Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Creating a Braille Trail (self.Blind)
submitted by bee3bee
Hello everyone!
I am a land steward in New Jersey and my next project that I would like to work on is creating a Braille Trail at one of the nature preserves I work on. I am hoping that some of the members of this reddit community could give me some ideas of the types of amenities you would like to experience at a Braille Trail. Any advice or insight is welcome.
The general idea is to turn one of our existing trails in to the Braille Trail. The trail is a wide, flat, grass trail that is mowed regularly. It sits near forest and a huge wildflower field, which the Braille Trail will actually run through. There will be a rope to guide visitors through the trail, as well as interpretive braille signs that talk about the scenery, the history of the preserve, and some of the species that live there. I plan to use a knot system to further assist visitors. 1 knot signals a sign is coming up, 2 knots signals a bench is coming up. Something along those lines.
Is there anything you think I might be missing or something I could add that would make our visitors experience more comfortable? When you visit nature preserves, what do you typically hope to find or have provided? And also, if there is specific language I should be using or avoiding, please let me know. I am new to this and want to make sure nothing I am doing is insensitive.
Thank you in advance to anyone who responds. I appreciate the help. Have a great day! 🙂
I am a land steward in New Jersey and my next project that I would like to work on is creating a Braille Trail at one of the nature preserves I work on. I am hoping that some of the members of this reddit community could give me some ideas of the types of amenities you would like to experience at a Braille Trail. Any advice or insight is welcome.
The general idea is to turn one of our existing trails in to the Braille Trail. The trail is a wide, flat, grass trail that is mowed regularly. It sits near forest and a huge wildflower field, which the Braille Trail will actually run through. There will be a rope to guide visitors through the trail, as well as interpretive braille signs that talk about the scenery, the history of the preserve, and some of the species that live there. I plan to use a knot system to further assist visitors. 1 knot signals a sign is coming up, 2 knots signals a bench is coming up. Something along those lines.
Is there anything you think I might be missing or something I could add that would make our visitors experience more comfortable? When you visit nature preserves, what do you typically hope to find or have provided? And also, if there is specific language I should be using or avoiding, please let me know. I am new to this and want to make sure nothing I am doing is insensitive.
Thank you in advance to anyone who responds. I appreciate the help. Have a great day! 🙂
Arinvar 12 points 2y ago
My only input would be the rope. My wife in particular would prefer to just walk with her cane. Aside from not having to touch a (potentially) gross rope/hand rail, she just walks faster with her cane. So it would need either tactile stripes (similar to what you commonly find at train stations, or hard edges to the track. having a hard path (dirt or concrete) with grass on the side is likely the easiest/cheapest solution and doesn't create a tripping hazard. You could even just have concrete at intersections, hard corners, seats, and signs.
Don't know if that's feasible with your budget or whatever but aside from that get in touch with your local groups or possibly a government agency and they'll almost always have people that can help out with ideas that are proven to work. They might be able to come and look at the area and identify hazards, with a bonus of probably promoting the area to their clients and potentially funding if they think it's worthwhile.
Hope it goes well, I wish there were more accessible parks around us.
Don't know if that's feasible with your budget or whatever but aside from that get in touch with your local groups or possibly a government agency and they'll almost always have people that can help out with ideas that are proven to work. They might be able to come and look at the area and identify hazards, with a bonus of probably promoting the area to their clients and potentially funding if they think it's worthwhile.
Hope it goes well, I wish there were more accessible parks around us.
bee3bee [OP] 4 points 2y ago
Do you think it would be a good option to provide both the rope guide and the tactile strips? Along the route I have planned the trail is very flat. There are two intersections along the route however, do you think those would be good areas to install the strips? I honestly am embarrassed to say I never knew what those were for! Thank you for teaching me!
Arinvar 4 points 2y ago
I would be inclined to think the rope guides might be more hazard than help, but the organisations would be a better place to ask. Perhaps even check if there's state laws or regulations. They might contain some useful recommendations at least.
bee3bee [OP] 4 points 2y ago
Thank you so much! This was so helpful. I reached out to the NJ Council of the Blind so I am hoping they get back to me. Amazing suggestions, thanks!
siriuslylupin6 2 points 2y ago
Or there are some bumpy things you can use for guidance could be the strips but a lot of blindy places use them.
Keiracat1337 11 points 2y ago
I just want to say, this is an amazing idea.
Maybe have spots that are miniatures of the landscape? Something that a worker can be next to and keep clean, but it's tactile and will "show" blind people what it looks like as best as possible.
I'm not sure how you want to do it. My brother did one for me out of styrofoam, and showed me where him and his girlfriend went.
Maybe have spots that are miniatures of the landscape? Something that a worker can be next to and keep clean, but it's tactile and will "show" blind people what it looks like as best as possible.
I'm not sure how you want to do it. My brother did one for me out of styrofoam, and showed me where him and his girlfriend went.
bee3bee [OP] 6 points 2y ago
Yes, this is another feature I've been thinking about! I just need to figure out how to make it. I like the 3D printing idea.
And the trail I've picked has a few different landscapes that we can describe. It's got a wildflower field, forest, and wetlands so it is an exciting area to share with our visitors.
And the trail I've picked has a few different landscapes that we can describe. It's got a wildflower field, forest, and wetlands so it is an exciting area to share with our visitors.
LarryWren 5 points 2y ago
Like a 3D-printed raised-relief map?
Arinvar 5 points 2y ago
A lot of museums will have these made of metal. If you can 3D print it you can usually CNC it. Art galleries tend to have 3D printed ones because they're indoors and temporary.
Keiracat1337 3 points 2y ago
Yes! Thank you. Words are hard sometimes.
guitarandbooks 5 points 2y ago
You have my vote for the Braille trail! Be sure to come back and keep us posted on the progress.
Marconius 3 points 2y ago
The Enchanted Hills Camp run by the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco has trails that go around their whole property. They bury a PVC pipe in the ground and leave just a tiny bit exposed running across the width of the trail. Not enough to trip someone and enough to become a tactile marker for canes. The pipe leads a cane user directly to a weatherproof box sitting at the edge of the trail, usually accompanied by a bench or something to sit on. The box contains a braille booklet that explains the surroundings to the hiker, and this method would serve your purposes well.
The trails meander through the redwoods in Napa County, so there is a lot to describe about the flora and fauna surrounding the person on the trail. The hiker would then be on the honor system to put the book back when they were done reading it.
Edit: It would be worth contacting the Lighthouse in SF to ask about the Materials and Design lab, where they print tactile maps and graphics. They can print the braille books and also create the tactile maps for your trail.
The trails meander through the redwoods in Napa County, so there is a lot to describe about the flora and fauna surrounding the person on the trail. The hiker would then be on the honor system to put the book back when they were done reading it.
Edit: It would be worth contacting the Lighthouse in SF to ask about the Materials and Design lab, where they print tactile maps and graphics. They can print the braille books and also create the tactile maps for your trail.
bee3bee [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Fantastic!! This is awesome information I will definitely be looking in to this trail. Thank you!
mehgcap 3 points 2y ago
This is a very cool idea, and I hope you are successful. One thing to keep in mind is that a surprisingly large number of blind and visually impaired people can't read braille well or at all. You might want to consider some kind of technological option in addition to braille, such as an NFC tag or audio.
bee3bee [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Good to know. I know we have made trail signs in the past with QR codes. Do you think that would be a suitable option? Maybe it could bring users to an audio version of the sign?
mehgcap 3 points 2y ago
It could be a good way to engage non-braille users, while keeping the cost down. If you let the visitor's phone play the audio from a website, you don't need a button, speaker, data storage, and power. To be clear, I'm suggesting this in addition to braille, not in place of it. For those who can read braille, it's wonderful to have the information right there.
bee3bee [OP] 1 points 2y ago
That's what I was thinking too, in addition to the Braille. Thank you so much for your input!
siriuslylupin6 2 points 2y ago
Sounds like a fascinating idea would probably try it haha!
astrolurus 2 points 2y ago
This is dependent on the plants local to the trail, but I love sensory gardens- specific plants you are supposed to touch, ones to smell, notes about sounds to listen for etc. might be fun to add some multisensory elements.
vshaw895 1 points 1y ago
Hi! I'm currently an AmeriCorps VISTA in Montana and I'm looking at turning our existing trail into a braille trail as well. Would you be willing to share how you came up with the budget for your project and how you sourced your materials?
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
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