Independent Outdoor Mobility for the Blind

Users with visual disabilities present outdoor mobility problems. Some devices have been developed to cope with this need. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices have gained popularity on the market implying a reduction of cost, size, and new features, but they fail to provide an interface for blind users. We developed a computer tool to assist blind users in their displacement through the city. Ambient GPS is a hardware and software solution for helping blind users in their daily outdoor mobility tasks. Sound-based software embedded in a Pocket PC that together with the assistance of a GPS satellite provides information to blind users to orient and move throughout diverse points of interest in the city. We developed this solution with the assistance, support and permanent enrichment provided by visually impaired users. Usability evaluation results revealed almost no difficulty in their usage. Users with visual disabilities were able to move to requested destinations without any trouble, even in unfamiliar contexts, leading them to discover better paths to reach known destinations. Future work should focus on the use of this type of solution in mobile phones.