 |
November 1998
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
November 1998
|
| |
|
|
|
|
9 October, 1998
The Dog Rose Trust is a non-profit organisation which raises funding for research projects to improve the environment, whether built or outdoor, for people with sensory impairments, in particular those with a visual impairment. Current research includes the adaptation of interactive touchscreens and the use of surround sound. We aim to provide the tools for use by designers, architects and others working in the field. Somewhere out there is all the technology to make life a bit easier for people who are visually impaired, not just easier but more fulfilling, entertaining and enjoyable. One the major problems is finding out about what can be used and adapted, if necessary, for their use. If we work with items that are already in use then we are not "re-inventing the wheel" and there is more chance that it will be suitable for everyone. If, however, we look at developing facilities only for the blind and visually impaired population then it will not succeed.
We drag our fingers over every surface that looks as if it might be tactile; we receive our information from a wide range of sources - disability magazines, the sign industry, leisure organisations and so on. We are currently working on research projects that involve the CAD Centre at De Montfort University in Leicester England and touch-screen manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic.
How did it all start? Dog Rose consists of Peter Howell and Julia Ionides, an architect and an architectural historian naturally with a strong interest in buildings. This led to the development of the Acoustic Fingerprint Guides of Cathedrals with the use of binaural sound to capture the unique sound of each space in the interiors. These recordings acted as a tool to helped explain the structure to those who could not see as well as making sighted people listen to this space. Then cathedrals and many buildings later we still record by this method; all our descriptive narration is recorded on the spot being discussed using a dummy head, not an expensive custom made one but an adapted outdoor light fitting. We now edit on a Sadie 3.2 sound editing system - probably one of the most advanced in the world. We next moved into looking at new ways of producing tactile forms and combining a sound commentary with them.
Contact with an electronics engineer in Wales helped the development of the Dorcas Project, named after the Guide Dog of a colleague. For this we teamed an adapted CD player and a computer with a tactile plan to demonstrate the capabilities of this form of interpretation. Contact points were put on the plan to access the information which can be listened to track by track. The tactile forms have progressed from simple wooden plans made by hand to sophisticated elevations and layouts cut by laser off a CAD programme.
The current research programme involves the production and evaluation of existing methods of producing tactile plans to use when people who are visually impaired are learning or finding their way around both the built environment and the outdoors. The project also includes research into adaptations to existing CAD customised routines and standards and writing a specification for a modified CAD programme to include Braille and signs and symbols for the creation of tactile plans cut in a variety of media. We hope that this project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, will encourage architects and designers to include tactile plans in their buildings. One project involved adapting an existing three-dimensional model that had been made for the redevelopment of Glasgow Cathedral precinct. (picture 1)
D.
This well crafted wooden model only required a small amount of modifications and updating to make it suitable for everyone to use. An interactive commentary was added and an infra-red transmitter and headsets so that the listener could walk around the model without constricting cables. We would like to encourage architects and those involved in commissioning models to think about their use after the project is completed and if they can be given a new life as an interpretative tool for the general public. We mentioned a variety of media for making image tactile: we have used silk screen printing, chemical etching, in addition to the laser cutting in perspex (plexiglass) where we produced two dimensional hands, eyes and noses for an exhibition of the senses. Other materials for outdoor use could include stone and stainless steel. The silk screen printing on heavy-duty polystyrene has withstood three years of weathering in the garden. All these materials, because the origination is on computer and the machines are computer-driven, can include Braille. So there is a great variety of materials and methods to suit all situations - wood or stone for a cathedral, fluorescent coloured acrylic gel for a lively museum setting. Our most recent project is the interactive three dimensional model of Chester Cathedral together with a ground plan. (picture 2)
D.
The range of work we have carried out over the last few years has been wide. Two years ago we designed and administered the production of a tactile model of the Houses of Parliament. The basic model was made of wooden blocks and details, such as the repeating windows and buttresses, were cut by laser and added to this. Two computers and amplifiers run the interactive commentary which was recorded in the actual debating chambers, Westminster Hall and other important rooms in this huge complex. The stand was handcrafted to a design by Peter Howell following Pugin's original furniture for the building. Now it stands in the splendid setting of the Robing Room and it is rumoured that the Queen rested her flowers on it when attending the State Opening of Parliament! (picture 3)
D.
The design of these interactive tactile plans has just been chosen as one of 2000 Millennium Products by the Design Council of the UK.
An entertaining project to work on was the tactile representation of a painting by Conrad Atkinson called The Wall Street Journal for Wolverhampton Art Gallery. James O. Hanlon designed it and supervised its construction and we added the sound. We took the text that is on the original painting and used both American and English voices; we mixed these with appropriate sounds recorded around our town, in the house or wherever suitable. We added music written by Adrian Williams, an international composer who works with us on many project, to natural sounds and speech to make sound icons. The whole effect of the sound, accessed through interactive buttons and small speakers, is amusing, entertaining, informative and what is more important, suitable for everyone. (picture 4)
D.
For the same gallery we produced tactile plans of the layout of the building, following plans made by two visually impaired children. Brightly coloured baize corresponded to the colour of the carpets or flooring in the actual rooms. We have been pleased to see everyone looking at it and pointing to the different areas. (picture 5)
D.
This year we have been involved in the production of guides to historic properties and have been able, through understanding clients, to extend these recordings to include the people who work at these places and the people who visit them. Our blind colleagues have taken part in the recordings and asked the managers what is there for them to see when they visit and other pertinent questions. Involvement all round is an important issue.
In summary, the Trust is committed to exploring and researching new methods that can be used for interpretation and understanding of the environment, both built and outdoors, for everyone. What is good for someone who cannot see, also enhances the experience for other people; if simple language is used, then everyone may understand it better. Extend the thinking and include all - but then we hope that everyone who reads this thinks in Universal Design terms and does not need to be told that. If you would like any further information about our work, then please do contact us.
Julia Ionides & Peter Howell
The Dog Rose Trust
83 Greenacres
Ludlow
Shropshire, SY8 1LZ, UK
Tel: +44 1584 874567
Fax: +44 1584 874045
e-mail: dogrose.trust@virgin.net
 Home |
 Newsletter |
 Calendar |
 Previous |
 Index |
 Next |
 Contact |