Abstract
Recently, transparent-resinous-ultravioletcuring- type (TRUCT) Braille signs are becoming more and more popular in Japan, especially when they are printed together with visual characters. These signs are made by screen printing whose technique can be applied to various base materials, such as paper, metal, and plastic. TRUCT Braille signs have begun to be used in public facilities, such as on tactile maps and on handrails. Naturally, it is expected that Braille beginners will utilize these signs. However, it has been pointed out that the friction between the forefinger and the base material may affect TRUCT Braille reading. In this study, we invented soft and thin material finger cover to reduce friction during Braille reading. And also we have carried out a study to investigate the effect of using a finger cover. The subjects were 12 Braille learners with acquired visual impairment, who were asked to read randomly selected characters with and without wearing the finger cover. The results show that most participants could read TRUCT Braille significantly faster and more correctly with a finger cover than without it regardless of dot height. This result suggests that wearing finger cover enables the Braille learners to read TRUCT Braille more efficiently. The finger cover can be used as a Braille reading assistance tool for Braille learners. Effectiveness of finger cover may include the safety factor that forefinger remains clean. In other words, with the finger cover, forefinger will not become dirty. After one or two years, we will put into practical use finger cover in Japan.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | IFMBE Proceedings |
| Publisher | Springer Verlag |
| Pages | 2922-2926 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Edition | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Event | 10th World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, WC 2006 - Seoul, Korea, Republic of Duration: 2006 Aug 27 → 2006 Sep 1 |
Other
| Other | 10th World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, WC 2006 |
|---|---|
| Country | Korea, Republic of |
| City | Seoul |
| Period | 06/8/27 → 06/9/1 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Braille learner
- Braille reading assistance tool
- Finger cover
- Polyester nonwoven fabric
- TRUCT braille
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biomedical Engineering
- Bioengineering
Cite this
Polyester non-woven fabric finger cover as a TRUCT braille reading assistance tool for braille learners. / Doi, Kouki; Fujimoto, Hiroshi.
IFMBE Proceedings. Vol. 14 1. ed. Springer Verlag, 2007. p. 2922-2926.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - Polyester non-woven fabric finger cover as a TRUCT braille reading assistance tool for braille learners
AU - Doi, Kouki
AU - Fujimoto, Hiroshi
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Recently, transparent-resinous-ultravioletcuring- type (TRUCT) Braille signs are becoming more and more popular in Japan, especially when they are printed together with visual characters. These signs are made by screen printing whose technique can be applied to various base materials, such as paper, metal, and plastic. TRUCT Braille signs have begun to be used in public facilities, such as on tactile maps and on handrails. Naturally, it is expected that Braille beginners will utilize these signs. However, it has been pointed out that the friction between the forefinger and the base material may affect TRUCT Braille reading. In this study, we invented soft and thin material finger cover to reduce friction during Braille reading. And also we have carried out a study to investigate the effect of using a finger cover. The subjects were 12 Braille learners with acquired visual impairment, who were asked to read randomly selected characters with and without wearing the finger cover. The results show that most participants could read TRUCT Braille significantly faster and more correctly with a finger cover than without it regardless of dot height. This result suggests that wearing finger cover enables the Braille learners to read TRUCT Braille more efficiently. The finger cover can be used as a Braille reading assistance tool for Braille learners. Effectiveness of finger cover may include the safety factor that forefinger remains clean. In other words, with the finger cover, forefinger will not become dirty. After one or two years, we will put into practical use finger cover in Japan.
AB - Recently, transparent-resinous-ultravioletcuring- type (TRUCT) Braille signs are becoming more and more popular in Japan, especially when they are printed together with visual characters. These signs are made by screen printing whose technique can be applied to various base materials, such as paper, metal, and plastic. TRUCT Braille signs have begun to be used in public facilities, such as on tactile maps and on handrails. Naturally, it is expected that Braille beginners will utilize these signs. However, it has been pointed out that the friction between the forefinger and the base material may affect TRUCT Braille reading. In this study, we invented soft and thin material finger cover to reduce friction during Braille reading. And also we have carried out a study to investigate the effect of using a finger cover. The subjects were 12 Braille learners with acquired visual impairment, who were asked to read randomly selected characters with and without wearing the finger cover. The results show that most participants could read TRUCT Braille significantly faster and more correctly with a finger cover than without it regardless of dot height. This result suggests that wearing finger cover enables the Braille learners to read TRUCT Braille more efficiently. The finger cover can be used as a Braille reading assistance tool for Braille learners. Effectiveness of finger cover may include the safety factor that forefinger remains clean. In other words, with the finger cover, forefinger will not become dirty. After one or two years, we will put into practical use finger cover in Japan.
KW - Braille learner
KW - Braille reading assistance tool
KW - Finger cover
KW - Polyester nonwoven fabric
KW - TRUCT braille
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84958281072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84958281072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84958281072
VL - 14
SP - 2922
EP - 2926
BT - IFMBE Proceedings
PB - Springer Verlag
ER -