Understanding the Power of Control in Autonomous Vehicles for People with Vision Impairment

Autonomy and control are important themes in design for people with disabilities. With the rise in research in autonomous vehicle design, we investigate perceived differences in control for people with vision impairments in the use of semi- and fully autonomous vehicles. We conducted focus groups with 15 people with vision impairments. Each focus group included a design component asking participants to design voice-based and tactile solutions to problems identified by the group. We contribute a new perspective of independence in the context of control. We discuss the importance of driving for blind and low vision people, describe differences in perceptions of autonomous vehicles based on level of autonomy, and the use of assistive technology in vehicle operation and information gathering. Our findings guide the design of accessible autonomous transportation systems and existing navigation and orientation systems for people with vision impairments.