Recomendações para um sistema de sinalização tátil a partir de abordagens ergonômicas e da percepção do deficiente visual para o campus Parnamirim do IFRN

Abstract

This study reports recommendations for a tactile and graphic wayfinding system aiming to offer more orientability and mobility for visually impaired people (blindness and low vision) at Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), Parnamirim Campus. It was necessary to focus on visual impaired people and approach concepts like orientation and accessibility at the built environment. In order to provide the comprehension of a complex social phenomenon and preserve the meaningful characteristics of the events, this research has developed a single case study in which elements of Post Occupation Evaluation have been used. Its purpose was to allow not only a technical analysis, but also the user perception about the space in use. The chosen tool to collect the user’s opinions and considerations was the Walk Together Method. The collected and analyzed information has demonstrated that, although Parnamirim Campus has implemented some interventions in relation to the spatial accessibility, they are still not enough to create an environment which arranges safety and autonomy for the visual impaired people and the other ones who attend there. This study suggests that it happened because the engineering interventions at the Campus have been based on Brazilian technical standards NBR 9050:2004, which is proper for the physical impaired people, but it does not offer enough information to respond to all the specific needs demanded by all the classifications of visual impairment.