Understanding Geographic Space Without the Use of Vision

加州大学圣巴巴拉分校这个项目考察了盲人和视力受损的人在日常任务中发展和使用“地理”尺度的空间信息的程度。该方法将利用匹配的先天失明个体(出生时失明)、部分视力和视力受试者。配对将根据年龄、性别、文化和社会经济因素进行。研究中使用的任务包括定位、距离估计、模型建立、方向确定和路径跟踪。将从参与者那里获得信息，然后通过口头指示和提问和回答过程的录像带进行比较。分析还将利用汇报会议、初步协商和背景访谈。所产生的数据将进行定量和定性的分析。这项研究将有一个跨文化的部分，其中关于认知地图和人类导航的信息将在美国和英国进行比较。这些研究将进行密切匹配，以便进行直接比较。这方面的研究很重要，因为关于残疾的概念是否受功能驱动的争论。在美国，盲人和视障人士一直面临着“正常化、独立和自助”的伦理道德，而在英国，则有一种“社会福利”的援助伦理。谢菲尔德大学的马克·布莱兹博士和斯旺西大学的罗伯特·基钦博士将参与这方面的工作。在盲人和视障人士空间认知的研究中，尺度效应和跨文化比较在很大程度上被忽视了。这项研究解决了与这一残疾群体的空间认知理论有关的基本问题，以及如何以影响其生活质量的方式提高盲人和视障人士的空间能力和行动的实际问题。结果将有助于揭示视障和盲人在日常地理环境中如何思考和行为的信息主体。这种加深的了解对规划和教育具有重要的政策影响。此外，这项工作可能会提供有关如何提高这一群体的寻路和定向技能的信息。

U. of California, Santa Barbara This project examines the extent to which blind and vision impaired people can develop and use in everyday tasks, spatial information at the `geographic` scale. The methodology will utilize matched groups of congenitally blind individuals (blind from birth), partially sighted and sighted participants. Matching will be by age, sex, culture and socio-economic factors. Tasks to be used in the research include location, distance estimation, model building, direction finding and route following. Information will be obtained from the participants and subsequently compared by using verbal instructions and videotaping of question and answer sessions. The analysis will also make use of debriefing sessions, preliminary consultative and background interviews. The resulting data will be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The research will have a cross cultural component where information on cognitive mapping and human navigation will be compared between the U.S. and the U.K. These studies will be closely matched to allow direct comparison. This aspect of the research is important because of the debate as to whether the concept of disability is functionally driven. Blind and vision impaired persons in the U.S. have been faced with a `normalization, independent and self-help` ethic whereas in the U.K. there is a `social welfare` ethic of assistance. Dr Mark Blades at University of Sheffield and Dr Robert Kitchin at University of Swansea will participate in this aspect of the work. Scale effects and cross-cultural comparisons have been largely ignored in work on spatial cognition of blind and vision impaired. The research addresses basic problems relating to theories of spatial cognition by this disabled group, as well as, practical problems of the ways in which spatial abilities and actions by blind and vision impaired people can be enhanced in a manner that influences their quality of life. The results will contribute to the body of information revealing how the visually impaired and blind think about and behave in an everyday geographic environment. This enhanced understanding has important policy implications concerning planning and education. In addition the work will likely provide information on ways this group's wayfinding and orientation skills may be enhanced.