Environmental Literacy

How to tell where you are

without other people telling you where to go

Reading for knowledge Writing coherently Thinking critically about the written word

Literacy

To increase access to information, we have braille, sighted readers, talking books, electronic text, speech synthesizers, print scanners and the Internet

Information is power

Information is independence

Literacy requires access to information

The more you know, the more you can accomplish

The more you know, the more adaptable you are

The way to know more is to access information (e.g. through reading)

But independence requires more than just acquiring content knowledge

Literacy and independence

Part of O&M is teaching “how the world works”

Exposure to objects and systems builds a sense of expectation and consistency

Spatial updating involves knowing where you are in space and being able to keep tabs as that position changes

Knowledge of surroundings

Related to concept development Used to guide instruction of young blind

children If a child knows how things operate, how

systems are put together, they are more able to problem solve and figure out “work arounds”

Assumes a child will be more than a route traveler

Teaching “how the world works”

Reading for knowledge

Writing coherently

Thinking critically about the written word

Knowledge about the surroundings

Moving one’s self through the environment efficiently

Thinking critically about the relationship between the traveler, the environment, and any mobility tools being used

Literacy Environmental literacy

If you know where you are and you have a sense of your surroundings, then you can employ basic mechanics to move fluidly through the environment

Knowing where things are in relation to you reduces search time and increases search efficiency (just look at dog guides)

Moving efficiently

Reading for knowledge

Writing coherently

Thinking critically about the written word

Knowledge about the surroundings

Moving one’s self through the environment efficiently

Thinking critically about the relationship between the traveler, the environment, and any mobility tools being used

Literacy Environmental literacy

Higher levels of independent travel require the traveler to adapt more to changing or complex environments

If you get off course, getting back on track requires high level of problem solving (getting “unlost”)

Thinking critically

You don’t miss what you don’t know you’re missing

Blind travelers are expected to achieve their goals by accessing 1% of the available information◦ Based on limited information from cane, auditory

cues, gradient changes, etc. Requires prodigious memory for excellence

No longer necessary, given GPS and smartphone technology

Information feeds the beast

“location information” “environmental information”

◦ Print on signs, buildings, doors◦ Posters◦ Street signs◦ Campaign buttons◦ Graffiti◦ Etc.

But what information is needed?

10 years ago, almost no blind child was being taught map skills

Fundamental to their understanding of the world

Extrapolate from table top tasks to larger and larger environments

Keep consistency to global environment

Map skills

Take 1955 and 2008 as comparison years.

Year Population Registered Fatalities Fatalityvehicles rate

1955 165,931,202 5,690,000 36,688 6.058

2008 301,621,157 255,917,664 37,261 1.24

The changing travel environment

0

10

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30

40

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1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010

Fat

aliti

es (

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usa

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Fatalities

Fatality rate

Rates of all traffic related fatalities(NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System data)

What a traveler needs to know is different now than when even I did my cane training

More vehicles has meant larger intersections, increased use of actuation, and different intersection geometries

ADA has led to wheel chair ramps, detectable warnings (DW), and accessible pedestrian signals (APS)

The modern travel environment

Victoria Park and Finch Ave. E. (now Pawnee Ave.) 1955 and 2010

Then & Now: North York Edition at urbantoronto.ca

Geometries

A modern traveler needs to know about

Halsey & 42 in Portland

APS

Actuation

From www.keona.co.kr

Ramps and detectable warnings