[NFBWATLK] Google tribute to the bumpy sidewalk tile guy

[Kaye Kipp]

I don't know about anybody else, but if I put my foot on some sort of
tactile thing, I'm not going to scrape my foot around it to determine the
shape.  I wonder how manp blind people are consulted to see how helpful
these "revolutionary" things are. 

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBWATLK [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mary ellen
via NFBWATLK
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2019 1:30 PM
To: 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List' <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Mary ellen <gabias at telus.net>
Subject: Re: [NFBWATLK] Google tribute to the bumpy sidewalk tile guy

Odd what others believe is revolutionary for us.  Until I read this article,
I had no idea that different tactile bump patterns had different meanings.
How is it that my means of getting around has been "revolutionized" without
my even knowing?

Under foot tactile designs are a very limited communications method,
especially if the people who are supposed to benefit don't even know the
meaning of the symbology.  Like all blind people, I notice what's under my
feet and use that data to figure out what's around me.  Information has
value, especially when it's consistent information.  I find artificially
introduced symbols less valuable than naturally occurring info, because the
artificially introduced stuff is inconsistent in design and not always
there.

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBWATLK [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Nightingale, Noel via NFBWATLK
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2019 8:36 AM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Nightingale, Noel
Subject: [NFBWATLK] Google tribute to the bumpy sidewalk tile guy


Here is one of many instances of coverage about the google "anniversary"
doodle on the man that invented the bumpy sidewalk tiles:
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-doodle-pays-tribute-to-japanese-inventor-se
iichi-miyake/
Google Doodle pays tribute to Japanese inventor Seiichi Miyake:
His invention, the tenji block, changed the way the visually impaired
interact with the world.
CNET
March 17 2019
By Jackson Ryan

When Seiichi Miyake found out a close friend was losing the ability to see
clearly, he wanted to help. That desire led to an entirely new way for the
visually impaired to navigate big cities, railways and parks.

In 1965, Miyake invented the tactile paving slab (or "tenji block" in Japan)
with his own money. Monday's Google Doodle celebrates the introduction of
the block 52 years ago.

The doodle from March 18, 2019. [image]

The tenji blocks were first installed in the Japanese city of Okayama on
March 18, 1967, next to a school for the blind, and they would go on to
revolutionize the way the visually impaired interact with the world, making
it safer and easier to get around public spaces independently.

Miyake's original design, which was installed in all Japan Railway platforms
in the 1970s and rapidly found its way to cities across the globe, featured
two tactile patterns that people with visual impairments can detect with a
cane or through their feet -- providing cues on which way they should head.

One pattern features a series of raised lines that indicate "forward". The
second design is commonly referred to as the "truncated domes" pattern, a
series of small bumps that act as a "stop" sign -- typically at the edge of
a train platform or before a motorway.

A number of different patterns have been designed since, with smaller raised
dots or more pill-shaped bumps signifying different directional cues. For
instance, when the raised lines are horizontal in the direction of travel,
that might mean "look out for steps ahead".

All of those cues, which many may not even notice as they wander through a
city, are incredibly important for those with limited vision.
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