Evaluation of Layouts for Braille Guidance Blocks under Different Situations in Sports Facilities

摘要

This study made pedestrian models and layouts of Braille guidance blocks based on an interview with a goalball player and previous studies in order to determine appropriate arrangements in sports facilities. A simulation on walking efficiency was conducted under different conditions combining different situations of spectators’ moving with different layouts. There are two types of patterns of moving objects: Pattern-A, in which only visually impaired athletes are allowed to move on the floor, and Pattern-A+B, in which both visually impaired athletes and sighted spectators are allowed to move on the floor. In addition, there are two types of layouts of Braille guidance blocks: Layout-1 is a linear arrangement of them, and Layout-2 is a rounded linear arrangement of them. The results of the simulation showed that there were no significant differences of walking efficiency between Layout-1 and Layout-2 under the conditions of Pattern-A or Pattern-A+B. Furthermore, there were no significant differences of walking efficiency between Pattern-A and Pattern-A+B under Layout-1 or Layout-2. These results show the effectiveness of the linear arrangement of Braille guidance blocks in sports facilities for visually and non-visually impaired people.