Preliminary Research – New Media Capstone

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11V6hOhj5yWmuzv_76SChXOAwfabQAK1h6fSPlyLsAhk/edit?usp=sharing

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VALUES

Can we bring fun, joy and connection with friends through the use of an accessibility tool to fight discrimination and stigmas? When people typically see an accessibility device they may back off due to worry or fear. They may have never had experience dealing with a differently abled person. Some people have never even seen an accessibility tool and don’t understand its use or purpose. Due to lack of experience, some people are scared to interact for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.

I am exploring weather a connection or sense of belonging mitigate the negative effect of discrimination. In order to do this I am hoping to create child-friendly accessibility devices. Devices that are fun to use, with a unique design, while still keeping key accessibility features. I am hoping to upgrade the cane designs with modern pop culture references and sci-fi fantasy designs. I feel that through recognizable design that social interactions and connections can be made. I want to learn more about manufacturing and design. I want to discuss accessibility features and inclusiveness. I want to design a more child-friendly cane. I want to change the design elements of the standard cane to interface with pop culture. I feel that humans are naturally brilliant at manifesting the value proposition due to the social hierarchy. A design element could change the social hierarchy by creating more acceptance, communication, and love. I feel that my product will connect people in social situations due to shared fandoms. I do feel that products need to shift in order to support human sensitivities. I feel that my project engages all human sensitivities. Of the areas, I feel that the group dynamic would be the one that needs the most improvement. I do not feel that the success criteria are in tension with any sensitivities.

My design will bring a feeling of power and confidence in emotion. It will give attention through a sensory feedback from the ground. The device will allow the use of sensemaking by the surroundings and translates sensory feedback from the surroundings. Based on the sensory feedback the user will decide which direction to go. The social reasoning will allow the user to associate their self with the heros that they see in fantasy creating a higher social level. The group dynamic of this design will allow fans of fandoms to connect. My project will improve the lives of people with disabilities by connecting them to other people in their communities.

SIMILAR CONTEXT/AUDIENCE

According to the “the social complexities of disability”. It is found that life satisfaction is lower among youth with a disability. Moreover, many experience disability-related discrimination, which has a negative effect on life satisfaction. However, this is mitigated by a sense of belonging to the community. Specifically, youth with a disability do not report lower life satisfaction when high belonging is present, even if they experience .”

Sometimes when you are out and about you struggle to keep up with your friends or family. It sometimes is important to act as a human guide for your visually impared friend or family member. A human guide is a guide that acts as a person’s eyes. It is done to help accelerate tasks and avoid injury. One of the most important rules as a human guide is to äsk not grab”. This is referring to when you notice someone needing help. Instead of just going up and grab them to assist. It is polite to introduce yourself and ask if they need help and then proceed accordingly. When giving verbal directions it is important to be descriptive with tasks. For example saying Ï i’m right here”is not very helpful. Stating, Ï am two steps to the left, next to the pole is more helpful. The five most important obstacles are curbs, stairs. Potholes, poles, and walls. Sometimes holding onto an arm or hand is more helpful than verbal directions.

“A photo of a woman using a cane while looking at a mobile phone has been widely shared online with many social media users suggesting the woman is faking her visual impairment.” This viral social media post shows the public’s lack of basic knowledge when dealing with disabilities. The post has led to many people explaining that mobiles and other technology can be used by visually impaired people. There are different levels of blindness and the decision to use a cane is a personal matter. However, some people have experience with people accusing them of faking or exaggerating their disability “for extra privileges”. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said it often hears of people facing prejudice and discrimination for just doing daily tasks of life. “We need to educate social media users and wider society as a whole as to the harm that posts like this can cause – ill-informed stories and ignorant reactions to them can really dent the self-confidence of blind and partially sighted people.”

RELATED WORK

There are many different types of canes that currently exist. There is the support cane which provides physical stability. A support cane that is white can identify you as a person who is blind or has low vision that also needs stability assistance. The probing cane, more commonly called a “white cane” or a “long cane”, probes for and locates obstacles in your path of travel.

Long white canes come in two categories ones that fold and ones that don’t. Folding canes, which can be collapsed and stored easily, come in aluminum or graphite models. Graphite canes are lighter and easier to fold and unfold than aluminum ones. Folding canes tend to be less sturdy when compared to straight canes and don’t provide the same amount of sensory feedback. There are different types of tips that provide different sensory feedback. The differences between the tips are their ease of use, ability to pass through different surfaces and weight.

The pencil tip is a thdiscriminationin, straight piece of plastic on the bottom of a cane, It does not provide very much feedback compared to other cane tips. It is often used just for identification purposes to alert others of their condition. The pencil tip is very light and is a good choice for people who have problems moving the wrist for long periods of time. However, due to the long, thin tip it has a tendency to get stuck in cracks in the sidewalk.

The rolling mushroom tip has a small rounded bottom, like an upside-down mushroom. The rolling marshmallow tip can rotate 360 degrees. It is the most common cane tips. It allows for users to go across a variety of surfaces with ease and has constant contact with the ground. It rolls over cracks in the sidewalk, making for a smoother walk. The cane does have a greater weight and can cause wrist fatigue over time. It also does not provide much feedback about small changes in terrain.

The medal glider tip is a thin and flat silver colored metal disk that screws on to the bottom of the cane. This cane tip is used in the signature National Foundation for the Blind rigid white cane. This is typically favored by many people because it goes against any surface with ease and it also gives quality audio feedback. This cane is very light and provides easy use.

The ball tip rotates similar to the marshmallow tip. However, It is much larger in size. The ball tips can range in size and some may be as big as the size of an orange. This cane is typically used as a learning cane. It is also great for long periods of time and is very durable; however, the cane can be pretty heavy. It works best when used with constant contact techniques.

The “bundu basher” cane tip was invented in South Africa by O&M specialists Beverly Atkinson and Andre Neimandt. It was created for the use of navigating the uneven bush country. In Afrikaans they call the bush country Bundu. The original version of this cane just added a rounded crook on the bottom of the cane. The Bundu basher resembles the bottom of a hockey stick. Therefore some people name it the hockey tip. It also refer to as a snow cane or all terrain cane. The curved tip of the Bundu Basher is less likely to catch on any obstructions. This cane has been developed for travel in wilderness areas and farms.

The is another off roading adventure type of cane. The Dakota snow tip has a frisbee shaped tip. It is great for rolling across snow covered surfaces. This cane is very similar to the rolling of the marshmallow tip. The Dakota snow tip has a Hook-style cane tip. It was designed with uneven terrain in mind. It is used for mobility canes, but is not adoptable with support canes. The tip is meant for uneven terrain such as snow, sand, grass, pea gravel (schoolyards), etc.

Some canes offer visible night time features. You will find that there are canes that have night glow which will slightly change the rod to glow at night. Other canes will use reflective tape to make visible. There are also LED based cane tips. The LED light is allows for assistance with traveling at night and is a favorite for little kids. Some canes even flash every time they hit the ground.

Despite most white canes being – white. The tips of these canes do come in a variety of colors. The common colors include white, red, pink, green, and many more. The choice of using colored or non colored tips is a preference made by the user.

Resources:

https://all3dp.com/1/best-free-3d-printing-software-3d-printer-program/

https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad/overview

https://www.autodesk.com/collections/product-design-manufacturing/overview

https://jinlunmifeng.en.made-in-china.com/product/TSamjEyChhrW/China-Graphite-PTFE-Aramid-Fiber-Reinforced-Plastic-Thread.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5993176/

http://www.fredshead.info/2015/03/the-bundu-basher.html

https://veroniiiica.com/2018/10/09/decoding-the-tips-of-blindness-canes/

https://veroniiiica.com/2016/12/02/how-do-people-with-low-vision-use-human-guides/

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-47031509