Severe visual impairments and maps; the need to go beyond the visual
Cognitive maps are mental representations of the environment that support wayfinding and navigation. Studies for the development of cognitive maps from non-visual modalities including blind subjects (Ottink et al., 2022) report that:
- Both blinded and sighted persons can build cognitive maps from auditory, haptic information and/or their combination
- Their combination is more robust, suggesting information is integrated
- Modalities differ as to the kind of information they best convey
- The accuracy of mental representation of blind and sighted subjects, sometimes varies in studies, possibly due to different methodologies and/or difficulties of the early blind in forming survey representations; however, they can form cognitive maps, through access to spatial information or training.
For people with visual impairments, maps must be presented in ways that go beyond traditional visual formats, utilizing tactile maps, audio descriptions, and other sensory modalities. These alternative formats allow individuals to “see” the map through touch, hearing, and spatial awareness.
Tactile Maps: These maps provide a raised representation of the landscape, allowing individuals to “scan” the map with their fingers and gain a spatial understanding of the area.
Audio Descriptions: Audio maps provide spoken descriptions of the map, highlighting key landmarks and features, aiding in navigation and orientation.
3D Models: Three-dimensional models can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the environment, particularly for complex layouts or buildings.
Digital Navigation Systems: Smartphone apps and other digital navigation systems can offer real-time guidance, including turn-by-turn directions, alerts for obstacles, and descriptions of landmarks.
By engaging other senses, individuals with visual impairments can develop a stronger understanding of their surroundings and navigate with greater confidence.Accessible maps empower individuals to travel independently and participate more fully in daily life. By providing alternative formats, maps become accessible to a wider range of users, promoting inclusivity and equality. The process of learning to use tactile maps and other sensory-based tools can enhance cognitive skills and spatial reasoning abilities.
Multimedia and multimodal interfaces constitute the most prominent development in the last decades for people vith Visual Impairments. Multimodal interfaces provide multiple sensory interactions and ways to input/output. When it come to representing geographic information, multimodle interfaces have the potential to provide non-visual access, support redundant and augmented representation, and thus improve data interpretation, memorization, and learning for users with or without sensory impairments
(Golledge et al., 2006).
References
Golledge, R.G., Rice, M.T., Jacobson, R.D. (2006). Multimodal Interfaces for Representing and Accessing Geospatial Information. In: Rana, S., Sharma, J. (eds) Frontiers of Geographic Information Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31305-2_9
Ottink, L., van Raalte, B., Doeller, C.F. et al. Cognitive map formation through tactile map navigation in visually impaired and sighted persons. Sci Rep 12, 11567 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15858-4