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Interpreting the Physical Environment for Deafblind People
Tony Kirk (UK)
Tony Kirk has worked for Sense for the past 15 years. During this time he has qualified as a teacher of people with multi-sensory impairment. Most of his work has been with adults with a congenital loss. During the last three years, he has been working as a Special Projects Manager, developing new services, mainly for those with an acquired impairment.
The role of the ‘interpreter’ in any situation is critical. They will be the eyes and ears of the deafblind person and will need to transfer vast amounts of information to that person. In this presentation I have focused on the adaptations to the environment which will enable the deafblind person to function more effectively. This will enable the person to be more self sufficient, with the environment being supportive, rather than (as usually happens) providing barriers.
I believe that how well a person is able to cope in any given situation, or environment is determined largely by the amount of information they are able to gain from it.
Key considerations in designing any environment are:
The use of contrast
Using surfaces which avoid glare
Choosing appropriate background colours
The planning of the space
The number and quality of the clues which are provided
The choosing of appropriate environmental aids which lend support and enable the person to function more independently.
To look at these in more detail. When considering contrast we work from the principle that where two surfaces meet they will be of a different colour or shade. This will help the person define the boundary between those edges, and so enhance any residual vision.This can be applied at all levels and not just related to the environment.
For example a dark drink is made in a light coloured cup which has a dark handle. This can be placed on a dark work surface, mat, or tray. When washing up, the cup will be seen best in a dark sink or bowl. The person will find the taps better if they are light, with dark handles. From this you can see the thought process which needs to be applied to designing the most supportive environments.
I would now like to describe how the principles have been applied to a home for older people. Walls which touch are different colours. This enables the person to orientate themselves and find the corner of the room. The doors clearly stand out from the wall surfaces with well defined edges. In one case we have used matt black to indicate a door frame. This has been applied throughout the building. The doors are strong colours which reflect the colour of the room inside. All rooms in the same area use different colours. The ceilings are painted white to reflect as much light as possible downwards. One mistake we made was in the design of the lift. This was chosen because it has a spoken message during its operation. Unfortunately the back wall is the same colour as the door, so that when it opens you cannot tell the difference. The door closures were chosen because they allow you to leave the door in any position and will not trap the fingers on the hinge side.
The ground floor of the building is a different colour to enable the person to have more information about which floor they are on. How often are people confused by coming out if the lift at the wrong floor, with no indication as to where they are.
Edges where two walls meet are painted a different colour. This enables the person to find that edge. The door handles are in contrast to the door and are clearly visible. The same idea has been applied to the electrical fittings which contrast with the walls. The walls have a defined lower edge where they meet the carpet.
Inside each room the same principles have been applied with furniture which stands out from the walls, coloured tops to the units and plain contrasting bed linen which is visible against the carpet. The corners of the room are defined by the contrasting colours.
One of the major difficulties that a visually impaired person faces is that of glare from a polished surface. This can destroy much of the visual information that is available in a room. So, for example, what is on the work surface disappears because of the light from the window. This can easily be avoided by careful seating of the deafblind person, or by using a non-reflective surface on which to work.
Overall glare can be reduced by a wide variety of measures. Matt paint surfaces can be used. Wall tiles are available in a range of matt colours. These are particularly useful in the bathroom area. Kitchen sinks come in a range of colours these days, so stainless steel can be avoided. To reduce glare and enhance the contrast, work surfaces need to be chosen with care. Avoid any mottled surface as these can cause a severe visual disturbance. Lighting plays an important part in how well a person can cope. Natural light has to be controllable. Uplighters are used to reflect light and are important in reducing glare. To make it possible to control the levels of light, task lighting is used. This allows the lighting of individual areas to meet the specific needs of the person.
As I said earlier colours are used to signify specific areas. So corridors on each floor are different colours, and each bedroom is personalised. The strong door colours reflect the interior, and a range of different indicators are attached to the door, depending on the needs of the user. Rooms are given specific smells, again enabling the person to know where they are. Textural clues are used. Carpets are laid with the pile in a different direction in doorways, enabling those without shoes to know a doorway is there. These clues can be applied to the doors, walls or floors. A range of sound clues are also used.
Wind chimes, placed behind the door will make a noise when it is opened. This will indicate the room. Talking sound posts can be placed around a building to give information.
A range of door clues are used, which are both two and three dimensional. Raised images are created to form one type of tactile image.
There are a wide range of environmental aids which can be incorporated into any building. Warning systems, including doorbells and fire alarms, need to be adapted to be both tactile and visual. This includes the use of strong beacons to give a visual dimension, and a vibrating pager relays that information to the user. The use of a text phone enables some people to access the system. Loop systems, including the ‘T’ piece on the hearing aid, enable sounds to be fed into the aid direct. Good quality systems are needed to make the best of the available sound.
Outside the home a range of clues are used. Marker posts can give a deafblind person the opportunity to explore an area. This could be helped by the use of strong scented plants to indicate specific areas. In the UK local authorities use tactile paving to indicate where road crossings are. This can be linked to sound and tactile clues on pedestrian crossings. Some are now available which have a vibrating pad to indicate when it is safe to cross.
Auditory clues can be added to a bus stop to indicate which bus is coming. Tactile maps can be created to give information, such as the one produced for our workshop, to help orientate a new person at work. These have been produced for many public buildings, including churches, museums etc. Tape guides have also been produced.
I hope the information given here will help the understanding of the need to create appropriate environments to enable the deafblind person to make the most of the information available. Our aim should be to encourage independence, not dependence. As I said at the start, the role of the support person/interpreter is critical in the process of transferring information, but is only part of the answer.