This discussion board question was particularly interesting as I had never thought about architects with visual impairments.
The following video is about architect Chris Downey who lost his vision after twenty years in the profession. Many thought he'd give up his job as an architect however he believes his impairment has only enriched his experience as an architect...
Downey describes the daily struggles of navigating around the city with visual impairments. What we may think is everyday and mundane is not the same for everyone. For those with visual impairments, sensory experiences are the main drivers through a space.
The main elements to consider when designing for the blind are lighting, the use of colours, materials and the quality of sound produced by them. Since 90% of the blind still have some vision left, they are able to pick up bright, bold and contrasting colours. On the other hand, colours such as grey and brown seem to blend into each other. This explains the bold colours of the tactile paving in bus stops and train stations.
In terms of lighting, again sharp colours with little illumination and minimum glare work best as these colours stand out and the light quality does not hurt the eye. More so, when choosing materials, it is important to pick those that respond well to the constant tap of canes such as wood. Metals would only amplify the sounds of canes and footsteps while carpets would totally absorb the sound.
Keeping all these elements in mind when designing creates better architecture, archtiecture that responds to the needs of many different types of people.
"It’s less about the sight I’ve lost, but the realisation of how much of the environmental experience that I wasn’t designing, that I was leaving to chance, leaving to possible failure because I wasn’t designing for it"
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