Barrier-free dining environment for the visually impaired: A case study of restaurant in Taichung, Taiwan

The reason why few people with visual impairment are dining out is that restaurant managers are not aware of making their dining area a barrier-free environment; and how to appropriately serve people who are visually impaired in Taiwan. Neither the government nor the management of restaurants are enforcing and obeying the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Disabled Citizens Act. The purpose of this paper is to explore the demands of the dining service for people who are visual impaired in Taichung, Taiwan. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with the Visually Impaired Students of Taichung Parental Corporate Association (VISTPCA). According to the analysis, we found that barrier-free dining service refers to the following - social justice, navigating, setting orientation and hospitality for people with visual impaired. If restaurant managers are made aware of the information from this study, people with visual impairment can enjoy the experience of dining out as the general public are able to.