The document outlines an assistive technology seminar for fall 2011 and discusses developing an in-vehicle device to help drivers with retinitis pigmentosa safely navigate by providing visual displays and information that adjust based on lighting conditions and route details to address the vision issues caused by the disease. Needs analyses with individuals living with RP identify challenges with driving at night, in low light, on unfamiliar routes, and in variable lighting that could be addressed through an assistive system.

1. Assistive Technology Seminar
Fall 2011
Julia D Olsheskiki
Abhishek Srivastava
Hyewon Suh

2.  RP is an eye diseases causing retinal
degeneration.
 Symptoms
▪ Symptoms often first appear in childhood, but severe vision
problems do not usually develop until early adulthood.
▪ Decreased vision at night or in low light
▪ Loss of side (peripheral) vision, causing "tunnel vision"
▪ Loss of central vision (in advanced cases)
(Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S)

4. Needs Analysis 1 – w/ Vincent
 People with RP tend to have tunnel vision but often not aware of it because
brain is filling in the missing info.
 Trouble with low light environments. – can be problematic if it suddenly
becomes dark due to weather or shadows.
 Trouble with less familiar routes – if wrong turn is made, it can be very
problematic to find way home.
 Many individuals feel the need to hide their disability and it is often these
individuals that have the most trouble. This puts them at risk for injury. This
has implications for the inconspicuous nature of the design.
 Despite all risk, people in early stage of RP want to drive to maintain their
independence.
 Because these individuals can "see", they tend to over-estimate their
abilities and often neglect to plan ahead.

5. System Design 1
 Create a in-vehicle device to assist drivers with RP
 Visual display that dynamically changes with
lighting conditions
 enlarge display and increase contrast when driver enters
area with low light
 Provide driver more navigational details when in
unfamiliar area
 Give driver information regarding the length of
their route and remaining time until dusk or
weather event

6. Needs Analysis 2 – FFB distribution list
 Atlanta Chapter leader, “My support group has successfully
talked some of our RP driving members out of driving, so I do
not know that many that still are.”
 Respondent 1, “ Sometimes with Atlanta traffic it would be dark
by the time I got to my neighborhood. I would have to pull into
the shopping center about 2 miles away and wait for my
husband to come and get me at the shopping center as I was
afraid to drive on the dark roads to get home.”
 Respondent 2, “As far as traffic lights were concerned I would just
follow the car in front of me through an intersection praying the
light was green. After a few times doing that I took myself off
the road.”

7. Needs Analysis 2 – FFB distribution list
 Respondent 3, “I cannot drive as soon as dusk begins.”
 Respondent 4, “With sunshine streaming through the windows
of the car it is blinding with those of us with RP. I would
sometimes wear a visor and sunglasses to try to combat this
situation.”
 Respondent 5, “The last few years that I did drive were purely
luck and a prayer that I did not get killed or kill someone
else...”
 Respondent 5, “At one moment, I would look and the lane would
be clear and then the next second...a truck would barrel by
which I did not see until it was passing...it was as if it came out of
no where! “

8. System Design 2
 Need to augment the missing, peripheral
information
 Include warning for lane merges

9. Needs Analysis 3 – w/ Brenda
 RP Diagnosed in her 40s with 25% vision loss, 16 years later she
now has 75% vision loss
 Driving
▪ 10 miles to work would take 3 bus changes and a 2 hr
commute with public transportation – also, her closest bus
stop is 3 miles away
▪ planning to leave the home that she and her late husband purchased to
move into more urban area with better public transportation
▪ drives to only places she knows (e.g., grocery store) during
the day on weekends
▪ nervous about 4-way stops, feels like cars “appear out of
nowhere”
▪ Hides the fact that she still drives from her support group

10. Needs Analysis 3 – w/ Brenda
 Work
▪ Didn't tell anybody at work about her condition for a long
time for fear of retribution
▪ No special software for computer, but uses mainstream
system magnifiers (i.e., font enlargement)
 Problems in real life
▪ Crowds
▪ Dark restaurants
▪ Bright light -> glare
▪ TV bottom line “ticker” information is useless

11. System Design 3
 Provide detailed information on route regarding
▪ Pedestrians
▪ Traffic Lights
▪ Lighting conditions – dark/glare
▪ Weather Change
▪ Time remaining until dusk
▪ Intersections
▪ Lane merging

12.  Good size
▪ Not a king-size "monster”, portable, not hiding driver’s viewing
window
 Detailed information is very helpful
▪ Many times, pedestrians blend in with the background and hard to
tell if an actual person is standing there
 Font and display change
▪ Ability to read changes with lighting conditions and stress level
▪ e.g) Under stressful situations like unexpected weather change, eye
condition get affected and see worse than usual
 Quicker warning
▪ In urgent situation (e.g. merging), speed up the speech rate

13.  Speech rate adjustment
 Richer auditory feedback