Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities

Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities

A wheelchair user is testing a tactile paving

Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities 

Maybe you think that inclusive multisensory signage is more of an utopia, that it’s impossible to include all the different types of disabilities. Well it’s definitely possible. And that’s what we’ve conceived.

It all started when SOLIDEO, the French company in charge of setting up infrastructures to welcome international athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Village, chose Okeenea and and 5 other accessibility expert companies to conceive signage solutions.

It’s true that usually the Games shine a light on the hosting city. Next year, all eyes will turn to Paris. This represents an opportunity to rethink inclusion. 

What are the needs of people with disabilities? Can a multisensory signage system be implemented at the scale of a city? Can residents get to grips with it in their everyday lives?

Inclusive multisensory signage: universal accessibility at the doorsteps of Paris

Next year, Paris will host the most prestigious international sporting event. The challenge is huge for French company SOLIDEO

Its goal is to build durable infrastructures and to implement innovative solutions that’ll improve tomorrow’s city.

This means focusing on universal accessibility and taking into account the needs of people with disabilities, whatever their capabilities are. Because disabilities are indeed plural. 

SOLIDEO launched a call for innovations on inclusive multisensory signage solutions. We’ve been chosen along 5 other accessibility expert companies to tackle this challenge. Together we’ve become the OMNISENS consortium

The inclusive multisensory signage solutions we’ve created are meant to be set up once the competition is over. It’s great because it means that they’ll residents with disabilities find their way in the area. 

Every person that needs inclusive multisensory signage to enjoy the neighborhood and its infrastructures will be free to do so without having to think twice about accessibility.

What solutions are part of an inclusive multisensory signage system? 

One thing is sure: developing inclusive solutions to guide people with disabilities isn’t an easy task. Because this means taking into account all types of disabilities and capabilities.

But what matters is that these solutions are meant to improve the autonomy of people with disabilities.

Directional guide paths

Blind and visually impaired people usually find guide paths thanks to their white cane or their guide dog. They can feel the directional raised surfaces and follow the tactile paving by themselves.

We’ve come up with innovative guide paths. They provide another detection method.

When a visually impaired person locates these guide paths with their white cane, this creates a vibration. In a way, it works like a foldback.

The material of the guide paths, aluminum, but mostly their fixing method creates this foldback. Indeed, these guide paths are screwed. They’re not completely glued to the ground.

Innovative guide paths installed in the street as part of our inclusive multisensory signage system

Crossing guide paths

These guide paths are quite different from the previous ones. They’re located on the pedestrian crossing.

Their purpose is to help blind and visually impaired pedestrians maintain their course when crossing the street.

Actually, nobody walks straight. But for a person with vision disabilities, it can be more challenging to walk straight when crossing. 

Tactile paving to point to a specific point of interest

In France, this type of tactile paving is very common. Its goal is to guide the visually impaired from the main path to a specific point of interest.

It enables a person with a visual impairment to find the emergency phone at a subway station or the ticket machine at a tram stop.

As part of the inclusive multisensory signage we’ve created, this tactile paving is meant to help a blind pedestrian find the crossing.

Accessible pedestrian crossings

That goes without saying that there are indeed accessible pedestrian signals at the area of the Olympic and Paralympic Village for athletes and residents with vision disabilities.

But what can be done for intersections without traffic lights? 

Well there can still be audio signage to enable the visually impaired to cross the street with complete autonomy.

We’ve installed audio beacons on both sides of a crossing without traffic lights. Just like regular APS, they can be actuated with:

⊗ A remote control

⊗ MyMoveo, a free smartphone app

Audio beacons at bus stops

To be able to come and go, people with visual impairments need to rely on public transportation. 

But to hop on and off the bus, they first need to find the bus stop. 

That’s another use for audio beacons. They can be implemented at all types of points of interest.

Directional poles

To easily find our way to venues, we all need directions. We’ve come up with inclusive directional poles to guide people with disabilities:

⊗ Easy-to-read textual information for people with intellectual disabilities,

⊗ Visual contrast for the visually impaired,

⊗ Accessible font for people with dys disorders,

⊗ Audio beacons for blind people: the messages let them know in which direction the venues nearby are located.

Our directional pole that indicates the direction of several venues and is equipped with two audio beacons

Linear cartography

This is another solution to provide information to all types of users, whether they have disabilities or not.

This equipment has visual, tactile and audio signage. It’s entirely intuitive and inclusive.

Multisensory maps

It’s a similar solution as the linear cartography but the format is different. It makes it easy to use for everybody. 

This zooms in on a particular area of the neighborhood.

A table set up in the street with multisensory maps

Collecting accessibility data

When a person with disabilities gets around in a city, they need to know beforehand what’s accessible to them.

That’s where accessibility data steps in. We focus on collecting this data and translating it to make it available for every type of user. 

Every step of the way, people with disabilities can know how to reach a venue and what’s truly accessible within it.

In fact, accessibility data provides more context to users. This digital asset represents an opportunity to enhance accessibility and inclusion.

Using digital solutions enables us to complete the physical accessibility equipment that’s installed.

Conceiving inclusive multisensory signage with and for people with disabilities

We followed specific methods and organized two series of tests with people with disabilities to create the best possible solutions.

Thanks to these tests, we were able to take into account all disability types. Plus, they tested all the solutions we’ve conceived. This means a wheelchair user could give his opinion on our audio beacons.

Because what matters is that these solutions are helpful and comfortable for everyone. We kept adjusting and rethinking them to truly meet everybody’s needs. 

We wouldn’t have conceived inclusive multisensory solutions without the feedback from people with disabilities. 

This signage is flowing and coherent for all parties involved. It helps maintain a seamless mobility chain

A blind woman is testing the linear cartography

Why is it so important to foster accessibility and inclusion for all?

⊗ It provides more equity, freedom and spontaneity to people with disabilities.

⊗ It leaves no one behind or aside.

⊗ It means “fixing up” our public spaces by making them accessible.

For sure, accessibility is usually under the spotlight for such big events but that doesn’t mean it’s discarded once they’re over.

For example, Tokyo, Japan, improved its accessibility because of the games. It ended up making the lives of residents with disabilities easier afterwards because the city kept its accessibility equipment.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Accessibility Equipment Update

Who is behind the creation of this inclusive multisensory signage?

Okeenea combined their expertise with that of 5 other companies. Thanks to OMNISENS, people with disabilities will benefit from solutions that perfectly cater to their needs.

We’re proud to make inclusion a reality for them and other people with disabilities who’ll enjoy our inclusive multisensory signage solutions once the competition is over.

Okeenea

Okeenea is the accessibility leader in France. Since the invention of accessible pedestrian signals, they’re committed to improving the everyday lives of people with disabilities thanks to innovative accessibility solutions for public works but also for buildings.

Tactile Studio

An inclusive design agency, Tactile Studio is a leader in creating accessible visitor experiences for cultural institutions around the world. It has been conceptualizing and producing multisensory and hybrid tours for over 10 years.

Atipy

Their DNA: universal design. Atipy regoups 3 agencies and a design office. They support local authorities, cities, communities, associations and institutions in their inclusive projects.

Empreinte signalétique

Empreinte signalétique develops custom signage projects installed in France and abroad. Their products can be adapted to both remarkable sites and corporate headquarters, and are suitable for natural spaces and urban environments.

Mengrov

Mengrov is a community design agency that co-creates solutions that enhance the strength of singularities. In an approach that combines design and strategy, they develop a sensitive approach that combines decoding societal issues and listening to expectations.

Polygraphik

Based at the meeting point of signs, objects and space, the Polygraphik studio – founded in 2009 by designers Sébastien Nicot and Juliette Cheval – specializes in signage design. Its role is to make a place comprehensible so that the user can orient himself and move around independently.

Maybe you’re wondering how we’ve managed to create all these different inclusive multisensory signage solutions. 

Keep in mind this:

1. Disabilities have always driven innovation. After all, to include people that society usually puts aside, we need to think outside the box.

2. It’s the combination of physical and digital accessibility that creates inclusive spaces.

Want to find out more about digital solutions that improve accessibility? Check out our articles:

Open Data Is Key to Fostering Universal Accessibility

What Is a Phygital Experience and How Can It Improve the Accessibility of Your Venue?

Published on May 26th, 2023

media

A wheelchair user is testing the multisensory maps

We followed specific methods and organized two series of tests with people with disabilities to create the best possible solutions. (…) Because what matters is that they’re helpful and comfortable for everyone. We kept adjusting and rethinking them to truly meet everybody’s needs. 

writer

Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

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powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

For more than 25 years, we have been developing architectural access solutions for buildings and streets. Everyday, we rethink today’s cities to transform them in smart cities accessible to everyone.

By creating solutions ever more tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, we push the limits, constantly improve the urban life and make the cities more enjoyable for the growing majority.

Open Data Is Key to Fostering Universal Accessibility

Open Data Is Key to Fostering Universal Accessibility

View of Manhattan's skyscrapers

Open Data Is Key to Fostering Universal Accessibility

What’s open data to you? A library gathering random information about your city? A way to promote the city’s services? What if open data was much more powerful than that? 

For smart cities, open data may seem like a box to check. Something to implement to be more connected to its residents and to finally be called smart cities. 

But it’s not just making information available to all, it’s also about making accessibility more visible and reachable for those who depend on it. Are there accessible pedestrian signals on my way to work? Does the museum I want to visit have elevators or access ramps? 

Ultimately, open data can be a powerful tool to enhance universal accessibility and inclusion. It benefits everybody, not just people with disabilities.

Let’s see how open data aligns with smart cities and universal accessibility. 

Why is open data an asset for smart cities?

A smart city that didn’t make its data free and available to all wouldn’t be called a smart city.

The name says it all: open data means that it’s openly accessible. It can be shared. It can be stored. It’s here to help people navigate a city and better understand its services.

A smart city combines information and communication technology (ICT) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to optimize its services. The goal of a smart city is to be connected to its citizens. 

What better way for a city to be closer to its residents and tourists by giving them the keys to all its operational services? 

Knowledge is power as it is said. Nowadays, especially in a smart city, it seems to be embodied by open data. 

Here’s how we can sum up its advantages: 

Collecting data on the city’s services and how they are used. For example, how many times the accessible pedestrian signal is activated?

More connection with residents: they have the keys of the city. They know how to make the best of it to suit their needs.

Solving problems met by residents and answering them: with how residents use open data, the city can anticipate the problems they may face. 

Better use of services: easily access public transportation with-real-time information on traffic…

Plus it helps that with open data, users always have updated information.

What does open data do for cities regarding accessibility?

The challenge is huge: collecting, using and analyzing data to make accessibility equipment and solutions more accessible and visible for residents. 

Open data offers people with disabilities a new way of apprehending their city, a new way of navigating. It guarantees a seamless mobility chain

How can people with disabilities use open data in a smart city?

Thanks to open data, people with disabilities can plan their routes accordingly. This means a blind user can select a route depending on accessible pedestrian signals. Just like a wheelchair user can focus on lowered curbs, access ramps and wide pathways to get around.

Let’s take a look at open data solutions that improve the lives of people with disabilities. 

OpenStreetMap: the free and editable map of the world

OpenStreetMap is directly managed by its community. Mappers collect accessibility data in the entire world. 

The goal is to provide people with disabilities with the best and most accurate accessibility information.

Thanks to volunteers, users can know where to find tactile paving, audio signage, handicap parking spots, tactile maps, accessible restrooms, handrails, guide paths, audio induction loops…

They can find any type of equipment to make sure they have a smooth trip when leaving the house. 

OpenStreetMap collects data on public roadways, venues and public transportation to cover all mobility areas. 

Route planners: pedestrians have the tools to find the best trip for them

Route planners like Google Maps are an everyday life tool for many of us. 

But there’s one that has caught the eye of smart cities: MaaS (Mobility as a Service). 

This trip planner gathers all modes of transportation. Whatever their capabilities are, people with disabilities can find all the information they need on public transit networks.

For now, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the only American city to provide MaaS for its residents. But it’s largely deployed in Europe: Helsinki, Madrid, Antwerp, Budapest…

OpenSidewalks and AccessMap: sharing data on the built environment and roadways in the U.S.

Here we have two projects managed by Dr. Anna Caspi, director of the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology at the University of Washington, and Nick Bolten, a Postdoctoral fellow in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. 

With OpenSidewalks, the goal is to focus on pedestrians with limited mobility to connect them with accessible pathways and multimodal transport networks. 

Dr. Anna Caspi and Nick Bolten used data collected from OpenSidewalks to create AccessMap, a web application that maps the streets of Seattle, Bellingham and Mount Vernon in Washington.

But this app even goes further by catering to needs of a large variety of profiles. After all, a person using an electric wheelchair may not have the same abilities and needs as a person using a manual wheelchair. 

Taking into account the different capabilities of pedestrians is key to make sure AccessMap can enhance their mobility. 

Locations of accessible pedestrian signals

In Canada, cities like Toronto use open data to list all traffic signals in the city, including accessible pedestrian signals.

This is particularly convenient for blind and visually impaired people since they can plan their itineraries accordingly. Thanks to open data, they know exactly where APS are located.

They know they can depend on accessible pedestrian signals to cross the street with complete autonomy. 

Find out more about communicating about APS with our article:

How Cities in North America Communicate Efficiently About Accessible Pedestrian Signals: Good Examples to Follow

These examples only show one thing: that in a world that never stops changing, open data is set to be deployed across the world to make sure people with disabilities aren’t left behind

Of course, raw data can easily overwhelm anybody. It first needs to be “translated” in a language understandable by all. And for people with disabilities, it needs to be accessible whether it’s on a website or an app.

Open data is a wake-up call for universal accessibility

Open data makes accessibility issues more visible. Indeed, cities are faced with everything that’s not adapted for people with disabilities: a lack of APS, an elevated curb, no elevators at a subway network… 

But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because it emphasizes accessibility, it’s actually an opportunity to set things right and to reach universal accessibility. Another key concept for smart cities.

What’s the difference between accessibility and universal accessibility?

First, we need to define what accessibility and universal accessibility are.

Accessibility focuses on adapting solutions for people with disabilities to share the same experience as any other person. 

As an example, screen readers for blind people aim at ensuring they can easily use their smartphones. 

Universal accessibility, also known as universal design or design for all, focuses on providing one solution tailored to meet the needs of everybody. 

For universal design to be successful, cities first have to take into account all mobility types, intellectual and physical capabilities… from the very beginning of a project.

It’s the very core of inclusion. And it truly benefits everybody:

People with disabilities: this term comprehends those with visual, hearing, mental, intellectual or physical disabilities. Disabilities can only be plural as there are many different abilities to consider. Two people with visual impairments may not have the same needs. 

People on the autism spectrum.

ADHD people.

People with a specific learning disorder like dyslexia.

Elderly people: when we’re young, we may not need to know where the elevators are located but we’re all getting older. At some point in our life, we may have reduced mobility. Plus the world has a growing aging population in need of universal accessibility.

Illiterate people: easily understandable pictograms are essential for them.

Foreigners who don’t speak the language of the country they’re visiting…

Open data means more inclusion for all

Ultimately, that’s the power and responsibility of open data. It enhances universal accessibility, equity and inclusion:

1. Open data gives access to information.

2. It removes barriers and obstacles for users.

3. It stresses the missing links of the mobility chain.

4. It concerns every smart city but more globally, the entire world.

5. It advocates for universal accessibility for a higher quality of life.

Open data represents the first step towards universal accessibility. It shows cities how they need to improve to be more inclusive. Because everybody deserves to be comfortable getting around in their city.

Want to know more about accessibility data and smart cities? Check out these articles:

Accessibility Data Collection: a Huge Challenge for Cities and Transit Networks

How Can a Smart City Make Life Easier for People with Disabilities?

Published on April 21st, 2023

media

A long stair with escalators on both sides in a subway station

Open data makes accessibility issues more visible. Indeed, cities are faced with everything that’s not adapted for people with disabilities (…) But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because it emphasizes accessibility, it’s actually an opportunity to set things right and to reach universal accessibility. 

writer

Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

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Get the latest news about accessibility and the Smart City.

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Unsubscribe in one click. The information collected is confidential and kept safe.

powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

For more than 25 years, we have been developing architectural access solutions for buildings and streets. Everyday, we rethink today’s cities to transform them in smart cities accessible to everyone.

By creating solutions ever more tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, we push the limits, constantly improve the urban life and make the cities more enjoyable for the growing majority.

Our Audio Beacons Guide the Blind and Visually Impaired at the Helsinki Subway

Our Audio Beacons Guide the Blind and Visually Impaired at the Helsinki Subway

The inside of the Kivenlahti subway station with audio beacons outside and inside the platform door announcing the direction of the subway line and Glowway light emitting yellow tactile path guiding the right place of the train accessible door.

Our Audio Beacons Guide the Blind and Visually Impaired at the Helsinki Subway

Our audio beacons equip the new line of the Helsinki subway in Finland. They help blind and visually impaired people locate the points of interest of a station. 

For users with visual impairments and the subway alike, this new system represents quite a change. Before our audio beacons, a permanent  audio signage solution was in place. This means there was constant noise pollution.

We asked Juha Sylberg, Accessibility expert at Axessible and a member of the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired (FFVI), who developed the project, to tell us why using our audio beacons was necessary. And how it has improved the users’ experience.

For this solution to be adopted by blind and visually impaired people, Juha Sylberg worked closely with associations. Their feedback was essential to make sure our audio beacons truly met their needs.

What are the issues met by blind or visually impaired people when they use the subway in Helsinki? 

When you cannot see the signs, finding the route from the entrance of a new station to the platform is complex. For a blind rider to use the station, he must beforehand visit the station with a guide, learn the route and keep it in mind for the next time he visits the station. 

In wintertime, the tactile path outside the station is covered with snow. The audio signs are the only landmarks that help visually impaired people locate the entrance of a station.

The Helsinki subway ordered 50 of our NAVIGUEO+ HIFI audio beacons to equip its new stations. What was your role in this project? 

The new subway line from Helsinki to Espoo is fully equipped with those smart audio beacons. The guiding audio and tactile path is continuous from the entrance to the elevators and down to the platform for riders to go to the accessible door of the train. 

In the next station, the path is continuous from the same train door to the exit. The audio beacons at the exit announce the bus stops outside the station. 

My role was to work in close connection with the architect designing the accessible routes of the stations and find the right decision points like where audio information was needed. Together with the architect we designed a safe and easy accessible route from a bus stop to the train. After the route was planned, my role was to describe it in words and save the messages in the audio beacons.

The audio beacons have four levels of information in three languages. The level of information depends on the users’ preferences.

For a daily trip from home to school, a jingle, a short bird song, is enough to locate the door.

A person who doesn’t use the subway line everyday can also listen to the short message, the names of the door and subway line.

A person who visits the subway station for the first time can listen to the long message, a verbal turn-by-turn description from the entrance to the next audio beacon. The next audio beacon tells again the route forward until the person is at the right platform outside the right train door.

The fourth message tells the opening hours of the station and the possible exceptions for the night-time walking routes.    

Can you explain the standard audio beacons in Finland used before our NAVIGUEO+ HIFI audio beacons?

The standard audio beacons emit a sound night and day, always at the same volume when powered. That is the reason why their use was limited in areas with people living nearby. The neighbors are the most common reason the existing old beacons are shutting down. The old beacons are also often vandalized because the continuous sound irritates some people.

We wanted to increase the number of sound beacons but it was obvious no one was willing to use those old irritating beacons anymore.

You worked with associations of users with visual impairments. What role did these associations play in the implementation of these audio beacons?

It was a process of many years to convince our elderly members to accept a new system. At the beginning, they were against the system which requires an extra device for activation like a remote control or a smartphone app. 

But after Helsinki arranged for an evaluation and invited a number of visually impaired people to test the system, all the test users said it was better than the old system.

After that, it became obvious that all new beacons are a smart system thanks to on demand activation.

But for an easier transition, we’ve kept some beacons that emit a continuous jingle for the visually impaired riders who aren’t familiar with the new system yet. 

The Helsinki subway is a perfect example of a user-centered accessibility approach. Our audio beacons represent an efficient audio signage solution that can easily be implemented worldwide. They improve the mobility and the autonomy of blind and visually impaired users without disturbing other categories of users.

And for those of you who wonder, yes, our audio beacons can resist winter conditions. At the subway station of Kuopio, temperatures can go below 30 degrees Celsius.

Want to know more about audio beacons? Check out this article: 

7 Good Reasons to Install Audio Beacons at Your Public Transport Network

Published on March 10th, 2023

media

The entrance of the Kivenlahti subway station with an audio beacon integrated in the platform door panel.

In wintertime, the tactile path outside the station is covered with snow. The audio signs are the only landmarks that help visually impaired people locate the entrance of a station.

writer

Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

stay updated

Get the latest news about accessibility and the Smart City.

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share our article!

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Unsubscribe in one click. The information collected is confidential and kept safe.

powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

For more than 25 years, we have been developing architectural access solutions for buildings and streets. Everyday, we rethink today’s cities to transform them in smart cities accessible to everyone.

By creating solutions ever more tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, we push the limits, constantly improve the urban life and make the cities more enjoyable for the growing majority.

7 Good Reasons to Install Audio Beacons at Your Public Transport Network

7 Good Reasons to Install Audio Beacons at Your Public Transport Network

A woman is getting down a subway station in New York City

7 Good Reasons to Install Audio Beacons at Your Public Transport Network

Have you heard of audio beacons? It’s probably one of the most effective solutions to help blind and visually impaired people find their way in a complex venue.

In a public transport system, audio beacons act as landmarks. Installed at different points of information, they enable the visually impaired to get down at a subway platform with more autonomy.

How do audio beacons work? What are their benefits? 

Let’s have a look at 7 ways this audio signage solution can help your riders and employees alike.

1. Audio beacons are an efficient audio signage solution

Hearing is the most used sense by people with vision disabilities. This means that in the U.S., around 12 million people with partial or complete vision loss rely on their hearing to find their way or apprehend their environment. 

And that’s where audio beacons step in. They emit information through a loudspeaker. Audio beacons are an efficient audio signage solution that enables blind and visually impaired people to:

Locate the entrance of a subway station.

Locate the elevator to get down the station.

Locate any points of interest (ticket counter, restrooms, baggage lockers, shops…).

Reach the platform: audio beacons can tell users the line directions so that they can easily know what platform they need to use.

2. No noise pollution for users

Although audio beacons provide a high-quality sound to cover ambient noise, they know how to be discreet. 

These audio beacons work with on demand activation. This means they only state their message when a visually impaired user activates them.

No risk for other users to be bothered by constant noise.

3. Audio beacons are easy to use for blind and visually impaired people

Now you must wonder how people with visual impairments activate audio beacons. 

With 2 devices: a remote control and a free smartphone app. This means the remote activation of audio beacons is entirely in their hands.

They have these devices at all times when they use public transportation.

For you as a public transit network, this entails that you don’t have to provide the activation devices. You only need to set up audio beacons at the points of interest of your network.

And of course, you need to make sure the system works well to guide blind and visually impaired people.

4. Audio beacons are easy to set up

You can upload up to 5 personalized messages. Audio beacons can give temporary or permanent information like an elevator failure, a delayed train or the direction of a trainline and timetables.

It all depends on what blind and visually impaired people need to know for their trip to be comfortable. Keep in mind they need to have the same information as sighted people.

Plus, you can easily set up the volume of the messages. At night time, depending on how busy a station is, you can lower the volume for the comfort of all users.

5. An inexpensive audio signage solution

Audio beacons are less expensive than guide paths. And also a better fit for the architecture of the network. They’re more discreet but as efficient as another signage system.

Plus, audio beacons don’t need any maintenance. They’re robust and designed to equip complex environments like public transport networks.

6. More autonomy for people with vision disabilities thanks to audio beacons

With audio beacons, they can easily navigate your network by themselves, find the right bus, get on and off a subway train… 

This means your employees are just here to give them information if they need it. You don’t need to hire extra employees to guide blind and visually impaired people.

They get around with complete autonomy thanks to the audio beacons you set up. It’s a win-win solution.

7. A system praised by the blind and visually impaired and public transit authorities in France

More than 300 stations of the railway company SNCF (National society of French railroads) are equipped with audio beacons. 

At the RATP (Autonomous Parisian Transportation Administration) in charge of public transport in Paris, it’s more than 2000 audio beacons deployed in 302 subway stations and 65 train stations. 

Why do audio beacons represent such a success in French public transport? 

Probably because of a study by the Institute of Vision made in France. According to it, 80% of the blind and visually impaired people find that audio beacons are the most useful device for them.

The study also showed how efficient audio beacons are: 100% of users managed to locate the entrance of a building equipped with an audio beacon. Without this audio beacon, only 20% of users were able to find the entrance. 

To sum up, audio beacons enable people with visual impairments to:

Get around with autonomy in a complex environment,

Use public transport,

Access practical information,

Find their bearings with safety.

Is your public transit network the next one to implement audio beacons?

Want to know more about improving the mobility of people with disabilities on public transport? Check out these articles:

Paratransit Services for People with Disabilities: Yes You Can Reduce Their Costs

How Innovation Promises to Revolutionize Accessibility in the New York City Subway

How Can Multimodal Transit Centers Be Accessible for People with Disabilities?

Published on February 17th, 2023

media

An audio beacon at Okeenea's entrance

Audio beacons can give temporary or permanent information like an elevator failure, a delayed train or the direction of a trainline and timetables. (…) Keep in mind the visually impaired need to have the same information as sighted people.

writer

Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

stay updated

Get the latest news about accessibility and the Smart City.

other articles for you

share our article!

more articles

NEVER miss the latest news about the Smart City.

Sign up now for our newsletter.

Unsubscribe in one click. The information collected is confidential and kept safe.

powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

For more than 25 years, we have been developing architectural access solutions for buildings and streets. Everyday, we rethink today’s cities to transform them in smart cities accessible to everyone.

By creating solutions ever more tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, we push the limits, constantly improve the urban life and make the cities more enjoyable for the growing majority.

Will Remote Activation Become the Norm for Accessible Pedestrian Signals?

Will Remote Activation Become the Norm for Accessible Pedestrian Signals?

A blind man crossed the street after activating the APS aBeacon with a remote control

Will Remote Activation Become the Norm for Accessible Pedestrian Signals?

Without pushbutton, there are no accessible pedestrian signals. That’s how APS work in the U.S. But more and more cities have been exploring remote activation like New York City. The Department of Transportation tested our accessible pedestrian signal aBeacon, an APS that can be activated with a remote control. 

Blind and visually impaired who used the system were impressed by the remote activation. Although Americans with visual impairments have been using the pushbutton for years, the success of the remote control could be its downfall. After all, remote activation is already part of many countries across the world.

What if the era of the pushbutton was over? How come the pushbutton isn’t as accessible as we think it is? Why does remote activation represent such a game-changer for cities and users alike?

Blind and visually impaired New Yorkers favored the remote control to activate our accessible pedestrian signal

As part of a call for innovation, we set up 8 aBeacons, our accessible pedestrian signals, at the intersection of 6th Avenue and West 25th Street in Manhattan. Blind and visually impaired testers could cross the 4 crossings of the intersection. 

The NYCDOT conducted a different series of tests with 30 blind and visually impaired people who were all tech savvy. They were shown how to use our remote control beforehand. They just had to cross the street using their own navigational skills as they do everyday. 

How does the remote control work?

aBeacons were mounted on poles. When activated, they would give users audio information about the WALK signal, the flashing DON’T WALK signal and the solid DON’T WALK signal.

Although the aBeacons could be connected to the pushbutton, what interested us and the New York City’s Department of Transportation was the remote activation with a fob. 

With our remote control, blind and visually impaired users can trigger the APS on both sides of the crossing with just one button and also set up their volume.

When they press the button, the aBeacons of the crossing provide information about the street name. This gives directions to pedestrians to make sure they’re on the right path to reach their destination. The street names are repeated a second time which enables users to press the button to activate the selected crossing.

Thanks to this system, pedestrians with visual impairments can know:

What’s the intersection like: when the aBeacons give information about the street names, users can have a mental representation of the intersection.

Where they are on it: the information provided can reassure them they’re at the right place or they can readjust if they’re not.

They don’t have to perfectly know the intersection beforehand. Remote activation can help them find their bearings and cross the intended crossing.

With a remote control they have with them whenever they get around, they gain time. No need to feel around the pole to locate the pushbutton.

What did blind and visually impaired users like exactly about the remote control?

User feedback about the remote control was positive:

The remote control was easy to use: it only had 2 important buttons (play and stop).

They received more information about the intersection than they usually do from the regular APS alone.

Thanks to the sound corridor, users could hear the aBeacon on the opposite side of the crossing and maintain a straight line of travel.

They liked that the remote control had a wrist string band: their hand was free once they had activated the APS.

The remote control vibrated when users were getting nearer to a crossing equipped with APS.

The drawbacks of the pushbutton

Now that we’ve seen that the remote control received positive feedback from users, we can only but wonder if the pushbutton has turned obsolete.

It is an essential part of accessible pedestrian signals but it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Let’s have a look at its drawbacks.

Difficulty to locate the pushbutton

How can you find the pushbutton when you can’t use your eyes? It’s difficult for blind and visually impaired pedestrians to locate the pushbutton on the pole when there’s no locator tone. 

Continuous noise pollution

But the presence of a locator tone means continuous noise pollution. For the neighborhood, this is less than ideal.

Unhygienic to touch

Due to COVID-19, touching a pushbutton can be unsafe and unhygienic. Not just for blind and visually impaired pedestrians but all of them. 

When coronavirus was at its peak, many U.S. cities deactivated their pushbuttons to prevent people from touching potential infected surfaces.

Find out more information about the pushbutton with this article:

How Accessible Are the Audible Pedestrian Pushbuttons of Your Crossings?

Those three elements can easily be answered with remote activation. This explains why the remote control gained favor among the testers in New York City. 

The ultimate guide to accessible pedestrian signals. I want it!

Is remote activation for APS such a novelty?

Contrary to what it may seem, remote activation isn’t new. In France, it has even been in place for almost 30 years and is entirely part of the whole APS system. 

Remote activation in France

The current French system of APS was invented in 1993 by us. Now known as Okeenea, we used to be called EO Guidage. 

Our accessible pedestrian signals consist of a circuit board connected to a radio receiver to activate them and of a speaker for sound broadcasting.

The remote control has been part of our system since the beginning. It’s similar to the one we developed for our aBeacons in New York City and very easy to use for the visually impaired. 

In France, we don’t use pushbuttons to actuate APS. We use them to signal our need to cross the street. This means that pushbuttons are used by all types of pedestrians.

Blind and visually impaired residents are given free remote controls by their city. But there’s still a lot of education to do. Indeed, a lot of cities aren’t aware of the accessible pedestrian signals implemented in their city and aren’t familiar with the remote control. This impacts people with visual impairments as they don’t all have a remote control to activate APS.

Of course, the APS being part of a norm, many cities do the work to be more accessible.

This device is also part of a norm, the same one as our accessible pedestrian signals: the NF S32-002.

Plus, in France blind and visually impaired people use their remote control to activate other solutions like audio beacons. They can be found at different points of interest (subway entrance, building entrance…).

What is it like for other countries?

What is striking is that France is the only country where the use of the remote control has been deployed. Remote activation has been tested in various countries but the system never stuck.

Countries like the U.S, Canada, Australia and the UK prefer the use of pushbuttons. 

But others like Japan and Sweden use APS that emit constant noise. 

The use of remote activation, pushbuttons and constant noise across the world shows the importance of culture and its part in accessibility. But also how blind and visually impaired people use the systems in place to get around in a city. 

Of course, the remote control for our aBeacons can be improved. But let’s not forget how American users were all in favor of remote activation even though pushbuttons have always been the norm in the U.S. Maybe it’s time for another system. One that meets the current needs of the blind and visually impaired. It surely looks like they’re ready to make the change. Especially since this solution can improve their everyday lives. 

Want to know more about accessible pedestrian signals? Check out these articles:

Everything You Need to Know About Accessible Pedestrian Signals Regulation in New York City

Why Your Accessible Pedestrian Signals Should Have a Guiding Sound Corridor?

Blind and Visually Impaired Pedestrians: What Are Their Difficulties When Crossing the Street?

Published on January 20th, 2023

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The remote control that uses Bluetooth to actuate accessible pedestrian signals

Blind and visually impaired people don’t have to perfectly know the intersection beforehand. Remote activation can help them find their bearings and cross the intended crossing.

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Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

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