Interviews with the visually impaired

Visual impairment is described as a condition where there is sight loss that cannot be corrected with exterior equipment such as glasses or contact lenses.  There are different categories of visual impairment

Mild Visual Impairment: Individuals with partial sight have a visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200 in their better eye with correction.

Moderate Visual Impairment: Low vision refers to a severe or profound vision loss, with a visual acuity of less than 20/200 in the better eye with correction.

Blindness: Blindness is a complete loss of vision or visual acuity of less than 20/400 in the better eye with correction.

Legal blindness: Legal blindness is a term used to describe a condition in which an individual has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction, or a visual field of fewer than 20 degrees.

CONVERSATION WITH HAMID

(a person who had normal vision when he was young but lost his eyesight gradually)

Q: What is your degree of visual impairment? Have you always been blind?

A: I haven't always been blind. But I do have light perception at the moment. But yeah, I used to be able to see growing up. I've been able to see up until my early twenties. Yeah.

Q: How did you adapt to the environment when you started losing sight? 

A:  It depends on when you ask. Things are very different to when I had a little sight. At the time when I was using my eyesight, you know, to give an example, there was not much tactile paving, you know, or easy access to stations, to buildings and stuff like that. So I went through a stage where I used to rely on the little light I could see. I didn't want to use a long cane as I basically just had some vision. So I used to try and navigate myself using the little vision I had. I always found it challenging, so finally, I resorted to using the long cane it would make my life a bit easier. yeah, to some degree it did. But still, there were challenges, many challenges.

Q: Could you explain what challenges you have faced with for example, on pavings? 

A: Okay, some pavings are very uneven. Some have big curves, some have, you know, smaller. Some are high of you know they're not so high. Some slopes really nice and comfortable at the end of a road at the corner, or whatever crossing whereas others you can't tell that you know some places in.

I went to this one place in the city where they were getting rid of the pavement. The road and the side cut to be one level; I know a lot of visually impaired people protested against this change to go ahead because they stopped our navigation. I’m unsure if it went ahead or not. But I remember going to a place where there was no differentiation between the pavement and the road. Cars were just driving by and you couldn't tell where the road was. There's nothing indicating you know what is what.

 For example, recently I heard of a V. I. Person who got knocked by an underground train because he couldn't tell where to stop. You know there's a yellow line that tells you you have to stop. But for a blind person there was on that particular station there was nothing to tell him where that yellow line was, so he got a bit too close to the train and got hit by it.

Q: That sounds horrible. Just to understand, some visually impaired people rely not only on tactile guides but the colour of the guide to show the limits to ensure safety?

A: Depending on the site they have. If they have partial vision, it is definitely colours that stand out more obviously and are more visible to visual people or partially side people. The colour contrast on things helps them, even if they can't read it. Just being able to see the difference in the come-up gives them an indication of what is there or that. But there's a warning or something. so yes, the colour is very big, and when I was using my sight. That's the one thing I was relying on the colour differences even until recent years. that they based on the kind of differences I used to be able to tell where a doorway is, where the wall is, or something that you know.

Q: Would you say like it's hard to navigate within a building itself, or more on the outside? As in like a building that you haven't been to before in.

A:  It's difficult for both. I guess I feel safer if I'm inside a building. The outside is more dangerous, you know, I can trip for myself or fall onto the road. There are many more dangers. 

For example, I went to a mosque that I don't go to usually, At the start, I encountered these steps at the beginning, and someone warned me about them. I went into the mosque. I don't know if there was step-free access or not; I should have inquired, but I went through the steps because that's the main entrance. Then on the way out, as I was leaving, I slipped down the stage. There was nothing. There was no grid, no tact out, no indication of where the steps started. People feel more vulnerable outside than inside because inside the risk of danger is less. Maybe we get lost or hurt. But I guess there's less likely to be hurt.

Q: Great. Thank you for answering. I was wondering because I'm trying to create a building. Are there any like elements within, like the architecture that can help the navigation? For people to access spaces safely. Maybe using tactile queues?

A: Okay. So one thing I would say is that you know some modern buildings have weird corridors. Instead of traditionally straight corridors, they have angles within them that are not straight. Uneven-shaped rooms and corridors with weird angles. 

I remember this one person. He got a flat in one of these buildings. and when you're coming through the door, the corridor was a like a 45-degree East basically. So when i entered, I found the corridor to be 45 angles to the right. Trendy, aesthetic buildings are hard for bearings for Visually impaired people. But for me, it was very difficult to navigate or to get my bearings around something like that. So that's one thing you know, like with where things are very systematic for vision impaired people, it's much easier to navigate definitely tactile queues, you know, going from one area to another area. 

Some kind of indication is helpful. I mean braille signs on the sides, you know. If you know, could actually have one of those, if they're gonna indicate what kind of room that is. 

Apart from that one thing, some visually impaired people have photosensitivity. So they are very sensitive to light perception. So even if they have some vision, if it's too bright it's as if they're totally blinded. The light shouldn’t be too bright or dark, a moderate level of lighting is quite good. Spotlights aren't good for visually impaired people

 Yeah. So I spoke to a PhD student at the moment at Cambridge and they gave her a residence that was not appropriate. They've got these kinds of lamps that shine the light upwards on the corridor. and then everywhere else the in the rooms. They've got the spotlights too. and she felt so disorientated because the spotlights acted as if she were going from light to dark to light and that disoriented her. For sighted people when you go from a dark room to a light your eyes dilate. Imagine that happened to you constantly, every second. This is what it feels like. The light gives you headaches and disorients you.

Q: Fair enough. I was wondering, is there anything more that you wish architects took into account to ensure universal access?

A: As I said. Simple building layouts help the blind. I don't know how much braille signs actually help. For example, I went to a very straightforward hospital, which got a door on either side of it, and it's a very long corridor and every so often you would get to a new zone. And that's all this for a particular department. So you could either go left or right. and there are signs. They have very visible signs, very easy to navigate for a side person, and I think, obviously if they had some braille signs on the side a V.I. person could navigate through it quite easily because it's just straight all the way down straight. Whereas other hospitals are much larger and are very complicated, you know. You're going around stairs, and the colour goes up and down and left, and you don't know where you are. So that's real. I want to say that having this simple layout is usually ideal. We, if he was to give a direction of the I person to go by themselves, they'd be able to navigate. They won't get confused.

Q: From my research, I was reading that there's also, and I might be completely wrong, that having both landmarks that smell or even simple landmarks can help sometimes

A: People do actually rely on all their senses to help them navigate where they are, or how far they are from something like kerbs rising, dipping in the pavement in the road. All of these separate things help a visually impaired person, and that includes the smell. So if they know they go into a particular place and on the way to that place they go past a park or something, or a chicken shop. So obviously, once they get close enough that they can smell it. That's an indication for them of where they are, how far they are, and where they're going to turn. 

People make all kinds of landmarks, so maybe a dustbin is a landmark for a blind person or a particular lamp post that is on the left or the right, that makes them know the way. They are right. For example, from my house to get to the bus stop: I have to go down my road and then cross over to the opposite side. I can't cross over to you soon, because otherwise, I’d be on the wrong side of the road. The only way that I know when to cross is because there is a loose tile on my road. Once I step on that loose tile I know it's time for me to cross. Once I cross over there, there's a park. I have to go around the park, but at the park where it finishes the fence bends. Okay. So the fencing bends to the left, I know where to turn, So, I use the fence to navigate where I am. I turn over to the right side. which is where I can feel the dip that tells me now it's saved for me to cross. Those are my landmarks. 

A tactile type of landmark or something they can feel if they're using decay to tap against. Landmarks can be something normal, a board on the junction, some concrete slab or a metal rod can be used as a landmark. These landmarks can be translated into the inside of the building junction.  

Q: What about acoustic queues? For example, in crossings: some crossroads have sounds that allow VI to cross the crossroads, but within buildings, I haven't seen much importance to like the acoustics of the space.

A: So acoustics help in terms of spatial awareness. I mean in some rooms, some corridors are very tall for the visually impaired. So they just don't know where they are. Lower ceilings give them an idea of how confined they are.  Yeah, but it's not a very big deal. You're right. It's not a very big deal, to use acoustics for navigating. However, some people they do rely a lot on echolocation. Okay, I myself. It gives me an indication. If there's something parked, if I'm approaching something big; that I'm getting too close to it because of the sounds, the echoes, the sound bouncing off that object that gives you an indication. But not every V. I person blind person has the ability to tap into that. They're not very aware of the sounds. Maybe some people are more hypersensitive to it.

Q: So there are different degrees?

A: Yeah.

Q: This question is optional, if you want to answer do so. What are some misconceptions that people often have about blindness that you would like to dispel?

A: There is a whole bag full of them. This one annoys me. When a V.I. person is with a sighted person people pay attention to the sighted person, as if I were not able to hold a conversation. They act as if we are deaf “Do you think they would like that”; as if I wasn't the one requesting it. Another thing is that people think all visually impaired can read Braille. Or the fact that they think we don't read. I can read a Braille book or read a book using audible. Or watching a movie. We don't hear it, we see it ….

Q: Of course.

CONVERSATION WITH ANNA

(a person who is legally blind on one eye and blind on another)

Q: If you don't mind me asking, what's the degree of like, what's your degree of official impairment?

A: Yeah, that's all right, all right. So as you can see, I'm wearing glasses so that tells you that I'm not fully blind. I am severely blind, however, so I have only central vision in my right eye. In other words, I can only see in the middle of the eye, nothing else. I was born with a retina detachment, but the operation went terribly wrong and they burnt my eyes out, leaving me blind in one eye and half-blind in the other

Q: I was wondering if you could speak about how he navigates the current environment. In your day-to-day, how do you travel around the city?

A: Right, so I can't say I travel a lot, because I'm very, very weak. because I also have a blood condition on top of everything else. But obviously, I do go to college, and I do attend meetings and events. I am a very busy lady, so I do have to travel for those purposes. How do I travel? You said, Well, I can't go anywhere alone for a start. Yeah, start with that. I can't go anywhere alone. I need to be guided at all times, but I do also use a long cane. You'll never ever see me with a guide dog only because I'm terrified of animals. But to be fair, I can get lost literally anywhere. Even in the most familiar environment, even in the toilet cubicle. Excuse my language hahaha. Yeah, I can get lost even in there like a very small space, and I can still get this orientated and get lost. I have to stop and look around before I think that's there that's in. For example, to tell you that cubicle just because you said it as an example. 

Q: Is it because of the light of the space, or how the space is configured?

A: So the light is the key. I need good light to be able to know where I am.

Q:  Sorry, could you explain what good light means?

A: Good light is a contrasting light. So you know where you have a bold with like the daylight brightness.

That sort of light comes directly and lights up literally everything around you. Where there is poor lighting, such as small bulbs, or when you don't have a light directly above your head, or something like that that makes it very difficult, and I can barely see where I'm going. I could literally be seeing a wall where there isn't a wall, you know. Yeah. I will try not to walk into it. But then it will turn out that there actually isn't a wall that I'm freaking out of for no reason.

Q: So what helps you within a building? For example, the texture of the walls or the contrasting colours, or like this …

A: All right. So what helps me? Well, obviously, as I said, the light, the light is the key part. I do need to be able to see where there is a flaw, where there is a wall. As I said, even though I use a long time, which I do, I still look straight ahead when I'm walking, look straight ahead. So if there is a wall I need to be able to see it before I actually bump. You mentioned lighting contrasting colours.

Contrasting colours are another key part because the one thing on buildings today, like the official buildings that I attend, some are built by a visually impaired person. One of the things that we have is the carpeting on the floor. But some buildings have dark colours on the items on the floor. Its hard to differentiate the cupboards, a dark wall type with a dark tile or door, that makes it particularly difficult to differentiate. All I can see is just that colour ahead of me, and I'm just going to be like “There’s a wall.” A wall could be 10 meters ahead of me but it would actually be furniture. But you know what I mean. The wall, the items on the floor, the furniture and people can confuse me.

Q: So do you also rely on acoustics to move around? 

A: I do rely on sounds around me as well, so I can also get very easily disoriented if it's very loud. if it's very loud. because, you see, my hearing is 10 times louder, or possibly even 100 times louder than an average person. If I'm finding everything is very loud around me I will get lost instantly, and even though I might be able to still see where I'm going, that there is, you know that I can see that i'm going the right way. But actually, if it gets very loud, I will immediately lose my orientation. I will get very confused. I will not know what is happening. so it is important for me to be able to hear what's going on around me. It’s why I say sound isolation. So, for example, I may encounter somebody calling me. Somebody might be talking to me across the building and unless someone directs me I will not be able to understand unless it's clear.

Q: I was wondering. Is there any way architects can help ¡make a building more accessible for you? Apart from the difference in colour, light, and sound like anything else that you could think of?

A: I just want to highlight those 3 that we've talked about before I go on to anything else. A lot of the public places highlight steps. So you've got a right to call out over there where the step is for you to be able to see it. So that is really helpful in terms of sound isolation obviously: it's funny enough. I've been to a place where actually the place was built on the control. All was on the like one of the key things that I think it shouldn't just be like that in the specialized buildings and specialized places for blind people that actually it should be elsewhere. There are so many places these days that the light is just very poor. Public places such as pools are horrible. The pools, and the lighting there is just for me at least. Yeah, it's really really bad. So again they, the contrasting light, the daylight brightness, really should be considered everywhere. and anyway, not just where there are blind people in that makes sense.

One thing that helps a lot of the time is grabbing rails. You can grab a hold of it when you're walking. So you've got them on the stairs, you know that grabbed rails, some places have them by the walls. They help you go straight through corridors and maintain your stability if you are at risk of falling or anything like that.

Normal, straightforward flights of stairs. The stairs that go around in a circular manner, steps that have irregular distances, and stairs that have indents, are dangerous for us. If you don't know; if you don't expect it, and the stairs are not usual to the stairs. You are gonna get lost.

If I encounter inaccessible stairs, what for me is inaccessible like if they are in a half a circle if the flights are not positioned very well if the steps are far too big, or if the steps have an indentation in between them, so that the I could slip through a stack that a lot of the time. I would need two people to aid me and that would make me feel so old.

Q:  How can uneven flooring affect you?

A: I mean, have you ever seen anyone walking with a cane? So obviously, you know, so the kind detects any obstacles that you could encounter on the floor. It's not always easy to tell whether something is an obstacle. or the floor is just uneven, especially if there is a deep indentation in the floor, or if there are some places I've been, that have little like a little hill halfway through their room. It doesn't make sense at all, You know. I want to be able to be sure that I'm walking on solid ground. I'm not going to fall over anything I'm not going to trip over anything I'm not gonna lose my balance on anything. I'm not gonna

slide over anything or roll over anything. You know. The list goes on so the floor needs to be even that normal, even floor, without any of these silly bits and pieces: Hills. Hills is the most ridiculous one, in my opinion. But who wants to hill halfway through the room? I don't get it.

Q: Would you say, on even flooring, to have tactile queues such as guidance pavements can help when you are inside a building?

A: I mean. If you're trying to get to a specific location yes, they do help. Yes, in a whole way. If you're trying to walk and then try to follow it. A tactile guide to go straight to get to a specific location. They do help. Yes, but if you are trying to get to like a classroom for example, and there are tactile guides within the space it might confuse me as there are other obstacles such as tables and chairs which would not let a clear path. If I didn't know about tactile queues inside the building I would be very confused.

Q: Do you have any questions for me?

A: Not really. I just want to say, I'm really proud of you. It's really great to see that a sighted person is there willing to help the blind. 

CONVERSATION WITH JOANNA

(a person which used to have vision until 15 and is now

considered legally blind and uses a guide dog to guide herself)

Q: What's your degree of visual impairment?

A:  I have no vision at all. I've always had a sight problem, but when I was a child I have it had a bit of use or vision. I was about 15 when it stopped being used for

Q: I wanted to know how you navigate the outside environment. What issues do you encounter when you travel?

A: Well, I  have a guide dog. I don't. I've only had her for 8 months. So prior to that, I was using a long cane. I have had guide dogs before. It's just. It was a long wait between my last one and getting this one. So I had about 3 years of using a cane. Yeah. Problems, Lots of things, people who park on the footpaths. This the street furniture like signs outside shops and bins and pavement cafes, you know. If they take up too much room or aren't kept neat and tidy, then they can be difficult. Electric vehicles! you can't hear them well enough unless they go really fast. This new idea of shared space is becoming a bit of an issue, and it's something my local town did. and they removed the foot, and the kerbs. So there's no difference between the road and the footpath. It’s quite dangerous, because, you know, we can't tell whether we're in a safe place or on the road and in danger.

Q: What issues do you encounter on buildings?

A: It depends. Buildings can be a bit trickier sometimes. Most of the time I get someone to help me, but if it's somewhere I go quite often, it's easier. Using the lift that's usually it can be a bit of a problem, sometimes trying to work out what the buttons are.

Q: What about other elements in buildings such as stairs?

A: I don't have a problem with stairs. I can use stairs perfectly fine, I guess. Sometimes you know things haven't been designed quite properly, so their handrail is awkward to find, or maybe they start too close to the door. So it's awkward to, you know, manoeuvre around the door. Physically using steps, I'm fine with it's just sometimes they're a bit steep as well, you know it's going to be a bit off-putting all you know, these fancy ones where they've got no back to the stairs, so it's just all open. Guide dogs, well, dogs in general don't really like them. They can find them a bit scary.

Q: How can buildings accommodate someone that's visually impaired?

A: Buildings that are designed as open plans are quite hard; you don't have anything to locate yourself with. But there are buildings that have elements which allow easier access. For example, the school I used to go to, which was actually a school for the blind, had hard laminated flooring on the corridors. When you got to a corner it would be carpeted. So you would know that you know this is a point that you can turn at. So, you know. That was quite helpful. 

On other buildings I’ve been on, the carpet will be right up close to the door if it opens outwards. If it opens inwards, the carpet will have a gap near the door. Like an announcement, maybe. In a building that has lots of offices in it, or lots of departments. If you were to get off the list, or an announcement like “ this is level 2 contains, you know, X, Y and Z”. I know a lot of people try and put up braille maps and tactile signs and things like that, but there are only any good if you know where they are trying to find them. In the first place, or knowing that they're there in the first place, is a bit difficult.

To have things sticking out from that wall like you know, fire extinguishers or emergency buttons and things you know you can bang into and get caught up in its hard to move around corridors.

For the buttons in the lift, because you're trying to accommodate 2 different groups of people, so there will be people in wheelchairs who need to have the buttons quite low down.

It's really difficult to read the braille, or the tactile letters or numbers on the buttons when they are that low down.

Q: If an architect were to integrate it within a building, do you think it would hinder your ability to navigate the space?

A: Yes and no. There are the listed paving that you get at a crossing point. So you couldn't use that, because it might be mistaken as a safe place across a road rather than an entrance to a building. Then there's the type that is ridged, and that usually indicates that you're coming to a set of steps, so you couldn't use that either because that might make someone nervous. So they're coming to steps when they're not so it'd have to be something different to all of those things, but something that's still quite easy to pick up, because it's you know it's it's hard to feel a lot of difference between things with your feet.

I mean, I think the RNIB in Belfast. I've been up there before, and they're supposed to have tactile paving outside the building, and it's supposed to be a softer feeling. But it's not. It's really not doing the job that it needs to do. It's not distinct enough to really be that much help. And I think maybe over the years it's kind of it's deteriorated a bit more than they would have thought it would. But yeah, I think it is. It's definitely a possibility. And I would say that if a building was to do that they would probably be the only one doing it and depending, you, you know if that building is a business.

However, if everybody started doing it, it would then get quite confusing as to what's what and you know where an actual door is, and all those kinds of things. But yeah, I think it's definitely potential for it to work.

I think one of the big issues in getting that information out to the visually impaired community is communicating new features and what they mean. Unless it's obvious, a buzzing sound or something that vibrates, we cannot know what it means