Mobility, Inclusion and Exclusion
摘要
The chapter discusses the importance of accessible urban design and public transport for the inclusion of blind and partially sighted people and their ability to participate fully in leisure, education, employment and other activities. It considers what constitutes accessible urban design and proposes a number of measures to improve lighting and surfaces, signage and information systems, safety and public awareness. Further measures to improve public transport accessibility cover improved availability, accessible information, approaching buses, funding, improving quality and safety and training. There are also proposals for accessible pedestrian crossings, including standardised audio and vibro-tactile crossing indicators and road junctions. The chapter also discusses some of the barriers to accessible urban design, including the continuing growth and focus on provision for car travel, including in the low-income countries, and the continuing stigmatisation of blind people. This stigmatisation and the lack of accessible transport and environments reduces their opportunities, including in employment and the associated stigmatisation of the long cane as a symbol of blindness leads to an unwillingness by many blind people to use it and possible delays in cane use until forced into it by accidents. A number of them prefer to be accompanied by a sighted guide than use the cane, but this gives rise to dependence on their availability.