Facilitating route learning using interactive audio-tactile maps for blind and visually impaired people

In preparing to navigate in an unfamiliar location, a blind person may use non-visual maps. This project is aimed at developing more effective, interactive audio-tactile maps. The maps will be novel in using speech and non-speech sounds and allowing the user to rotate the map, thereby facilitating the building of an egocentric cognitive map. Initial requirements have been gathered from mobility instructors. Their main conclusions are that immoveable objects represent the most useful landmarks and that certain ambient sounds can provide most valuable orientation information.