Access for Individuals who are visually impaired or

Access for Individuals who are visually impaired or blind Janet M. Barlow Accessible Design for the Blind 2015 Walking Summit October 29, 2015

What do we mean by visually impaired or blind? Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 2

Intersection as seen by someone with “normal” vision Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 3

Central vision loss Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 4

Peripheral Vision Loss Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 5

Overall acuity loss Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 6

Totally blind Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 7

Pedestrians with low vision (many of our growing elderly population) May have difficulty with depth perception Problems in judging location of vehicles Problems in judging approach speed of vehicles May have reduced contrast sensitivity Difficulty reading signs and signals Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 8

How do pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired get around? Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 9

Yes! people who are blind do travel independently to new places Travel to unfamiliar destinations for shopping, errands, visiting friends, children’s activities, work, or other purposes, just like those who are fully sighted May have to figure out intersections and intersection crossings when they arrive at them May be unaware of changes and may make dangerous decisions when familiar intersections have been changed Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 10

Techniques and aids used by individuals who are blind or visually impaired Sighted (human) guide White cane Dog guide Telescope or other low vision aids No aid Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 11

Aids and techniques for obstacle and curb detection Long white cane - used as a probe of the walking surface, identification Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 12

Aids and techniques for obstacle and curb detection Dog guide Guides around obstacles Stops at curbs or dropoffs Low vision aid, such as telescope Used only for specific tasks, ie reading sign Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 13

Orientation and alignment cues Slight slopes and changes in surface textures Specific textures that are detectable Sidewalk and/or grass line or building line Traffic – both parallel to travel path and perpendicular to travel path Accessible pedestrian signals Other pedestrians, sun, other cues Awareness of intersecting streets and general layout of area Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 14

Street crossing tasks Locate edge of the street Determine where to begin crossing (locate crosswalk) Establish crossing direction and alignment Determine traffic control and use pushbutton, if necessary Decide when to begin crossing Maintain alignment during crossing Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 15

Traditional street crossing strategies Walk up to corner Maintain travel direction Listen through a signal cycle Cross with the surge of traffic traveling parallel to crosswalk Maintain direction by listening to vehicles and other cues Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 16

Designs that make travel safer Additional care is needed make streets and sidewalks accessible to individuals who are visually impaired Sidewalk design features Street crossings and access to information about signals Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 17

Sidewalks Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 18

Would this sidewalk design be a problem for someone who’s visually impaired? Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 19

How about this sidewalk for someone who’s blind? Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 20

Clear straight sidewalk path with grouping of furniture Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 21

Avoid obstacles (protruding objects) that cannot be detected by cane Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 22

Tree maintenance needs attention Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 23

Barrier where crossing is closed Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 24

Street crossings Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 25

Blended transitions – can’t tell where the plaza ends and the street begins Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 26

Add detectable warnings (truncated domes) to indicate location of street Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 27

NOT detectable warnings Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 28

Detectable warning = truncated domes Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 29

Crosswalk offset from corner can be problematic Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 30

Provide guidance to crosswalk Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 31

Crosswalk in line with sidewalk Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 32

Alignment of curb ramp and gutter affects crossing alignment of blind pedestrians Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 33

Potential treatments – wayfinding Design of sidewalk Tactile features or fences Sound cues from audible signals Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 34

Signal features intended to help pedestrians may not be usable without accessible pedestrian signals LPI Exclusive pedestrian phases, including at midblock crossings Protected left turns Pedestrian pushbuttons Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 35

Traffic cues may not be available or usable where there are: Low volumes of traffic parallel to crosswalk Crossing major street T intersections (crossing top of T) Exclusive pedestrian phases Leading pedestrian intervals Heavy turning traffic volumes Masking sounds Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 36

Pedestrian Pushbuttons Is there a pushbutton? Where is it? Have I found the pushbutton for the street I’m crossing? Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 37

Access may be provided by Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) Features of new APS Speakers at the pushbutton Pushbutton Locator tone Audible and Vibrotactile Walk indications Tactile arrow Automatic volume adjustment Specific location of devices Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 38

Pushbutton-integrated APS Pushbutton locator tone during FDW and DW Rapid tick WALK indication Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 39

Pushbutton-integrated APS Pushbutton locator tone during FDW and DW Speech WALK indication Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 40

APS Location is critical Provide information to the user through proximity to the departure point Signal can be quieter due to proximity Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 41

Installation recommendations Beside the landing of the curb ramp Separated by more than 10 feet from other APS on corner Nearest the crosswalk line furthest from the center of the intersection Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 42

Installation example - APS aligned with crosswalk lines Reachable from level landing, within 10 ft of curb, within 5 feet of crosswalk lines Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 43

Modifications that make programs and facilities accessible to pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision are helpful to ALL pedestrians Accessible Design for the Blind, 10/29/2015, Slide 44

Questions? ? For more information, contact: Janet M. Barlow Accessible Design for the Blind 770 -317 -0611 jmbarlow@accessforblind. org