2007 PhD Thesis Final Revised.pdf - Curtin University

! detection of objects within a normal visual range (approximately 180
degrees)
! assist in crowded places and
! does not interfere with other senses.
Gerry believes that in the excitement of using post-World War II technologies to
assist blind people combined with possible profiteering, the consultation process was
bypassed in an effort to get the products on the market.
When examining the existing ETAs, it can be seen how a lack of consultation
has resulted in several key requirements being missed. The Russell Pathsounder, for
example, was designed to provide a clear central path for the user yet it is unable to
detect all objects and the auditory output distracts the user. The Mowat sensor,
although discrete to use, cannot pick up drop-offs or overhead objects which means
that a vision impaired user cannot trust the output of the object. Other ETAs have
additional problems. The Sonic Pathfinder, a head-mounted device, attracts attention
from the public causing embarrassment to the user. The Sonic Torch and
SonicGuide provide feedback through the audio interpretation of a raw ultrasonic
signal which creates unpleasant feedback that would require a significant amount of
training to interpret the signal correctly.
Despite these difficulties, the ETAs were still beneficial in highlighting the
way that electronics could be used to assist people with vision disabilities. As
previously discussed, such development led to important initiatives in ensuring
accessibility to the personal computer. However, the lack of consultation, especially
in post-development, meant that potentially highly beneficial technology was
effectively rendered useless to blind and vision impaired people.
3.5 Accessibility barriers of personal computing
The development of mainstream computing carried significant hope for people with
vision disabilities. Yet the initial offerings did not cater for people with disabilities
and as such led to the creation of the first disability divide. In particular, the
development process of technology for people with disabilities did not progress as
rapidly as the rest of the IT industry. With the exception of IBM, few mainstream
63