EgressIII Discussion

In determining which format or combination of formats result(s) in making emergency information most accessible to users who have visual impairments, there are many considerations. As actual emergency egress is often a component of responding to an emergency situation, the ability to get to exits on the basis of information provided by the different accessible formats is an the overriding consideration, whether that information has been used for familiarization prior to an emergency or first accessed during an emergency.

In order to model the effectiveness of communicating emergency information in a number of accessible formats, a paradigm was established where subjects read or listened to instructions for executing a travel task and then were asked to execute this task. Specifically, the “goodness” of communication effectiveness was determined by objective and subjective measures associated with the travel task for each of the accessible formats provided to subjects.

Effective use of emergency information by persons who are visually impaired relies upon a series of steps:

1. The information must be readily found.
2. The information must be readily understood so as not to lead to frustration and/or interfere with keeping track of salient information.
3. The information must be effectively internalized for subsequent recall or the information must be perceived in route, either because it is transportable or because it is provided at regular intervals along the route.
4. The information must enable quick and accurate travel to a safe emergency exit.

This project has produced quantitative and qualitative data that informs some of these considerations. Lets look again at the other questions raised at the beginning of this report and see what answers are now available:

1. In what format or formats should emergency information be provided so that most visually impaired people can access it?

a. Which format/s provide/s for the most efficient prior familiarization of the greatest proportion of blind users?
b. Which format/s provide/s for the most efficient emergency egress of blind users?
c. Which format/s is/are preferred by most blind users?

When choosing which accessible formats will be used for emergency information, from the standpoint of Reading/Listening to emergency information and then being able to readily internalize this information so that it is useful, two main considerations should be kept in mind: What users have to know to use the format and if the users don’t have the required knowledge to use the format, how quickly they can learn to use this format.

Audible information requires less prior knowledge and is quick to learn.

Push-button speaker route information resulted in the fastest time to travel and fastest total time. It also required the least familiarization time. The push-button was also the most preferred accessible format for egress information in both non-emergency and emergency situations.

Remote infrared audible signs resulted in the shortest times to begin to travel because as soon as participants turned on the receiver they picked up a message telling them how to begin travel toward the exit—”For exit, take the next hall going left [or right]”. Travel began earlier because there was no need to acquire a cognitive map of the entire route before beginning to travel. Remote infrared audible signs did require longer travel times than the push-button and Braille; significant delays having resulted from a number of subjects spending considerable time erroneously looking for the exit door when they heard the message “to the exit”. However total travel time did not differ significantly between remote infrared audible signs and the push-button. Preference for an accessible format in non-emergency and emergency conditions also did not differ between remote infrared audible signs and the push-button.

Braille instructions were wall mounted for the study. Had Braille instructions been issued as hand-outs, users would be required to first find their current location along the route, requiring a much more complicated set of instructions and therefore longer reading time. However, assuming they that can readily be located because they are mounted in consistent locations, Braille route instructions result in more efficient acquisition of route information and faster egress than other tactile formats, that is, tactile maps and raised print.

Raised print has a longer history of being required or recommended as an accessible format for signage information than Braille. Raised print was required in the American National Standard Specification for Making Buildings and Facilities Accessible to and Usable by Physically Handicapped People, published in 1980 (ANSI A117.1-1980), while Braille did not achieve a similar status until publication of the ADA Accessibiity Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG) in 1991. During development of the ANSI A117.1-1980, it was argued that most people who are blind become blind after the age of 65 and never learn to read Braille, however they do have an ability to read raised print because they have been print readers for most of their lives. This cannot be disputed, however reading of raised print for other than a few numbers or letters at a time may not be a realistic expectation even for this group. Persons who read Braille were also expected to be able to read raised print, though many would not have had systematic instruction or practice in reading raised print. During development of ADAAG, blind persons argued convincingly for the requirement of Braille on all tactile signs, as Braille is the preferred medium, by far, for those who read it. ADAAG and subsequent accessibility guidelines and requirements require raised signage in both raised print and Braille. (Note, however, that raised signage, Braille and raised print, has only been required to label permanent rooms and spaces, never to provide directional signage.) It is, however, currently the most common way of providing instructions on point of sale machines including fare transaction machines. Large surfaces on some point of sale machines are now covered with Braille or raised print. Despite strenuous efforts to identify persons for the study who were independent travelers and who read only raised print, no such persons were identified, raising serious questions about the appropriateness of requiring raised print for any purpose other than labeling permanent rooms and spaces and elevator panels.

Tactile maps were wall mounted for the study. Had they been issued as handouts, users would be required to first orient the map and find their current location along the route, requiring a much more complicated (and potentially unusable) map and greater skill on the part of map users.

In order to decipher the legend of a tactile map, the user must know Braille or raised print. In order to be readable, a tactile map must depict only the information necessary to travel, must have symbols that are readily discriminated from one another, have a scale which is relatively consistent throughout, but which has enough flexibility to facilitate perception of all information, and be no larger than the span of two hands (Bentzen, 1994). Subjects found the tactile map easy to use once they understood it. All required at least a minimal amount of individual instruction in order to acquire route information from tactile maps.

Note that the present project has considered only 5 formats for providing emergency egress information. There may be other formats, or combinations of these formats which better fulfill the need. For example, in the Focus Groups, we learned that participants wanted to have the whole route presented to them at the outset of the travel (mean rating = 3.4 on a 5 point scale), but they were even more interested in being able to head for the exit from anywhere in a building, rather than going to a starting place where the route information was mounted (mean rating = 3.9 on a 5 point scale). Remote infrared audible signage could transmit whole routes from a transmitters at doors exiting into corridors. Then, when in corridors and open spaces, remote infrared signage could provide information that, from any point in the building, enables users to get to exits. Alternatively, push-buttons with route information could be mounted beside all doors exiting into corridors, and remote infrared audible signage could provide additional wayfinding guidance corresponding to the visual exit route signs in hallways.

As shown in Table 11, while tactile maps resulted in faster Time to Begin travel (reading the map), Travel Time and Total Time measures (including map reading) than raised print, tactile maps were not preferred above any other format for use in non-emergency or emergency situations. Additionally, all participants required some individualized instruction in use of the maps. Learning would, no doubt, occur if maps were widely available and fully standardized. However, there remains the problem that to read the legend on the maps, one needs to have learned to read Braille or raised print (though we would not now recommend the use or raised print for the legend).

Luxton-Gourgey and Kuperman showed tactile maps to be very useful in promoting wayfinding in transit facilities (Luxton and Kuperman, 1994). In this application passengers are trained to use portable tactile maps. They take them home for study and trip planning and also refer to them during actual trips. Our findings suggest, however, that tactile maps may not be an appropriate means to convey emergency egress information.

The results of this project do not clearly indicate the superiority of any of the five formats tested. However, they do strongly indicate that raised print should not be considered. Raised print was never superior to any other format by any objective or subjective measure. Additionally, the great difficulty in locating participants who could read raised print and preferred it above Braille, even among persons who were recently blinded, indicates that there may be very few persons for whom raised print is ever a better format than Braille. Perhaps the use of raised print should be limited to elevator panels and signs identifying rooms and spaces.

2. Should the emergency information be provided in an accessible format that work best when the emergency is in progress or is it more realistic to think that the best chance for visually impaired people to adequately respond to the emergency is for them to be familiar with the building and safety procedures before the emergency actually occurs?

Some Survey and Focus Group questions were designed to contribute to answering this question. In the Survey, when asked to rate their likelihood of actually using accessible information to familiarize themselves with exit routes in non-emergency situations, the mean rating was 3.5 (on a scale of 1 to 5). Most participants would be fairly likely to familiarize themselves soon after arrival in a building. Most participants reported they would also be likely to use accessible information in an actual emergency (mean rating = 3.7). However, for both prior familiarization and in emergency situations, most participants said they would prefer to have personal assistance. Thus, the results of the Survey give no clear answer to the question.

In Focus Groups participants considered whether ideal function in non-emergency or emergency situations should guide the choice of format for emergency egress information. Of 15 participants, 9 felt that choice of format should be based primarily on its function in non-emergency situations, 2 felt that choice should be based on emergency situations, and 4 felt that equal consideration should be given to function in both non-emergency and emergency situations.

This is a very small sample from which to draw any conclusion based on subjective judgments. Our best understanding of the data here is that both uses should be considered, and that it can reasonably be expected that a majority of users in a majority of situations would take advantage of accessible information to familiarize themselves with egress routes in non-emergency conditions. Nevertheless, personal assistance is likely to be preferred above any accessible format if personal assistance is available.

3. Should the same information that is given to sighted individuals on each emergency egress sign (including location of exits, location of fire alarm initiating stations, what the fire alarm sounds like and looks like, fire department emergency telephone number, and prohibition of elevator use during emergencies) be provided to blind individuals or does giving all this information make it more difficult to get the unique exit route information provided on each sign?

The only data addressing this question came from the Focus Groups. After some discussion, participants rated how important they consider it to be to provide all the information in accessible formats. Nine of 15 participants considered it to be very unimportant or somewhat unimportant to include all the information. Participants suggested providing the basic (unchanging) information in an accessible format which was distributed to building users who needed it. Participants were concerned about the space requirements for providing all the information in tactile format, and that when presented with large amounts of tactile information, they might have difficulty finding the unique route information when it was urgently needed.

Although this is a very small sample on which to base a recommendation, consideration of the actual space for non-unique information (a minimum of 1 ft. by 2 ft.), and of the potential time lost in listening to non-unique information provided (serially) by push-button, together with the subjective data, suggest that non-unique information should be presented in a separate format from unique information.

4. Should accessible information be designed to be transportable (e.g., handout instructions in Braille, raised print, tactile maps, or in a recorded form or should it be affixed to special locations within a building?

The study did not contribute to knowledge in this area. Intuitively is seems like a good idea to have information available in the hand along the route to an exit. The user could refer back to it if confused. However, the disadvantages of any format in which route instructions are to be carried in the hand are that the user must have the information in hand when needed, must be able to determine where they are along the route and unambiguously understand how to orient themselves in order to be in proper reference to the information provided. The latter two requirements are known to be difficult for many people who are blind.

5. What is the affect of loudness of fire alarms on the ability of people who are blind to use information in different formats?

The Focus Group contributed limited information to answer this question. After considerable discussion, they rated the importance of the problem of loudness of fire alarms. Eleven of 15 said that loudness of alarms was a big problem or somewhat big problem for them in emergency situations. This question was asked without consideration of the availability of accessible route information. During the route travel portion of the project, participants frequently commented that hearing push-button or remote infrared audible signs information could be difficult in the presence of loud alarms. (According to the National Fire Alarm Code Handbook, Section 6-3.2.1, “Audible signal appliances intended for operation in the public mode shall have a sound level of not less than 75 dBA at 10 ft. (3m) or more than 120 dBA at the minimum hearing distance from the audible appliance.”)

6. How important is it that emergency egress information be consistent (e.g., provide the same information, in the same format, in the same locations) in all buildings?

The Focus Group contributed the only information to answer this question. Twelve of 15 participants rated the importance of consistency in presentation of emergency egress information as very important. Thus, it is appropriate that a very limited range of options for accessible formats be approved or recommended.

7. How important is it that the system provide the whole route at the beginning?

The Focus Group provided the only information to help answer this question. Participants rated their agreement with the following statement: “The system should provide the whole route at the beginning.” The mean rating response was 3.4 (rating scale of 1 to 5). Therefore most participants attached some importance to having route information available at the outset but this was not the most important criterion. All tested formats provided the whole route at once except remote infrared audible signs.

8. How important is it that the system provide information that is readily perceived and understood from any location in a building, as required for exit route signs?

Again, the Focus Group provided the only information to help answer this question. Participants rated their agreement with the following statement: “I should be able to start anywhere. That is, I should be able to get the information as I go along and not have to find it at some starting place.” The mean response was 3.9 (on a rating scale of 1 to 5). therefore, most participants attached importance to having information continuously available. Remote infrared audible signs was the only tested format in which information was available at any part along the route.

9. Is it important that the system permit real-time updating of fire information?

The project provided no information to help answer this question.

10. Are there other formats which have not been considered?

The project considered only five formats used in isolation. There may be other formats, particularly emerging technologies, which should be considered. Suggestions have been made by the participants and by others. Among these are room-specific emergency information by telephone (special information number); the television (special channel for emergency information); and portable voice player (with recorded emergency instructions). Each alternative will have associated cost/benefits which need to be examined and possibly tested as was done for the five formats in the present study. For example, a telephone message delivered through a special phone number would have to be room specific so that it could direct the occupant to the nearest safe exit relative to that location. In order to be effective, the message must begin at the first step in the route instruction (as is the case when the button is pushed in the audible push-button device). It would not be possible to restrict sighted occupants from using such a telephone system. Therefore, it is entirely possible that a large number of people could call that number at the same time and swamp the system. It is not as easy as having the occupant “listen in” on an ongoing, general message; each room would require a unique directional message that would have to begin at the beginning for each caller. In the case of the TV messaging, again, the message would have to be tailored to each room. Also, blind people complain about the difficulty of using the remote control (which are generally the way hotel TVs are controlled) and so hotels would have to develop and issue special “accessible” remote controls. It is not that these problems cannot be solved, but they must be confronted before usefulness and cost effectiveness can be established. With solid state voice players, with specialized messages for each room issued to occupants, there may be “hidden costs” such as actual effectiveness (providing proper messaging, information availability when and where needed), accountability (distribution of recorders and testing of recorders) and enforceability (periodic evaluation of overall system effectiveness and reliability). Appendix H lists 17 types of communication technologies potentially suitable for the present task. Each entry is shown with suggestions as to their respective attributes and drawbacks.

Several participants also suggested that remote infrared audible signs in combination with the push-button or tactile map would give the best of both worlds; the push-button or tactile map would provide the desired overview and the remote infrared audible signs would eliminate the need for memorization of the route. In addition, Remote infrared audible signs would provide immediate access to the emergency exit from any point in the route.