Exhibit Design Relating to Low Vision and Blindness: What Visitors with Vision Loss Want Museums and Parks to Know about Effective Communication

Tactile wayfinding

Some of the participants brought up experiences with tactile wayfinding systems in park settings. A Braille trail has a rope at waist height for a person with vision loss to follow and Braille labels for information. An alternative method for paved trails is to use texture, similar to speed bumps on a street, to convey wayfinding information.

Participants also discussed the tactile wayfinding method used in the original “Washington: Symbol and City” exhibition. A visitor followed a ridge along the floor and when there were objects that were freestanding in the middle of the room, the texture changed to three intersecting ridges to indicate you should turn off the main path. The system included audio description and a reader rail at waist height that guided you by hand along the walls.