The Visually Impaired Design Adaptations

Founded 1986. Pattaya, Thailand

Since the School for the Blind first opened in the mid 1980’s, it has provided blind and visually impaired children with an education that will give them the opportunity to become independent members of society.

The newly established facility was designed to create an innovative learning environment essential to enhancing the program that, until now, he had only envisioned. The primary objective of the program is to furnish all students with essential skills for their future livelihoods beyond the school’s boundaries. Given that the school admits pupils with diverse levels of visual impairment and abilities, the facility must be adaptable.

In accordance with Pre-Braille Curricula, the deteriorating library and the adjacent balcony have been redesigned into a multi-sensory facility tailored for young children. The balcony’s spatial characteristics, coupled with its proximity to a primary circulation path, guarantee its continuous accessibility. The original balustrade has been substituted with an interactive façade featuring perforations that allow for the insertion of «learning pins,» thus enhancing the educational experience.

Within the educational space, all six surfaces are intentionally designed for interactive learning experiences. As children navigate the four walls, they advance through the curriculum, which fosters the development of their sensory perceptions. The curriculum commences with introducing students to fundamental shapes, subsequently expanding to include relationships of size, texture, and weight, and eventually progressing to more intricate shapes, such as those of animals. Complementing the Pre-Braille Curriculum, there is also instruction on recognizing potential hazards encountered in everyday life.

Through collaboration with a scent specialist, aromatic capsules have been developed to educate students on the odors associated with potential dangers, including fire, smoke, and gas leaks. Furthermore, a sound specialist has curated binaural recordings of diverse environments to enhance students' auditory perception of the world.

The lighting within the room is specifically designed to stimulate and exercise visual capabilities in children with low vision. Additionally, the floor is embedded with tactile Braille letters in Thai, English, and numbers, providing an introductory foundation to Braille literacy.

The project intends to be a prototype for cost effective multi-sensory facilities aimed specifically at creating firm foundations from which individuals can grow and prosper. The design, as well as knowledge compiled during the project lead time, have been made available to the public. As such individual households can modify the information to their appropriate circumstances so that as many children as possible will have the opportunity to grow up without boundaries.

Founded 2001. Gandhinagar, India

The School is designed for children from remote villages and towns in Gujarat and professors eager to offer them a better education and opportunities in society.