The Comprehension of STEM Graphics via a Multisensory Tablet Electronic Device by Students with Visual Impairments

Abstract

Introduction: The current work probes the effectiveness of multimodal touch screen tablet electronic devices in conveying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graphics via vibrations and sounds to individuals who are visually impaired (i.e., blind or low vision) and compares it with similar graphics presented in an embossed format. Method: A volunteer sample of 22 participants who are visually impaired, selected from a summer camp and local schools for blind students, were recruited for the current study. Participants were first briefly (∼30 min) trained on how to explore graphics via a multimodal touch screen tablet. They then explored six graphic types (number line, table, pie chart, bar chart, line graph, and map) displayed via embossed paper and tablet. Participants answered three content questions per graphic type following exploration. Results: Participants were only 6% more accurate when answering questions regarding an embossed graphic as opposed to a tablet graphic. A paired-samples t test indicated that this difference was not significant, t(14) = 1.91, p = .07. Follow-up analyses indicated that presentation medium did not interact with graphic type, F(5, 50) = 0.43, p = .83, nor visual ability, F(1, 13) = 0.00, p = .96. Discussion: The findings demonstrate that multimodal touch screen tablets may be comparable to embossed graphics in conveying iconographic science and mathematics content to individuals with visual impairments, regardless of the severity of impairment. The relative equivalence in response accuracy between mediums was unexpected, given that most students who participated were braille readers and had experience reading embossed graphics, whereas they were introduced to the tablet the day of testing. Implications for practitioners: This work illustrates that multimodal touch screen tablets may be an effective option for general education teachers or teachers of students with visual impairments to use in their educational practices. Currently, preparation of accessible graphics is time consuming and requires significant preparation, but such tablets provide solutions for offering “real-time” displays of these graphics for presentation in class.

The Graphical Access Challenge for People with Visual Impairments: Positions and Pathways Forward

“…Work with a prototype system, called a vibro-audio interface (VAI), based on a commercial tablet, has shown near identical accuracy between use of the VAI and hardcopy tactile stimuli for graph interpretation, pattern detection, and shape recognition [60]. In corroboration, studies by Gorlewicz and colleagues have demonstrated no significant differences in the interpretation of a variety of graphics including bar graphs, pie charts, tables, number lines, line graphs, and simple maps that were presented in embossed form and displayed multimodally on a touchscreen created by Vital [61,62]. Not only do these studies show the efficacy of this interface, but also that this multimodal platform can achieve similar performance to the gold standard of hardcopy graphics.…”

Automatic Object Detection Algorithm-Based Braille Image Generation System for the Recognition of Real-Life Obstacles for Visually Impaired People

“…Researchers have made several attempts to output tactile images by combining a haptic device with a braille display [13].…”

Image Accessibility for Screen Reader Users: A Systematic Review and a Road Map

“…Note that only two papers supported color information for photographs [35] and artwork [66]. Other information types include types of graph [53] and weather [24]. Five papers did not specify the information they provided.…”