Independent mobility is vital. Most of us take it for granted, oblivious to the dangers that present themselves daily to a significant number of vision impaired people, preventing many from stepping outside their front doors.
In 1994, the Association for the Blind, in consultation with local ceramic tile manufacturer Australian Building Ceramics, developed a home grown, Australian made version of a tactile. Today, Granito Tactile is an important communication tool developed for and used by the vision impaired members in communities in Australia and extensively throughout Asia.
Meeting the exacting requirements of the Australian Standards Authority, Granito Tactiles provide warning messages that can be read underfoot and with canes to alert the pedestrian to imminent changes in the route being taken.
Granito Tactiles can warn of obstructions, such as pole mounted telephone booths that jut out above cane height; of approaching road intersections and crossings; steps and stairways. Indeed, any change in the lie of the land can be made safer with Tactiles.
Granito Tactiles are available in two designs. The first is a directional tactile that guides the user along a route. The second is the hazard tactile that indicates to the user that they should immediately halt. With the combination of the two, dangerous encounters are being averted.
Tactiles are specified for use in the Building Code of 1996 where their application is determined by strict guidelines. How they are used and in what configuration is specifically determined by the Code which covers all installation issues at bus stops, train stations, pedestrian thoroughfares, building entrances and wherever the change of circumstances could compromise the safety of a person without vision.
Councils everywhere are installing tactiles in response to the Building Code to make their streets safer and more user friendly for those residents who are most at risk. The advent of Granito Tactiles has increased the independent mobility for hundreds of thousands of vision impaired people, providing for them a safer route and an acknowledgment that their disability should not be an impediment to enjoying free and unlimited access to their locality.
For further information on Granito Tactiles, contact Kym Hargrave at Australian Building Ceramics on (03) 9794 9199 or email kym.hargrave@granito.com.au
