Identifying Visual Cues to Improve Independent IndoorNavigation for Blind Individuals

The idea of using technology to help those with visual impairments navigate has been studied extensively. However, most of these systems focus on getting the user from place to place, rather than helping the person get a better sense and intuition of their environment. Providing blind people with the same intuitive clues that sighted persons have may allow them to better navigate physical spaces, and also feel more empowered to freely explore the physical location. For this purpose, we have begun to study the process that sighted individuals use for familiarizing and getting a sense of their environment. We believe our results will show it is possible to enhance the navigational capabilities of blind people by providing access to the same clues used by sighted people to get a sense of their environment.