Supporting People with Visual Impairments in Cultural Heritage: Survey and Future Research Directions

Abstract

This literature review surveys published research that aims to foster blind and visually impaired (VI) people’s engagement with cultural heritage. The reviewed papers cover a broad area of methodological approaches, outlining challenges and solutions for empowering VI people to enjoy cultural heritage sites and museums, mainly with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Fifty (50) papers are included in this survey, published between 2008 and 2021. They mostly focus on multisensory, multimodal and interdisciplinary, ICT-based assistive human-centered computing approaches. These methods often optimize the VI user experience through an effort to gain an in-depth understanding of this special group’s needs. Moreover, several publications include user evaluations and empirical studies. Findings suggest that approaches tend to become more complex, multimodal, and multidisciplinary as time progresses. This leads to a discussion and conclusions suggesting future research directions in this domain. The proposed way forward relates to a synthesis of methodologies, scientific domains, and approaches into a more holistic, comprehensive, and synergetic model.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH – CREATE – INNOVATE [project code: T1EDK-2-01392].

Notes on contributors

Stella Sylaiou

Stella Sylaiou is an experienced researcher in the field of digital humanities. Her research is related to experimental museology and digital heritage, with an emphasis on virtual museums. Published papers in scientific journals and conferences and supervised M.Sc. students. Long-standing professional experience as a principal investigator in EU-funded and National research projects.

Christos Fidas

Christos Fidas is an Assistant Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Patras. His research is related to the design and evaluation of information systems. Published papers in top-ranked scientific venues. Long-standing professional experience as a project coordinator in EU-funded and National research projects.