Graphs in sound: a numerical data analysis method for the blind

Technical Report · Fri Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:7044393

Mansur, D L

In this study computer-generated sound patterns were shown to provide the blind with the ability to analyze 2-dimensional graphical data. A continuously-varying pitch was used to represent the amplitude of a curve in the y-direction, and time was used to represent motion in the x-direction. Human factors experiments were performed on 14 subjects to compare the tactile-graph methods normally used by the blind, to these new sound-graphs. It was discovered that mathematical concepts such as symmetry, monotonicity and the slopes of lines could be determined more quickly using sound. The relative accuracy of the subjects on five sets of test questions was virtually the same (sound = 84.6%, tactile = 88.9%, p = 0.05), and even better performance could be expected with greater training. The flexibility, speed, cost effectiveness and greater measure of independence provided the blind or sight-impaired using these sound methods was demonstrated. 23 references, 4 figures, 2 tables.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7044393
• Report Number(s): UCRL-53548; ON: DE84013322
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200* -- Mathematics & Computers
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
COMPUTER OUTPUT DEVICES
DISPLAY DEVICES
ENGINEERING
HANDICAPPED PEOPLE
HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MINORITY GROUPS
POPULATIONS
SOUND WAVES
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS