Enhancing Airport Wayfinding for Aging Travelers and Persons with Disabilities

The objective of this research is to develop a guidebook to help airport operators and planners assist the elderly and persons with disabilities with pedestrian wayfinding systems in standardized accessible formats to help them to travel independently within airports. The guidebook should address travel by people with cognitive, sensory, and other mobility challenges. The guidebook should include, but not be limited to, (a) a template for a baseline airport wayfinding accessibility audit; (b) instructions to assist airports in creating a signage and services gap analysis as well as a wayfinding plan; (c) visual, verbal and virtual wayfinding aspects to help the passenger with directions; (d) methods that would allow aging travelers and passengers with disabilities to comfortably utilize technology for wayfinding (e.g., mobile GIS for airports); (e) suggestions of web-based information for assistance (e.g., airport, airline, TSA websites); (f) standardization of wayfinding user interface systems within the airport(s) including technological interfaces; (g) compliance with federal and international regulations and standards (e.g., U.S. Access Board, U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Department of Transportation); and (h) coordination among a variety of stakeholders at airports to include airlines, security check-point and ground transportation operators, and so on.