The National Federation of the Blind
Designing With and For the Blind
One of the things we enjoy most about our profession is that every project is different, with different sites, uses, issues, and clients. Working with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) on their Guest Room Suites was a unique and wonderful privilege. Since its inception in 1940, the organization has empowered the visually impaired population and transformed America's relationship with the blind community. Through tireless advocacy, education and engagement, the NFB changed the country's perceptions, attitudes, and policies towards greater acceptance and recognition of blind Americans as the valuable members of society that they are.
Among their many strengths is the belief that blind people are fully capable of participating in society and realizing their dreams. This inspiring message directly translates to how the NFB leadership view and operate their national headquarters and institute. They intentionally did not install any features that treat blindness as a handicap so as not to perpetuate the narrative that blind people are less capable than others.
The message was clear, and it was one that we wanted to respect and reinforce in the design of their new Guest Room Suite. Still, we wanted to consider all the unique characteristics of NFB just as we would for any organization in how we approach design. And we couldn't ignore that blindness was a central part of who they are and what they work to achieve. So we wondered, how can we design for blind people without reducing all of what it means to be blind to a disability? As we listened and learned about NFB, we developed an appreciation of blindness, not as a condition that makes you less capable, but one that gives you a different way of experiencing engaging the world around you. This had profound implications on how we approached design. It made us rethink what makes places meaningful. It made us look beyond function to consider multisensory experience and what it means to make design universal.
As we listened and learned about NFB, we developed an appreciation of blindness, not as a condition that makes you less capable, but one that gives you a different way of seeing and engaging the world around you.
The question extended to include not just the products of design, but also the process of design. We strongly believe that successful projects are borne out of a collaborative process, one that engages clients, users, stakeholders, and the community as active participants. Recognizing that the leaders of the organization are themselves blind and that we needed their engagement in the process, we had to devise new ways of communicating design ideas.
Architecture as a discipline is heavily biased towards the sense of sight. Not only do we focus on how things look, we emphasize the experience of architecture as visual phenomena. Moreover, the tools of our profession presume sightedness. Drawings, slideshows, prints, and renderings all exclusively serve visual perception. We needed to devise new ways of communicating and even studying ideas. Our process of design had to change as did our means of communicating it.
Our solution was simple. We decided to create tactile models and drawings. For models, we returned to the traditional craft of hand made physical models. Such models are, by and large, obsolete in the digital age with the advent of virtual modeling, 3D renderings, 3D printing, or even virtual and augmented reality. Returning to cutting and gluing material by hand was a change from business as usual. And in order to build models to be touched, they had to be made differently. Since their use would no longer be for visual perception, they did not need to be pretty or precise. However, they did need to be durable and scaled large enough to be comprehensible by touch. So we made big wood models, using plenty of glue.
Meanwhile, the use of floor plans was still important to convey organization of space types. For this we experimented on a few techniques including 3D printing and embossing paper, but settled on laser cutting boards to create layered drawings that have relief.
For the design itself, we also considered how to create a sense of place through embed by multisensory terms. As we worked with the NFB, we grew to appreciate the importance of materiality and acoustics as well as lighting and color in the case of low-sighted people. Wide selections of material samples were presented for their tactile qualities and carpet samples were laid out in large areas to demonstrate how they feel and sound. And the palette as a whole was choreographed to incorporate bright colors as accents using bright lighting.
We also considered the acoustics of spaces affected by size and finishes. In the "hideout" space designed for young visitors, we incorporated acoustic panels in the walls and ceiling to dampen sound, a sensation which is immediately noticeable upon entering the room. The selection of artwork was also considered. We curated artists who specialize in multisensory experiences in their work. Pieces selected included tactile wall art, an auditory fountain, and sculptures meant to be handled. Most importantly, we included, by request, a wood burning fireplace as the centerpiece to the main common space. Dr. Maurer, the former NFB president, enjoyed demonstrating to visitors how blind people, such as himself, can adeptly handle a chainsaw. The fireplace is an important part of the story of NFB that brought people together. And with its warmth, sound, and aroma, it is a quite naturally multisensory feature.
The entire environment was intended to be engaging and experiential without becoming an over-the-top theme park experience. In the end, our aim was to create a place that is universally delightful, one that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of how they may engage their surroundings.
Project done at Living Design Lab with the Verve Partnership
