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Helping Those with Visual Impairments Read Mathematics: A Spatial Approach

Published: 11 July 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Though many tools have been designed for low vision mathematics readers, mathematical literacy among individuals with blindness or severe visual impairment (IBSVI) remains astonishingly low. In this paper we present a novel system to facilitate access to mathematical expressions for IBSVI using a common smartphone device augmented with a tactile overlay. Using this system, participants were given fourteen mathematical expressions ranging in difficulty from elementary to middle school-level mathematics. We found users quickly learned to use the system to accurately read mathematical expressions. Using a situated analysis approach, we showed that IBSVI mathematics readers, when given access to the spatial layout of the expression, engaged in a range of interaction strategies to explore, reaccess and read mathematical expressions in a manner which most suited their inherent abilities and needs.

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Cited By

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  • (2023)Mathematics as Interactive Multimedia2023 IEEE International Symposium on Multimedia (ISM)10.1109/ISM59092.2023.00029(160-167)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2023
  • (2023)Math for Those with Severe Low Vision: From the Particulars to the Gestalt (And Back Again)2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343509(1-9)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2023

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      cover image ACM Other conferences
      PETRA '22: Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments
      June 2022
      704 pages
      ISBN:9781450396318
      DOI:10.1145/3529190
      Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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      Published: 11 July 2022

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      Author Tags

      1. Accessibility
      2. Mathematics
      3. Visual Impairment

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      View all
      • (2023)Mathematics as Interactive Multimedia2023 IEEE International Symposium on Multimedia (ISM)10.1109/ISM59092.2023.00029(160-167)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2023
      • (2023)Math for Those with Severe Low Vision: From the Particulars to the Gestalt (And Back Again)2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343509(1-9)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2023

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