Audible Rendering of Text Documents Controlled by Multi-Touch Interaction

摘要

In this paper, we introduce a novel interaction model for reading text documents depending on situated touch. This interaction modality targets Individuals with Blindness or Severe Visual Impairment (IBSVI). We aim to provide IBSVI with an effective reading tool that enables them to use their spatial abilities while reading. We used an iPad device and augmented it with a static tactile overlay to display the text to serve as a kind of spatial landmark space for the IBSVI. The text is rendered audibly in response to user's touch. Two user studies, with IBSVI participants, were conducted to test the system. The first study was a laboratory-controlled study, and the second one was a longitudinal study. These studies showed that while the approach is new to the users' experience, it is a promising direction to enable self-paced spatial reading for IBSVI.