually impaired traveler and how it should be presented to him/her?” Some of the specific issues we aim to address include the following: ·               What are the main travel problems faced by different sub-populations of visually impaired travelers? What information is actually needed or desired for travel? What factors account for the large range of travel skills, and can interventions help close the gap? ·               What are the “best case” types and amounts of information that can be gained from the cane and environmental cues, and available from cognitive processing based on learning and experience? How is it affected by population characteristics such as hearing loss acquired relatively young, and hearing loss associated with aging? This needs to be known before technology can be optimally integrated with traditional O&M instruction and strategies. ·               How should success in wayfinding, and barriers to wayfinding, be quantified in a standardized manner so that progress in wayfinding technology can be measured in future? ·               Most research has focused on the act of travel and wayfinding itself. What is the potential contribution of travel planning to travel frequency, quality, success or independence? What are the barriers to effective planning? What kinds of information are usable and desired by persons with different characteristics (amount/type of vision, hearing, cognitive level, etc)? Answers to these questions will provide an evidence-based foundation to inform future development of technologies and methods for achieving wayfinding success.

Target Population

The NIDRR priority addressed by this project called for study of various underserved subgroups within the overall population of blind travelers. Visual impairments are increasingly associated with co-existing sensory (hearing), physical and/or cognitive impairments, presenting a challenge that has received little study. We also plan to include the elderly, those with low vision and even mild vision loss, cane versus guide dog users, and other important but neglected subpopulations. Since hearing plays such an important role in the navigation of blind and visually impaired individuals, we are especially interested in travelers with hearing loss. Even excellent travelers observe a fall-off in their ability to utilize subtle echolocation and sound shadow cues as their hearing decreases with age. Among elders in the US, 21 % have both vision and hearing loss by age 70. Improved knowledge of the special characteristics, abilities and problems of the hearing impaired blind traveler would contribute greatly to the correct choice and future development of travel aids. It could also stimulate the initiation of a whole new parameter of hearing aid design -- the optimization of subtle aspects of spatial hearing and possibly even frequency shifts, as opposed to just speech perception, as is presently the case.

Specific Activities

1. Survey of Needs.

To make our survey as complete and informative as possible, we are soliciting input form consumers, Orientation and Mobility professionals and others in the field. If you have suggestions regarding questions that should be asked and populations that should be addressed, please email Dr Josh Miele, our project survey coordinator.

2. Wayfinding and Hearing Impairment

The project includes studies that will record travel cues in real wayfinding settings, and assess the impact of different types of hearing impairment on the cues. This work is being coordinated by Dr Helen Simon.

3. Measures of Travel Performance

This aspect of the project is designed to investigate which measures of travel performance (and barriers to travel performance) are most useful in different situations. A “toolbox” of travel measures will be developed and refined for use by future researchers in assessing the effectiveness of wayfinding technology. This work is being led by Dr Billie-Louise Bentzen.

4. Travel Planning Studies

The role of methods, technology and strategies involved in planning journeys is our final subject of study in this project. Activities include surveying current practices, as well as comparing tactile maps with virtual exploration strategies. This aspect of the project is being coordinated by Dr James Marston.

Acknowledgements: This project is supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).