About MeBeing someone who has grown up living with low vision I have a deep appreciation for the challenges in navigating environments typically designed for cars. The sense that, if you are not able to drive: you don’t belong here. Quite often, even when more dense neighbourhoods are designed for pedestrians the concepts
of wayfinding – orientation and navigation – have been forgotten during design. Many times I have stood at an intersection trying to determine what street I had arrived at only to be frustrated by the one street sign I could find located on the opposite corner of a vast intersection out of view. I have created this site as a resource to educate, connect and share experience in an effort to improve design of our communities for accessibility and livability. |
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Context
Canada’s demographics are changing when it comes to vision. Our population is aging and with that comes vision loss through disease and natural degeneration. This will impact the mobility of older populations. According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) there are currently 1,150,000 people living with blindness or partial sight in Canada. Still, there is much more that could be done to make it easier for someone with low vision or blindness to navigate cities. Many improvements can be done at low or incremental cost as part of an existing development or as part of renovation or reconstruction work. Much can also be learned from leading practices around the
world. |
Vision Loss¨There are approx 1.1 million people in Canada living with blindness or partial sight
Degree of vision loss can impact economic opportunities and social interaction 70% of blind or visually impaired people are unemployed Portion of population with vision loss is growing Most live normal, functional lives |
Urban Design
The design of our cities is shaped by the perspective of professionals, the public and our elected decision makers. Guiding policy at the provincial / territorial and municipal government level determines how are cities are formed. Design for accessibility is specifically regulated at the provincial / territorial level however the degree of regulation varies across the country. Formal building codes and standards provide some guidance in combination with voluntary design standards. For more information about urban design and community planning visit some of the following organizations.
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Support Agencies
There are a number of national agencies that provide support for people with low vision and blindness. Their services are primarily to support individuals with visual impairment. These agencies can also be sources of advice to city builders in considering design to accommodate visual accessibility.
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