Detection of warning surfaces in pedestrian environments: The importance for blind people of kerbs, depth, and structure of tactile surfaces.
(2010) In Disability and Rehabilitation 32(6). p.469-482- Abstract
- Purpose. The overall purpose was to study whether and how persons with blindness detect warning surfaces with a long white cane in a real pedestrian environment after following a natural guidance surface to the warning surfaces. Of particular interest was the importance of kerb, depth, and structure of the warning surfaces. Method. A concurrently mixed methods approach, with a combination of observation using a structured form together with 'think aloud' and a structured interview, was used. It was done with well-defined samples and study sites in an inter-disciplinary research context. Results. The results show that the most important design characteristic for detection of the warning surfaces with a white cane is the structure of the... (More)
- Purpose. The overall purpose was to study whether and how persons with blindness detect warning surfaces with a long white cane in a real pedestrian environment after following a natural guidance surface to the warning surfaces. Of particular interest was the importance of kerb, depth, and structure of the warning surfaces. Method. A concurrently mixed methods approach, with a combination of observation using a structured form together with 'think aloud' and a structured interview, was used. It was done with well-defined samples and study sites in an inter-disciplinary research context. Results. The results show that the most important design characteristic for detection of the warning surfaces with a white cane is the structure of the surface, while the depth of the surface and availability of a kerb do not have any impact on the detection. A precondition was that there is a distinct natural guidance surface leading up to the warning surface. Conclusions. The probability among pedestrians with blindness to detect a tactile surface is not higher if the design solution has a kerb. This study also confirms the complexity of being a blind pedestrian in the traffic environment. The results can be used for evidence-based physical planning. The study also has implications for development of more efficient vision rehabilitation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1500023
- author
- Ståhl, Agneta LU ; Newman, Emma LU ; Dahlin-Ivanoff, Synneve LU ; Almén, Mai and Iwarsson, Susanne LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Disability and Rehabilitation
- volume
- 32
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 469 - 482
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000275534200006
- pmid:19852708
- scopus:76449096354
- pmid:19852708
- ISSN
- 0963-8288
- DOI
- 10.3109/09638280903171543
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Division of Occupational Therapy (Closed 2012) (013025000), Transport and Roads (011034010), The Vårdal Institute (016540000)
- id
- e8ee7e82-d409-423f-bb91-de7fb424b64a (old id 1500023)
- alternative location
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19852708?dopt=Abstract
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:08:30
- date last changed
- 2022-01-26 05:44:44
@article{e8ee7e82-d409-423f-bb91-de7fb424b64a,
abstract = {{Purpose. The overall purpose was to study whether and how persons with blindness detect warning surfaces with a long white cane in a real pedestrian environment after following a natural guidance surface to the warning surfaces. Of particular interest was the importance of kerb, depth, and structure of the warning surfaces. Method. A concurrently mixed methods approach, with a combination of observation using a structured form together with 'think aloud' and a structured interview, was used. It was done with well-defined samples and study sites in an inter-disciplinary research context. Results. The results show that the most important design characteristic for detection of the warning surfaces with a white cane is the structure of the surface, while the depth of the surface and availability of a kerb do not have any impact on the detection. A precondition was that there is a distinct natural guidance surface leading up to the warning surface. Conclusions. The probability among pedestrians with blindness to detect a tactile surface is not higher if the design solution has a kerb. This study also confirms the complexity of being a blind pedestrian in the traffic environment. The results can be used for evidence-based physical planning. The study also has implications for development of more efficient vision rehabilitation.}},
author = {{Ståhl, Agneta and Newman, Emma and Dahlin-Ivanoff, Synneve and Almén, Mai and Iwarsson, Susanne}},
issn = {{0963-8288}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{469--482}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Disability and Rehabilitation}},
title = {{Detection of warning surfaces in pedestrian environments: The importance for blind people of kerbs, depth, and structure of tactile surfaces.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/09638280903171543}},
doi = {{10.3109/09638280903171543}},
volume = {{32}},
year = {{2010}},
}