Research Project 2020

To Study the Attitude of Blind School

Students towards the Electronic
Devices/Gadgets at Mandvi

Patel Urvi and Rawal Kinjal

Uka Tarsadia University, Gujarat, India.

Abstract

Theoretical Framework:
1. Introduction:
 The blind community has long been believed to be the most
apt and reap the benefits of haptic research. While the
sighted often fail to recognize the importance of their non-
visual senses, the blind must make full use of them. As such,
they are in a unique position to appreciate and make
functional use of haptic devices. Designing devices for the
blind is, however, more arduous than many researchers and
inventors expect. It is thus important to appreciate as much
as possible the needs and requirements of this community
before attempting to create devices for them. It is also
important to learn from past research and development in
the application of technological aids for the blind. This
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survey provides some basic facts about blindness and

surveys rehabilitation technology as relevant to the design
of aids for the blind, with a particular emphasis on haptics.
The goal is to provide a better understanding of blindness
and of how the blind differ from the sighted. The next
sections provide a wide-ranging survey of the literature on
assistive technology for the blind, with emphasis on haptics.
Finally, the last section discusses the conclusions that can be
drawn from the analysis of the literature.

1.1. Attitude:
 An attitude is an evaluation of the feelings an individual has
towards something. They convey what we think and how we
feel about an object, ‘target’ or referent. These referents may
be specific and tangible or abstract and intangible. When the
object of the attitude is important to the person, the
evaluation of the object produces an affective, or emotional
reaction.
 Attitude can be featured as:
 Attitudes remain fairly stable and permanent
throughout our life.
 Attitudes generally only apply to socially significant
objects.
 Attitudes are generalisable.
 Components of Attitude:
 Cognitive :
o It involves the knowledge or information
about a person or object, etc., and his belief
about it.

 Affective:
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o Refers to feeling aspect, i.e., how he feels

about it.
 Behavioral:
o Refers to action tendency, i.e., how he
behaves with it.
 Explicit and Implicit Attitudes:

 Explicit attitudes are evaluations that people can

report consciously.
 Implicit attitudes are automatic evaluative responses
to a target, which may occur without awareness.

 Types of Attitudes:
 Positive:
o A favourable attitude- liking people, objects,
situation, etc.
 Negative:
o An unfavourable attitude- does not like people/
objects, etc.
 Neutral:
o Neither favourable nor unfavourable.

1.2. Blindness and Visual Impairment:

 The blind and visually impaired form a heterogeneous
group. Blindness and visual impairment vary in etiology,
visual acuity and extent of the visual field. The degree of
visual impairment varies from no light perception at all to a
slight blurring of vision, with every gradation in between.
The blind are said to have light perception when they can
tell if they are in a dark or bright room. They are capable of
projection if they can also locate the source of the light.
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Similarly the field of view may vary in extent or include

blind spots.
 The American Foundation for the Blind estimates that
there are 10 million blind or visually impaired people in
the United States. In a survey realized in 1994-1995, 1.3
million Americans (0.5%) reported being legally blind. Of
this number, only 10% were totally blind and another 10%
had only light perception. The remaining 80% had some
useful vision. Few statistics appear to be available about
the age of onset of blindness. It is reported that “only eight
percent of visually impaired people are born with any
impairment”. In Canada, it is estimated that 666,500 are
blind or have low vision. Of these, 144,100 are in Quebec.
Worldwide, an estimated 180 millions are visually
impaired, of which 40-45 millions are blind. It is estimated
that 80% of blindness and serious vision loss could be
avoided or treated in developing countries. The prevalence
of blindness is much higher for the elderly. It is estimated
that 1.1% of the elderly (65 and over) are legally blind
compared to 0.055% of the young (20 and under). It is also
reported that “more than 50 percent of individuals with
visual impairments also have one or more other
impairments”.

1.3. Neurology and Psychology:

 The blind and the sighted live in different perceptual
worlds. Some aspects of the environment can be perceived
only through vision. Properties of the environment that are
better accessed through touch or hearing, however, are
more salient and better attended to by the blind. It is
natural to ask, then, in what way visual deprivation affects
the perceptual and cognitive abilities of the early and late
blind.

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 Brain Plasticity:
o Deprivation of visual input to the brain during a
critical period of development is known to cause
permanent damage to the visual cortex. A number
of experiments performed with cats and monkeys
have shown that animals deprived of vision early
seem to have no response to stimuli once vision is
restored. They behave as if they were blind. There is
a critical period however after which visual
deprivation seems to have no permanent effect.
These conclusions are confirmed in humans by
clinical observations following the removal of
cataracts.

 Space Perception & Mental Imagery:

o The extent to which vision is necessary to mediate
the perception of space and the formation of mental
images is also the subject of much debate in the
literature. A comprehensive treatment of this topic
is beyond the scope of this survey.
o The concept of mental imagery is also of interest. A
mental image is defined as a “mental experience
which occurs in the absence of stimulation, but
which resembles the experience that occurs when a
stimulus is actually present” [60]. In the sighted,
mental images tend to be strongly visual in nature.
It is known, for example, that “sighted subjects tend
to visualize objects they examine by touch”. There
is, however, “compelling evidence that haptic
mental imagery exists in congenitally blind people”.
Haptic mental images, however, appear to be
different in nature than visual images. It seems, for
example, that the early blind “have a greater ability
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to perceive vividly both the front and back of a

palpated object at the same time”.
 Sensory Compensation:
o The theory of sensory compensation, according to
which the blind’s remaining senses are heightened
to compensate for the loss of sight, has long been
debated. While many textbooks on blindness take a
conservative stance against the theory, there is
mounting evidence from recent studies for limited
sensory compensation in the blind.

1.4. Mobility and Orientation:

 Numerous aids exist to help meet the mobility and
orientation needs of the blind. Mobility is defined as “the
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ability to travel safely, comfortably, gracefully, and

independently”. Orientation refers to the ability to situate
oneself relative to a frame of reference.
 ETAs (Electronic travel aids) can be divided in two classes,
depending on their main use. A first class provides a
warning of obstacles and facilitates the selection of a clear
path. A second class helps the blind orient themselves with
respect to their environment and travel to a given
destination. It is important to remember that many of the
devices presented here are intended to supplement rather
than replace the white cane or guide dog.
 Obstacle Avoidance:
o These aids provide advance warning of obstacles
and allow the blind to find a safe, clear path. It is
possible to distinguish between those devices
providing rich and those giving simplified
information. This distinction is sometimes blurred
in practical devices.
o Ulrich and Bronstein created an ETA inspired by
mobile robotics that guides its user around
obstacles in a very intuitive manner. The Guide
Cane is a small wheeled robot held by the blind like
a cane. As it is pushed in front of the user, the robot
scans the area with ultrasound and determines a
path that avoids any obstacle. The robots then turn
the wheels in the appropriate direction. The user
feels the rotation of the Guide Cane and intuitively
follows the path chosen by the device. Despite some
good results with the device, the authors
acknowledge that “ultrasonic sensor-based
obstacle-avoidance system is not sufficiently
reliable at detecting all obstacles under all
conditions”. Finally, many researchers have used

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arrays of tactile stimulators to guide users. Ross and

Blasch tested a system with three shoulder tappers
that guide a blind person, for example to cross a
street. Similarly, Ertan et al. used an array of 4x4
vibrating stimulators for guidance.
 Orientation:
o Although obstacle detection and avoidance is
important, low-tech travel aids such as the long
cane and the guide dog satisfy those needs for many
blind people. This may be why “many blind
travelers place travel orientation ahead of obstacle
detection in importance” . Here orientation refers to
the way in which one finds his position relative to a
reference frame and finds a route to a destination.
This task is complicated by the unavailability of
visual landmarks.
o Another alternative is to rely on positioning
systems, geographic information systems (GIS) and
mobile computers. For example, VisuAide (now
Human Ware Canada) recently released a
commercial product that combines a GPS receiver
and a portable digital assistant (PDA) to provide the
blind with information about their location, points
of interest, and routes. The Sendero Group also
proposes the Braille Note GPS that combines a
Braille note taker with GPS positioning. These aids
greatly benefit from their reliance on generic mass
market technologies, most notably from a reduction
in cost compared to technologies developed
exclusively for the blind.

1.5. Access to Information:

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 The sighted make heavy use of visual media to disseminate

information. In this section, we discuss the technologies
developed to provide equal access to these written, printed,
and digital documents. We begin with a discussion of
textual information. Follows a discussion of the more
complex problem of graphics, maps, and 3D virtual
environments.
 Text: This section discusses the two main media used
to gain access to written or textual information: Braille
and voice.
o Braille:
 A form of written language for blind people, in
which characters are represented by patterns of
raised dots that are felt with the fingertips.
o Voice:
 Express (something) in words.

o Print:
 An indentation or mark made on a surface or
soft substance.
 Graphics: While written information can be easily
converted to Braille or voice, graphical information is
not trivial to map to an audio or tactile medium. In this
section we survey the efforts made to give the blind
access to tactile drawings, maps, data and mathematical
visualization, and more recently to 3D virtual
environments.
o Tactile Drawings:
 The blind usually do not draw because that
medium is not adapted to touch. It is, in
particular, difficult to feel the drawing as it is
being drawn. Tactile drawings are generally

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executed on swell paper using a special pen that

causes lines to be raised. Many researchers have
observed the way in which the blind draw in
order to get some insight on their mental
representation of 3D space. Although some rules
appear to be universal, the drawings of the blind
are in many ways different from those of the
sighted.
o Maps:
 A diagrammatic representation of an area of
land or sea showing physical features, cities,
roads, etc.
o Mathematics and Visualization:
 Graphs, bar charts and other visual
representations of data sets and mathematical
functions are commonly used by the sighted to
assimilate large amounts of information quickly
and to grasp trends or other features of the data.
This information can be adapted to some extent
for the blind by the use of tactile drawings. As
discussed previously, however, these drawings
are less accessible than their visual
counterparts and do not provide as much
information. Many researchers have thus
attempted to use haptic technology to solve this
problem.
o Virtual Reality:
 An artificial environment that is created with
software and presented to the user in such a
way that the user suspends belief and accepts it
as a real environment. On a computer, virtual
reality is primarily experienced through two of
the five senses: sight and sound.
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1.6. Human-Computer Interaction:

 Early computer interfaces afforded to the blind the same
level of access as the sighted. The interface of the Microsoft
disk operating system (DOS), for example, was largely
sequential in nature and could easily be communicated
through voice synthesis or refreshable Braille displays. In
recent years, however, the Graphical User Interface (GUI)
has become the dominant paradigm for computer
interaction. While the GUI makes the computer more
intuitive, and easier to use for non-technical computer
users, its heavy reliance on visual metaphors and graphics
makes it largely impossible to use by the blind. The
sequential feedback given by Braille and voice synthesis
cannot easily provide an overall picture of the desktop and
of the spatial relationship between its objects. Similarly, a
mouse is unusable without visual feedback. Far from going
away, the GUI paradigm is likely to spread to other devices
such as domestic appliances.
 The solutions proposed by researchers to provide
better access to GUIs can be divided in two classes:
reinterpretation of the desktop and custom
interfaces. While the first category attempts to
maintain the same experience as the one given to the
sighted, the second category goes further and
designs custom software and interfaces specifically
for the blind. These two categories are explored
next.
 Reinterpretation of the Desktop:
o Many ambitious research projects endeavored to
reinterpret the Microsoft Windows user interface
through the use of synthesized voices, sounds and
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haptic feedback. From a survey of the literature,

Christian proposes, among others, the following
rules for tactile feedback:
 Tactile feedback should be used to guide the
movement of the cursor, not to control it. 13
Blindness, Technology and Haptics.
 Fitt’s law may not apply to tactile feedback.
Fitt’s law states that the time required for a user
to hit a target decreases with the logarithm of
the distance and increases with the logarithm of
the size of the target.
 The non-visual feedback should convey the
interface of the GUI, not the content of the
screen.
 Blind computer users must be able to
collaborate with their sighted coworkers. “[T]he
interface should attempt to convey to the blind
users a mental model of the system similar to
that of sighted users.”
 Custom Interfaces:
o Researchers have also attempted to provide
computer interfaces better adapted to the blind.
Hampel et al. designed an Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
client that corrects some problems found in
traditional IRC clients when combined with a
refreshable Braille display. Instead of automatically
switching to the latest message, for example, the
client gave control to the user. Such seemingly small
changes can make a significant difference in the
accessibility of software. Other researchers have
designed custom multi-modal interfaces for specific
applications. Petrie et al. used a touch tablet
covered with a tactile overlay to provide a user

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interface for navigating through hypermedia

applications. Voice synthesis was used to provide
user-requested information. Similarly, Bellik and
Burger designed an accessible text editor using
voice recognition, speech synthesis and a Braille
terminal.
o He also designed haptic games involving the
exploration of virtual environments with a
PHANTOM R . In the “Memory House”, the player
had to explore a 3D environment and match pairs of
buttons.

1.7. Vision Substitution and Restitution:

 Restoring sight in the blind has long been a dream of
researchers. In this section we will see how medical
interventions and experimental implants can partially or
fully restore sight in some blind people. We will then look
at the sensory substitution research that has long tried to
provide the blind with information equivalent to that
obtained by vision through their unimpaired senses.
 Vision Restitution:
o Vision is eyesight, something that is or has been
seen or something imagined. An example of vision is
what someone sees when they open their eyes. An
example of vision is a beautiful person in someone's
line of sight. An example of vision is what a person
imagines their ideal home to look like.
o Restitution is the act of making up for damages or
harm. Restitution also has a specific legal meaning
— an order given by a judge to a convicted criminal
to make amends for the crime. For example, judges
often order people to pay restitution for the damage
they cause.

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 Vision Substitution:
o Sensory Substitution (SenSub) is an approach that
allows perceiving environmental information that is
normally received via one sense (e.g., vision) via
another sense (e.g., touch or audition).

2. Literature Review:
2.1. [ CITATION Mar18 \l 1033 ] ,University of Montréal, Canada, they
researched on”. The perception and use of technology within
braille instruction: A preliminary study of braille teaching
professionals” with the objective to do a survey about
instructional techniques and perspectives on the relationship
between braille and technology. They have done a survey on
Specialists who had taught braille within the past 5 years were
recruited from a convenience sample (n=35)of invitees, with
rehabilitation providers in Canada. This research was
conducted through the primary data from questionnaire and
secondary data from research paper and article. Respondents
were grouped into two broad categories consisting of (a)
Teachers of the Visually Impaired (“TVIs”), who represented
49% of respondents, and (b) Rehabilitation Specialists,

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representing 51% of respondents. Respondents were in

learner age like children, adolescents, adults and seniors.
Technologies included in it are Electronic Braille, iPhone/ipad,
Note taking device with Braille display, other (non-
apple)tablet or smart phone, Manual Braille/Slate and stylus,
Personal computer with Braille display, Personal computer
with Skype and Phone or tablet with Braille display. Analyses
were conducted using a chi-squared (χ2) test between the TVI
and Rehab groups. In cases involving small sample numbers
where the χ2 test would be inappropriate, Fisher’s exact test
(FET) was used instead. For results emanating from questions
based on Likert scales the Mann–Whitney–Wilcox on test was
used. The results suggest that technology is finding some use
within braille instruction and new developments could make
it even more relevant, particularly for older learners who
appear to have less exposure to braille technology. This
technology may provide motivational benefits for learners and
is largely seen as complementing rather than replacing hard
copy braille.
2.2. [CITATION Nee1 \l 1033 ]TUCS/Turku School of Economics,
University of Turku, Finland, they researched on” Assistive
Technology for Totally Blind – Barriers to Adoption”. This
research was carried out to highlight the impact of negative
socio-psychological attributes on the lives of totally blind
people that were heavily reliant on assistive technology. This
research is not an exhaustive representation of all totally blind
population, it highlights interesting similarities and
differences in heavy users of assistive technology, and three
participants were contacted and interviewed for this study.
They were selected as a convenience sample. This research
was conducted through the primary data from semi-
structured questionnaire, each participant was separately
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interviewed through Skype. The interviews took between 25

to 90 minutes. During the interviews, the interviewer took
notes actively, while the call was being automatically
recorded. Along with the audio recordings, the hand-written
notes provided a valuable point of reference for data analysis
and secondary data from research paper and article. The data
was analyzed through inductive reasoning and was divided
into the four socio-psychological attribute classifications:
Social conditioning, Expectations and control over
surroundings, Frustration and anxiousness, Social
embarrassment. The results suggest that high adoption and
continued assistive technology usage could be promoted if the
users felt positively about the technology. On the other hand, if
the users felt neutral or negative towards the role of assistive
technology, they would possibly resist adoption and continued
usage. Assistive technology has provided totally blind people
an opportunity to improve their quality of life. Assistive
technology provides numerous benefits for people with
disability.
2.3. [ CITATION Inn17 \l 1033 ]University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
they researched on” ICT accessibility and usability to support
learning of visually-impaired students in Tanzania”. The main
objective of this study was to assess the accessibility and
usability of Information and Communication Technology
facilities to facilitate learning among visually-impaired
students at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). . A survey
was conducted at the UDSM main campus and the Dar es
Salaam University College of Education (DUCE). A total of 36
respondents took part in the survey. In this study, primary

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data were collected through the use of different methods and

instruments such as questionnaire, interviews, participant
observations and secondary data was collected using survey
design. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of four
key informants on the basis of their knowledge on serving
visually impaired students. Data were collected, organized,
coded and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative
methods. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version
16) was used to analyze quantitative data to generate
percentages and frequencies. As the study findings
demonstrate there is a need to continue not only providing
learning opportunities for the visually-impaired students but
also in the provision of assistive technologies that add value to
their learning activities and outcomes. The findings reveal
that, the most required ICTs facilities include hardware and
software that matches the user needs and preferences of the
visually-impaired students to facilitate their learning and
allow them to participate effectively in an inclusive learning
environment. ICTs device enhance learning through accessing
learning materials in different formats; they enable
collaborative work between students and educators and also
enhance quality learning processes.
2.4. [ CITATION Kri \l 1033 ], 1 Norsk Regnesentral, Gaustadalléen 23,
P.O. Box 114, Blindern, NO-0314 Oslo, Norway, researched on”
The barriers to and benefits of use of ICT for people with
visual impairment”. The main goal of the study was to identify
benefits of, and barriers to, use of ICT for the visually
impaired, and to propose measures to remove barriers. The
use of Internet services, mobile phones, kiosks, ticket

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machines, ATMs, and queuing management systems, were

studied. This paper reports results from a focus group
interview and a field study, which includes 28 visually
impaired PC users in Norway. People with various disabilities
(vision, hearing, movement, and dyslexia) participated in this
survey. In this study, primary data were collected through the
use of different methods and instruments such as Focus group
interview, Field study, participant observations and secondary
data was collected using survey design. A fairly detailed set of
minutes from each interview and observation session was
written based on notes and audio recordings. Parts of the
sessions were transcribed; and, a thematic analysis was
performed. As the study findings demonstrate the
development of ICT has made a tremendous difference in the
lives of VI individuals by improving education and
employment opportunities, enhancing social interaction, and
facilitating independence.
2.5. [ CITATION Xia14 \l 1033 ] has researched on” A Study on Blind
Students’ Experience of Provision and Support in Schools”.
This research was aims to investigate what blind students
experience to be appropriate provision and support in schools.
Three totally blind people were invited to participate in this
study. Data were collected through semi-structured
interviews. All interviews were transcribed for data analysis.
They were selected as a convenience sample. This research
was conducted through the primary data from semi-
structured interview and a pilot interview. All three
interviews were audio recorded by a mobile phone device and
secondary data from research paper and article. Purposive

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sampling is applied in this study. Result showed that the bind

students experienced difficulties at three different levels
including physical/medical limitations, environmental
limitations and they needed extra support on their study.
Finding in this study showed that the informants received
certain types of provision and support from the government
and schools, including guide dogs, long canes, computers,
audio programmers, training on computer skills and some
one-to-one teaching sections
2.6. [ CITATION Joy \l 1033 ] School of Information and Independent
Researcher have researched “Smartphone adoption among
visually impaired people in urban spaces: Cases from Seoul
and Bangalore”. The objective was to examine the drivers and
impediments in the adoption and use of Smartphone among
visually impaired residents in two urban settings. They
sampled a total of 101 persons, 50 in Seoul (38 male, 12
female, range 19-76 years, median age 33 years), 51 in
Bangalore (34 male, 17 female, range 21-52 years, median age
30 years). They collected primary data from survey
instrument and qualitative interviews and secondary data
through research articles. They used grounded theory
approach to analyze the data. In both locations, they found
positive relationships between mobile devices, and safety and
independence on all counts. They found three factors that
influence technology use. These are the initial transition
experience, the role of the community in supporting
accessibility, and the mobile device’s relationship to
independence in accessible technology use.

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2.7. [CITATION 16Ka \l 1033 ], Technoprenuership and Innovation

Management Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn
University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand has researched on
“Acceptance factors for the use of video call via Smartphone by
blind people”. This research studied the intention and the
need to use video call via Smartphone by blind people
according to the Technology Acceptance Model, a famous and
widely-accepted theory for the indication of the intention to
use technology. The survey data collected from a sample of 30
blind people who lived in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region
and used Smartphone in their daily life were analyze during
Pearson's Correlation Coefficients. The tool used for data
collection was a questionnaire using closed questions that the
researcher created. IOC method was used to analyze the data.
The results found the perceived ease of use factor and the
perceived usefulness factors have similar direction and
relation. These two factors also have similar roles and relation
to the attitude toward using and behavioral intention to use
video call via Smartphone in the daily life of blind people.
2.8. [ CITATION Riz17 \l 1033 ] have researched on “VISUAL PLANET
FOR BLIND: IMPACT OF MASS MEDIA ON VISUALLY
IMPAIRED VIEWERS IN PAKISTAN”. The objective of this
research to understand and uncover the psychological,
sociological, and informative and entertainment needs of VIV
and to investigate how and in what extent the VIV are
gratifying their needs from the content of mass media. Snow
ball sampling was adopted and 10 interviews were conducted
including 7 males and 3 female respondents. Data was
collected via in-depth interviews with semi structured

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questionnaire. Data was analyzed thematically. This study

found that mass media of Pakistan is not properly gratifying
the needs of visually impaired viewers, especially; mainstream
media like Television channels are not paying any attention
towards the issues and events of VIV. Blind community is
marginalized and annoyed by the behavior of sighted society,
feeling depressed due to stereotypical portrayal on mass
media, and are not willing to become a charitable object for
profitable organizations. Radio and Internet were found highly
impactful on the lives of blind people.
2.9. [ CITATION Ron \l 1033 ] The University of Melbourne, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia, researched on “Playing Blind: Revealing the
World of Gamers with Visual Impairment”. The objective of
this research was investigating the habits, opinions and
concerns of PVI regarding digital games. The participants were
PVI who are part of an online audio game community. Data
was collected through online survey, follow-up and semi-
structured interviews and the other research articles. They
analyzed the data through multiple-choice answers from the
survey by
tabulatingresponsestoindividualquestions.Analysisrevealedth
atengagementchangedovertimeas the visual capabilities of
players changed.
2.10. [ CITATION EHK10 \l 1033 ], Malaysia have researched on “Slate and
Stylus: An Alternative Tool for Braille Writing”. The purpose of
the study was to compare the effectiveness of Braille writing
with slate and stylus the conventional method and the A-
J+3+6 method. An experimental study was conducted on ten
blind students and eight low vision students.18 students were

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chosen to participate in the study. Quantitative analysis was

undertaken using SPSS for Windows to analyze the data. The
results indicated that the A-J+3+6 method is more effective in
Braille writing using slate and stylus rather than the
conventional method. Data also showed that students who
used the conventional method tend to do more mirror errors
than students who used A-J+3+6 method.

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