Understanding the Challenges in the Urban Street Navigation of Persons with Visual Impairment: A Field-Based Study in the Indian Context

Urban street environments have been designed for ages by the sighted, for the sighted. This presents various challenges for persons with visual impairment while navigating the streets, as the physical elements can act as barriers to them. The intensity of this problem is manifold in the case of Indian streets, which are multifunctional, vibrant public places where all aspects of human life can co-exist with its primary function of mobility. To truly address this issue, the complex process of PVI pedestrian navigation needs to be understood and mapped contextually, through a user-perspective study method. This paper presents the results of a contextual study conducted with 5 participants who are visually impaired from birth, in Thiruvananthapuram, a Tier 2 southern city of India in the state of Kerala.