Evaluating standards and practices for facilitating visually impaired people’s mobility in the built environment

Making transport systems usable for visually impaired people is an important part of efforts to achieve an inclusive society. The clients wanted an evaluation of standards and practices for facilitating wayfinding and orientation. The purpose was to gain input to necessary changes. We found clear potentials for improvements, regarding the recommendations given, as well as how they are presented. There is a need for improving knowledge among involved actors, and for changes in planning- and design-processes. Our most important finding is, however, that there is a lack of research-based knowledge on how visually impaired people use elements of the physical environment when they orient. This might be a main explanation for weaknesses found in standards, handbooks and guidelines, as well as in practice.