A Survey of the Use of Echolocation Cues for Wayfinding in Campus Environments by a Student with Visual Impairment

Abstract

Abstract:Andy is a 20years old college student who was born blind without visual memory and light sensitization. He lives in the school dormitory from Mondays through Fridays and spends most of his time on campus. Andy tells us that he has had experience since childhood in using echoes to search for objects and spatial scales in the environment (e.g. buildings, plants, doorways, etc.). He believes "using echoes to identify one's location is an effective method". Thus, we investigated objects that can provide Andy good echoes when he is walking along a specific route on campus. Such object is usually an element of campus design and is set by the designer. This study refers to these objects, of which echoes can be perceived, as echolocation cues.