The Need For Accessible Tools Within Visually Impaired Populations, discussing the “Social Blind Spot” with Dr. Tanya Tran [INTERVIEW]

The CANE-AI team testing out the first iteration of a digital cane.

This interview was conducted with Dr. Tran, an OD who specializes in treating the visually impaired. I have been given the opportunity to work with her while researching for my digital cane (CANE-AI) project. The purpose of this interview was to assess how CANE-AI could fit into the lives of the visually impaired in a way which targeted their daily struggles. Primary data such as interviews which involved communication with specialists in the field comprised of most of our research when it came to developing the Cane-AI. Click here to travel to the page to view our CANE-AI project.

Q: What do you believe to be the largest challenge that visually impaired people currently face?

A: Depending on the level of visually impaired.  Let’s say if you refer to people who are blind then I think the most common challenge is that they don’t have their independence; they’re not in control of their surroundings which might lead to some safety issues. They often live in isolation.  Therefore they will feel loneliness and this will impact their mental state.

Q: What is a common misunderstanding or thing that people don't know about the lives of visually impaired people?

A: Don’t underestimate their ability or power to do things.  People with vision disability tends to rewire themselves to enhance other senses like their sense of smell or sound. There’s many high tech out in the industry to help people who’re blind or low vision.  Example: Braille has been used over 100+ yrs as a tactile way of reading with fingertips. Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or have low vision.

Q: What do you believe are the current limitations of accessibility tools offered to the visually impaired?

A: No tools are perfect.  Unfortunately, the assistive tools are still having some limitations in the capabilities. This is mostly due to not enough depths of data collections that were analyzed for the coverages of the features.  There could be surroundings, environmental or weather impact that might cause false or mal-function of the devices.

Q: What are some current efforts that have been succesful in helping visually impaired people gain more independence?

Braille products; magnifiers, Reading and Writing aids, watches, Canes for the blind; low vision electronic products; trained Dogs.

Q: What are current options that visually impaired people have if they want to work or travel?

They can travel using a human guide, which involves holding onto someone’s arm, use a long cane to identify and avoid obstacles, or elevation changes , using a dog guide, using electronic aids.  I know there’s O&M Specialist available to help the blind.  An Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist provides instruction to help you develop or re-learn the skills and concepts needed to travel safely and independently within your home and the community.

Q: What are some major hazards that blind people face when going outside?

Typically, blind, or visually impaired people are at increased risk of injury and death in the event of a fire. They may be more likely to ignite a fire accidently through common household activities. Here’s some examples: Clear glass door, stairs, platforms, sidewalks with obstacles.