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Taking into account sensory knowledge: the case of geo-techologies for children with visual impairments

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conference contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 15:12 authored by Emeline BruleEmeline Brule, Gilles Bailly
This paper argues for designing geo-technologies supporting non-visual sensory knowledge. Sensory knowledge refers to the implicit and explicit knowledge guiding our uses of our senses to understand the world. To support our argument, we build on an 18 months field-study on geography classes for primary school children with visual impairments. Our findings show (1) a paradox in the use of non-visual sensory knowledge: described as fundamental to the geography curriculum, it is mostly kept out of school; (2) that accessible geo-technologies in the literature mainly focus on substituting vision with another modality, rather than enabling teachers to build on children's experiences; (3) the importance of the hearing sense in learning about space. We then introduce a probe, a wrist-worn device enabling children to record audio cues during field-trips. By giving importance to children's hearing skills, it modified existing practices and actors' opinions on non-visual sensory knowledge. We conclude by reflecting on design implications, and the role of technologies in valuing diverse ways of understanding the world.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

Page range

1-14

Event name

CHI 2018 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Event location

Montréal, Canada

Event type

conference

Event date

April 21–26, 2018

Place of publication

New York, NY, United States

ISBN

9781450356206

Department affiliated with

  • Engineering and Design Publications

Research groups affiliated with

  • Creative Technology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-02-15

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-02-15

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-02-15

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