Electronic Travel Aids New Directions for Research (1986) / Chapter Skim
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3: The Assessment of Mobility
3: The Assessment of Mobility
Pages 26-35
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From page 26... ...
the outcome of the trainina oroaram. Past studies have examined the differences in assessment and instructional techniques for specific subgroups of the visually impaired population.
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From page 27... ...
Because most of those who are classified as visually impaired retain some degree of usable vision, efforts have been to determine the residual capacity that characterizes various visual impairments and to determine the capacities of the other senses that either supplement remaining vision or replace lost vision.
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From page 28... ...
MEASURES OF MOBILITY PERFORMANCE In the past two decades, significant advances in the assessment of mobility were made by researchers who developed objective measures of overt behavior based on operationally defined criteria and observable responses (Armstrong, 1975~. These methods, described below, have provided rational and scientifically defensible tools for basic research on mobility and for the objective evaluation of mobility aids and training methods.
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Objective measures include stride length, secondary task performance, veering tendencies, and the like. Direct Measures Direct measures used to assess mobility performance measure specific aspects of mobility, such as obstacle detection or a mobility specialist's subjective judgment of mobility skills.
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These correlates are what might be called context van ~ acres. They make up the background against which the mobility task is performed.
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From page 31... ...
ASSESSMENT OF MOBILITY Assessment of Mobility Aids Many of the travel aids that are currently or potentially useful to blind and visually impaired pedestrians are based on the application of electronics and optics technologies. In response to needs expressed by the military service as well as the general public, we can expect both of these technologies, including areas such as the study of artificial intelligence, to make significant contributions to solutions to mobility problems (Deering, 1985; Tou and Adjouadi, 1985~.
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Performance assessment measures should also describe covert processes that account for observed travel behavior, such as the psychological cost of mobility under different travel conditions or in the use of various travel aids. Such information may be obtained from subjective reports, behavioral observations, or electrophysiological measurements.
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From page 33... ...
Because fluctuations in the performance of a secondary task often permit inferences concerning relatively subtle changes in the performance of the primary task, important differences in task performance can be detected only by indirect measures. RECOMMENDATION: Efforts to develop improved methods for measuring performance of the mobility task should be a research priority for federal funding agencies involved in this area.
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From page 34... ...
RECOMMENDATION: Improved field assessment techniques should be developed through strengthened support for research in which psychometric methods are used to develop rating scales and other measuring instruments of that type. Technology Benchmarks As developments in technology continue, new travel aids, which go beyond the current state of technology, will be built.
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From page 35... ...
Furthermore, we must do a more conscientious job of evaluating the programs in which blind pedestrians are trained and the programs in which mobility specialists are trained. RECOMMENDATION: We recommend that academic departments in which mobility specialists are trained and the federal agencies from which they receive support cooperate in providing more training for students in the assessment of performance.
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