Digital inclusion for visually impaired students through assistive technologies in academic libraries
| Pages | 14-17 |
| Published date | 12 February 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-11-2019-0081 |
| Date | 12 February 2020 |
| Author | Adefunke O. Alabi,Stephen M. Mutula |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Library & information services |
Digital inclusion for visually impaired students
through assistive technologies in academic libraries
Adefunke O. Alabi and Stephen M. Mutula
Introduction
A visual disabilitycould mean partial
sight, low vision, color blindness or total
blindness. People living with visual
disabilities struggle with two major
challenges: difficulty in accessing
(retrieving and reading) materials in
print and navigation. Golledge (1993)
notes that people living with visual
disabilities have difficulty in performing
daily routines such as locating streets,
reading store names, reading product
information and other information in
print format. There are restrictions in
their mobility because of cognitive
limitations and fear of falling (Worth,
2013;Wong, 2018). Students with visual
disability face difficulty in getting to
classrooms and other places within and
outside the campus. In general, people
living with disabilities, especially those
who are visually incapacitated, suffer
exclusion from active participation in
society. This is conflicting to the themes
of the UN global development agenda,
sustainable development goal (SDG) four,
which states that governments and
policymakers across the globe should
create an enabling environment (physical
and virtual) for people living with
disabilities to enable them have unfettered
access to school buildings and other
educational and recreational facilities,
including libraries, dining areas, toilets
and playgrounds.
With assistiv e technologies ( ATs),
those with disabilities are able to
participate in society; communicate
effectively; have access to, and exchange
information without restriction; and not
experience digital and social inclusion
(Lloyd et al., 2016;Ragnedda, 2017).
Regrettably, most libraries do not give
adequate attention to provision of ATs to
the visually impaired students. They
experience difficulties in having access to
information, face lack books in accessible
formats and face marginalization or total
exclusion from policies on library
services and access to library websites
(Zaid, 2017;Kaunda and Chizwina,
2019).
The emergence of new technologies
has been widespread, and libraries should
notbeleftout(
Oyelude, 2017). These
technologies are referred to as assistive or
adaptive technologies. By definition, AT
is any device, equipment or product,
whether acquired commercially, modified
or customized, to increase, maintain or
also to improve the functional capabilities
of any individual with a disability (Munin
and Yu, 2017, p. 446). ATs can be
divided into two categories, namely, low-
tech and high-tech, with the low-tech
category being less expensive. They can
also be classified according to their
functionalities into academic and learning
technologies, daily living, listening for
computer access and instruction and
mobility aids. AT can be computer
hardware or software or electronic device.
With the aid of ATs, visually impaired
students are able to gain autonomy,
improved quality of life and are able to
participate in society (Riemer-Reiss and
Wacker, 2000). AT also serves as an
avenue for compensation for inherent
constraints experienced by people living
with visual disabilities and help
them to tackle obstacles in the digital
environment, thereby giving them equal
opportunities as their sighted counterparts
(Koulikourdi, 2008). The Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD) mandated that people living
with disabilities be provided with ATs.
This mandate is well supported by the
World Health Organization (WHO) in
partnership with UN agencies, donor
agencies, professional organizations,
academia and industry through the Global
Cooperation on Assistive Technology
(GATE). Next, we explore the state-of-
the-art ATs developed for visually
impaired people and those that should be
included in academic libraries as a way of
proffering solutions to the challenges
faced by visually impaired students in
accessing information in achieving their
academic goals. With developments in
artificial intelligence, people living with
visual impairment can now live more
independently.
High-tech assistive technologies
To help people living with visual
impairment overcome the problem of
navigation, the following ATs have
been developed:
Vizorro is a small wearable laser
navigation device that measures the
distance to any obstacle at which user
points it. It enables blind people “sense”
the distance to different obstacles using
the principle of sensory extension. It can
be moved in different directions, and it
helps the user “scan” the environment for
obstacles. More information can be found
at: www.indiegogo.com/projects/vizorro-
laser-navigation-for-the-blind–3#/
Sunu – ultrasonic wearable (mobility
and independence), Sunu Band is the
first smart-bracelet that uses an object
tracker to enhance mobility and
independence for the visually impaired
individuals. It is capable of sensing
environment and delivering feedback on
the wrist to indicate proximity with its
ultrasonic technology. With the help of
the Sunu Band, visually impaired
individuals can navigate easily with
precision and feel what is around them
without physicalcontact. It is suitable for
individuals who are totally blind, have
low vision or are partially sighted. See
www.indiegogo.com/projects/sunu-ultrasonic-
wearable-to-heighten-perception#/
WeWALK Smart Cane (innovative
smart cane for full participation in the
society) was designed by a visually
impaired person known as Kursat Ceylan,
who was blind since birth. This smart
cane helps visually impaired people move
independently and gain full participation
14 LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 2 2020, pp. 14-17, V
CEmerald Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/LHTN-11-2019-0081
To continue reading
Request your trial