01738989

Component

http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/180616.aspx

While many people rely on online maps using smart devices, physical maps are still useful and relevant when traveling to destinations where there is limited or no access to phone/ tablet, data or Wi-Fi or where GPS maps are not available. Maps of various places may come in all types and sizes, but they often lack accessibility features to help people of all abilities orientate and navigate in the physical environment more safely and easily. Through literature review, this multidisciplinary paper will briefly track the history of map-making, including modern cartography like Geographic Information System (GIS), along with the use of important elements such as scale, colors, spacing, size, fonts, and symbols on a printed map. The paper concludes that it is still impossible to identify ideal fonts and sizes to accommodate all map readers due to variations in individual preferences, especially those with visual and cognitive impairments. However, it will provide pointers on the basic elements that require special attention in map design: uniformity in layout; inclusion of essential accessibility features for people with reduced mobility (e.g., accessible building entrances, curb cuts, elevators, washrooms); provision for those with sensory impairments (e.g., color-weakness), reading impairments (e.g., illiterate, dyslexic) and cognitive impairments, etc. Future research in the field could focus on accessible typeface or font, size and strokes for maps. In addition, research and development projects on integrating 2D and 3D imaging with artificial intelligence, coupled with infrared and RFID technologies in maps could potentially be beneficial towards making transportation accessible.

01738980

English

pp 82-92

2020-4

Transportation Research Circular

TRANSED 2018: 15th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Older Adults and People with Disabilities

Digital/other

Figures; Photos; References

Accessibility; Barrier free design; Cognitive impairment; Design; Maps; Visually impaired persons; Wayfinding

Design; Society; Transportation (General)

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

May 11 2020 2:38PM

• Accessibility Survey for Generation of Representative Customer Requirements in Accessible Design for Sleeping Compartments on Long-Distance Passenger Rail
• Community-Based Approach to Addressing Transportation Needs for Rural Older Adults in Canada: Progress in Research
• Demonstration Experiments for Autonomous Minibus and Comprehensive Transportation Policies of Local Governments
• Effectiveness of Elongated Tactile Clues for Providing Directional Information to the Hands of Blind and Visually Impaired Pedestrians Before Crossing Intersections
• Improving Accessibility for Older People Is More Than a Right
• Improving Accessibility for People with Mental Health Conditions
• Innovative Mobility Management: Considering the Needs of Individuals with Disabilities
• Navigation and Wayfinding for Persons with Visual Impairments in Metro Stations
• Progress of Accessibility in Transportation in Japan Over the Last Three Decades: An Observation Through Three Case Studies
• Study on Compact Barrier-Free Lavatories for Small Passenger Ships
• The New Brabant-Net Trambus Line: Meticulous Infrastructure and Street Design as a Leverage to More Accessible City Transport to and from the Belgian Capital
• Using Smartphone and Bluetooth Technologies to Support Safe and Accessible Street Crossing for People with Vision Impairment