a Department of Educational and Social Policy , University of Macedonia , Thessaloniki , Greece.
b Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Assist Technol. 2018;30(4):191-200. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2017.1307879. Epub 2017 May 4.
Individuals with visual impairment face significant challenges traveling in the physical environment. Independent movement is directly connected to the quality of someone's life, and thus, orientation and mobility issues are always listed among the top priorities of research in the field. The aim of the present research was to examine the level of accuracy of the cognitive map developed through the use of a verbal description versus the cognitive map developed using an audio-tactile map. A comparison of the effectiveness of the two mobility aids in detecting specific points of interest in the physical environment was an objective of the research. The procedure involved the study of a map using the two mobility aids, and an assessment through the transfer to the corresponding physical environment. The results suggest that an individual with visual impairment can acquire and use a functional cognitive map through the use of an audio-tactile map, while relying on a verbal description entails greater difficulty in detecting specific points of interest when he/she comes into the physical environment.
视力障碍者在物理环境中出行面临重大挑战。独立移动与一个人的生活质量直接相关，因此，定向和移动问题始终被列为该领域研究的重中之重。本研究的目的是检验通过使用口头描述和使用音频触觉图开发的认知图的准确性水平。比较两种移动辅助工具在检测物理环境中特定兴趣点方面的有效性是研究的目标之一。该程序涉及使用两种移动辅助工具研究地图，并通过转移到相应的物理环境进行评估。结果表明，视力障碍者可以通过使用音频触觉图来获取和使用功能认知图，而仅依赖口头描述则在进入物理环境时更难以检测到特定的兴趣点。
