Existing and proposed environmental modifications are analyzed by means of the model of a competently trained, blind person's movement in both the physical and the attitudinal environment. The motivation to modify the environment is believed to grow out of a lack of understanding of the role that personal knowledge, judgment, and skill play in a blind person's understanding and management of external reality. In the absence of this understanding, the abilities of blind people are minimized greatly, resulting in a custodial response termed “neoinstitutionalization.”
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American National Standards Institute, Inc. (1986). Providing accessibility and usability for physically handicapped people. All 7.1.
2.
Architectual and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. (1982). Minimum guidelines and requirements for accessible design.Federal Register, Aug. 4, 1982.
3.
General Services Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Postal Service. (1984). Uniform federal accessibility standards.Federal Register, Aug. 7, 1984.
4.
PolanyiM. (1964). Personal Knowledge.New York: Harper and Row.
5.
PolanyiM. (1954). On the introduction of science into moral subjects.The Cambridge Journal, 7(4), pp. 195–207.
