INFORMATION AND ORIENTATION NEEDS OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: BIOVAM PROJECT
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2001
Subject Area
planning - surveys, planning - signage/information, policy - disability, mode - bus, mode - rail, mode - mass transit, mode - subway/metro
Keywords
Visually impaired persons, Underground railways, Transit, Technological innovations, Surveys, Subways, Questionnaires, Public transit, People with visual disabilities, Mass transit, Local transit, Intracity bus transportation, Infrastructure, France, Design, Bus transit, Blind persons, Blind, BIOVAM project (France), Advanced technology
Abstract
Presented are results of the BIOVAM project in France concerning the problems experienced by the visually impaired who use public transportation, such as buses, subways, and trains. The project focused on information gathering and orientation processes in the public transportation context. The BIOVAM approach uses a questionnaire survey to identify the main difficulties that public transportation users with visual impairment must manage. The approach includes a review of promising devices that could reduce these difficulties, such as personal information systems and tactile pavements. An overview of the results obtained from the survey is presented, addressing the use of buses and subways. The main technical solutions considered by the project are described, and the research protocols that are to be used in the field experiments are presented. The results of the BIOVAM project could be used to make concrete recommendations to include the specific needs of travelers with visual impairment in the design of a public transport infrastructure.
Recommended Citation
Marin-Lamellet, C, PACHIAUDI, G, Le Breton-Gadegbeku, B. (2001). INFORMATION AND ORIENTATION NEEDS OF BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: BIOVAM PROJECT. Transportation Research Record, 1779, p. 203-208.
