[Nyabs] check out the results of this study

[Kathryn Carroll]

web address included below.
Abstract

The blind and Visually Impaired (VI) rely heavily on walking and public
transit for their transportation needs. A major challenge for this
population is safe crossing of intersections. As a result of the American
with Disabilities Act (ADA), Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) systems at
signalized intersections have improved significantly since 2000. However,
these systems still have shortcomings for both users and municipalities,
and new approaches are needed to adequately serve pedestrians with low
vision. As part of our ongoing effort to develop a prototype Mobile
Accessible Pedestrian Signal (MAPS) application for the blind and VI, we
interviewed ten blind and lowvision people to better understand what types
of information they use at intersection crossings and to identify
information types that could assist them. With these survey results, a MAPS
prototype was developed that provides signal and intersection geometry
information to Smartphone users at signalized intersections. User
interaction is via simple tactile input (single or double-tap) and
Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology. A MAPS prototype was developed and tested
to evaluate the functionalities of providing signal and orientation
information to the visually impaired travelers at signalized intersections.
This proposal will build upon the developed MAPS and investigate how blind
and low-vision individuals gain their spatial knowledge surrounding an
intersection and how the MAPS can be used to support their decision-making
strategy at intersection crossings.

http://www.its.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2164&utm_source=August+2012+Extra&utm_campaign=August+Extra+Email+1&utm_medium=email

-- 
Kathryn Carroll
St. John's University School of Law 2013
(Ph.) 347-455-1521
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