Buildings and Users with Visual Impairment: Uncovering Factors for Accessibility Using BIT-Kit
Lesley J. McIntyre, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility · doi:10.1145/2661334.2661371
Summary
This paper introduces BIT-Kit (Building Interactions Tool-kit), a mixed-method framework for gathering evidence about how buildings impact the accessibility of users with visual impairments. The framework combines three methods: semi-structured interviews about past building experiences, observation and recording of way-finding traces plotted onto floor plans, and reflection interviews conducted immediately after the way-finding task. Ten participants with varying levels of visual ability (ages 20-70, including people who are totally blind, have degenerative sight loss, and have peripheral vision only) undertook a way-finding task in an unfamiliar public building that was fully compliant with building legislation. Participants used various mobility aids including guide dogs, white canes, roller canes, and corrective lenses. The study was designed to evaluate whether buildings built to code actually meet the accessibility needs of people with visual impairments.
Key findings
The BIT-Kit approach uncovered 54 enabling and disabling interactions within the case study building, despite its full compliance with building legislation. The study identified "hotspots"—key events or locations that significantly impacted the way-finding experience. These included problems with doors (revolving doors were dangerous, with one participant getting their hand stuck), hazards from building finishes (glass staircases that guide dogs refused to climb), difficulty with emergency evacuation procedures (participants could not read fire-exit signage, and were uncertain what to do in emergencies), and challenges navigating open spaces like car parks. Positive hotspots included ground texture changes that aided orientation and corridors that provided spatial definition. Data fusion across all three phases produced especially rich findings—for example, combining a participant's prior fear of revolving doors with their observed encounter and subsequent reflection. The study demonstrated a clear disparity between building design guidance and the actual accessibility needs of users.
Relevance
This research bridges the gap between built environment design and the lived experience of people with visual impairments. For accessibility practitioners, it demonstrates that legislative compliance alone does not guarantee accessibility—a finding that parallels digital accessibility, where WCAG compliance does not always ensure usability. The BIT-Kit methodology could be adapted for evaluating any environment where accessibility matters. The concept of "hotspots" provides a practical framework for identifying and communicating accessibility barriers to architects and designers. The findings about emergency evacuation are particularly critical—participants expressed genuine fear about not knowing what to do during a fire. The study also highlights the potential for integrating accessibility evidence into digital modelling tools like BIM, making accessibility a core consideration in architectural design rather than an afterthought.
Tags: visual impairment · wayfinding · built environment · architecture · accessibility evaluation · inclusive design