Rule of Thumb – Selecting an Interior Contrasting Colour Scheme
The use of contrasting colours in interior spaces is essential for all occupants, particularly the elderly and those with low vision. An interior environment with contrasting colours improves the usability and understanding of an environment. In May 2020, the blog Quantifying Contrast in Colour explains how it is the light reflectance value (lrv) of a…
Planning a Kitchen for Visually Impaired People
A kitchen is a mini factory and requires thoughtful functional planning. The kitchen is planned in the same way for a visually able person, but with a few additional design requirements and understanding. Visually impaired people are intuitive and adaptable to learn how to work/operate in an environment and have their own personal preferences to…
Kitchen for Seeing Hands
‘The kitchen is the heart of the home.’Kitchen design key requirements are to meet functional needs according to logical workflows. The starting point when designing any kitchen is to position the fridge, stove, and sink in a workable triangle. Remember the one and half meter distance rule between electrical outlets and sink/water.Consider these sub-task processes…
Window Treatment to Assist People with Low Vision
Natural light is important for circadian cycles of life and is important to incorporate into an interior space. Circadian rhythms are built-in and self-sustained to each of us, they are adjusted to the local environment by external cues which include light, temperature, and biological cycles. Every day the light in an interior space alters as…
Guideline Questions for the Designer’s Brief – Visual Disability
For a person with a visual disability in a residential space: Standard Questions• Name and contact details.• How many members in the family unit?• What ages are they? Ask about the individual’s disability• What type of visual impairment does the disabled person suffer from? For example: Low vision, peripheral vision, tunnel vision, etc.• What is…
Walking on Floors – Avoiding Slips and Trips
‘Safety first!’ This must be the aim when it comes to selecting floors for an environment for people with visual disabilities to walk on. In the first place, understanding how a visually impaired person will interact with the floor surface will guide you to the correct choice and the final product. A visually impaired person…
This is it -Low Vision Contrasting Colour Schemes: Based on measurement of light reflectance value.
People with low vision benefit immensely from contrasting colours in an interior environment, (Quantifying Contrast in Colours, 21 May 2020). The guideline rule is- Colours contrast when there is a thirty-point difference in light reflectance value (LVR). The LVR measurement scale starts at 0,10 (black) and increases in increments of 0.05 with 0.95 (white) having…
My Hands are My Eyes
When your hands become your eyes, the touching and comprehending of tactile surfaces is critical to daily survival. People with low vision and the visually challenged are innovative and resourceful in finding solutions. In South Africa there are schools for the blind, which educate pupils in many subjects, including braille. Equipment, appliances, and technology that…
Best Furniture Buys for People with Low Vision
Is it possible to buy furniture that creates a more easily accessible, better environment for people with visual disabilities? ‘Yes’. Style and trends can be followed but, with insight and tweaks, better choices can be made. Furniture is a functional component in an interior and must be laid out in a predictable manner for all.…
Stair, Handrails, Slips and Trips
‘The grand old duke of York had ten-thousand men, he marched them up to the top of the hill and marched them down again’. Humans have been stepping up and down since before the time of the ‘grand old Duke of York. In today’s times the anthropometrics, where the physical sizes of human are studied…
Best Signage for People with Visual Challenges
Signage is everywhere! From road signs, shop signs, directional signage, safety signs, and advertising signs – we are surrounded! Each type has a purpose, but which is recommended for maximum readability for people with visual challenges? The correct choice of colour is essential and most important is the contrast in colour for best readability. The…
Limited Sight – Experience Leads to Understanding
Have you ever closed your eyes and walked around your home, poured a glass of water, or brushed your teeth like that? These are difficult tasks and you feel like an accident waiting to happen. This test allows us to experience and understand how people with limited sight encounter the world. Different people have varying…
Table Setting with a View to Seeing Better
Thirty two percent of South African citizens have a ‘seeing disability’, as recorded in the 2011 Census. This is almost a third of our population!! One of the many challenges people with visual disabilities encounter daily is that of eating. A family member, host, carer, or restaurant will need to prepare a table setting that…
Door Hide and Seek
Every interior space provides a unique opportunity to create an environment that is functional, aesthetic, comfortable, and safe for the people who interact in it. By manipulating design components, building products, furniture, and soft finishes, the envisioned interior design is achieved. At times, the need to hide doorways in walls is necessary. A doorway always…
Vision Bathroom
‘Vision bathroom’ is designed for everyone but particularly for people who have visual impairments. This design focuses on creating a safer area by reducing the risk of accidents and mishaps, which frustrate the user. This is achieved by the functional use of contrast in colour (Quantifying contrast in colour 20 May 2020) and a functional…
Interior Disability Design Guide 