Public Space Design Considerations For Individuals Who Are Blind Or

Vision Impaired

Multimodal and Public Space Design GuidelinesAugust 17, 2011

People Who are Blind Use

– Long Cane or White Cane

– Human Guide

– Dog Guide

Detecting Environment• HEARING – immediate & distant

• LONG CANE – immediate environment– Textures - grass, gravel, sidewalk

– Drop-offs - curbs & holes– Tip of cane drops over curb - angle of the cane changes

– Step-ups – curbs & stairs

– Obstacles - poles and trees– Side of cane encounters an object.

Analyze Intersection

• Traffic – occasional, medium, heavy

• Speed of traffic

• Lanes of traffic - 1, 2, 3, etc.

• Intersections – “T”, “+”, “Y”, “X”, other

• Traffic control - none, stop, yield, traffic light

• Is the traffic control regular or inconsistent?

Crossing Streets

• Parallel and Perpendicular streets

• Square off with (face) street you wish to cross; the “perpendicular” street.

• Listens for the traffic on the “perpendicular” street to stop

• Immediately begins to walk when the traffic in the “parallel” street begins to move.

Problems Encountered

• Quiet Cars

• Roundabouts

• Accessible Pedestrian Signals

• Time To Cross Traffic Light Intersections

• Curb Ramps

• Right Turn on RED

Quiet Cars

While this group cannot directly affect this

issue with public space design, we should be

aware of the issue.

Roundabouts

• Hazard to individuals who are visually impaired AND those who are not visually impaired.

• One solution - install traffic lights that could be activated when someone wants to cross, otherwise the traffic light remains green.

Audible Pedestrian Signals

• Problems include– Placement of button

– Bird sounds to indicate when to cross

– Are they needed at every street crossing?

Time to Cross Street

• Hazard to both individuals who are visually impaired and for some of general public

– Blind

– Wheel chairs

– Elderly

Curb Ramps

• Blended curbs

• Angled ramps

Resources

• United States Access Board(http://www.access-board.gov/)– Accessible Pedestrian Signals– Pedestrian Access to Modern Roundabouts – Roundabout Signalization to Provide Pedestrian Access– Visual Detection of Detectable Warning Materials

• Accessible Pedestrian Signals (http://www.apsguide.org/index.cfm)

Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired

• http://www.vdbvi.org/

• Glen Slonneger Education Services Program Director397 Azalea Ave.Richmond, VA 23227(804) 371-3113