Cyber crumbs for successful aging with vision loss

Two-thirds of the people who have lost their vision are over the age of 65. Rehabilitation strategies and assistive technologies must be designed to meet the changing needs of this older and aging population. At this age, they might also have a diminished interest in learning new skills and might find it difficult or impossible to learn braille. With peripheral neuropathy, they lose the sense of touch, and so the ability to use braille, raised letters, and other tactile-based technologies. These age-related factors profoundly impact the design strategies employed in developing successful assistive technology. A group of investigators at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Center and the author designed cyber crumbs to support successful aging with progressive vision loss. Cyber crumbs - the electronic equivalent of a trail of bread crumbs - provides support for independent travel and an in situ awareness of elements in the surroundings.