Help!!! Adaptive photography equipment for people with impairments.

Hello everyone,

I'm Arshad Asaaf, a Street photographer currently studying Industrial design at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. I'm currently working on my final year dissertation. The brief is to create inclusive camera equipment for people with impairments.

It will be really helpful if any of you can give me some insights on this topic.

It can be,

1. Type of impairment that you are currently dealing with and how it affects your photography.

2. Any adaptive camera equipment that helps you with your photography.

3. You can also mention any steps that are difficult to do, like removing the battery, setting up a tripod etc..

You can also help me by completing a survey on this topic. It should not take more than 15mins. All your information will be kept confidential.

If you like to give out more information or if you have any questions related to this topic, please contact me at a.a.abdul-khadar-18@student.lboro.ac.uk

Arshad, I can't help you directly but have you heard of the Disabled Photographers Society? Surely they would be worth contacting.

Home-DPS

Good luck with your project.

I'd like to see what you eventually come up with. At the moment, you could argue that the iPad is one of the better cameras out there that is useful to people who can't use a camera with a small screen. Perhaps their eyesight isn't perfect, or perhaps they can't touch small icons on small screens.

You could design a special case for the iPad that has handles on either end. This would be useful for people who have the ability to hold one up, but who can't grip one in the normal fashion. Each handle could have a shutter button, too.

I'm probably able bodied; nonetheless I'd like to rant / beg:

• Why is everything camera gear so extremely tailored towards right handed, right eye dominant shooters? - I'm ambidextrous and would love to buy either a left handed P&S / action & adventure camera that I could use on my motor scooter or might end spending a couple of $$s on a battery grip "L" for EOS, that doesn't serve as a right hand vertical grip as usual but as a pair of left handed grips; horizontal and vertical one, each offering a shutter release button and the AF point(s) selection buttons / joystick as found on original or Meike grips.
  
• Getting old(er) I am not happy with modern shutter dials. On a M3 it is easy to feel your shutter speed / set your 1/250 blindfolded. - Ever tried doing the same on a M9? - Being able to figure out what your camera is set to by touch would be a huge benefit in my opinion. Not only for those too lazy to juggle needed rading glasses but for every enthusiast working in the dark.
  
• Value appropriate camera phone ergonomics, for a change? - I can't be the only slightly clumsy guy in the world, considering how frequently I am seeing "the Spiderman app" (euphemism for scattered display) on others' smart devices. I think the buggers would benefit a lot from a combination of proper strap lugs more ergonomic grip and an option to attach them to something belt worn.
  

I hope I managed to inspire a bit. - BTW I couldn't spot a link to your survey

Arshad, I can't help you directly but have you heard of the Disabled Photographers Society? Surely they would be worth contacting.

 

Home-DPS

 

Good luck with your project.

Thank you so much, John. Yes, I have heard about the Disabled Photographers Society and I'm currently working on my ethical procedures to legally talk with them.

I will update you with my final design proposal once it is done.

I'd like to see what you eventually come up with. At the moment, you could argue that the iPad is one of the better cameras out there that is useful to people who can't use a camera with a small screen. Perhaps their eyesight isn't perfect, or perhaps they can't touch small icons on small screens.

 

You could design a special case for the iPad that has handles on either end. This would be useful for people who have the ability to hold one up, but who can't grip one in the normal fashion. Each handle could have a shutter button, too.

Thank you, Karim. It is really refreshing to think about something different than the DSLRs. Mobile phones, IPads and other compact cameras would be a good area to focus on since its being used by most of the people. I also think that everyone in the photography society wants to try a professional camera at some point in their life but people with certain impairments are not able to enjoy photography as the abled people. Some people are born with disabilities and some during the course of their life. So, I want to create an inclusive product for a professional camera that breaks the barrier between disability and photography. I will surely look into compact camera systems and will update you with my final design proposal. Thank you.

I'm probably able bodied; nonetheless I'd like to rant / beg:

• Why is everything camera gear so extremely tailored towards right handed, right eye dominant shooters? - I'm ambidextrous and would love to buy either a left handed P&S / action & adventure camera that I could use on my motor scooter or might end spending a couple of $$s on a battery grip "L" for EOS, that doesn't serve as a right hand vertical grip as usual but as a pair of left handed grips; horizontal and vertical one, each offering a shutter release button and the AF point(s) selection buttons / joystick as found on original or Meike grips.
  
• Getting old(er) I am not happy with modern shutter dials. On a M3 it is easy to feel your shutter speed / set your 1/250 blindfolded. - Ever tried doing the same on a M9? - Being able to figure out what your camera is set to by touch would be a huge benefit in my opinion. Not only for those too lazy to juggle needed rading glasses but for every enthusiast working in the dark.
  
• Value appropriate camera phone ergonomics, for a change? - I can't be the only slightly clumsy guy in the world, considering how frequently I am seeing "the Spiderman app" (euphemism for scattered display) on others' smart devices. I think the buggers would benefit a lot from a combination of proper strap lugs more ergonomic grip and an option to attach them to something belt worn.
  

I hope I managed to inspire a bit. - BTW I couldn't spot a link to your survey

Hey Jochen, thank you so much for taking your time for replying to my thread. Those were some amazing insights and it really did inspire me.

1. I have done a little research on this topic and I found the same thing. Most people end up using the camera upside down and are still facing some issues with the button placements. They also said that there aren't many websites where you can buy adaptive camera attachments. It is surprising to know that the camera companies haven't done much about this issue until now even when they have a decent amount of left-handed users.

2. This is such an amazing point. I'm still doing my research to find out a specific impairment with some common problems. This has made to rethink about the visually impaired people, at least partially impaired. Adding a tangible feedback mechanism to it would really open possibilities for efficient photography.

3. Yes, I agree. Camera phones have gotten so much better in the past couple of years and now they are starting to rival huge camera brands. It's versatile and accessible so having an attachment that is ergonomic for better photographic experience would be an added bonus.

I will be adding my survey link tomorrow. I think I have to add a few more questions to it, looking at the thread replies. It's so good to see the community members help. Thank you again for helping me.