| Budget Amount *help |
¥8,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,300,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥5,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,900,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The researchers reported in past researches that two-dimensional mental-maps was effective for visually handicapped pedestrians, and that environmental-makings to assist the formation of two-dimensional mental-maps and training programs for visually handicapped pedestrians were important.
Following this, in 1998, the researchers studied about the characteristics of visually handicapped pedestrians' spatial cognition using auditory information, to investigate how the sound environment should be for visually handicapped pedestrians. The experimenters reproduced 20 sound environments in anechoic chamber, and the subjects (5 visually handicapped and 5 non-handicapped people) imagined what space it was. From the result, it was confirmed that traffic sounds greatly contributed to the cognition of the road composition, and that the sound providing greatly different image from the place, such as heavy vehicle sounds in a residential area, makes the spatial cognition difficult.
In 1999, the train
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ing program for visually handicapped pedestrians (orienteering) was proposed, for the purpose of giving the will to go out to the visually handicapped who are passive to go out, and providing them a training to have two-dimensional image of the surroundings. From the result of evaluation experiments of this program, it was confirmed that walking independently with portable tactile maps was effective for the composition of two-dimensional mental-map. However, the recreation was not obtained enough, and some participants reported psychological loads of fear and anxiety.
In 2000, the support and training for visually handicapped pedestrians were attempted through the recreation. The participants strolled in a sightseeing area with portable tactile maps. All participants reported the effectiveness of tactile maps, which make it easy to have two-dimensional mental-maps, and to consult with other people about destinations etc. Moreover, it was pointed out as a problem in the future that how the information which cannot be put on tactile maps, name of shop etc., should be offered. Less
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