視覚障害者のための触図訳サービスに関する調査

抄録

Visual graphics can be accessible by raising the lines of the graphics and converting printed letters into Braille. When this conversion is done on demand of individual blind person, it is called private tactile graphic conversion service, which has not been yet established as a common welfare service for the blind in Japan. Thus, for the future prevalence of this service, a nation-wide user survey was conducted. Among 202 respondents, only 16 people (7.6 %) were using this service. The top provider of this service was Braille transcription circles, followed by Braille libraries, Braille transcription volunteers, and friends and acquaintances. The top converted graphics were maps. Two thirds of the clients were using these services at a frequency of once or less in a few months. The problems faced in using these services were long waiting times for the graphics to be converted, hardness to understand the tactile graphics, and the problems accompanying tactile graphics production. An additional survey for Braille libraries' Web sites proved the scarcity of tactile graphic conversion service providers.