Cairns Regional Council followed in the footsteps of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne when they recently installed 172 Braille and tactile street signs and by doing so, became the first regional council in Australia to implement a Braille and tactile street identification programme.
According to Mayor, Bob Manning, Council is always looking for ways to make the city more accessible and these signs are intended to make it easier for people with vision impairment to travel around the central business district and tourist destinations safely.
Brisbane company Shapemakers was selected as the preferred manufacturer of the Cairns ‘CBD Braille trail’.
Shapemakers is at the forefront of research and development in this field and has been manufacturing Braille and tactile signs for over 15 years.
They began making Braille street signs when the Brisbane City Council (BCC) approached them to produce their signs in 2009.
As the core business for Shapemakers is manufacturing Braille and tactile amenity signs, their expertise and production skills in this area made them the most logical choice.
Managing Director, Ian Ferrier, said, “We worked closely with BCC and Cairns to develop strong working relationships with the various advocacy groups. “Everyone has been delighted with the results and both councils plan to continue to roll out more signs in the future as part of their Inclusive Community Action Plan.
Shapemakers manufacture and sell their Braille and tactile amenity signs around Australia under the brand of Pictobraille.
The extensive range of standard Pictobraille and custom made sign types and materials allows Shapemakers to offer the widest choice of NCC compliant signs available in Australia at very competitive prices.
Visit pictobraille.com.au to view the Pictobraille range of Braille and tactile products.
*Copy supplied by Shapemakers
