Article

Individuals with visual impairment have difficulty detecting obstacles
that are above waist height. A prototype device was developed to allow
individuals to hear ultrasound reflections off environmental obstacles. The
purpose of this research was to evaluate novices' ability to evaluate distance
and pass through apertures using this device. METHOD: The first experiment
evaluated the ability to judge the distance from a wall using the ultrasound
system as compared to using auditory echolocation. The second examined time for
passage, centreline accuracy and angle of rotation through different sized
apertures. RESULTS: Distance judgement was found to be better with audified
ultrasound than with auditory echolocation. When passing through apertures,
audified ultrasound enabled centreline precision similar to that of vision, but
individuals did not rotate their shoulders while passing through suggesting that
more practice is necessary to combine perceptive information with proprioceptive
action. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to judge distance and navigate through an
environment with obstacles using a device which audifies ultrasound was shown to
be better than using auditory echolocation, but not as effective as vision. This
device will allow individuals with visual impairments to better detect and avoid
environmental obstacles.

Langue : ANGLAIS