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iSTEP 2013: Development and Assessment of Assistive Technology for a School for the Blind in India Madeleine Clute, Madelyn Gioffre, Poornima Kaniarasu, Aditya Kodkany, Vivek Nair, Shree Lakshmi Rao, Aveed Sheikh, Avia Weinstein, Ermine A. Teves, M. Beatrice Dias, M. Bernardine Dias CMU-RI-TR-16-30 The Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 June 2016 Copyright © 2016 TechBridgeWorld at Carnegie Mellon University Development and Assessment of Assistive Technology for a School for the Blind in India Madeleine Clute, Madelyn Gioffre, Poornima Kaniarasu, Aditya Kodkany, Vivek Nair, Shree Lakshmi Rao, Aveed Sheikh, Avia Weinstein, Ermine A. Teves, M. Beatrice Dias, M. Bernardine Dias 1 Acknowledgements We extend sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our partner, the Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind for mentoring and advising us throughout the duration of the iSTEP research internship. The authors would especially like to thank Ms. Muktha for giving us the opportunity to work with the Mathru School for the Blind. To all the students, teaching and non-teaching staff for their cooperation in working with us and providing us with a wealth of information that has assisted us in completing this research. In addition, we would also like to acknowledge Carnegie Mellon University for providing the academic infrastructure necessary to make our work possible. Abstract Assistive devices for the visually impaired are often prohibitively expensive for potential users in developing communities. This report describes field research aimed at developing and assessing assistive technology that is economically accessible and relevant to this population of visually impaired individuals. The work discussed was completed at the Mathru School for the Blind as part of the iSTEP internship program, which is organized by CMU’s TechBridgeWorld research group. Eight CMU student interns were recruited to work on this proJect over the course of nine weeks in Bangalore, India. In particular, this report details the development of two affordable technologies that aid in the teaching of braille writing to visually impaired children. These tools were created through an iterative process that incorporated user feedback at different stages of design and development. Findings from this research indicate that such assistive tools can enhance the education experience for visually impaired children in India, and can also facilitate the teaching process for their educators. In addition to technology development, at the request of the local partner institution, researchers conducted training sessions at the Mathru School for the Blind to enhance teachers’ computer literacy and skills. This report outlines the structure of these lessons for both sighted and blind individuals, as well as outcomes from the training sessions and feedback from participating teachers. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Figures .................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Contributions of This Work ................................................................................................................................ 8 Outline of Report ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 TechBridgeWorld ............................................................................................................................................... 9 iSTEP ................................................................................................................................................................ 9 Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind .............................................................................................................. 9 Braille Tutor Technology ................................................................................................................................. 10 Braille .......................................................................................................................................................... 10 The Slate and Stylus Method for Learning Braille Writing ........................................................................... 11 The Braille Writing Tutor .................................................................................................................................. 12 The Standalone Braille Writing Tutor .............................................................................................................. 15 Related Work ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Braille Tutor Technologies ................................................................................................................................... 18 Braille Writing Tutor Assessment .................................................................................................................... 18 Standalone Braille Writing Tutor Assessment ................................................................................................. 19 Technology Enhancements ............................................................................................................................. 20 Braille Writing Tutor Modifications ............................................................................................................... 20 Standalone Braille Tutor Modifications ........................................................................................................ 21 Evaluation of Enhanced Braille Tutor Technologies ....................................................................................... 22 User Testing of Braille Writing Tutor Modifications ..................................................................................... 22 User Testing of Standalone Braille Tutor Modifications .............................................................................. 23 Conclusions and Future Work ......................................................................................................................... 26 Braille Writing Tutor Findings ...................................................................................................................... 26 Standalone Braille Tutor Findings ............................................................................................................... 27 Tactile Graphics Project ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Background ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 Related Work ................................................................................................................................................... 28 Implementation ................................................................................................................................................ 29 User Testing and Evaluation ........................................................................................................................... 31 Conclusions and Future Work ......................................................................................................................... 31 Teacher Training ................................................................................................................................................. 31 Identified Needs .............................................................................................................................................. 31 3 Training Description and Outcomes ................................................................................................................ 32 Recommendations for Future Work ................................................................................................................ 33 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 Longer Term Assessment of Projects ................................................................................................................. 34 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................ 34 Related Work ................................................................................................................................................... 34 Approach to Evaluation ..................................................................................................................................