ECT Thesis EXPO - Manal Alyaba

Manal Alyaba

Breaking Barriers

An online micro-video library intended to reshape friends’ and families’ attitudes and behaviors towards visually impaired individuals.

Click on the youtube icon to watch Manal Alyaba's thesis presentation

Why is Breaking Barriers?

When vision loss happens, especially later in life, it impacts the individual’s life as well as the lives of family members and others who are close to that individual. However, the impact on family members is different than that on the individual who has lost his/her sight, and their reactions to the situation vary. In “Family Functioning and Low Vision: A Systematic Review,” Bambara et al. (2009) clarified that “family members experience several phases of adjustment similar to those of their relatives with low vision, including shock-denial, mourning-withdrawal, succumbing-depression, reassessment-reaffirmation, coping-mobilization, and self-acceptance–self-esteem. As family members begin to adapt, they focus more on the reality, challenges, and implications of low vision on everyday living and family roles” (p. 2). Usually, family members and friends are the main assistance providers for visually impaired people. Sometimes, however, this results in a strained relationship because relatives and friends do not fully recognize the needs and challenges of their relatives with vision loss.

Target Audience

The primary target audience for Breaking Barriers comprises families and close friends of people who are visually impaired. The visually impaired individuals themselves and the community would be a secondary target audience that would benefit from the provided resources and guidance.

Users' Learning Barriers

Lack of resources in Arabic

Insufficient associations between eye doctors and rehabilitation centers

Lack of public awareness about different vision impaired conditions

Rehabilitation centers do not provide sufficient services for families

Goals

Breaking Barriers aims to reshape the friends and families’ attitudes and behaviors towards visually impaired individuals who lost vision later in life by

Decreasing misunderstandings about visual impairment needs

Increasing awareness about vision challenges

Developing and maintaining empathy among the community

The Design Solution

Instructional Videos

A series of scripted animations that cover different topics regarding the challenges of visually impaired individuals, plus provide solutions for specific needs.

Stories

A series of videos presenting an overview from real people who are showing the successful use of assistive technology and applications, as well as their adjustment to their new life. These videos provide learners with a social model that demonstrates other people have overcome their challenges.

Test your Knowledge

A series of short, self-testing quizzes that aim to provide new information or reinforce knowledge acquisition. These quizzes form a retrieval practice that allows users to learn better and remember the information longer.

Find a Professional

Because Breaking Barriers is a one-step resource for its audience, a list of doctors and vision centers that are located in different cities provided for users to navigate and search through it.

Accessibility Features

Accessibility was a huge part of the design decision. The website and the video player are screen readers friendly, also users have control over the style guide and font sizes to increase readability and improves visibility for users with all vision abilities.

Learning Theories

Breaking Barriers was designed based on the following theories

Social Learning & Behavioral Change

Adult Learning

Micro-Learning & Segmentation

Multimedia Principles & Dual Coding

Questions, comments?

Leave me comment below, email me at manal.alyaba@gmail.com, or find me on LinkedIn.

To learn more visit Breaking Barriers