A Study on Causes of Paracusis among Visually Handicapped Persons

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23730535
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Social welfare and social work studies
• Research Institution: Hachinohe Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: ABE Nobuyuki 八戸工業大学, 感性デザイン学部, 講師 (30433478)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚障害者 / 聴覚錯誤 / 音環境 / 方向定位 / 歩行事故 / 反射壁面

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Visually handicapped persons navigate by recognizing the information they receive from various sound reverberations. If a sudden noise occurs while walking, their sense of direction can become dull and paracusis is likely to occur. In this study, we researched with the aim to clarify causes of paracusis, in order to develop a safe walking environment for visually handicapped persons.
From interviews with visually handicapped persons, it was found that all subjects of the investigation experience paracusis. The study revealed that the severity of paracusis depends on the position and/or type of sound reverberating from the surface. Additionally, when listening for sound reverberations for a continued period of time, the tendency toward paracusis increases with the degree of fatigue.

Free Research Field

社会福祉学