Seeing Through Hearing, Touch, and Technology

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Visualization through Hearing
Seeing through Touch
Application of Technology to Help the Blind See Again
Designing for All
Summary
Conclusion
References

Abstract

The essay discusses some of the factors that can help blind people see. In as much as sight is impaired in the stated group of individuals, it is not uncommon to find them visualizing objects and other things they interact with on a daily basis. The visualization process is frequently enhanced by other factors, specifically, other senses. The essay looks into two senses and describes how they have so far been used to enable blind people to see. The two senses discussed are hearing and touching.

Of particular importance in the presentation is the role of technology in helping blind people see. Through the paper, it will be proven that technology is essential in ensuring that blind people can see through hearing and touch. For example, in the case of hearing, technology can be used to develop the sounds that are heard into three-dimensional shapes and items that the blind can interpret in their minds. For such interpretation to work, the involved has to either touch the created object/item or have microbiological or microelectronic elements inserted in their eyes to enable sight.

On the same breath, in the case of touching, blind people have been using the sense of touch to move around and explore their environment since time immemorial. From the utilization of the walking stick to the use of the Braille, touch is a critical sense for blind people, in particular for purposes of identification and visualization. It can be argued that more can be done through touch to help the blind people visualize their environments better.

Introduction

From walking to a shop to reading a book, blind people have significantly limited choices. Such minor things like going alone to a grocery store to buy milk or taking a public bus to attend a meeting are tough for people with sight impairments. Indeed in this time and age, blind people have been empowered and gifted with several innovations that help make their day to day life easier. In the last couple of decades, innovators have been developing technologies and designs that affect day to day life. However, a closer look will reveal that many of the said innovations and technology do not consider people who cannot see. Take the 3D movie innovation, for example, whereas a significant innovation, it can only be enjoyed by individuals who see. Developing for people who cannot see has also been progressive. However, the rate of change has been slow.

Hyder and Tissot (2013) explain that blind people have more limitations that one can dare to imagine. The author gives the example of a book, which she had searched for in braille form. She did not get the book despite being interested in reading it. Hyder and Tissot (2013) explain that despite the numerous challenges, the world has become more inclusive and supportive of people who cannot see. In the same breath, more innovators are thinking of ways of ensuring that blind people can see. Additionally, blind people have taken an active role in ensuring their restoration of sight and are more involved in the development and creation of the said innovations.

There are also institutions that provide programs that promote the independence of the physically challenged, including the blind. In the US, there are programs that teach visually impaired people how to live independently, and how to access orientation, mobility, and technology classes. Loss of vision is not the end of independence, thanks to global technology and design. To fully achieve such independence for all visually impaired people, it is crucial to develop innovations that solve the root of the problem.

Visualization through Hearing

Human beings have five primary senses. The said senses are hearing, smelling, touching, seeing, and tasting (Agapakis & Tolaas, 2012). It has been proven time and again that when one sense is impaired, another is strengthened. In the case of visual impairment, Azañón et al. (2016) explain that many affected by the various disabilities develop excellent hearing skills. Park and Kim (2014) go on to clarify that the notion is only valid if the individual involved became blind at an early age. The scientific explanation of the premise is that blind people can keenly interpret sound and pitch, thus, they can not only hear words better but can also interpret them as per the sender’s intentions. Having said so, it has become apparent that technology is the best way of converting the sounds that the affected individuals hear, into materials they can “see.”

Using the echoes to create a three-dimensional image of their environment

There have been several attempts of creating three-dimensional images for blind people in a bid to help them visualize the things around them. Foster and Keane (2015) confirm that the burst of technological devices that help the blind see has led to the understanding of blindness, and how it interlinks with the ability to hear. Foster and Keane (2015) explain that there are several innovations that have already been released in the market that help the blind see. Such innovations are affected by the degree of blindness involved. For example, individuals who can recognize shapes can use the assisted vision of smart glasses. The said spectacles identify obstacles, thus, helping the user navigate better in unfamiliar territory. However, the same device cannot be used for a person who cannot see completely. Such a person will appreciate a talking device to help them see. The talking device can then create 3D images that the users can feel to know the different objects in their environment.

Other senses to shape their surroundings

Also important to note, blind people use their senses to shape their environment. As mentioned, scientific research has proven that in some cases, a sense is heightened due to blindness. In many such instances, the heightened sense is hearing. Taylor (2014), however, is of the opinion that a blind person can use all other senses to create a mental image of the environment they are in at that moment. An example of how such imagery can be conceived can be given to clarify further. If a blind man is taken to a new place and asked to sit down, he or she will use all other senses to figure out where he or she has been taken. In the case of a restaurant, the involved person will be able to hear the sound of cutlery. Also, the sense of smell will be heightened, and the person will smell the different foods that are being prepared. Thirdly, the involved, using the sense of touch, will feel around and realize that he is seated on a table that has been set. All these senses have worked together to create the image of the restaurant.

Seeing through Touch

There is also a lot of researches on seeing through touch. In fact, as Kapralos, Collins, and Uribe-Quevedo (2017) observe, sense of touch has been used to visualize items since time immemorial. Even without innovations, blind people have been able to “touch” their way around things. The traditional walking stick has often been referred to as the “arm” of the user as it helps them touch and feel their environment. In this day and age, and with the advance of technology, there are many innovations that can be enhanced to help blind people see through touch. To fully visualize the item a blind individual is touching, such innovations should allow a representation between visions and haptic in the brain to allow the affected individual.

Kinesthetic the relationship between force and motion

Taylor (2014) argues that the kinesthetic sense is one of the best ways of helping blind people see. Defined as muscle memory, kinesthetic allows a person to remember what they saw, and use that to recreate their environment. The braille is viable for blind people due to kinesthetic. Important to note, it has been agreed that kinesthetic is feasible for people who have had sight before. An example can be used to clarify further. A young man, with good sight, can identify a circle and differentiate it from a square. If such a person goes blind, for one reason or the other, the image of the shapes will remain due to the individual’s muscle memory. Therefore, the terms ‘circle’ and ‘square’ can be used to help the person see. It can also be argued that people born blind can see through the concept of kinesthetic. If a blind person learns the difference between circle and square, then using their muscle memory, he/she will be able to see.

Through touch, a person can be able to tell the kind of surface they are walking

As mentioned, the walking stick, which is used by blind people, acts as an elongated arm, and is capable of “touching” where the affected individual cannot. As a blind person walks, the walking stick is used to draw a path that is both safe and familiar to the individual. On the same note, if a blind person is used to a route, and an obstacle is placed on the same path, the involved will not topple over. However, some confusion might be experienced. Cirson (2013) reveals that blind people know the routes they use as the backs of their hands. They can tell where the potholes in a road are, and where the bumps are located. Thus, a person can inform on the kind of surface he or she is walking on through touch. The 3D innovation suggested earlier will also rely on touch to be successful. Even when sound is compressed to form a digital object, the person has to touch that object to see it. The premise is particularly applicable to individuals who cannot see completely.

Kinesthetic

Through the decades, technology has been used to make life easier and also to advance concepts. It is, thus, arguable that technology can be used to help the blind see again. So far, microelectronics and electronics have been used towards achieving the said goal. Regarding electronics, the mentioned assisted vision smart glasses have been crucial in allowing people who cannot see completely to see the world around them. Tinney (2014) goes further and explains that neuromodulation, a concept in microbiology, has been used to help blind people see. Crisp (2015) analyzes a study where a retinal prosthesis, which is a microelectronic chip, was placed in the eye of a person who cannot see completely. The scholar explains that the subject was able to see the light and shapes after the procedure. Suffices to state, there are no significant proven scientific records that show the impact of the said microbiology and microelectronics on the improvement of blindness. However, the concepts have helped create a world where blind people can see virtually.

The space that technology used in

In discussing the role of technology in helping blind people see, it is critical also to address the space in which the said technology is used. It can be argued that technology can be used in both the discussed microbiological and microelectronics space, and also regarding physically assisted vision space. Technology that will use the microbial and microelectronics space will seek a more permanent solution to blindness. Therefore, it is expected that such technology will take a longer period of incubation and innovation. On the other hand, the technology that will rely on the physically assisted vision space will seek to temporarily help the situation. The smart glasses mentioned fall in the said category as they temporarily fix the problem. When the glasses are removed, the individual is unable to see again.

Designing for All

There are a lot of ethical factors to consider when designing solutions for people who are blind. One such element is communication. Important to note, individuals who can see can decipher communication-based non-verbal cues. Such signals are seen and not heard. For blind people, non-verbal cues are non-existent. Therefore, the involved rely on differences in intonation and pitch to determine whether the information given can be trusted. Having said so, it is important that all designers ensure open communication with the affected. Whether the communication is on the devices that are being created or the capturing of opinions and ideas from the target audience, it has to be open and genuine.

Another ethical issue that can be highlighted when designing for blind people is the issue of inclusivity. A designer should keep in mind the different degrees of blindness. Innovations that are created should, therefore, also rightfully identify the level of blindness they are targeting. As mentioned, glasses would work best for people who have a slight vision while microelectronics and microbiological innovations can be used in people who cannot see completely.

Overall, it is important for individuals who can see to keep a conducive environment for individuals who cannot see. For instance, avoiding clutter and rearranging the office without orienting the blind people in the office can lead to confusion. In an office setting, it would be ethical for the other employees to keep in mind the needs of the blind employee to help them see as much as possible.

Summary

There are numerous ways in which blind people can see. The most efficient, however, is achieved through the use of other senses. For example, blind people can see through hearing. Many scholars have supported the idea that blind people can see through hearing in an attempt to explain why blind people hear better than other people. One of the scientifically acceptable reasons as to why the said is so is that blind people use their other senses more than other people. Taylor (2014) explains that a fully able person relies on all senses equally. Therefore, he/she does not have the opportunity to measure which sense is stronger than the other. On the other hand, a blind person has to concentrate on the other individual senses to come up with a way of coping with blindness. Once the “stronger” sense is identified, the affected individual uses the said sense as a means of “seeing.”

Hearing and touching have often been used to enable blind people to “see” and recreate their environment. Touching, where the walking stick is perceived to be an elongated arm of the individual allows the affected to move around more quickly while carefully exploring their environment. More permanently, technology and innovation can be used to resolve several degrees of blindness. Corrective eye surgery, eye part implants, and other similar procedures have been used to resolve some degrees of blindness and restore sight.

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology is important in resolving blindness. It is the technological advancement that led to the design and creation of spectacles. In the same breath, within the field itself, there have been technological advancements that have allowed people suffering from various degrees of blindness to see. For instance, there have been significant developments in the tool used to determine eye strength. Whereas in the near past eye tests were done manually, now they are digitalized and can be read by a machine. The result of such technological advancement is indescribable. Opticians have been able to make correct diagnoses, thereby, have been able to help people see.

The essay discusses in length how technology can be further used to allow people who see slightly, and those who do not see at all, to see. In the case of individuals who do not see completely, technology has been used to first, recreate environments and help the affected individuals visualize the said situations, and secondly, replace the damaged part of the eye with an implant to help the said person see. In the first case, the visualization of the environment, the involved use cognitive abilities to see. The concept of kinesthetic is brought out clearly in such an activity as the involved have to use their muscle memory to recreate the things around them

When creating for blind people, there are several ethical considerations that have to be discussed. Due to the fact, the blind cannot see or decipher non-verbal cues developers should keep such communication elements to a minimum. Also, developers should ensure that all communication made with the target audience (the blind) is open and genuine, as they rely heavily on intonation and pitch to tell whether the information is authentic or not. It is also important to note that workplaces have to be very inclusive. Blind people should be included in the decision-making process, and apart from that, other employees should be sensitized on the need of the blind workers.

References

Agapakis, C. M., & Tolaas, S. (2012). Smelling in multiple dimensions. Current Opinion In Chemical Biology, 16(5-6), 569-575. Web.

Azañón, E., Tamè, L., Maravita, A., Linkenauger, S. A., Ferrè, E. R., Tajadura-Jiménez, A., & Longo, M. R. (2016). Multimodal contributions to body representation. Multisensory Research, 29(6-7), 635-661. Web.

Crisp, G. (2015). Reading groups, libraries and social inclusion; Experiences of blind and partially sighted people. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 46(2), 139-140. Web.

Cirson, N. (2013). Through mine eyes: Technology helping the blind make their way through the day. Independent Living, 29(3), 26-27.

Foster, M. I., & Keane, M. T. (2015). Surprise as an ideal case for the interplay of cognition and emotion. Behavioral & Brain Sciences, 38N.PAG-00. Web.

Hyder, E., & Tissot, C. (2013). ‘That’s definite discrimination’: Practice under the umbrella of inclusion. Disability & Society, 28(1), 1-13. Web.

Kapralos, B., Collins, K., & Uribe-Quevedo, A. (2017). The senses and virtual environments. Senses & Society, 12(1), 69-75. Web.

Park, H., & Kim, M. (2014). Affordance of Braille music as a mediational means: Significance and limitations. British Journal of Music Education, 31(2), 137-155. Web.

Taylor, A. (2014). Reading groups, libraries and social inclusion: Experiences of blind and partially sighted people. Disability & Society, 29(7), 1172-1173. Web.

Tinney, C. (2014). Reading groups, libraries and social inclusion: Experiences of blind and partially sighted people. Australian Library Journal, 63(4), 340-341. Web.

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