Chapter 2: SENSORY AND COGNITIVE DISABILITIES | TCRP Synthesis 37: Communicating with Persons with Disabilities in a Multimodal Transit Environment: A Synthesis of Transit Practice | Transportation Research Board

Communicating with Persons with Disabilities in a Multimodal Transit Environment: A Synthesis of Transit Practice

CHAPTER TWO

SENSORY AND COGNITIVE DISABILITIES

The emphasis of this synthesis is on travelers with sensory impairments, including those of vision, hearing, and cognition. The following sections provide a definition of each disability and briefly identify the needs of each of these persons with disabilities when traveling in a multimodal transit environment.

DEAFNESS AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS

Deafness can be defined as "a profound or total loss of auditory sensitivity perception." Hearing impairment, with or without a hearing aid, is the inability to successfully process linguistic information through audition" (1). Therefore, a person with a hearing impairment may have the following problems when using public transit:

Obtaining telephone information for travel planning such as location of stops, routes and schedules, and fares;

Obtaining information from transit operators at bus stops, stations, terminals, or on route; and

Understanding information from announcements made in stations and on vehicles. Such information could be routine in nature or may involve an emergency situation that requires immediate action.

Not having access to these information sources can make the experience of using public transportation difficult and in some instances dangerous for a person with a hearing impairment.

To address these concerns and others, the literature identifies six categories of techniques to improve communication for persons with hearing impairments:

Telephone devices,

Converting text-to-speech and speech-to-text,

Visual devices,

Assistive listening systems,

Internet and e-mail, and

Interactive pagers.

BLINDNESS AND VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

Blindness, or visual impairment, can be defined as "the total loss of visual perception, sufficiently diminished visual acuity, and/or limited fields of vision." A person with a visual impairment may have the following difficulties when using public transit:

Receiving information that is typically presented visually, such as system maps, the location of bus stops, routes and schedules, and fares;

Deciphering printed signage or early generation of electronic signage;

Locating and using equipment necessary to travel on public transit, such as ticket machines, fare boxes, and turnstiles;

Undertaking functions that require physical movement, including all activities related to entering, moving through, and exiting existing stations and vehicles; and

Understanding the arrival of buses, trains, and paratransit vehicles.

Not having access to this information can make the experience of public transportation difficult and in some instances dangerous for a person with a visual impairment.

To address these concerns the literature identifies five categories of techniques or technologies that can improve communication for persons with visual impairments:

Orientation and mobility training,

Visual technologies,

Auditory technologies,

Tactile technologies, and

Braille writing.

COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS

A cognitive impairment is defined as "any disorder requiring special attention to or alternate methods for communicating concepts and instructions..." Individuals with cognitive impairments may have difficulty acquiring, storing, or retrieving information such as reading and understanding directions, accessing the correct vehicle, exiting from the correct station or stop, and understanding announcements.

Many of the technologies and techniques used to assist individuals with hearing and visual impairments are beneficial to individuals with cognitive impairments. The literature suggests that training is the key to assisting a passenger with a cognitive impairment traveling within a transit environment. Such passengers should be trained not only to use the transit system, but also to understand all aspects of a transit trip. Information and/or assistance may be obtained from local human service agencies.