INFRARED REMOTE TRANSPONDER SIGNAGE FOR PERSONS WITH VISION OR PRINT IMPAIRMENTS

REMOTE SIGNAGE IS A WAY OF TELLING PEOPLE WHO HAVE VISION OR PRINT IMPAIRMENTS THINGS THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR SURROUNDINGS. IN ADDITION TO THE ESTIMATED 1.1 MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE LEGALLY BLIND (CHIANG, ET AL, 1992) AND THOSE LOW VISION PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE PRINT, THERE ARE MANY STROKE, HEAD-INJURED, OR DYSLEXIC PERSONS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIMILATE PRINTED LANGUAGE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE RETARDED OR HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY. INFRARED REMOTE SIGNAGE CURRENTLY PROVIDES SIGNS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED THAT ARE FUNCTIONALLY EQUIVALENT TO SIGNS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SIGHTED; THEY PROVIDE DIRECTION, DISTANCE AND CONTENT INFORMATION ABOUT OBJECTS OR LOCATIONS THAT ARE "TAGGED" WITH TRANSMITTER. THE PRESENT APPLICATION WILL EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A NEW AND IMPROVED AUGMENTATION OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM. IT WILL PROVIDE MUCH MORE INFORMATION TO THE USER AND WILL BE MUCH MORE ECONOMICAL TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN -- THEREBY ENHANCING THE LIKELIHOOD OF MAJOR PENETRATION OF THE SYSTEM INTO THE PUBLIC ENVIRONMENT. INTEREST IN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO ACCESSIBLE SIGNAGE CONTINUES IN THE CURRENT ROUND OF ADA ACCESS BOARD HEARINGS. THE BOARD WRITES (FEDERAL REGISTER, DEC. 21, 1992) THAT IT"..HAS NOT PROPOSED A REQUIREMENT FOR TACTILE OR BRAILLE SIGNAGE [FOR STREET NAMES, BUS STOPS AND BUS ROUTE INFORMATION] AT THIS TIME BECAUSE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES PILOTED IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN EUROPE SUGGEST THAT TACTILE SIGNAGE MAY NOT BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF PROVIDING SUCH INFORMATION". THE DIRECTION OF A FEDERAL MANDATE FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THIS AREA ARE CLEAR.