Akanksha Jain would like to make a zoo in Ahmedabad, India accessible to visually impaired visitors. One cool feature that she's designed is a handrail with Braille descriptions of animals and their environments, as well as button-activated sound recordings. She's also devised relief maps and animal models that visitors can use to navigate the zoo and learn about its residents.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Zoo-Experiences-for-the-Visually-Impaired/2438189 -via NotCot
This innovative work was recognized by
- The 1994 Honor Award from SEGD – Society of Environmental Graphic Design
- The 1994 Gold Award from IDSA – Industrial Designers Society of America
- The 1994 Design Distinction Award from ID – International Design
The case study for the design variations and subsequent products was conducted at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1992.
The Raynes Rail, in its various materials and configurations, as well as the accompanying tactile maps for which my office also developed the tactile vocabulary, and the TacDots – floor markings- have been installed in exterior and interior settings, ranging from several Musees des Beaux Arts, in France and Colombia, South America, to the Master plan for the accessible wayfinding system developed for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France. It was also installed in the Nature Discovery Center of Earth Place, CT, along an accessible trail, and more recently at Battery Park City in New York. All these projects were published worldwide.