Let's Get Lost: Exploring Social Norms In Predominately Blind Environments

Abstract

The ability for one to navigate independently can be essential to maintaining employment, taking care of oneself, and leading a fulfilling life. However, for people who are blind, navigation-related tasks in public spaces--such as locating an empty seat--can be difficult without appropriate tools, training, or social context. We present a study of social norms in environments with predominately blind navigators and discuss how these may differ from what sighted people expect. Based on these findings, we advocate for the creation of more pervasive technologies to help bridge the gap between social norms when people with visual impairments are in predominately sighted environments.