The Unseen

Digital interactions for low vision spatial engagement

Zachary Cooper - 2019

Vision impaired persons require specific forms of spatial information for them to navigate the built environment successfully. Unfortunately, a majority of our existing infrastructure does not adequately address the needs of this community, thus harming their ability to participate in society independently. Solutions that address these environmental deficiencies fall into two broad categories, assistive technology or universal design. Both forms of solutions are incapable of compensating for the inadequately considered design of public spaces and are subject to widespread criticisms from both the vision loss and architectural community (Human Rights Commission, 2012; Pawluk et al., 2015).

This thesis recruits the native capabilities of emerging consumer-level digital technologies to explore new solutions to this complex problem. This design-led research saw the proposition tested through the development of a digital platform. The outcome is a virtual engagement scheme which draws upon the design strategies of universal design and assistive technologies and combines them with theoretical perspectives from a broad range of fields. This integration resulted in unique modes of engagement that improved the spatial comprehension abilities of the visually impaired.