Architects and visually impaired people: analysing two ways of talking

Abstract

While architects think and work in a visual way, people who are visually impaired may pay more attention to other senses and, as a result, are able to appreciate other spatial qualities. Because of this particular ability, our research seeks to explore how to enhance communication between architects and visually impaired people. It is imaginable that there is significant disparity between how architects and visually impaired people talk; even so, this paper seeks to discover points of connection that support enabling a genuine dialogue between these two groups of people. The study reported here aims to gain insights into how both groups talk about the built environment by comparing and contrasting two independent data sets: four in-depth interviews with architects, and four with visually impaired people. Through analysis of the spoken word, we identify what common ground exists and what the central differences are between both groups. On this basis, we discuss potential elements that may challenge or facilitate developing connections towards deeper conversation between architects and visually impaired people. While the study focuses on architectural design and visual impairment, the findings may be transferable to communication between designers and non-designers in general.