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Visual Impairments
People are usually visually disabled, if they are unable to perform certain tasks because of their visual impairment.
Visual impairment may impact on daily living activities. A range of functions may be affected by visual impairment, including visual acuity and visual field, but in addition, visual functions such as contrast sensitivity, colour vision, visual adaptation to different luminance levels, diplopia may be affected.
Visual impairments are divided into two general categories: blindness and low vision. Individuals with blindness have absolutely no sight, or have so little that “vision“ must take place through other senses. Only 10-15% of the visually impaired population is totally blind. People with low vision have severe impairments whether due to genetics, traumatic injuries, or illnesses and need special accommodations, but are still able to see.
The term “Legally blind” is used to describe a person who has visual acuity of less than 3/60. This means that a legally blind individual would have to stand 3 m from an object to see it with the same degree of clarity as a normally sighted person could from 60 m.
| Name | Age | Occupation | AT used | Impairment | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jana |
25 | Bio-Medical Student | A computer with voice recognition and screen reader software. A 40 cell Braille display, . three-dimensional tactile models and more. |
Visual Impairment | Slovakian |
Igor |
43 | Engineering Graduate AT technician for the visually impaired. | Screen magnifying software. Screen reader(JAWS) with Win Talker Voice for Slovakian. Digital Dictaphone as a diary. CCTV magnifying device, Twinkle Bright. Braille 'n Speak. Large Monitor. Large format text. |
Partially sighted | Slovakian |
| Alexis |
38 | Computer Scientist | Cochlear Implant, Computer with magnifying software (ZOOMTEXT), Large monitor (19”) |
Hearing & Visual Impairment | Belgian |
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
Braille Displays |
Hardware |
Braille Embossers |
Hardware |
Braille Notetakers |
Hardware |
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) |
Hardware |
Dictaphones |
Hardware |
Large Character Keytops |
Hardware |
Large Monitors - Two Types |
Hardware |
Magnifying software |
Software |
| Monocular |
Hardware |
Optical character recognition (OCR) Software |
Software |
| PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) |
Hardware |
Scanners |
Hardware |
Screen readers |
Software |
Windows XP Display Options |
Software |