Perceptual impact of environmental factors in sighted and visually impaired individuals

Abstract

To a visually impaired individual the physical world presents many challenges. For a person with impaired sight, way finding through a complex environment is fraught with dangers, both actual and imagined. The current generation of mobility aids have the possibility of addressing a broad range of physical issues through technological solutions. The perception of difficulty, however, can mean that many visually impaired individuals are fearful or uncomfortable about independent mobility or travel. In this context it becomes necessary to discover exactly what environments, environmental factors or items constitute a ‘perception of difficulty’ in the individual’s mental landscape and may trigger a negative response before they interact with the physical environment. This article reports on research that sought to ascertain what levels of perceptual difficulties specific environments and factors presented to individuals. The research was conducted with both visually impaired and sighted groups and compared differences and similarities in perceptual difficulty between these two groups.