Glossary

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Accessible Pedestrian Signal(also: APS, Audible Pedestrian Signal, Audible Traffic Signal)

A device integrated into pedestrian signal systems at traffic intersections that communicates walk and don't-walk information to pedestrians who are blind or have low vision through audible tones, verbal messages, vibrotactile surfaces, or a combination of these. APS devices…

Allocentric(also: Allocentric Reference Frame, World-Centred Reference Frame)

A spatial reference frame in which locations and directions are defined relative to external landmarks or a fixed coordinate system, independent of the observer's own position or orientation. For example, "the shop is north of the park" or "there are two chairs side by side" are…

Cane Simulation(also: Virtual Cane, White Cane Simulation)

A virtual reality application that simulates the experience of using a white cane (long cane) for navigation, allowing blind users to explore virtual environments through haptic feedback. In a cane simulation, the user's finger or hand position is mapped to a virtual cane that…

Cane Technique(also: White Cane Technique, Long Cane Technique)

The set of physical methods a blind or low-vision person uses to manipulate a long white cane while traveling. Common techniques include the two-point touch (side-to-side sweeping, touching ground at each step), constant-contact (sliding the cane tip along the ground in an arc),…

Clock Face Method(also: Clock Position Method, Clock Face Orientation, Clock Method)

A technique for describing the spatial position of objects relative to a person by using the positions on an analog clock face. For example, an item directly in front of a person is at 12 o'clock, to the right is at 3 o'clock, directly behind is at 6 o'clock, and to the left is…

Clock Position(also: Clock face position, Clock orientation)

A method of conveying direction to a person who is blind by mapping the 12-hour clock face onto the user's immediate surroundings, where 12 o'clock is directly ahead, 3 o'clock is to the right, 6 o'clock is behind, and 9 o'clock is to the left. Clock-position directions (e.g.,…

Clock Technique(also: Clock Method, Clock Face Direction System)

An orientation method used in mobility training for blind and visually impaired people in which directions are communicated using the positions on an analogue clock face. The user imagines standing at the centre of a clock with 12 o'clock directly ahead, 3 o'clock to the right,…

Constructive Exploration

Constructive exploration is an interactive learning method in which a user is guided by a computer system to physically build a representation of spatial information using building blocks or other tangible objects, rather than passively receiving descriptions or studying…

Egocentric(also: Egocentric Reference Frame, Body-Centred Reference Frame)

A spatial reference frame in which locations and directions are defined relative to the observer's own body position and orientation. For example, "turn left," "take one step forward," or "the door is on your right" are egocentric descriptions. People with visual impairments…

Embodied Exploration

An approach to virtual environment interaction in which the user builds understanding of a space by physically walking, turning, reaching, and sweeping rather than by teleporting or using controller-based locomotion. Embodied exploration is particularly important for blind and…

Environmental Flow(also: Optic Flow, Sensory Flow)

The ordered changes in a pedestrian's distances and directions to surrounding objects that occur while walking, providing continuous feedback about spatial position and movement through the environment. For sighted people, environmental flow is primarily visual (optic flow), but…

Global Navigation(also: Macro navigation, Route-scale navigation)

Navigation at the scale of routes and buildings — delivering a user from a starting point to a general destination area (a room, a platform, an exit). In blind-navigation research, global-navigation systems are typically turn-by-turn, localised via GPS, BLE beacons, Wi-Fi RSS,…

Landmark(also: Navigation Landmark, Environmental Landmark)

A distinctive environmental feature used as a reference point during navigation and wayfinding. In Orientation and Mobility training for people with visual impairments, landmarks are categorized by the sense used to detect them: structural landmarks (doors, stairs, elevators)…

Landmark Knowledge

A type of spatial knowledge involving the recognition and memory of distinctive features or objects in an environment that serve as reference points for navigation. Landmarks are fixed objects at specific locations—such as a doorway, a change in floor material, or a particular…

Landmark Object(also: Navigation landmark, Target object)

A specific physical object that serves as the terminal target of a navigation task — for example, an empty chair in a waiting area, a push-button at an elevator, a ticket barrier, a door handle, or a counter at a shop. For blind travellers, landmark objects are the object of…

Last-Few-Meters Problem(also: Last 10 Meters Problem, Last Mile Problem (Navigation))

The navigation challenge that occurs when GPS or other positioning systems bring a person with a visual impairment to the general vicinity of their destination (typically within 5-10 meters) but cannot guide them to the precise location, such as a specific entrance, storefront,…

Last-few-meters Wayfinding(also: Last-meter wayfinding, Last-few-meters problem)

The final segment of an indoor or outdoor journey, from the nearest routable point (a building lobby, a doorway, a kerbside pin on a map) to the exact end destination (a specific room, counter, or seat). For blind travellers, this last segment is disproportionately difficult:…

Laterality(also: Left-Right Discrimination, Lateral Awareness)

Laterality is the ability to distinguish between left and right sides of the body and to apply this understanding to the surrounding environment for spatial orientation and navigation. Laterality is a fundamental spatial cognition skill that underpins many daily activities, from…

Local Navigation(also: Local guidance, Fine-grained navigation)

Navigation at the scale of a few metres, where the task is to bring a blind traveller into direct body-scale interaction with a specific landmark object — sitting in a particular chair, pressing an elevator button, reaching a door handle, boarding through a specific train door.…

Macro-Navigation(also: Macro Navigation)

The process of navigating through the broader environment at the level of routes, streets, landmarks, and destinations — knowing where you are in a city, which direction to travel, and how to reach a distant goal. In contrast to micro-navigation (detecting immediate obstacles…

Mental Map(also: Cognitive Map, Mental Model of Space)

An internal cognitive representation of a physical environment, including spatial relationships, landmarks, routes, and distances. For people with blindness or visual impairments, building a mental map of a route before traveling is a critical strategy for independent mobility,…

Micro-Navigation(also: Micro Navigation)

The process of navigating the immediate environment — detecting and avoiding obstacles, following the edge of a pavement, identifying surface changes, and maintaining a safe path. For blind and visually impaired travellers, micro-navigation is the domain of traditional primary…

Mobility and Orientation Trainer(also: MOT, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, O&M Specialist)

A qualified professional who teaches orientation and mobility (O&M) skills to blind and partially sighted people, enabling safe and independent travel. MOTs assess individual needs and deliver personalized training that progresses from indoor navigation to outdoor route…

Narrative Route Description(also: Verbal Route Guidance, Turn-by-Turn Narrative)

A structured verbal representation of a travel route that guides users through sequential steps using spoken or text-based instructions. Effective narrative descriptions for blind travelers typically follow a consistent format: action to take, distance information, then landmark…

Obstacle Avoidance(also: Obstacle Detection)

The ability to detect and navigate around physical barriers in one's path, a critical mobility skill for blind and visually impaired people. Traditional obstacle avoidance relies on long cane techniques (sweeping the cane side to side to detect ground-level hazards) and guide…

Over-rotation(also: Rotation overshoot, Turn overshoot)

The phenomenon where a person rotates beyond a target heading angle when following a turn instruction, typically caused by the delay between perceiving a stop signal and physically halting the rotation. In navigation assistance for blind users, over-rotation is a systematic…

Palm Drawing(also: Palm Mapping, Palm Tracing)

A technique used by Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialists to teach routes to people who are blind or have low vision. The instructor holds the person's palm face up and traces the path of a route with their finger while simultaneously providing verbal instructions. This…

Path Integration

A cognitive navigation process in which a person tracks their position relative to a starting point by continuously monitoring their movements — including direction changes, distance traveled, and turns taken. People who are blind rely heavily on path integration when navigating…

Pre-journey Learning(also: Pre-visit Spatial Learning, Virtual Pre-exploration)

The practice of learning about an environment's spatial layout before physically visiting it, typically through tactile maps, verbal descriptions, or virtual exploration tools. For people who are blind or have low vision, pre-journey learning supports the development of a…

Route Description(also: Verbal Route Description, Navigation Instructions)

A verbal or written account of how to travel from one location to another, including directions, landmarks, warnings, and environmental features. Research with blind and partially sighted travelers has shown that effective route descriptions include information about turns and…

Route Learning(also: Route Familiarization)

The process by which a traveler — particularly a blind or low-vision person — acquires a mental representation of a specific path through an environment, including its turns, landmarks, distances, surface changes, and points of interest. Route learning is a core component of…

Route Planning(also: Journey Planning, Pre-Journey Planning)

The process of determining a path from an origin to a destination before travel begins, including selecting roads or paths, identifying landmarks and decision points, and considering factors such as safety, accessibility, and personal preferences. For blind and visually impaired…

Shoreline(also: Shoreline Technique, Trailing)

In orientation and mobility, a shoreline refers to a consistent edge or boundary that a blind traveler follows for orientation and navigation. This can include the edge where a wall meets the floor, the border between grass and pavement, a fence line, or the curb of a sidewalk.…

Shoreline Technique(also: Trailing, Edge Following)

An orientation and mobility technique used by people who are blind or have low vision in which the traveler follows a consistent edge or boundary — such as the edge of a sidewalk, a wall, a fence line, or the border between grass and pavement — to maintain orientation and stay…

Shorelining(also: Trailing)

An orientation and mobility technique in which a person with a visual impairment follows a consistent surface edge — such as a wall, curb, edge of a sidewalk, or other contrasting surface — to maintain a specific orientation and navigate through an environment. The technique…

Sighted Guide(also: Sighted Guide Technique, Human Guide)

A technique in which a sighted person assists a blind or low vision individual with navigation and orientation by serving as a visual reference and mobility aid. In physical settings, the blind person typically holds the guide's arm just above the elbow and walks a half-step…

Sighted Memory(also: Visual Memory, Sighted Recall)

A mental representation of a physical environment developed through past visual experience, used by people who lose their sight later in life to navigate and understand spaces they previously knew visually. People with acquired vision loss often rely on sighted memory to recall…

Smart Cane(also: Electronic Cane, Intelligent Cane)

An enhanced version of the traditional white cane that incorporates electronic sensors — typically ultrasonic or infrared — to detect obstacles beyond the range of physical contact, providing haptic or auditory feedback to the user. Smart canes can detect obstacles at waist or…

Spatial Orientation and Navigation(also: SON, Orientation and Navigation)

The set of skills and strategies used to understand one's position in space, plan routes, and travel from one location to another. For blind and low-vision individuals, spatial orientation and navigation involves using non-visual cues — sound, touch, proprioception,…

Spatial Representation(also: Spatial Mental Model)

A cognitive structure that encodes information about the layout, distances, and relationships between locations in an environment. For blind and partially sighted people, spatial representations are built from non-visual sensory information including tactile exploration,…

Tactile Maps(also: Tactile cartography, Raised-line maps)

Maps produced in physical, raised-relief form — typically on swell paper, vacuum-formed plastic, embossed paper, or 3D-printed substrate — so that blind and low-vision users can read geographic information by touch. Tactile maps use a constrained vocabulary of lines, textures,…

Travel Chain(also: Mobility Chain, Journey Chain)

A travel chain is the complete sequence of connected stages that make up a journey from origin to destination, including planning, leaving the starting point, walking to transport, using public transport, navigating outdoor environments, entering buildings, and finding specific…

Veering(also: Lateral Drift)

The tendency of blind and visually impaired pedestrians to gradually drift away from a straight path while walking, resulting in a curved trajectory rather than a direct line. Veering is a well-documented phenomenon in orientation and mobility research, caused by the absence of…

White Cane(also: Long Cane, Mobility Cane, Blind Cane)

A lightweight, typically white or white-with-red-tip cane used by blind and visually impaired individuals as a mobility aid for detecting obstacles, changes in terrain, and environmental features while walking. The white cane serves dual purposes: as a practical tool for probing…

44 results.