Assistive Products for Electronic Orientation

An assistive product for electronic orientation may be relevant if you have a disability that gives you problems finding your way and orientating in the surroundings.

Most assistive products for electronic orientation are developed for people with impaired sight but may also be used by people with other kinds of disabilities, for instance people with combined sight and hearing impairment or reduced cognitive function.

It will often be relevant to evaluate the need for an assistive product for electronic orientation in cooperation with a professional with knowledge on the specific disability to be compensated for. It may also be necessary to practice or to have mobility training when learning to use the assistive product.

You can seek advice about assistive products for electronic orientation and other assistive products for orientation by the local authorities, in a communication center and in the guidance materials from the vendor. The Danish Association of Speach, Hearing and Sight Institutes (DTHS) has drawn up an overview of municipal and regional agencies with advising responsibilities in the field.

The type of disability, and the difficulties it entails, are decisive for which kind of assistive product of electronic orientation is relevant for you. It may for instance be important to consider, whether you have a residual eyesight, whether you use a hearing aid, and whether you are able to hold much information and sensory input all at once.

It may also be relevant to consider, whether the assistive product for electronic orientation can have many functions to choose from, or if just a few simple functions are more suitable. In addition to that, the purpose of use also affects as to which product you should choose. Is the purpose for use e.g. sport activities, special requirements may apply.

In the following, we describe different types of assistive products for electronic orientation and their possible applications.

Sensor-based assistive products for orientation

Sensor-based assistive products for orientation may be used by people with impaired sight for registering and warning about objects and obstacles in the near surroundings, primarily at hip level and head level, where the guide cane can’t be used. The warning may come in the form of sound, e.g. beep signals, or tactile signals, e.g. vibration.

It is important to be aware that the sensors can’t register downwards obstacles, e.g. a step or a hole in the ground. For that reason, the sensor based assistive products for orientation should be used in combination with a guide cane. It takes practice to learn to distinguish the signals from the assistive product. Consequently, we recommend mobility training when learning to use a sensor-based assistive product for orientation.

GPS-based assistive products for orientation

In the group of GPS-based assistive products for orientation, there are both dedicated devices with built-in software and apps for navigation and transport. Common to the GPS-based assistive products for orientation is their capacity to inform about a specific position and to guide from one location to another. Some of them can inform about coming road crossing, eating-places, distance to destination, direction, or to automatically change setting between moving on foot or by means of transportation.

Dedicated devices

The dedicated devices have various properties, e.g. speech output, vibration, combination of visual and auditive output, touch screen or tactile buttons. Other devices have microphone and speech recognition.

There are devises suitable for different challenges. There are, e.g. devises, which may be used for making individual routes in areas where GPS-signals are lacking. Others can invert the route so that you can easily find your way back, and others devices can navigate in open areas without streets, e.g. parks and forest areas. These functions may be particularly useful when it comes to sport and leisure activities, e.g. orienteering, skiing or hiking.

There are also devises that combine several functions, and in addition to the orientation function contain: DAISY-reader of audio books, music player, dictaphone, and the possibility for scanning and reading printed materials.

An advantage of choosing dedicated devises is the separation of the function from the smartphone. However, a downside can be having to carry around more equipment.

Apps for navigation and transportation

Apps for navigation and transportation may be used for finding your way and making travel plans. There are apps for navigation and transportation that are specifically developed for people with impaired sight. These may function, e.g. in combination with the built-in speech synthesis of a smartphone.
An advantage with using apps in a smartphone is to have various functions collected in the same device. A disadvantage, however, may be the fact that the battery time is markedly reduced when the GPS-function is in use.

In the app search function in AssistData you can search for apps for navigation and transportation.

Electronical guide canes

Electronic guide canes combine the traditional guide cane with GPS-technology and ultrasound sensors.

An electronic guide cane may provide information about the surface through the tip of the cane and provide information from the sensors about obstacles above the height of the hip. Electronical guide canes come with built-in GPS or may be connected to an app in your smartphone and in that way function as a guide to find your way.

The use of an electronic guide cane requires different technical skills in comparison to the use of a traditional guide cane. In addition, please be aware of the following:

• For the time being, the canes only come with English speech
• The canes are often heavier and more bulky than traditional guide canes
• There may be reduced GPS-signal between tall buildings, in tunnels, or similar constructions

There is, for the time being, no Danish supplyer of electronic guide canes. They must therefore be ordered from abroad. It is, however, possible to get guidance and training in the use of an electronical guide cane in Denmark. Inquire for information at the nearest consultant in assistive products or communication center.

I you have impaired sight, the assistive products for electronical orientation must typically be used in combination with a guide cane (except for the electronical guide canes), as the assistive products orientation do not necessarily register all obstacles and differences in level on the route.