Giovedi' 5 settembre 2019, ore 11:30, Sala Riunioni DINFO (II piano
Santa Marta)
speaker: d.ssa Paraskevi Theodorou, Department of Digital Systems,
University of Piraeus, Greece
ASSISTIVE MOBILE APPS FOR PEOPLE WITH SENSORY DISABILITIES
Abstract – Two assistive android smartphone apps for blind and deaf
people are being developed. The first app offers interactive indoor
navigation for blind and visually impaired persons. Specifically, the
app will implement a voice-instructed self-guided navigation service
inside Museum exhibition halls and ancillary spaces. The application
comprises an accurate indoor positioning system using proximity sensors
at the exhibits and unobtrusive assistive tactile route indicators
marked on the floor of Museum rooms. Furthermore, the application
comprises an indoor positioning system for completely free movement
inside internal spaces exploiting beacons fit around the place. The
proposed application will be exploited in the Tactual Museum of the
Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece, one of the 5 tactual museums
worldwide, in order to implement a brand new “best practice” regarding
cultural voice-guided tours targeting blind and visually impaired
visitors. The second app will allow real time communication of deaf
people using Speech to Text applications. It will record verbal speech
in real time and display it as text through Android devices. The app
will allow the display of multiple speech streams from corresponding
wireless microphones by separating distinct speech.
Bio – Paraskevi (Vanessa) Theodorou is a first year PhD candidate of the
Department of Digital Systems at the University of Piraeus, Greece. She
holds an MSc in Educational Science – Special Education, and an MSc in
Technological Education in Digital Systems. She has a BSc in Digital
Systems from the University of Piraeus. Her research interests lie in
the fields of the development of mobile assistive apps for people with
special needs, and the identification of best practices concerning the
education and training of these groups of people in order to maximize
their rates of technology adoption, with special focus on mobile apps
for blind or deaf people. Aiming to acquire knowledge of the
communication and education channels of these two groups, Ms. Theodorou
learned the Braille writing system, as well as the Greek sign language.
Prior to being a PhD candidate at the University of Piraeus, Ms.
Theodorou participated in research concerning environmental education
and methods and technologies for the improvement of the education and
training of people with learning disabilities.
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organizer: Prof. Carlo Colombo
Computational Vision Group
DINFO - Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione
University of Florence - Via S. Marta 3, 50139 Florence, Italy
Office: +39-055-2758528
Mobile: +39-329-5603192
CVG Lab: +39-055-2758509
Fax: +39-055-2758570
Skype: colomboDSI
E-mail: carlo.colombo@unifi.it