Peripersonal Space

The area immediately surrounding the body that is within arm's reach, typically extending about 60-70 cm from the body. Peripersonal space is significant in accessibility because blind and visually impaired children often have delayed development of spatial awareness within this zone, engaging less with nearby objects than sighted peers due to the absence of visual cues about object location and proximity. Interventions using dynamic audio feedback — sounds that change based on the distance between the hand and target objects — have been shown to improve reaching accuracy in this space for visually impaired people, potentially supporting spatial cognitive development and encouraging self-initiated environmental exploration.