Page 365 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2024

UNSIGHT: BRIDGING THE EDUCATIONAL GAP FOR BLIND LEARNERS

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Aishani, Pandey ; Arush, Sachdeva ; Vivek, Mathur 1
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International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

ABSTRACT emotion detection, image description, and voice-to-action
commands, the proposed system offers a comprehensive
Visually impaired learners face significant challenges in solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by visually
accessing quality education due to the lack of accessible impaired learners.
educational materials and adaptive learning environments.
Traditional educational methods often fall short in addressing
2. RELATED WORK
the unique needs of these learners, leading to a gap in
educational outcomes and opportunities. UnSight aims to Existing solutions in the market, such as Amberscript, Jobma,
enhance the educational experience for visually impaired and Seeing AI by Microsoft, have made strides in providing
learners through a virtual education platform that integrates accessible tools for individuals with disabilities. However,
advanced AI technologies. This platform leverages speech these solutions often lack a holistic integration of features or
and text processing, image and text integration, and are not specifically tailored for visually impaired students in
voice-to-action commands to address accessibility gaps. an educational context.
Emphasizing adaptive learning and personalized feedback,
the proposed system contributes to SDG 4: Quality Amberscript excels in speech-to-text transcription but lacks
Education. This paper discusses the technical architecture, features that convert speech into actions or commands. Jobma
standardization efforts, scalability, and ethical considerations automates video interviews for the HR industry but may
involved in developing and deploying UnSight. lack personalization and accessibility features for educational
purposes. Seeing AI by Microsoft offers visual scene
Keywords - Virtual Education, Accessibility, AI, Speech
description capabilities but does not address the broader
Processing, Image Recognition, Voice Commands,
educational needs of visually impaired students.They are
Visually Impaired, SDG 4
working on the ORBIT project to develop a large dataset for
personalized object recognition, enhancing the capabilities
1. INTRODUCTION
of AI in this area. Microsoft’s commitment includes
expanding accessibility features in Microsoft 365 and tools
Education is a fundamental human right, and ensuring
like Accessibility Insights for developers to improve UI
inclusive and equitable quality education for all is a
accessibility.
pressing global challenge. The United Nations’ Sustainable
Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) emphasizes the importance
of providing equal access to quality education, promoting Furthermore, while initiatives like those by I-Stem aim
lifelong learning opportunities, and building inclusive and to revolutionize accessibility for visually impaired students,
effective learning environments. However, individuals with they often rely on separate assistive technologies rather than
visual impairments often face significant barriers in accessing integrating accessibility features seamlessly into existing
educational resources and participating in traditional learning digital ecosystems. The proposed system addresses these
environments. gaps by offering a unified platform that integrates these
accessibility features.
The emergence of virtual worlds and immersive
technologies presents a unique opportunity to revolutionize IBM has created numerous adaptive and assistive
the educational landscape, particularly for underserved technologies, such as the Braille Translation System
communities. By leveraging the power of artificial and screen readers for DOS. IBM’s efforts include the
intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies, we can create development of the Home Page Reader and the NavCog
accessible and inclusive learning environments that cater to app, which helps people with vision loss navigate public
the diverse needs of visually impaired students. spaces using AI and robotics. IBM continues to
innovate in accessibility through initiatives like the Content
This research paper introduces an AI-driven virtual Clarifier, which simplifies digital content based on individual
education platform that aims to empower visually impaired preferences.
students by providing an immersive, accessible, and
personalized learning experience. Through the integration In the startup scene, companies like Be My Eyes [4]have
of cutting-edge technologies such as speech recognition, made a substantial impact. Be My Eyes connects blind

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