"Accessibility" in Housing Design for People Who Are Blind
Özet
The existing and applied regulations and standards in Turkey cannot provide the adequate participation with the general user identity. Within the existing system, the responsibility of the designer for accessible interior spaces is quite high. "Average People" data taken as a basis after mobility conditions and degrees which are determined, cannot meet the definition and the needs of the user identity in an adequate level. It is necessary to create solutions and sustain these solutions for people; the elderly, children and the disabled with distinctive physical attributes who exists in the society but cannot maintain their lives in a desired level because of the obstacles within the environment. It is obvious that, for the continuity, without needing for adaptation or customisation in the design, the solution needs to be developed, by accepting the need, as the first step in the design process. It is important that this point of view should be accepted and developed, not only in inner spaces of the houses but also in all structural environments constituting the living spaces.
The designer is a fundamental key stone that takes a part in all studies which can be developed and improved intended for removing obstacles. The designer; from the beginning of the design process, should fictionalise the holistic design approach without ignoring the user needs with diversified qualifications of anthropometric data. In order to create solutions for the needs of all users of the society; it will be fundamental to conduct environmental analyses in terms of accessibility with regard to composing global design dynamics. Houses are spaces that life goes on in. They get form for the user needs. The house design should not limit mobility, accessibility that is universal. That the designer meets minimum requirements those are aimed for him/her to reach for a "universal house", which is not only sentimentality but also a social responsibility. With the meeting of the requirements needed, personal preferences and needs which are desired inside the house would built as a result of different concerns such as aesthetics. The "Universal House" concept is a setup of a design system answering the basic needs that will not require any adaptation or customisation afterwards for the user with diversified capabilities, which is based on existence of accessible spaces. The constructor of this setup is the "designer".
This study is a research on the spatial values required for fully visually impaired individuals to get mobile independently and maintain their lives without the need for others. The needs and/or hindering factors set forth were evaluated to the extent of interior space and equipment members. They were evaluated in terms of features and design principles/factors.
