Luminance Contrast of Accessible Tactile Indicators for People With Visual Impairment

Australia is one of only two known countries with a safety standard specifying levels of contrast required to provide accessible environments for people with visual impairment. However, these requirements were not developed based on empirical research involving people with vision loss. We investigated whether the level of luminance contrast in Australian accessibility standards, 30%, is adequate for people with visual impairments to detect and identify discrete tactile ground surface indicators over a range of contrasts with the background flooring before contact. We found that the 30% luminance contrast is adequate for people with low vision, although they preferred higher contrast.