Utilizing 3D Printing to Assist the Blind

Presented at The 2015 International Conference on Health Informatics and Medical Systems (HIMS’15) Las Vegas, USA, (July 29, 2015).

Publication Details: Rabia Jafri and Syed Abid Ali, Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Health Informatics and Medical Systems (HIMS’15), July 27-30, Las Vegas, USA, pp. 55-61, 2015.

Abstract: The rapid advent of 3D printing technologies in recent years has far-reaching implications for individuals with disabilities in general and those with blindness in particular. This paper explores how 3D printing is being utilized for the blind as an affordable, easily accessible means of creating tactile representations of visual information and also expounds upon the possibilities which this technology opens up for blind people, their caregivers and accessibility designers and researchers in terms of enabling them to rapidly and cost-effectively design, create and share assistive tools and components.