Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the SoundFlash device in enhancing non-visual spatial perception. A mixed-methods, A-B-A-B-A-B research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the SoundFlash. Three vision impaired individuals participated in the study, which included echolocation training both with and without use of the SoundFlash device. At the conclusion of the study, a focus group was conducted to gather qualitative data from participants. The results of the qualitative portion of the study supported the effectiveness of the SoundFlash, while the findings of the quantitative portion were inconclusive. The SoundFlash might be helpful in improving the non-visual spatial perception abilities of individuals who are blind. Major limitations of this study include the use of a quasi-experimental research design without a control group; a small sample size (three participants); and a researcher-designed assessment tool that was not pilottested prior to use in the study.