Meeting Alana
We arranged a meeting with a blind woman named Alana. She said that she wasn't always blind but had visual impairments as a child. Now, as a young adult, she has no sight left in either eye. We asked Alana to visit with us because we were really interested in using technology to help blind people "see." We were particularly interested in the stick she uses to help her find her way around. She let us in on some strategies she uses to walk with confidence. She said she "maps out a room" by building a mental image of where obstacles are located relative to each other. We asked her questions about things she thought were difficult. " I find it hard to go into places with overhangs, because my cane usually is on the ground where most objects are," said Alana. Alana's interview helped us recognize a problem with the current materials blind people use. There isn't a tool for "seeing" above ground objects.