Evaluation of tactile floors as a wayfinding element in a special-needs school for children with visual impairment

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the spatial orientation of visually impaired students in a special education school in the city of São Paulo, before and after the installation of tactile tiles, an important element in the system called wayfinding. In the first phase of the study (October to December, 2012), observations were made with pre-school and elementary school students with visual impairment (blindness and low vision) for evaluation of orientation while moving around in the school building. After a renovation of the existing flooring in 2014, the authors installed tactile signage on the floor (ABNT NBR/9050, 2004) in the circulation areas and initiated the second phase of the study (August and September, 2014) with new observations. The adopted assumptions were considered for determining the case study unit and the criteria for choosing the data collection tool. The study showed that the implementation of tactile signage on the floor in the circulation areas of visually impaired students requires familiarity with its use through guidance and mobility training (O&M), availability and concomitant use of tactile maps, adoption of directional walking sticks, different recess schedules for different classes, definition of circulation paths, security in circulation, and monitoring.

Keywords:
School architecture; Wayfinding; Spatial accessibility; Tactile signage