Universally accessible wayfinding

The Bay Area’s public transit system is developing a set of wayfinding standards to help riders navigate a system with 27 different agencies. One of the goals of that program is to ensure support for transit users with disabilities. 

Accessible wayfinding information can include websites, mobile apps, printed material, signs, visual, audible and tactile cues, and other resources that convey information related to public transportation and information used to help a user navigate the transit network.  

The need for more standards

A challenge in providing accessible wayfinding is that - perhaps surprisingly, there are insufficient universally recognized standards for the Bay Area to use in this effort.

Some standards and tools do exist. The Accessibility Standards for the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, and California Title 24, include requirements for physical access - for example, that paths of travel be accessible and requirements around markings and placement of signs. These standards also include requirements for public-facing printed material, and for when braille/raised print is used. 

There are various standards for websites, electronic documents, and mobile applications on the Apple and Android platforms. All mobile applications must also meet requirements for IT accessibility through annual VPAT certification demonstrating that they meet standards outlined in Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act. 

However, there are fewer standards for how wayfinding is conveyed beyond these requirements.  According to Ron Brooks, a disability expert who co-founded Accessible Avenue, a consulting and training services organization aimed to increase accessibility for people with disabilities, there are no legal standards that he knows of that specify how wayfinding information is delivered to people who are blind/low vision or who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

New tools and technologies

There are new tools and technologies emerging to improve wayfinding for people with visual disabilities. A few years prior to the pandemic, the American Printing House for the Blind held an international conference on indoor wayfinding, with around sixty people attending from all over the world. GoodMaps became popular after the conference as an indoor wayfinding solution. Previous wayfinding apps depended on expensive beacon technology, where a building needed to purchase beacons and install them to be able to use the app and make its building more accessible. GoodMaps, however, paved the way for digital mapping in a way that was significantly more cost efficient, and is becoming a de facto standard for indoor navigation.  

In addition, a smartphone application, Microsoft Soundscape has become well-known and well-adopted among the blind/persons with low vision. Using this tool, Susan Glass, a blind poet, was able to walk several miles exploring the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, a city which was unfamiliar to her. She was able to successfully mark a starting point, travel several miles by herself, and then return to that point without much difficulty.   Another new tool, NaviLens uses QR-code style symbols and an app that can decode into audio providing information such as the location and distance to the nearest bus stop.  

Community participation is critical

To fill the gaps and develop new standards, and to develop materials and infrastructure using the standards, it will be essential to have community input. In Brooks’ words, wayfinding is contextual and situational, and the only way to ensure that wayfinding (taken as a whole) addresses the needs of people with disabilities is to involve them in its creation.

Accessibility more broadly

Of course, wayfinding is only a small part of accessibility, which is about all aspects of the public transportation system (and society), including service at the times and places that people need it, affordability, participation in decision-making, and much more.

Next Steps

The lack of systematic information, and the gaps in existing standards create challenges, and opportunities, for the Bay Area’s wayfinding initiative.  This initiative is led by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in partnership with Bay Area transit agencies. Currently, MTC is soliciting bids from consultants.  A five year contract is expected to be issued this summer.

Once a consultant is brought on board, there will be an advisory committee for the study, with members of the MTC Policy Advisory Council and other members of the disability community.  The first planning phase of the study will last six to nine months, including outreach and engagement. In a second phase, a prototype hub station will be designed with stakeholder and public outreach, and a subregional pilot will be rolled out in Sonoma County. Based on evaluation and learning from the pilot, standards will be created and rolled out in additional pilots in Eastern Contra Costa and Alameda County.  Then, the project will make recommendations to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to move forward for regional implementation

It is particularly important to develop the standards with the input of people with access needs.  People with disabilities will have opportunities to participate starting this year, influencing guidelines being developed to create a transit system that is easier to navigate for all who use the system. 

And, designing a system that is accessible for people with disabilities and seniors can often lead to improvements for many users. For example, sidewalk curb cuts put into place for people in wheelchairs have turned out to be beneficial for people with strollers, grocery carts and luggage as well.


Adina Levin