Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I’m looking for input for a sports accessibility project (self.Blind)
submitted by CUStudentResearcher
Hi! I’m a student at the University of Colorado doing research regarding how to make sports, specifically baseball, more accessible for people with visual impairment. Right now we are thinking about making a tactile baseball field that you would be able to bring to games that would convey live information about games using tactile methods such as pins to display baserunners, and vibrations to represent where the ball has been hit. This project is not for profit, and right now my main goal is to learn more about accessible design, and hopefully make something useful. If you would be interested in giving me feedback regarding my project, please feel free to comment below, or you can take my short survey through survey monkey at bit.ly/accessiblebaseball
BlueRock956 2 points 3y ago
I have quite a few baseball fans who go to live games, and they take an AM-FM radio, and that seems to work for them.
BlueRock956 2 points 3y ago
Hi, I’m addressing this question as a soccer fan. I enjoy watching games on TV, but the radio provides more detailed information. They miss quite a bit of the action, but I get more info on the radio. When I’m watching the game on TV, I’m usually with friends or family; and the radio is not good, because it’ll be a minute or two behind the TV’s action.
jage9 2 points 3y ago
For me, baseball is a pretty simple game to understand as far as where people are positioned, plus the radio announcers are generally good at describing what's going on. I am definitely much less versed on formations and player placement in the NFL though.
The fan that expressed difficulty getting info while in the game may be on to something. You could use an app like MLB At Bat or ESPN but these screens are not always the greatest. If you created a prototype better way to display this information, maybe one of the big companies would consider adopting it.
The fan that expressed difficulty getting info while in the game may be on to something. You could use an app like MLB At Bat or ESPN but these screens are not always the greatest. If you created a prototype better way to display this information, maybe one of the big companies would consider adopting it.
changeneverhappens 2 points 3y ago
Are you looking to build off of beep baseball?
For the most part, there are lots of accessible sports- the issue I've found as a TVI is access to those sports. Theres not always a local team and if there is, reliable transportation can be an issue.
Edit: I read your survey and realized that you're looming for input as to how to make spectating sports more accessible. I think thats a neat concept, though I would recommend some sort of app that partners with common sports channels. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that SIRI and Alexa can provide most of the information as well as commentators doing their jobs. If you were able to make the app provide some sort of tactile feedback, it may prove handy for DeafBlind folks.
The issue with creating actual tech objects is that they're often not accesible to most folks and have little chance of actually being supported. An app is easier to maintain.
For the most part, there are lots of accessible sports- the issue I've found as a TVI is access to those sports. Theres not always a local team and if there is, reliable transportation can be an issue.
Edit: I read your survey and realized that you're looming for input as to how to make spectating sports more accessible. I think thats a neat concept, though I would recommend some sort of app that partners with common sports channels. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that SIRI and Alexa can provide most of the information as well as commentators doing their jobs. If you were able to make the app provide some sort of tactile feedback, it may prove handy for DeafBlind folks.
The issue with creating actual tech objects is that they're often not accesible to most folks and have little chance of actually being supported. An app is easier to maintain.
CUStudentResearcher [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I just saw your edit, thanks for the input! I have been looking into how to make this idea an app rather than a physical product as I just talked to someone who had the same note. I was lucky to be able to interview a blind baseball fan, and he told me that while he enjoys games as is, he would like something that relays what just happened on field in a timely manner, and it can also be tough when you are at a game and you don’t want to also listen to it on the radio as baseball announcers on television and in the stadium don’t do the best job of describing what exactly just happened. On the other side of things I talked to a man at an accessibility meetup that expressed a desire to get into sports but a frustration as to how he could learn about them and get into them. A physical product could serve the role of a “baseball tutorial” that teaches people the geometry and rules of the game.
changeneverhappens 2 points 3y ago
A physical product could do that but I would recommend that they work with an orientation and mobility specialist to create some tactile maps, walk the field, decide what kind of cane tip/cane methods to use if theyre a cane user, go over things to look out for, etc.
CUStudentResearcher [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Thats a totally fair point. Part of doing this research has been learning about what methods and tools the blind community actually use, and being prepared for my initial assumptions to be entirely misguided. Regardless, this project has already been really insightful and will definitely affect how I approach design when I’m out of college for the better, even if it ends up not turning into something immediately useful.
CUStudentResearcher [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Thanks for the reply! My goal is actually more about spectating baseball than playing it, right now I am leaning towards something that you could hold in your hand that would relay information about a game you are attending or listening to, but I also just spoke to someone who said they would prefer an app that relays that kind of information as they are more accustomed to using the screen reader on their iPhone so that is a possibility too. The big thing is that I want to make something that can be used in such a way that people with visual impairment can keep up with a game they are attending without having to wear earphones so they can talk to the people they are with.
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