The Effectiveness of Facility Assembly Devices Concerning the Wayfinding of People with Visual Impairments

Abstract

The study of more effective methods in terms of environmental cognition to assist visually impaired people in moving about in a space is the primary objective concerning the accessibility of disabled people. Mobility aids supplemented by hearing and echo-location cues have proven to be the most difficult concerning the improvement of mobility in finding a safe path through the immediate environment. How to develop facilities without auditory aids and carriers and to overcome the functional limitation of a single component for blind pedestrians is a necessary issue. A school with continuous space and a simple route and an office composed of open space and a complex route were selected as examples. The procedure of the experiment consisted of four phases; first, wayfinding was processed to evaluate the original environment; second, a tactile map was located at the start of the route; third, handrails were added along the test route, and finally, door signs were placed on doors. Fifteen visually impaired persons were selected for each phase. The results showed that both the tactile map and handrails with Braille landmarks were more effective in regard to wayfinding than were door signs. Handrails and door signs improved upon the limitations of a tactile map, raised the accuracy ratio of wayfinding close to 100%, and were more effective in a complex environment than in a simple environment.