Using Virtual Reality to Enable Individuals with Severe Visual Disabilities to Read Books

Weir, Kurtis; Loizides, Fernando; Nahar, Vinita; Aggoun, A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29390-1_62

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The application discussed was developed in the Unity engine and was run via a laptop, the Pimax 5K Plus VR [45] HMD, and Vive Wand controllers. A detailed explanation of the application can be found in [69]. The application is designed to work alongside most common PC VR devices, and a machine that supports the minimum specifications for VR.…”

Section: Software Prototypementioning

confidence: 99%

I see therefore i read: improving the reading capabilities of individuals with visual disabilities through immersive virtual reality

Weir

Loizides

Nahar

et al. 2021

Univ Access Inf Soc

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We aim to help improve the quality of life of people with visual disabilities through the application of emerging technologies. Our current research investigates the viability of Virtual Reality (VR) as an aid for persons with visual disabilities. In this article, we explore the potential of VR assisted reading. We investigate the reading effects of VR equipment on persons with visual disabilities by utilising variations of standardised optometry-informed reading tests conducted across 24 participants. Test results uncovered that, when comparing a worn VR head-mounted display (HMD) to physical unaided tests, results within a HMD scaled better at closer distances while unaided tests scaled better with further distances. Using the findings collected and requirements elicited from participants, a prototype document reader was developed for reading text within a VR immersed 3D environment, allowing low vision users to customise and configure accessibility features for enhanced reading. This software was tested with 11 new participants alongside user evaluations, allowing us to discover how users perceived text best within our 3D virtual environments, and what features and techniques are required to evolve this accessibility tool further. The user test reported an overwhelmingly positive response to our tool as a feasible

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Section: Software Prototypementioning

confidence: 99%

I see therefore i read: improving the reading capabilities of individuals with visual disabilities through immersive virtual reality

Weir

Loizides

Nahar

et al. 2021

Univ Access Inf Soc

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The user is shown 5 lines of text from the chosen book, which is adjustable. The user manipulates the environmental variables through voice control, which allows him to change the letter number in this virtual world (Weir et al, 2019).…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile application to improve reading habits using Virtual Reality

Chavez-Helaconde

Pancca-Mamani

Vera-Sancho

et al. 2020

IJUSI

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Education is changing rapidly, so emerging technologies are being used to improve this process. One of these technologies is the Virtual Reality (VR), whose field of action is increasingly broad, so it has been incorporating new methods in teaching having a great positive impact in recent years, but the applicability in the area of communication is minimal. Seeing the challenges faced by the Ministry of Education in the development of reading skills and strengthening the capabilities of students in our country. In the this research a new alternative is proposed, to improve the beginnings of the habit of reading in students of second grade of Elementary School having to use of a mobile application with VR named Diverticuentos that generates scenes of the readings in 360o besides being con-nected to a databases like firebase that allows us to see the progress of each stu-dent verifying that it is possible to integrate this new technology in the sessions and to generate a beginning of habit of reading of the students.

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“…The application allows for the user to use a custom environment designed around a library environment, with books that can be selected to be read from (See Figure 8). Book models only represent what can be chosen, as text is displayed upon a foating panel and can be held like a tablet(See work in [9]), rather than displaying the text on the book itself. A fat panel was chosen over a book due to participant feedback from the Text distance test indicating that users need to be able to customise the background and fonts very specifcally, which is best done on a fat plane to reduce noise.…”

Section: Software Design and Prototypementioning

confidence: 99%

Creating a Bespoke Virtual Reality Personal Library Space for Persons with Severe Visual Disabilities

Weir

Loizides

Nahar

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries in 2020

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We present our work on creating a virtual reality personal library environment to enable people with severe visual disabilities to engage in reading tasks. The environment acts as a personal study or library to an individual, who under other circumstances would not be able to access or use a public library or a physical study at home. We present tests undertaken to identify the requirements and needs of our users to inform this environment and fnally present the working prototype. CCS CONCEPTS• Information systems → Multimedia information systems; • Human-centered computing → Accessibility systems and tools; Accessibility technologies; • Hardware → Emerging technologies.

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Using Virtual Reality to Enable Individuals with Severe Visual Disabilities to Read Books

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

I see therefore i read: improving the reading capabilities of individuals with visual disabilities through immersive virtual reality

I see therefore i read: improving the reading capabilities of individuals with visual disabilities through immersive virtual reality

Mobile application to improve reading habits using Virtual Reality

Creating a Bespoke Virtual Reality Personal Library Space for Persons with Severe Visual Disabilities

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