NEW METHOD OF SPATIAL ORIENTATION TEACHING BASED ON CITY SOUNDS, NOT ONLY FOR THE BLIND

摘要

For blind and partially sighted people the most hindering live barrier is limitation of free moving. This may cause lack of self-esteem and restricts gaining life experience and knowledge. To minimize technical and social barriers encountered by blind people, education of spatial orientation of blind people is carried out. For this purpose there was works carried out on the project, whose main aim was to work out a method of teaching blind people (children and youth) spatial orientation in big urban agglomeration using environmental sounds. This method was worked out by scientists from Poznan University of Technology, the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, teachers and practitioners from Education Center for Blind Children (Specjalny Osrodek Szkolno-Wychowawczy dla Dzieci Niewidomych). The method of spatial orientation designed (in originally version) for blind children and young people has been extended and adapted for teaching mentally handicapped children by scientists from Poznan University in cooperation with specialists from Special Education Centers in Sosnowiec. The authors present the assumptions of the project methodology and application successive stages of the method in Special Education Centers in Owinska and Sosnowiec (Poland). Paper shows the methodology of spatial sound acquisition, playback system with tracking modes of spatial sounds, Listening Laboratory Space prepared for the best results of teaching and taking into account of student facilities/possibilities and technical capabilities. The project was partly supported by the National Centre for Investigation and Development, grant No. 11 000804.