The use of tactile floor signs in public buildings

Semenenko Dar'ya Andreevna Postgraduate student, Department of Environmental Design, Kosygin Russian State University 117997, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Sadovnicheskaya, 33, str.1 darja.semenenko@yandex.ru

Nazarov Yurii Vladimirovich Doctor of Art History Professor, Department of Environmental Design, Kosygin Russian State University 117997, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Sadovnicheskaya, 33, str.1 nazaret48@yandex.ru

Introduction

The layout and construction of modern cities is quite complex and diverse in structure, especially this applies to megacities where it is impossible to move without means of navigation. Moving along the streets and inside buildings in such cities sometimes turns into a problem, especially for people with limited mobility. For this category of consumers, special tools are needed to help move freely both inside and outside buildings. The low–mobility group also includes people with visual disabilities - blind and visually impaired consumers.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 2.2 billion visually impaired people in the world today. Scientists, engineers and designers have recently become seriously interested in adapting the environment for this category of consumers. Among the special means of organizing space for the movement of blind and visually impaired people, there are both classic means that are used everywhere, and modern, innovative features that are just beginning to be used or are in the process of being developed. One way or another, all these resources should contribute to improving the quality of life of blind and visually impaired people by adapting the environment to the special capabilities of this population group, including the interiors of buildings.

Tactile floor signs

Tactile ground and floor signs are passive technical means of signaling, warning people with visual disabilities about obstacles and dangerous places on their routes. In addition, tactile pointers are used to indicate safe routes, to indicate the places where they begin and change the direction of movement, to determine the places of boarding route vehicles, to mark places where visually impaired people receive services or information ^{[1, p.6]}.

Tactile pointers are divided into outdoor ones, arranged outside buildings, and outdoor ones, installed inside buildings on communication paths. Outdoor and outdoor signs, depending on the purpose, are divided into warning, guiding and fields for various purposes ^{[1, p.8]}.

Tactile floor signs are divided by appearance into several groups:

• Tactile tiles.

Tactile tile is a convex structure of a certain shape, grouped on a thin base. An overhead tactile tile is made of various materials, the main ones are PVC and polyurethane, and for rooms with high traffic – stainless steel ^[2].

• Tactile indicators.

Tactile indicators are bulges of a certain shape that are not connected to each other by any physical connection prior to installation. Installation is carried out using a special template, thanks to which the indicators are located on the selected surface in a well-defined sequence, forming a group of bulges. Indicators are made mainly of metal or plastic ^[2].

• Tactile tape.

The tactile tape is a linear tactile pointer made in the form of a tape with a certain profile in cross-section and does not change along the length. Tactile tape is mainly made of polymer materials or various types of metal ^[2].

As can be seen from the above, tactile floor signs have a different appearance and are made of a variety of materials, but they produce a single tactile effect on a user with visual disabilities. One important component of tactile pointers is their color. The indicators should have a contrasting effect in comparison with the surface, so they are mainly painted yellow for installation on a dark surface or black for installation on a light surface. Regardless of the type, material and color, tactile floor signs should be wear-resistant and should not move when in contact with other objects.

Additional equipment

Together with tactile floor signs, tactile signs and mnemonic diagrams should be used to adapt the interiors of public buildings.

Tactile mnemonic circuits (tactile mnemonic maps, relief plans) and pointers (tactile plates, pictograms, tactile pads, tactile stickers) should provide the possibility of their effective use for orientation in space of people with disabilities, as well as other citizens ^{[3, p.7]}.

Also, a variety of mobile applications can serve as one of the additional ways of orientation in the space of blind and visually impaired people. Mobile smartphone applications currently used by blind and visually impaired people for orientation in the surrounding space are Arianna, RightHear, GetThere, ViaOpta Nav, Seeing Eye GPS, Microsoft Soundscape, BlindSquare and DotWalker Pro navigators. These applications mainly use GPS data. In most cases, these applications are ordinary navigators that are tailored to the capabilities of people with vision problems. However, today there are the latest developments using Bluetooth, digital signatures, waypoint algorithms, tactile signs and space scanning systems designed specifically for blind and visually impaired people, which will be presented below. Perhaps in the future these developments will be able to replace the usual tactile means.

One of the joint developments carried out by Peru and Spain is a mobile application with a hybrid system based on GPS and Bluetooth navigation technologies, which can be used by people with visual impairments both indoors and outdoors. In the open space, the mobile orientation assistant in the environment includes an intelligent traffic light controller and data based on Google Directions API and Google Maps geocoding API. In the interiors of buildings, the assistant relies on the use of Bluetooth beacons strategically located to identify various internal zones, the device uses pedometer and gyroscope sensors available in most smartphones. Thus, a user with disabilities can navigate indoors not only with the help of tactile floor signs ^[4]. 

A digital signage system has been developed and tested under the guidance of the University of Minnesota's Visually Impaired Research Laboratory. The hardware and software of the application consists of digitally encoded signs widely scattered throughout the building, a portable sign reader based on an infrared camera, image processing software and a talking digital card running on a mobile device. The study involves the use of this technology to extract information from digitally encoded signs and to track routes in the building from the initial location of the visitor to the end point ^[5].

The study conducted in Malaysia is based on a pre-planned route determined using the waypoint method using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. This method calculates the shortest and safest path laid along the specified waypoints – from the initial to the final location. Using predefined landmarks, which are a set of coordinates along a pedestrian path, you can select an accessible pedestrian zone for visually impaired and blind users. The system provides a destination selection process and a path planning process. This study and the PSO algorithm are planned to be used in the future in the development of a route management system for people with disabilities, which allows this category of people to navigate independently in an unfamiliar space of streets and buildings ^[6].        

A study conducted in Spain is based on tactile icons that are used on smartphones as warnings or notifications. The purpose of the study was to determine the possibility of using tactile icons to create assistive technologies on a smartphone for people with visual impairments. The development is based on the recognition of tactile signs and the transmission of this information to the application, and later to the user through frequency, amplitude, waveform and duration of vibration (vibrotactile sensations). However, tactile icons should be designed and positioned so that they can be easily recognized and, therefore, transmit information to the user for his orientation in space ^[7].

The joint concept of Spain and Norway is to develop a fully automatic "guide dog" type system for blind users. The basis of this system is the scanning of physical space using a laser rangefinder, which analyzes and converts a three-dimensional point cloud into a description of the environment, and subsequently transmits information to the user using synthetic speech and (or) tactile feedback, which allows the visually impaired to move in the surrounding street space or building ^[8].

Analysis of adaptation of public buildings for blind and visually impaired people through tactile floor signs

A public building is an object designed to meet public needs or to accommodate various administrative institutions or organizations in it. The main categories of public buildings include:

1. Buildings and premises for educational purposes;

2. Buildings and premises of public health and social services;

3. Public service buildings and premises;

4. Structures, buildings and premises for cultural and leisure activities of the population, conducting ritual and religious rites;

5. Buildings and premises for temporary stay ^{[9, pp.61-62]}.

All the buildings listed above must be adapted for people with disabilities, including tactile floor signs for blind and visually impaired people.

When analyzing the practice of using tactile floor signs in educational buildings, in buildings of public health and social services, in public service buildings, buildings for cultural and leisure activities of the population and in buildings for ritual and religious ceremonies, in buildings for temporary stay, not only the presence of tactile floor signs was considered, but also the number of barriers and the level of security were analyzed. Unfortunately, the analysis showed that in most cases tactile floor signs are almost not used, which makes it difficult for blind and visually impaired people to navigate in space, especially given the presence of various obstacles, as this can lead to traumatic situations.

Five buildings in each of these categories were analyzed. Of all the buildings surveyed, tactile floor signs were present (in whole or in part) in only 5 buildings out of 25. However, it is worth noting that of all the inspected buildings for temporary stay, none of the buildings had not only tactile floor signs, but even other adaptive means for blind and visually impaired people. Some of the buildings studied have mnemonic circuits and tactile signs, while others do not have any tactile means of information. The lack of tactile orientation means forces visually impaired visitors to orient themselves in buildings or ask for help, which creates additional difficulties and makes it difficult for them to move. As a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that public buildings of all types are for the most part not adapted for people with visual disabilities, forcing them either not to visit these facilities, or to seek outside support and ask for help. It is worth noting that the adaptation of public buildings is important first of all, since they provide the majority of social services to the population. Accessibility of spaces for citizens of all categories, regardless of their capabilities and health status, is a problem of many buildings, streets, cities and countries that needs to be urgently addressed.

Analysis of the adaptation of the environment for blind and visually impaired people in other countries

Studies on the adaptation of the surrounding space and the internal environment of buildings for people with disabilities are carried out in various countries. The problems of the lack of a convenient, comfortable and safe environment for low-mobility groups of the population, including blind and visually impaired people, exist in many states. However, there are still quite a few studies related to the adaptation of the environment specifically for blind and visually impaired people. The studies presented below were aimed at studying the accessibility of the external environment of public facilities, as well as the interiors of buildings.

In the Netherlands, a study was conducted aimed at identifying and analyzing the problems of accessibility for blind people of various public places in the country's cities. Although the results of the study were limited to several zones, the identified accessibility issues require serious consideration when developing and designing any environment. According to the results of the study, a list of the most important problems that occur in the most visited places was compiled – these are various obstacles and the lack of warnings about them, insufficiently smooth and contrasting surfaces, as well as the frequent absence of tactile pointers. At first glance, the problems identified in the study do not seem catastrophic, but they can pose real difficulties for people with visual impairments ^[10].

A study conducted in Malaysia, in the state of Selangor, was devoted to the study of the accessibility of shopping centers for people with disabilities. Shopping centers located in Puchong, Ampang, Sri Kembangan and Shah Alam were selected as the studied places. After the analysis, it was concluded that the accessibility of shopping complexes is relative, since the internal environment of buildings has a variety of obstacles, confusing layouts and the frequent absence of tactile pointers and mnemonic circuits. These problems do not allow blind and visually impaired people to feel comfortable and safe in the environment and present real difficulties ^[11].

Conclusion

After analyzing the adaptation of the environment of public buildings for blind and visually impaired people, based on the use of tactile floor signs, as well as considering other means of adapting the environment, it can be concluded that the interior spaces of buildings are most often not adapted for free and comfortable visits by people with visual impairments. In most cases, despite the existence of standards and other regulatory documents, the decision to adapt the internal environment of a building is made by its owner, and, unfortunately, the choice between adapting the environment for people with visual impairments, between other requirements and the attractiveness of the interior is made in favor of a variety of artistic solutions. This problem of environmental accessibility exists in many countries. Various solutions to adapt the environment, especially for the spaces of public buildings, are necessary, as they can make the lives of people with visual impairments more comfortable and safer today.

The topic of "accessible design" is becoming more relevant every day, and it is worth noting that more and more scientists, designers and engineers are constantly interested in solving the problem of better orientation of blind people in space. Perhaps not today, and not in a year, but in the near, foreseeable future, the correct organization of the internal environment of buildings and outdoor urban space, as well as all kinds of innovative technologies and developments in the field of tactile design will allow blind and visually impaired people to navigate in any environment on a par with healthy people, and feel comfortable everywhere.