[NFBWATLK] Google tribute to the bumpy sidewalk tile guy

Sat Mar 23 21:25:59 UTC 2019

The bumps are helpful, but I had no idea they had other shapes, either. Funny. And the colors wouldn't mean anything to me, but as there are more and more elderly people who have limited vision those colors might help.

I remember a long time ago when I lived in Eugene they made this thing called a woonerf, (spelling), and it was beautiful I guess, it had plants and flowers around it. But it was level with the street. So it was totally flat. There was nothing to indicate that you were crossing a street at all. It also did not have much traffic, so you could walk for a long ways and just think it was a longer block than normal. A friend and I walked it, she with her cane, me with my dog and the dog had no notion there was a street either, because there was nothing at all to differentiate. So we walked several blocks out of our way before we figured it out, and then had to retrace our steps. Fortunately there was someone out in a yard when we made the reverse trip, and we asked them whathe the intersection was up ahead. It was very confusing. It never occurred to anyone to let us know that they were putting in this type of thing, and it never occurred to them that they were doing something wrong. They just thought it would be great for people in wheelchairs. Of course those people could read the street signs. They had to come up with some bumps that wouldn't be too painful for those in wheelchairs to have to ride over. It was a big mess for awhile. So Nothing About us Without U. We and the wheelchair community could have been at loggerheads, but we worked it out. Fortunately there were some creative and cool heads.    Debby
On Mar 21, 2019 1:29 PM, Mary ellen via NFBWATLK <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> 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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