Empowering low-vision rehabilitation professionals with “Do-It-Yourself” methods

Abstract

Teachers and educators working with visually impaired students need to create numerous adapted learning materials that represent maps, shapes, objects, concepts, etc. This process usually relies on tactile document makers. It is time consuming and expensive. Recent “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) techniques, including 3D printing and low-cost rapid prototyping, may enable to easily and quickly create learning materials that is versatile, interactive and cheap. In this study, we first analyzed the needs of many professionals at an institute for visually impaired children. It appeared that many of the students also present associated behavioral disorders, which has consequences on the design of adapted materials. In a second step, we used a focus group with design probes made with regular or 3D printed objects, and low-cost microcontrollers. At the end of the focus group, we identified four specific scenarios with different teachers and students. We created four low-cost interactive prototypes, and we observed how they were used during learning sessions. In conclusion, DIY methods appear to be a valuable solution for enabling professionals to quickly design new adapted materials or modify existing ones. Furthermore, DIY methods provide a collaborative framework between teachers and visually impaired students, which has a positive impact on their motivation.