Elevator Control Panel Displays for People with Visual Disabilities

摘要

Recent years have witnessed growing interest in and expectations for universal design, with the rapid aging of the population and burgeoning awareness of the needs of those with physical disabilities. Elevators are a means of mobility available to all, found in ordinary buildings as well as in transportation-related and commercial facilities frequently used by the public. However, because elevators must be operated, the physical characteristics of the user can lead to interface problems. In particular, elevator use by people with visual disabilities poses numerous problems deserving of attention. Toshiba formulated hypotheses and explored various practical solutions to these problems, then investigated these solutions and conducted verification testing and evaluation assisted by people with visual disabilities. As a result, we found the use of raised characters on elevator controls and different shapes for buttons with different functions to be effective means of improving elevator operability.