Enhancing Mobility and Perceived Safety via ICT: The Case of a Navigation System for Visually Impaired Persons

Book chapter, 2015

This study empirically investigates the case of visually impaired persons and the possible effects of a tailored pedestrian navigation system on their mobility. Interview results with Swedish respondents indicate that with information provision about the built environment and public transportation, positive potential effects include: a greater degree of perceived safety; an increased ability to travel alone and in unplanned or unfamiliar situations; and prioritizing public transportation over special transportation services. As such, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) may serve an integrity-enhancing function by improving the possibility of leading an independent and autonomous life. While generally optimistic about the possibilities mobility-enhancing ICT presents, the respondents also emphasize that ICT, even when universally accessible, is not the final missing piece of the mobility puzzle. As such, this study serves to remind us that a coordinated effort on multiple fronts is vital in addressing users’ needs and meeting broader social goals such as social inclusion and the accessibility of transportation, technology, and information.