A study of blind drawing practice: creating graphical information without the visual channel

Existing drawing tools for blind users give inadequate contextual feedback on the state of the drawing, leaving blind users unable to comprehend and successfully produce graphical information. We have investigated a tactile method of drawing used by blind users that mimics drawing with a pencil and a paper. Our study revealed a set of properties that must be incorporated into drawing tools for blind users, including giving feedback for relocating important points, determining angles, and communicating the overall structure of the drawing. We describe a gridbased model that provides these properties in a primitivebased 2D graphics environment, and we introduce its use in drawing and other graphical interactions. KEYWORDS Non-visual drawing tools, GUIs for blind users, contextual inquiry, feedback, grid

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: ASSETS
• Authors: Hesham M. Kamel, James A. Landay
• Keywords: ASSETS 2000, Blind Users, Drawing Tools, Emerging Technology, Inadequate Contextual Feedback