research-article

Home Automation for an Independent Living: Investigating the Needs of Visually Impaired People

Authors:

Barbara Leporini,

Marina BuzziAuthors Info & Claims

W4A '18: Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference

Article No.: 15, Pages 1 - 9

https://doi.org/10.1145/3192714.3192823

Published: 23 April 2018 Publication History

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Abstract

Independence is essential for everyone and crucial for people with disabilities. Being able to perform the activities of daily living as autonomously as possible is an important step towards real inclusion and an independent life. Several technology-enhanced services and tools have been created to address special-needs users, but are they really used and appreciated by them? Sensors and radio frequency devices are increasingly exploited to develop solutions such as the smart home, aimed at improving the quality of life for all, including people with visual impairment. This paper collects blind users' expectations and habits regarding home automation technology through an online survey and face-to-face interviews. Specifically, 42 visually impaired people answered an accessible online questionnaire to provide more insight into their needs and preferences. Next, semi-structured short interviews conducted with a set of eight totally blind participants enabled the collection of relevant user requirements in order to better understand the obstacles experienced, and to design usable home automation and remote control systems. Results showed that the main requests regard increasing autonomy in everyday tasks and having more usability and flexibility when using remote home automation control. Thanks to the collected feedback, a set of general suggestions for designers and developers of home automation and remote control systems has been proposed in order to enhance accessibility and usability for the blind user.

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Langer DLegler FDiekmann PDettmann AGlende SBullinger A(2024)Got It? Comparative Ergonomic Evaluation of Robotic Object Handover for Visually Impaired and Sighted UsersRobotics10.3390/robotics1303004313:3(43)Online publication date: 5-Mar-2024
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Index Terms

Home Automation for an Independent Living: Investigating the Needs of Visually Impaired People
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Accessibility
    1. Empirical studies in accessibility
2. Social and professional topics
  1. User characteristics
    1. People with disabilities

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W4A '18: Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference

April 2018

223 pages

ISBN:9781450356510

DOI:10.1145/3192714

© 2018 Association for Computing Machinery. ACM acknowledges that this contribution was authored or co-authored by an employee, contractor or affiliate of a national government. As such, the Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free right to publish or reproduce this article, or to allow others to do so, for Government purposes only.

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Published: 23 April 2018

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W4A '18: The Internet of Accessible Things

April 23 - 25, 2018

Lyon, France

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W4A '18 Paper Acceptance Rate 25 of 43 submissions, 58%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 171 of 371 submissions, 46%

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Jerlou B. Sal (2024)Design, Development and Evaluation of Smart Lighting System for Physically Challenged PersonInternational Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology10.48175/IJARSCT-19682(535-5543)Online publication date: 30-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.48175/IJARSCT-19682
Langer DLegler FDiekmann PDettmann AGlende SBullinger A(2024)Got It? Comparative Ergonomic Evaluation of Robotic Object Handover for Visually Impaired and Sighted UsersRobotics10.3390/robotics1303004313:3(43)Online publication date: 5-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics13030043
Xue XLi XJia BDu JFu X(2024)Who Should Hold Control? Rethinking Empowerment in Home Automation among Cohabitants through the Lens of Co-DesignProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642866(1-19)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Guidelines for an accessible web automation interface

Opportunities and accessibility challenges for open-source general-purpose home automation mobile applications for visually disabled users

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Visual challenges in the everyday lives of blind people

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