Basic and applied research relating to auditory displays for visually impaired people

Abstract

This paper describes basic and applied research, conducted mostly by Roberta Klatzky, Reginald Golledge, and the author, in connection with development of a navigation system for visually impaired people. The paper begins with a treatment of the issues involved in achieving effective sensory substitution. It then discusses the importance of distance perception in spatial hearing, compares spatial language and real sound in their effectiveness in creating stable mental representations of environmental locations, and ends with a review of research on the display component of the navigation system user interface.