Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities

Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities

by | 26 May, 2023

A wheelchair user is testing a tactile paving

Creating Inclusive Multisensory Signage for People with Disabilities 

Vous pensez peut-être qu’une signalétique multisensorielle inclusive relève de l’utopie, qu’il est impossible d’inclure tous les types de handicaps. Eh bien, c’est tout à fait possible. Et c’est ce que nous avons imaginé.

Tout a commencé lorsque SOLIDEO, l’entreprise française en charge de la mise en place des infrastructures d’accueil des athlètes internationaux au Village Olympique et Paralympique, a choisi Okeenea et 5 autres entreprises expertes en accessibilité pour concevoir des solutions de signalétique.

Il est vrai que les Jeux mettent généralement en lumière la ville hôte. L’année prochaine, tous les regards seront tournés vers Paris. C’est l’occasion de repenser l’inclusion. 

Quels sont les besoins des personnes en situation de handicap ? Un système de signalisation multisensorielle peut-il être mis en œuvre à l’échelle d’une ville ? Les habitants peuvent-ils l’intégrer dans leur quotidien ?

Signalétique multisensorielle inclusive : l’accessibilité universelle aux portes de Paris

L’année prochaine, Paris accueillera le plus prestigieux événement sportif international. Le défi est de taille pour l’entreprise française SOLIDEO . 

Son objectif est de construire des infrastructures durables et de mettre en œuvre des solutions innovantes qui amélioreront la ville de demain.

Cela implique de privilégier l’accessibilité universelle et de prendre en compte les besoins des personnes handicapées, quelles que soient leurs capacités. Car les handicaps sont pluriels. 

SOLIDEO a lancé un appel à innovations sur les solutions de signalétique multisensorielle inclusive . Nous avons été sélectionnés parmi cinq autres entreprises expertes en accessibilité pour relever ce défi. Ensemble, nous formons le consortium OMNISENS . 

Les solutions de signalétique multisensorielle inclusives que nous avons créées seront déployées après le concours. C’est un atout majeur, car elles permettront aux résidents en situation de handicap de s’orienter dans le quartier. 

Toute personne ayant besoin d’une signalétique multisensorielle inclusive pour profiter du quartier et de ses infrastructures sera libre de le faire sans avoir à se soucier de l’accessibilité.

Quelles solutions font partie d’un système de signalétique multisensoriel inclusif ? 

Une chose est sûre : développer des solutions inclusives pour accompagner les personnes handicapées n’est pas chose aisée. Car cela implique de prendre en compte tous les types de handicaps et de capacités.

Mais ce qui compte, c’est que ces solutions visent à améliorer l’autonomie des personnes handicapées .

Chemins de guidage directionnels

Les personnes aveugles ou malvoyantes trouvent généralement les chemins de guidage grâce à leur canne blanche ou à leur chien-guide. Elles peuvent sentir les surfaces directionnelles surélevées et suivre elles-mêmes le pavage tactile.

Nous avons développé des chemins de guidage innovants . Ils offrent une autre méthode de détection.

Lorsqu’une personne malvoyante repère ces chemins de guidage avec sa canne blanche, cela crée une vibration. Cela fonctionne en quelque sorte comme un repli.

Le matériau des rails de guidage, l’aluminium, mais surtout leur mode de fixation, sont à l’origine de ce repli. En effet, ces rails sont vissés. Ils ne sont pas complètement collés au sol.

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

Chemins de guidage croisés

Ces chemins de guidage sont très différents des précédents. Ils sont situés sur le passage piéton.

Leur but est d’aider les piétons aveugles et malvoyants à maintenir leur trajectoire lorsqu’ils traversent la rue.

En réalité, personne ne marche droit. Mais pour une personne malvoyante, traverser peut être plus difficile. 

Pavage tactile pour indiquer un point d’intérêt spécifique

En France, ce type de pavé podotactile est très répandu. Son objectif est de guider les personnes malvoyantes depuis le chemin principal vers un point d’intérêt précis.

Il permet à une personne malvoyante de trouver le téléphone d’urgence dans une station de métro ou le distributeur de billets à un arrêt de tramway.

Dans le cadre de la signalisation multisensorielle inclusive que nous avons créée, ce pavage tactile est destiné à aider un piéton aveugle à trouver le passage pour piétons.

Passages piétons accessibles

Il va sans dire qu’il existe bel et bien des signaux piétonniers accessibles dans la zone du village olympique et paralympique pour les athlètes et les résidents ayant une déficience visuelle.

Mais que peut-on faire pour les intersections sans feux de circulation ? 

Il peut encore y avoir une signalisation sonore pour permettre aux malvoyants de traverser la rue en toute autonomie.

Nous avons installé des balises sonores de chaque côté d’un passage piéton sans feux de circulation. Tout comme les APS classiques, elles peuvent être activées avec :

⊗ Une télécommande

⊗ MyMoveo, une application smartphone gratuite

Balises sonores aux arrêts de bus

Pour pouvoir aller et venir, les personnes malvoyantes doivent recourir aux transports en commun. 

Mais pour monter et descendre du bus, ils doivent d’abord trouver l’arrêt de bus. 

C’est une autre utilisation des balises audio. Elles peuvent être installées à tous types de points d’intérêt.

poteaux directionnels

Pour trouver facilement son chemin, nous avons tous besoin d’indications. Nous avons conçu des poteaux directionnels inclusifs pour guider les personnes en situation de handicap :

⊗ Informations textuelles faciles à lire pour les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle,

⊗ Contraste visuel pour les malvoyants,

⊗ Police accessible aux personnes atteintes de troubles dys,

⊗ Balises sonores pour les personnes aveugles : les messages permettent de savoir dans quelle direction se trouvent les lieux à proximité.

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

Collecte de données d’accessibilité

Lorsqu’une personne handicapée se déplace dans une ville, elle doit savoir à l’avance ce qui lui est accessible.

C’est là qu’interviennent  les données d’accessibilité . Nous nous concentrons sur la collecte de ces données et leur traduction pour les rendre disponibles à chaque type d’utilisateur.

À chaque étape du parcours, les personnes handicapées peuvent savoir comment se rendre dans un lieu et ce qui y est réellement accessible.

En réalité, les données d’accessibilité fournissent davantage de contexte aux utilisateurs. Ce bien numérique représente une opportunité d’améliorer l’accessibilité et l’inclusion.

L’utilisation de solutions numériques nous permet de compléter les équipements d’accessibilité physique installés.

Concevoir une signalétique multisensorielle inclusive avec et pour les personnes en situation de handicap

Nous avons suivi des méthodes spécifiques et organisé deux séries de tests avec des personnes handicapées pour créer les meilleures solutions possibles.

Grâce à ces tests, nous avons pu prendre en compte tous les types de handicap. De plus, ils ont testé toutes les solutions que nous avons conçues. Ainsi, un utilisateur en fauteuil roulant a pu donner son avis sur nos balises audio.

Car l’important est que ces solutions soient utiles et confortables pour tous. Nous les avons constamment adaptées et repensées pour répondre véritablement aux besoins de chacun. 

Nous n’aurions pas pu concevoir de solutions multisensorielles inclusives sans le retour des personnes handicapées. 

Cette signalisation est fluide et cohérente pour toutes les parties prenantes. Elle contribue à maintenir une chaîne de mobilité fluide . 

A blind woman is testing the linear cartography

Pourquoi est-il si important de favoriser l’accessibilité et l’inclusion pour tous ?

⊗ Il offre plus d’équité, de liberté et de spontanéité aux personnes handicapées.

⊗ Il ne laisse personne derrière ou à l’écart.

⊗ Il s’agit de « rénover » nos espaces publics en les rendant accessibles.

Certes, l’accessibilité est généralement au centre des préoccupations lors de ces grands événements, mais cela ne signifie pas qu’elle est abandonnée une fois ceux-ci terminés.

Par exemple, Tokyo, au Japon, a amélioré son accessibilité grâce aux Jeux. La vie des habitants handicapés s’est ensuite simplifiée, car la ville a conservé ses équipements d’accessibilité.

Jeux olympiques de Tokyo 2020 : mise à jour des équipements d’accessibilité

Qui se cache derrière la création de cette signalétique multisensorielle inclusive ?

Okeenea a associé son expertise à celle de cinq autres entreprises. Grâce à OMNISENS, les personnes en situation de handicap bénéficieront de solutions parfaitement adaptées à leurs besoins.

Nous sommes fiers de faire de l’inclusion une réalité pour eux et pour d’autres personnes handicapées qui profiteront de nos solutions de signalisation multisensorielle inclusives une fois le concours terminé.

Okeenea

Okeenea est le leader de l’accessibilité en France. Depuis l’invention de la signalisation piétonne accessible, l’entreprise s’engage à améliorer le quotidien des personnes en situation de handicap grâce à des solutions d’accessibilité innovantes pour les travaux publics, mais aussi pour les bâtiments.

Studio tactile

Agence de design inclusif , Tactile Studio est un leader dans la création d’expériences accessibles aux visiteurs pour les institutions culturelles du monde entier. Elle conçoit et produit des visites multisensorielles et hybrides depuis plus de 10 ans.

Atipie

Leur ADN : le design universel. Atipy regroupe 3 agences et un bureau d’études. Ils accompagnent les collectivités, villes, collectivités, associations et institutions dans leurs projets inclusifs.

Empreinte signalétique

Empreinte signalétique développe des projets de signalétique sur mesure, installés en France et à l’international. Ses produits s’adaptent aussi bien aux sites remarquables qu’aux sièges sociaux d’entreprises, et conviennent aux espaces naturels comme aux environnements urbains.

Mengrov

Mengrov est une agence de design communautaire qui co-crée des solutions qui valorisent la force des singularités. Dans une approche alliant design et stratégie, ils développent une approche sensible alliant décryptage des enjeux sociétaux et écoute des attentes.

Polygraphie

Situé à la croisée des signes, des objets et de l’espace, le studio Polygraphik , fondé en 2009 par les designers Sébastien Nicot et Juliette Cheval, est spécialisé dans la conception signalétique. Son rôle est de rendre un lieu compréhensible afin que l’usager puisse s’orienter et se déplacer de manière autonome.

Vous vous demandez peut-être comment nous avons réussi à créer toutes ces différentes solutions de signalisation multisensorielle inclusives. 

Gardez ceci à l’esprit :

1. Le handicap a toujours été un moteur d’innovation. Après tout, pour inclure les personnes que la société néglige habituellement, nous devons sortir des sentiers battus.

2. C’est la combinaison de l’accessibilité physique et numérique qui crée des espaces inclusifs.

Vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur les solutions numériques qui améliorent l’accessibilité ? Consultez nos articles :

Les données ouvertes sont essentielles pour favoriser l’accessibilité universelle

Qu’est-ce qu’une expérience phygitale et comment peut-elle améliorer l’accessibilité de votre lieu ?

Publié le 26 mai 2023

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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

READ CAROLE'S BIO

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powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

ABOUT US

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

by | 21 Apr, 2023

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

READ CAROLE'S BIO

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powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

ABOUT US

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

by | 10 Mar, 2023

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

READ CAROLE'S BIO

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aBeacon Accessible Pedestrian Signal

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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.

ABOUT US

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

by | 17 Feb, 2023

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

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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.

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Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

READ CAROLE'S BIO

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powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

ABOUT US

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?

by | 20 Jan, 2023

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

media

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.

writer

Carole Martinez

Carole Martinez

Content Manager & Copywriter

READ CAROLE'S BIO

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Get the latest news about accessibility and the Smart City.

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aBeacon Accessible Pedestrian Signal

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powered by okeenea

The French leading company

on the accessibility market.

ABOUT US

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.