• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.94-102
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• 2011

In this paper, we proposed a real-time education assistive technology system based on haptic display to improve education environment of total blindness people. The proposed system consist of a lecture and writing S/W for educator and a previously developed haptic display H/W for total blindness people. The one has the major function which is quickly and easily writing to the education data, that will be provided to total blindness people, through familiar UI, the other has the major function which print out the tactile information about the education data. The result of implementing system not only provides a similar result using existing braille instrument and printer, but shows that it is effective performance and functionality because it can print out the education data in real time.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.54
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• pp.149-176
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of community integration of visually impaired people who have the limitation of mobility in comparison with another disabled and to find factors affecting community integration. The data were obtained through telephone interview with visually impaired people. The final sample was consisted of 1,004 respondents. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as crosstabulation, t-test, and hierarchical regression. In this study, the factors affecting community integration was divided into four dimensions : the attribution to disability, physical functioning, psychology and social support system. The major findings of this study were as follows: First, the factors affecting community integration of visually impaired people were age, education, economic status, social support, information support and participation of rehabilitation service. Second, the factors affecting community integration of the low vision and the blind are the limitation of daily activities and social support. But the factors affecting community integration of the blind are participation of education for braille and that of the low vision are information support and participation of rehabilitation service. Finally, the person losing eyesight since school age were the more limitation of daily activities than the person losing eyesight in babyhood. The factors affect community integration of the former are social support, information support, participation of education for braille, and rehabilitation service. The current findings suggest that intervention and policy aimed at improving social support system and formal services such as education, rehabilitation services should be considered by rehabilitation professionals and policy makers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Broadcast Engineers Conference
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• 2014.06a
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• pp.12-14
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• 2014

본 논문에서는 시각장애인들의 TV 시청시 리모콘이나 별도의 기기의 착용없이 TV 조작이 가능한 제스처 명령의 설계를 소개한다. 시각장애인들의 TV 시청 및 조작 현황 및 수요를 알아보기 위해 저시력 및 전맹 장애인들을 대상으로 설문조사와 그룹 인터뷰를 수행하였으며 현재 시중에 적용된 좌표 포인팅 방식 제스처에 대한 평가 또한 이루어졌다. 이 결과를 바탕으로 현재 시판중인 동작인식 시스템에서 인식가능하며 시각장애인들의 사용성을 고려한 TV 조작 맨손 제스처를 제안한다.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.452-458
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• 2013

In this paper, we propose the method for automatically transfers images into tactile maps information based on cognition characteristics of visually impaired persons to more easily provide various image information for visually impaired persons. The proposed method automatically classify color images into row complexity and high complexity based on intensity information and transfer images into tactile map information using each different transformation process. Experimental evaluation, We performed with visually impaired five persons experiments for evaluating the recognition and satisfaction that tactile maps of the proposed automatic transforming method and the manually generated tactile maps of braille textbooks. Experimental results, the recognition and satisfaction that the tactile maps of the proposed method generated are very similar to those of the tactile maps of braille textbooks. Therefore, it could hugely be reduced the time and money of production education materials, and it could greatly improved educative results because it can add more easily that many image data of education materials.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.335-354
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• 2009

In the knowledge and information society, there is an increasing importance of information, being unable to access this information becomes a huge disadvantage. Blind and visually impaired users who are using assistant equipment such as screen readers are the very class that is having trouble accessing the web content that public libraries provide. In this research 10% of each region's libraries were picked as a research sample. Most of the web content that the public libraries provided did not meet the Internet web content accessibility guidelines as a Korean standard. Also evaluation into web accessibility by the visually impaired was also low. This research suggests some solutions for libraries to reduce the disadvantages that are put upon visually impaired people from various views such as perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2016

The purpose of the study is to identify the accessibility of OpenCouresWare(OCW) from the perspective of college students with visual and hearing impairments. Six students with visual impairments(3 blind and 3 low vision) and four students with hearing impairments(2 deaf, 2 hard of hearing) implemented usability testing. Two modules in KOCW were selected for testing. Students implemented usability testing and then each individual case was analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. As results, the degree of usability and accessibility in two modules indicated low level. Implications and recommendations for designing OCW module based on the results were suggested.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.186-200
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• 2023

This study aims to improve the usability of the white cane, which is walking equipment that most local visually impaired people use and carry when going out, and to contribute to the prevention of safety accidents and the walking rights of visually impaired people by providing improvement and resolution measures for the problems identified. Also, this study is a study on the visually impaired, primarily targeting the 1st to 2nd degree visually impaired people, who cannot go out on their own without walking equipment such as a white cane, corresponding to 20% among approximately 250,000 blind and low vision people in the Korean population. In the study process, the concept has been developed from the user's point of view in order that the white cane becomes a real help in the walking step of the visually impaired and the improvement of usability of the white cane, the main walking equipment for the visually impaired, are done by problem identification through the Double Diamond Model of Design Thinking (Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test (verify)). As a result of the investigation in the process of Empathy, a total of five issues was synthesized, including an increase in the proportion of the visually impaired people, an insufficient workforce situation to help all the visually impaired, an improvement and advancement of assistive devices essential for the visually impaired, problems of damage, illegal occupation, demolition, maintenance about braille blocks, making braille block paradigms for the visually impaired and for everyone. In Ideate and Prototype steps, situations derived from brainstorming were grouped and the relationship were made through the KJ method, and specific situations and major causes were organized to establish the direction of the concept. The derived solutions and major functions are defined in four categories, and representative situations requiring solutions and major functions are organized into two user scenarios. Ideas were visualized by arranging the virtual Persona and Customer Journey Map according to the situation and producing a prototype through 3D modeling. Finally, in the evaluation, the final concept derived is a device such a smart cane for guidance for the visually impaired as ① a smart cane emphasizing portability + ② compatibility with other electronic devices + ③ a product with safety and convenience.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.41-60
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• 2016

This study investigated how people who became blind midway through life used music and how these uses differed according to individual factors. Sixty-one late-blind adults aged 40 to 60 years attending six welfare centers for the blind in Seoul and Gyeonggi region participated in this research. Participants were asked to complete a 25-question survey in Braille on music utilization and preference, as well as the purpose of music utilization. The response rate was 87.1%. The results were as follows. First, with regard to listening preference, they reported preferring to listen to upbeat popular music on the radio when resting at home. They liked to sing along to lyrics reminiscent of personal memories. String instruments were preferred when playing an instrument. With regard to the reason for using music, inducing mood change was found to be the biggest reason, followed by seeking enjoyment, comfort, sense of achievement, and sense of belonging. Third, for people with adventitious visual impairments, individual factors, such as gender, level of disability, and period without eyesight, did not reveal any significant differences. Last, participants were found to obtain a higher sense of belonging through music compared to those having low vision. Regarding time without eyesight, it appeared that the shorter the period, the higher the sense of belonging participants had from utilizing music, and vice versa. This study provides fundamental information for organizing an effective music program that can meet the needs and demands of people with adventitious visual impairments.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2016

The purpose of the study is to identify the usability of OpenCouresWare(OCW) from the perspective of students with visual and hearing impairments. Twelve college students with disabilities(8 visual and 4 hearing impairment) implemented usability testing. Two modules in both edX and KOCW were selected for testing. Students with disabilities implemented usability testing and then each individual case was analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. As results, the degree of general usability in both edX and KOCW indicated an average level and the degree of accessibility in edX module was evaluated higher than KOCW. Specifically, the module of edX was rated highly by students with hearing impairments and the usability level of KOCW module was highly appreciated by blind students.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.243-256
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to perform a content analysis on 62 domestic and international journals from 1998 to 2017, in order to review research trends in music and people with visual impairments. The framework of the content analysis was based on the year of publication, field of journal, research method, type of research, research subject, participants' age, and factors of impairment. The results showed that both domestic and international journals have rapidly increased in the last 10 years, and have expanded into the fields of education and therapy. In the research method, survey research was conducted much more frequently in domestic journals, while both qualitative and experimental research were employed on a roughly even basis in international journals. With respect to the type and subject of research, music perception and recent trends on the subject of musical interest and aptitude took up the majority of domestic journals, while international journals focused on music intervention, music perception and cognition with musical influences and experiences. The participants in both domestic and international journals were children, adolescents and adults, while the elderly were not observed. In the factors of impairment, research on people with total blindness or low vision were conducted frequently, but those with adventitious vision loss or multiple impairments were rarely performed. This study could be meaningful to suggest the direction of further studies, through the investigation of research trends in music and people with visual impairments.