Eleni Koustriava

The Impact of Residual Vision in Spatial Skills of Individuals With Visual Impairments

Loss of vision is believed to have a great impact on the acquisition of spatial knowledge. The aims of the present study are to examine the performance of individuals with visual impairments on spatial tasks and the impact of residual vision on processing these tasks. In all, 28 individuals with visual impairments—blindness or low vision—participated in this study. The results reveal that participants with visual impairments were competent to perform spatial tasks, and their performance is related to the existence of residual vision.

Spatial Coding of Individuals With Visual Impairments

The aim of this study is to examine the ability of children and adolescents with visual impairments to code and represent near space. Moreover, it examines the impact of the strategies they use and individual differences in their performance. A total of 30 individuals with visual impairments up to the age of 18 were given eight different object patterns in different arrays and were asked to code and represent each of them. The results revealed better performances by those who use an allocentric approach during spatial coding and those with residual vision. In fact, allocentric strategies were more prevalent in coding near space than egocentric ones. Moreover, the ability of participants to move independently was positively correlated with their ability to use the most effective haptic strategies. These findings suggest that children and adolescents with visual impairments are capable of using allocentric reference and providing a different perspective to the currently dominant one.

The impact of vision in spatial coding

The aim of this study is to examine the performance in coding and representing of near-space in relation to vision status (blindness vs. normal vision) and sensory modality (touch vs. vision). Forty-eight children and teenagers participated. Sixteen of the participants were totally blind or had only light perception, 16 were blindfolded sighted individuals, and 16 were non-blindfolded sighted individuals. Participants were given eight different object patterns in different arrays and were asked to code and represent each of them. The results suggest that vision influences performance in spatial coding and spatial representation of near space. However, there was no statistically significant difference between participants with blindness who used the most effective haptic strategy and blindfolded sighted participants. Thus, the significance of haptic strategies is highlighted.

Are there relationships among different spatial skills of individuals with blindness

The aim of this study was to detect the possible relationships between various spatial skills of individuals with blindness. Twenty-eight individuals with blindness participated in five experiments that examined the body knowledge, laterality, directionality, perspective-taking, spatial coding of the near space and spatial knowledge of the far space. According to the results a positive correlation between body knowledge and directionality has emerged. Moreover, body knowledge and spatial coding of near space are found to be predictors of perspective-taking, while directionality and perspective-taking are found to be predictors of spatial coding of near space, and directionality and perspective-taking predictors of spatial knowledge of far space. This finding suggest that future studies should seriously take into account the possibility that the development of a certain skill could in fact be the result of the development of another skill/s. Moreover, the findings support the notion that a delay in the development of a spatial skill may not necessarily be a result of the visual impairment itself but of the incomplete development of another spatial skill.

Cognitive maps of individuals with blindness for familiar and unfamiliar spaces: Construction through audio-tactile maps and walked experience

Abstract Though individuals with visual impairments are able to form mental representations of space, it is critical to investigate the way they develop or update their cognitive maps taking a closer look at quantitative and qualitative data on them. The aims of the present study were to examine the ability of individuals with blindness to create cognitive maps of routes in familiar and unfamiliar areas through the use of audio-tactile maps, and to compare these cognitive maps with those created after independent movement in the real environment regarding their precision and inclusiveness. Thirty adults with blindness participated in this study. The findings of the present study reflect the positive effect of audio-tactile maps on cognitive map creation and, thus, their effect on the spatial knowledge of people with blindness. Moreover, the findings featured the dominance of the audio-tactile map over walking experience, since the participants formed more complete cognitive maps after having explored the audio-tactile map than walking along the route in the unfamiliar area.

The Improvement of Cognitive Maps of Individuals with Blindness Through the Use of an Audio-Tactile Map

The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of audio-tactile maps on the improvement of cognitive maps of individuals with blindness. The area mapped on the aid was known and familiar to the participants. Twenty adults with blindness (total blindness or only light perception) took part in the research. The age ranged from 20 years to 52 years (M = 37.05). The subjects participated in two experiments. During the first experiment the participants depicted their cognitive maps of a familiar city route on a haptic model using the materials materials given. In the second experiment the participants read the audio-tactile map of this route, and then they were asked to depict anew their cognitive map of the same route on a haptic model. The findings highlight the positive effect of the use of audio-tactile maps from individuals with blindness on the knowledge of a familiar city area.

Social Support, Social Networks, and Happiness of Individuals With Visual Impairments

The purpose of this study was to examine the structure of active social networks of individuals with visual impairments, the social support they receive from their social networks, and their satisfaction from received support. In addition, we examined these factors as predictors of happiness in people with visual impairments. A total of 96 individuals with visual impairments, who ranged in age from 16 to 50, participated in this study. Three self-constructed questionnaires, which included questions related to demographic data, social networks, social support, and happiness, were used in the study. Participants reported being satisfied with received support, and they also appeared to receive more positive than negative support. Findings also demonstrated the merit of social support for the happiness of individuals with visual impairments.

The Impact of Orientation and Mobility Aids on Wayfinding of Individuals with Blindness: Verbal Description vs. Audio-Tactile Map

The aim of the present study was to examine if a verbal description of an urban area or an audio-tactile map would support the development of an effective cognitive route that could be used consequently for detecting specific points of interest in the actual area. Twenty adults with blindness (total blindness or only light perception) took part in the research. Two O&M aids were used: verbal descriptions and audio-tactile maps readable with the use of a touchpad device. Participants were asked to use each aid separately to encode the location of 6 points of interest, and next to walk within the area with the scope of detecting these points. The findings proved that an individual with visual impairments can acquire and use an effective cognitive route through the use of an audio-tactile map, while relying on a verbal description entails greater difficulties when he/she comes into the physical environment.

Attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education

The aims of this work were to examine the attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education (DE) and the relationships between attitudes and participants’ personal characteristics. Forty-one adults with visual impairments, who ranged in age from 20 to 40, participated in this study. A self-constructed questionnaire measuring the attitudes towards DE was employed. The participants’ answers revealed slightly positive emotions towards DE according to the affective component of attitudes, slightly positive attitudes when DE is compared with traditional education, and positive attitudes as far as the cognitive component of attitudes and participants’ intention to participate in a DE programme were concerned. The elder participants seem to have more positive attitudes towards DE compared with younger participants. Furthermore, the greater the level of education, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE, and the greater the frequency of computer usage, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE. The analysis of the data collected revealed that the sample of individuals with visual impairments had slightly positive attitudes towards DE. Age, level of education, and frequency of computer usage were found to be significant predictors of the participants’ attitudes.

Differences in spatial knowledge of individuals with blindness when using audiotactile maps, using tactile maps, and walking

To examine how individuals with visual impairments understand space and the way they develop cognitive maps, we studied the differences in cognitive maps resulting from different methods and tools for spatial coding in large geographical spaces. We examined the ability of 21 blind individuals to create cognitive maps of routes in unfamiliar areas using (a) audiotactile maps, (b) tactile maps, and (c) direct experience of movement along the routes. We also compared participants’ cognitive maps created with the use of audiotactile maps, tactile maps, and independent movement along the routes with regard to their precision (i.e., the correctness or incorrectness of spatial information location) and inclusiveness (i.e., the amount of spatial information included correctly in the cognitive map). The results of the experimental trials demonstrated that becoming familiar with an area is easier for blind individuals when they use a tactile aide, such as an audiotactile map, as compared with walking along the route.