Shopping in “Oblaka” has become accessible to visually handicapped
"Oblaka" shopping and entertainment centre has been adapted for the blind and visually handicapped persons.
Strategies on the blind persons’ orientation in the galleries of trading centre were developed jointly with All Russia Association of the Blind:
- Personnel training programs providing special communication skills;
- Booklets using Braille script (script for the blind) and raised pictures of the shopping centre’s schemes;
- Audio-guides offering detailed description of the shopping centre;
- Yellow-black navigation tables for visually handicapped;
- Tactile floor indicators.
Administrators passed the training, explaining how to identify blind persons and help them in a tactful and appropriate way
The program provides complete escort for such visitors and any help in shopping.
The administrator will give a detailed complex introduction and offer special information materials, which may help the blind visitor to orientate oneself in the complex or become an addition to the help of administrator. First of all, it’s a booklet, using Braille script, with the descriptions of 3 floors trading galleries and its raised schemes. The audio-guide would also help to find some specific shop, bank, dry-cleaner, beauty salon, toilet, etc.
Navigation tables with floor-by-floor schemes, made in yellow-black would be helpful for visually handicapped persons, such colour contrast is the most comfortable to them. These tables are situated on each floor.
Three floors of trading centre are marked with the tactile floor indicators, which help the blind visitors to move through the complex. These indicators show right directions and warn against dangerous areas.
Based on information given by All-Russia Association of the Blind this project is considered as the unique one in Russia, that provides trading or any commercial areas adaptation for blind and visually handicapped persons.
