Making 3D Printer Accessible for People with Visual Impairments by Reading Scrolling Text and Menus

3D printing has immense potential to enhance the lives of people with visual impairments (PVI) by enabling them to understand shapes and other details through touch that words alone cannot convey. Several initiatives have made 3D tactile models accessible to PVI, yet these models are typically created by sighted individuals. Our goal is to empower PVI to create 3D tactile models independently, making 3D printers accessible to them. The biggest bottleneck for PVI in using 3D printers is the inability to read text on their display. Our work specifically focuses on making scrolling text and menus readable. Through a user study with 13 PVI (five blind and eight with low vision), we confirmed the effectiveness of the implemented functions over conventional smartphone apps and wearable devices.