Dr. Orly Lahav

(a) Support of Cognitive Mapping in Virtual Environments – Orientation and mobility virtual environments that are based on advanced haptic and 3D audio feedback to support newly blind during their rehabilitation program and to aid congenitally and late blind in exploring unknown spaces in advance (collaborative research with Srinivasan, M. A., & Schloerb, D., Laboratory for Human and Machine Haptics: The Touch Lab, MIT and Carroll Center for the Blind, a rehabilitation and training center for blind and visually impaired persons, Newton; David Brown, NTU, UK).

(b) Listen to Complexity (L2C) – Blind people’s learning about gas particles through a Sonified Model, a low-cost technology learning complex scientific phenomena environment that is based on sonified feedback for blind students (collaborative research with Levy, S. T., the Faculty of Education, University of Haifa).

(c) Virtual Career Center – Our idea is based on SimCoach technology. The SimCoach system serves as online virtual human support for new students in their transition stage to higher education. The SimCoach system aims to support young students in two main areas: emotion and administration. Similar to the SimCoach (for PTD veterans), the SimCoach system will motivate students to seek information and advice, and will not be used as a diagnostic tool (collaborative research with Rachel Gali Zinamon & Vadim Talis, in collaboration with Albert ‘Skip’ Rizzo, Medical Virtual Reality, Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California).

Conferences:

Lahav, O., Schloerb, D., & Srinivasan M. A. (2009, June). Integrating the BlindAid System in a Traditional Orientation and Mobility Rehabilitation Program. Paper presented at IEEE International Virtual Rehabilitation Conference, Haifa, Israel.

Schloerb, D., Lahav, O., Deloge J. P., & Srinivasan M. A. (2010, March). BlindAid: Virtual Environment System for Self-Reliant Trip Planning and Orientation and Mobility Training. Paper presented at IEEE Haptics Symposium, Waltham, MA.

Lahav, O., & Levy, S. T. (2010, August). Listening to Complexity: Blind People’s Learning About Gas Particles through a Sonified Model. Paper presented at 8th International Conference Series on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile.

Lahav, O., & Mioduser, D. (2010, November). A Pupil Diagnostic and Treatment System for Low Vision Children.         Paper presented at Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation: Technology as Support for Literacy Achievements for Children at Risk, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Levy, S. T. & Lahav, O. (2011, February). Listening to Complexity: A Blind Person’s Learning of Chemistry with a Sonified Model. Paper presented at Chais Conference, Open University of Israel.

Lahav, O., Sánchez, J., Brown, D. J., Merabet, L., Danilov, Y., and Goncalves, L. (2011, March). A panel: Virtual Environment to Improve Orientation Skills in Unknown Spaces by Blind People. Paper presented at 26th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN), San Diego, CA.

Lahav, O., Schloerb, D., & Srinivasan M. A. (2011, June). Virtual Environment Support Orientation Skills of Newly Blind - A Case Study. Paper presented at Rehab Week, IEEE International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation (ICVR), Zurich, Switzerland.

Lahav, O. (2012, September). Improving Orientation and Mobility Skills through Virtual Environment for People Who Are Blind:  Past Research and Future Potential. Paper presented at 9th International Conference Series on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, Laval, France.

Gedalevitz, H., Lahav, O., Battersby, S., Brown, D. J., Evett, L., & Merritt P. (2013, February). Pre-Planning Navigation with Virtual Environment for People Who Are Blind Using Wii Technology. Paper presented at Chais Conference, Open University of Israel.

Gedalevitz, H., Lahav, O., Battersby, S., Brown, D. J., Evett, L., & Merritt P. (2013, August). Pre-Planning Navigation with Virtual Environments for People Who Are Blind Using Wii Technology. Paper presented at International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation (ICVR), Philadelphia, PA.

Gedalevitz, H., Lahav, O., Battersby, S., Brown, D. J., Evett, L., & Merritt P. (2013, October). Using Wii Technology to Explore Real Spaces Via Virtual Environments for People Who Are Blind. Paper presented at Interactive Technologies and Games (iTAG) Conference, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.

Lahav, O. (2013, December). Virtual Environment to Improve Orientation and Mobility Skills in Real Spaces by People who are Blind. Paper presented at Association for Education and Rehabilitation (AER) International Orientation and Mobility Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Peleg, R., Tzarfati, N., Levy, S.T. and Lahav, O. (2014, February). Listening to Complexity: Learning Complex Scientific Phenomena by Blind Students. Paper presented at BICYCLES (Budding Israeli Community and Conference for Learning Sciences Emerging Scholars) conference, Haifa.

Lahav, O., Kittany, J., Levy, S.T., & Furst, M. (2014, September). Perception of Multi-varied Sound Patterns of Sonified Representations of Complex Systems by People who are Blind. Paper presented at 10th International Conference Series on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Battersby, S., Brown, D. J., & Lahav, O. (2015, October). Walking in place with wearable technology: the development of a system for travel training and applied travel for people with a visual impairment. Paper will be present at Interactive Technologies and Games Conference (ITAG), Nottingham, UK.

Lahav, O., Chagab, N., Talis, V. (2015, October). STEM Learning of Complexity via Sonification by People who are Blind – A Case Study. Paper will be present at Interactive Technologies and Games Conference (ITAG), Nottingham, UK.