Study on the effect of innovative Electronic Mobility Aids (EMA) on participation of visual impaired and blind persons - A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) on the effectiveness of navigation systems in supporting mobility and societal participation of person who are visually impaired

The number of persons who are visually impaired will grow considerably in the
near future, due to the ageing of the population. Persons who are blind or have
low vision experience problems while moving around or travelling, which
frequently decrease their mobility. This in turn results in difficulty in
arriving at a desired level of societal participation. Assistive devices can
provide a significant contribution to the functioning, social participation and
wellbeing of (visually) impaired persons. Innovative Electronic Mobility Aids
(EMA) integrate technologies as GPS, infrared or sonar sensors, which developed
fast and successfully in the consumer market domain and are expected to have
promising potential for persons who are visually impaired, concerning
enhancement of mobility and participation. However, it is yet unclear what
their functional capacities and abilities are in daily life.

To assess the effectiveness of an individually selected navigation system on
mobility and societal participation of persons who are visually impaired.

This phase of the research project will be performed as a randomized controlled
trial (RCT), followed by a quasi-experimental part. In sum, 90 volunteers will
be included. Subsequent to screening for the eligibility criteria, informed
consent and measurement of the outcome parameters to establish a baseline, they
will be allocated randomly to one of the two different groups / conditions.
Members of the experimental group will receive instruction and training with
one individually selected EMA. Measurement of the relevant outcome variables
will be performed after two and six months. Members of the control group will
receive instruction and training with an individually selected EMA after six
month. Two additional measurements of the relevant outcome variables will be
performed after 8 and 12 months (after 2 and 6 months of device use).

Instruction, training and use of an Electronic Mobility Aid (EMA). Measurement
to establish a baseline, after the training the participants will be followed
during 6 month, there will be measurements after 2 and 6 months. These
measurements comprise that participants will fill in an e-mailed questionnaire
in accessible format, they will be asked to keep an activity diary on daily
basis three times for two weeks and to use a GPS data logger while moving
around and traveling outside the home three times for two weeks. In the control
group 2 additional measurements after 8 and 12 months will be performed (after
2 and 6 months of device use).

After a short telephone interview for the screening of eligibility criteria and
informed consent, participants will be asked to travel to the nearest care
provider (a regional centre of Bartiméus or Royal Visio) for selection of,
instruction and training with the navigation system. An accessible
questionnaire will be administered by e-mail three times (in the control group:
five times) and participants will be asked to keep an activity diary on daily
basis three times (in the control group: five times) for two weeks, and to make
use of a GPS data logger at the same time for validation. The duration of
instruction and training will be tailored to the specific needs of the
individual participant. Participants decide themselves by means of their travel
behaviour on frequency, manner and time they want to make use of the navigation
system (time spent). Participants are self-reliant / responsible for their own
safety while traveling outdoors. It is assumed that participants do not run any
risks concerning independent outdoor mobility and that they are well informed
about the (im)possibilities of the navigation system they use.