2014 Volume 43 Pages 55-63
[Purpose] It is well known that non-verbal information plays an important role in interpersonal communication. Non-verbal information consists of visual information like line of sight and gestures, auditory information like prosody, touch information like physical contact, and olfactory information like perfume. Facial expressions and gestures are, especially, help to make everyday conversation smooth. However, people with low vision are unable to see facial expressions and gestures clearly, so they face various kinds of hurdles in interpersonal communication. We investigated their difficulties in order to consider a solution.
[Methods] We sent 37 questionnaires to adults with low vision. We focused on a) their disability level, b) difficulties with interpersonal communication, and c) communication strategies acquired from their experiences.
[Results] From these questionnaires, we found the following. When we specify who talked to whom, most people without any visual impairment focus attention on the direction of the face, line of sight, and gesture. However, some people with low vision said that it is difficult to pick out these kinds of visual information. Another person stressed that they can't clearly distinguish between "YES" or "NO" facial expressions. Some people with congenital low vision could not understand the meaning of line of sight and facial expressions.
