ADDRESSING WAY-FINDING TECHNIQUES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON'S IN THE DESIGN OF EYE-CENTRE

(A CASE STUDY OF JALINGO)

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Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
Hospital is a complex structure that involves multi-functional activities which create way-finding challenges for patients and visitors in the environment, most especially the visually impaired person who normally have difficulties in finding their way around the normal day to day society. The visually impairednaturally encounter serious challenges in every hospital facility they find themself. The aim of this study is to address way-finding techniques for the visually impaired persons in the design of an eye-centre. There arevarious methods of conducting research in the field of behavioural science, and several others. All these are accepted provided that the research follows a logical arrival to portray logical data collections.Analysis of the collected result and presentations of result concludesthe methodology employed for this study and the assessment of the selected eye centre and schools which admit the visually impaired. Purposive sample techniques were used for the selection of three most relevant case studieswhich are; School for the Blind children (SBC) GindiriMangu LGA, Visually Impaired Government Vocation Training Centre (VIGVTC) Zawan, Jos-south,Plateau state, and National Eye Centre Kaduna, Kaduna state. Data analysis was descriptive and quantitative, for the report of case study, material, and material usage in the facilities studied. The questionnaire was also analysed quantitatively.Data obtained from the field was inputted in Ms-excelfor the calculations of the opinions of the respondents, and then subsequently, interpretations of the respondent?s opinionsweresummarized in tables and charts. Eighty (80) questionnaires were collected back and analysed in the study.Respondents from SBC and VIGVTC were selected using purposive and random sampling from a population of about 1000 visually impaired that were present in the schools above age 15 years. The key research findings indicated that most existing facilities for the visually impaired in Nigeria do not consider visually impaired person?s mobility and accessibility. In fact,the various cases studied showed that most designers adopted traditional/conventional design techniques which do not cater for the visually impaired in terms of way-finding. Therefore, there is need to inculcate modern way-finding techniques and design parameters for the enhancement of visually impaired people?s movement in eye centres. In addition, consideration of visually impaired people in architectural design process is vital. Finally the research demonstrated a design incorporating modern way-finding techniques in the design of an eye-centre.