Tactile Wayfinding in Transportation Settings for Travelers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (2024)

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© 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research for this document was conducted through one or more programs administered by the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine:  Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) research is sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program (BTSCRP) research is sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) research is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) research is sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply endorsement by TRB and any of its program sponsors of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. DISCLAIMER To facilitate more timely dissemination of research findings, this pre-publication document is taken directly from the submission of the research agency. The material has not been edited by TRB. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors. The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications. The Transportation Research Board, the National Academies, and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report. This pre-publication document IS NOT an official publication of the Cooperative Research Programs; the Transportation Research Board; or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Recommended citation: O’Brien, S. W., A. West, B. Lan, A. Scott, B. Bentzen, L. Myers, J. Graham, B. Schroeder, L. Rodegerdts, P. Ryus, S. Brown, and M. Walker. 2024. Tactile Wayfinding in Transportation Settings for Travelers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. Pre-publication draft of TCRP Research Report 248. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.

ii TCRP Project B-46 TCRP Research Report 248 Tactile Wayfinding in Transportation Settings for Travelers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

iii Contents Part I: Conduct of Research ………………………………….1 PART I CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... 3 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 2 OVERVIEW OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH, STANDARDS, AND STATE OF PRACTICE ............................................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH APPROACH .............................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 4 EXPERIMENT 1– DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION TRIALS IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER 5 EXPERIMENT 2 – NAVIGATING TWSIS IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 6 EXPERIMENT 3 – USING AND NAVIGATING TWSIS IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTED RESEARCH ...................................................... 66 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 72 ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS, INITIALISMS AND SYMBOLS ................................................ 75 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ......................................................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................................................... 78 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................................ 101 APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................................................ 108

iv Part II: Guide ……………………...………………………..122 PART II CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... 123 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 125 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 133 TRANSIT FACILITY AND OTHER PLAZA-TYPE APPLICATIONS ......................................... 148 CROSSING APPLICATIONS ............................................................................................................. 163 IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................................... 179 POST-IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES ....................................................................................... 189 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 193