Domain 11 Module: Environmental Accessibility (6 test questions) Flashcards
What is meant by Universal Design and how does it assist learners with visual
impairments?
Universal Design: process of creating products that are accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics.
Useful and marketable for people with diverse abilities, same means of use for all users
- Examples: power doors with sensors, integrated seating in public arenas
Equitable Use
Accommodates a wide range of preferences and abilities, provides choice in use based on hand preference, pace, etc.
- Examples: scissors made for ambidextrous use, ATM with braille, headphone jack, tapered opening
Flexibility in use
Easy to understand, not complex, consistent with expectations, can be used regardless of language, information consistent with importance
Examples: moving sidewalks, instructions with pictures only
Simple and intuitive use
Communicates necessary information effectively regardless of conditions or user’s sensory abilities
Examples: tactile, visual, audible cues on thermostat, voice communication and signs in airports or train stations
Perceptible Information
Minimizes hazards and adverse consequences of accidental use, provides warnings, designed to be fail safe
Examples: “undo” feature on computer software that allows errors to be fixed
Tolerance for Error
Used efficiently and comfortably with minimum fatigue, neutral body position, reducing repetition
Examples: lever handles on doors, touch lamps
Low Physical Effort
Appropriate space provided for individual regardless of size, shape, posture, or mobility, clear line of sight to important elements, comfortable reach, accommodations for grip strength
Examples: wide gates at subways and train stations that accommodate all users
Size and space for approach and use
What is meant by the term “wayfinding”?
Moving purposefully through the environment toward a destination
Orientation in our complexly built environment is facilitated for all persons by information such as numbers on rooms, elevators, and buildings
Planning and strategic components that guide action, deliberate movement and the ability to reach a goal.
Define the three key design concepts and describe the application to learners with
visual impairments?
- logical layout:
- Users can anticipate locations of facilities such as stairs located next to elevators or men’s and women’s restrooms being adjacent to one another * Help all users solve orientation problems.
- visibility
- Environments in which key features such as handrails, stair nosings (leading edges) and doors have high visual contrast with their surroundings and safer and more negotiable for all sighted, low vision, and blind persons.
- It is the ability of the learner to be able to see and an object
- Lighting can affect the learners visibility level by either having too much light or not enough
- The user can use the visibility of an object or an area to travel safer.
- lighting:
- The amount of light that is provided by natural or artificial that can help or hurt a low vision learner
- represents the simple most critical problem for students with low vision student can struggle from night blindness and need more light to see
- Student can struggle from night blindness and need more light to see students may struggle with glare from too much lighting
- Photophobia affects the learners ability to see with bright lights or certain lights
- enhances visibility of signs and architectural features and does not cause glare or heavy shadows.
- optimal conditions varies per person, in general, persons with low vision are thought to need between 50 and 100% more lighting than the unimpaired person
List three ingredients of sign legibility:
- Well-lit (no glare)
- Well placed (easy to locate, consistent)
- Well-designed (legible font, high contrast, easy to understand)
What is the recommended placement of an audible pedestrian signal (APS)?
no more than 10 feet from the curb line;
as close as possible to the line of the associated crosswalk that is farthest from the center of the intersection.
Additional devices should be at least 10 feet apart
Explain the benefit of APS to a learner with a visual impairment.
a) Enable the traveler to cross the street with additional time
b) Audible information will be helpful for some travelers to locate which street is ready to be crossed
c) Vibrotactile arrow helps dual sensory impaired person
Describe the effectiveness of tactile guidestrips when used at street crossings.
a) Aides person in maintaining line of travel especially useful are the ones with tactile strips on the outer wrung
b) Good information for the person about to step off the curb
Describe accessibility issues in transit stations and what modifications can be made to assist the learner with a visual impairment.
Issues:
Difficult to recognize which vehicle to enter, where person is when vehicle is in motion, deal with layovers, crowding, finding transfer points when changing vehicles, finding crossing point as to where cross when leaving or entering transit station
Lack of uniformity with and between the transit systems
The locations of bus stops vary from street to street. It is often difficult to determine bus numbers and routes.
The layout of the rail stations are inconsistent because everything such as platforms, exits, stairs, bathrooms, etc. vary from station to station.
Modifications:
Verbal, tactile maps, platform edge with DW or barriers, bus stop signs with Talking Signs
Tactile guidestrips indicate platform edges; Need to locate track number, audio announcements, high contrast/no glare
Technology such as RIAS, talking directories, auditory and tactile transit system maps, tactile pathways, accessible fare machines, and detectable warnings at platform edges can provide significant benefits.
Signage with high contrast, large-print raised letters and braille mounted at eye level in well-lit areas with predictable, consistent locations can improve accessibility at transit stations.
