This contribution focuses on the marking of glass with high contrasting indicators in view of the special requirements of people with visual impairment. Such people may have difficulties in identification of glass surfaces as obstacles. This can lead to accidents and injuries. This circumstance can be alleviated by applying appropriate visual indicators on glass surfaces that would be otherwise difficult to detect. Toward this end, guidelines and regulations exist in respective standards for barrier-free construction. However, designers appear to be reluctant in implementing such measures. Moreover, the range of preferences and options with regard to the design and positioning of such markers are not fully understood. This circumstance motivated the research presented in this paper. In an original experimental set-up, people with impaired vision evaluated various design solutions for such visual indicators, regarding their visibility and perceptibility. Thereby, the following aspects of the indicators were investigated: design of signs (uninterrupted versus interrupted, arrangement, color), vertical placement, and opening signage. The results (both objective measurements of visibility and subjective feedback from the participants) facilitate the identification of preferable design solutions for visual indicators. As such, they are not only valuable toward accommodation of the special requirements of sight impaired persons, but can also support fully sighted people in inauspicious situations (e.g. under sub-optimal lighting situations, stress or distraction).

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In the last decades, the general awareness with regard to the topic of universal design (or design for all) has been steadily increasing. As a consequence, more attention is being paid to the requirements of all segments of population (specifically including those with certain perceptual and/or motoric limitations). Nonetheless, additional efforts toward improving pertinent regulations, design practices, and relevant technologies are needed. Specifically, the field of visual accessibility in the built environment has not received the same level of consideration as some other areas of universal design. Given this background, the present contribution reports on the most recent progress made in the course of the ongoing ViDeA research project. This research effort aims primarily at the development of effective means toward supporting the design and implementation of visually accessible solutions in the built environment. Thereby, a central objective is to enhance the mobility of people with sight restriction. Visually impaired people primarily orient themselves based on their residual eyesight. The optimization of lighting solutions represents a highly critical measure toward creating environmental circumstances in which the remaining eyesight can be optimally utilised. The main components of the ViDeA project are as follows: An original set of optometric experiments, the evaluation of a number of use cases and the development of a computational tool for architects and engineers in order to facilitate the evaluation of visual accessibility criteria of projects. The deliverables of the ViDeA project are expected to enhance the quality of visual performance guidelines and augment the capabilities of simulation-based design optimization tools.