University of California Transportation Center

Visitors to a foreign city know all too well the loss of independent travel when confronted with signage in an unfamiliar language. Street corners cannot be identified, people cannot tell where the buses that pass them are going, transit stations and mode changes are confusing, public buildings are hard to negotiate, and even finding the proper washroom can present a problem. Imagine a world without signs. One would not know where trains and buses led, where to find an information booth, or have clues on navigating a city or even a building. Consider then the trials of a blind traveler. Besides seeing no signs to help their orientation and information needs, they do not even see what the world around them looks like.