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braille signs, are they necessary?
Ok im going to ask your opinion on this one, but please do not think im being funny or having a laugh at other people less fortunate than us. The topic? Braille signs….
I know signlab lets us have the option if we want to make them or not and I know a lot of trade suppliers offer there range. But why do we need them or should I say, do you think they are any use?
Again not being funny but how does the blind people know where the sign is? Its all very well these big fancy office blocks having them but I think this is some gimmick for them to have a pat on the back for helping the blind when if this was really there intension then they could have done something a bit more useful.
Im not sure how, or even if they exist already. But maybe if there was a bleep noise every time someone passed one of these signs. Letting the blind person know there was a sign there. “Somewhere”.
Or what about a small sensor so when you passed it a voice may say “accounts department” or “customer help”,
“Ladies toilets” and so on….
Just one of those things that niggle me when I see them… so I thought I would niggle you for your opinion. -
12 Replies
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I’ve been involved in the biz on and off for 15 years ( used to work in my dad’s place in the summer holidays) and I’ve never heard of anyone requesting this type of sign……..is it just me?
Joe -
ive seen these signs in the magazines & a couple of office blocks.
infact i think one was the “morgan stanely” credit card office complex. they im sure had them. i thought it a good idea at the time but now you have said that it has me thinking. maybe your right! 😕 😕 -
The last very large job we did was the Glacier Park International Airport here in Montana. Some of it can be seen on our website.
Anyway, virtually ALL of the interior signage required ADA (braille) signs. Some of the more stupid ones were 6′ up in the air on a post that were no smoking signs. If the blind folks traveled around with ladders they’d be able to read all of them.
All of the other incidental, directional signage had braille too. How in the world would a blind person know where all of those signs were anyway? The ones near doors do make sense, but in the middle of a wall somewhere? They’d never know the sign was there to begin with. I think it’s simple bureauocratic job justification. -
I think there is a reason for braille, if you are not totally blind but can see shapes or outlines then finding a sign would be no problem and reading it would be possible too.
Tim…….
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i agree that they can be useful to maybe those with very bad vision but not totaly blind. but even at that. how are they supposed to know they are entering a blind friendly building, what i mean is how do they know if they see what looks like a sign, that it is braille & therefor approch to touch…
again not being funny, just trying to be realistic. like rosemary says on poles 6ft up is a joke.
another thought of my own was that i bet these companies get massive government hand outs for signage that incorporates braille in it.a very cheap way to expensive signage and come out looking good for it in the end. 😕
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I have to agree with the big handouts, typical money wasting ideas to be ripped of by those who dont really need it……… 😀
Tim…
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Well Here In The States In Most Building They Are Required to have them but us americans are lawsuit happy!
it is call discrimanation To The Blind! They Might Get Lost?But They Also Have Drive up ATM’s Where you pull cash out from your car and they have brail Signs? PLEASE dont take this the wrong way but if your blind how the heck can you drive?OREO 8)
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To try and answer your questions Robert about braille signs, you’ll probably be wishing I’d stayed offline about now.
Rightly or wrongly the DDA sets out to try and make life as equal as possible for disabled people. Visual defects account for the highest catagory of disablement in the world. In the UK only 5% of people who are registered blind can see nothing at all. 95% of people registered can see to some degree it might only be to make out rough shapes or colours. That is why it is so important that attention is paid to colour and contrast when producing disabled signs. There are guidelines when it comes to installing disabled signs as well to make it as easy as possible for visually impaired people to find them.
There are also talking signs on the market as well some of which are activated by a device carried by the visually impaired person.
Yes sometimes equal rights do gooders go over the top and Rosemarys signs six foot up in the air is ridiculuos but dont forget that all public buildings have to comply and it will only take one law suit to get the ball rolling.
I have spent quite a lot of time reading up on this and I know I’m a bit of a sad git but I find it quite interesting. -
Martin, what’s a “git”? I see that once in a while here.
:^)
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a ‘git’ is someone that is rather annoying…
however a ‘sad git’ is a bit like and ‘anorak’ but worse
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good points martin.
but any time i have seen these types of signs they normaly are more uniformed with the design of existing signs rether than a specific colour. im not sure if you have seen the ones at the sign show that where on display… but, they are a regular sign system type sign. and at the bottom of them there is a samll panel, same colour as sign above with braille on it.
doesnt & didnt tell me braille was there, never mind somone with poor sight…
i think the personal bleeper thing is a good idea though. as the sensor going off evertime anyone passed it may be iratating… 🙄 -
Colour isnt the most important factor Robert as most visually impaired people have trouble identifying specific colours, what is important is contrast with surroundings to identify there is a sign on the wall, as for reading the braille the signs have an indent on the left hand edge, normally towards the bottom. By running a hand/finger down the edge of the sign the braille section is easily found. Positioning of these signs is also very important and there are guidlines for positioning the signs. There are different systems on the market for talking signs some of which have to be activated by the wearer so you might not be subjected to the signs going off all the time.
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