Lighting for the partially sighted in a residential home

Abstract

Manchester House is a residential and holiday home run by the Jewish Blind Society for the blind and partially sighted. A significant proportion of it was relit in 1982. The new installations are characterised by a uniformly distributed high illuminance and freedom from discomfort glare. This paper describes the results of a survey of the lighting conditions at Manchester House, undertaken to assess the extent to which the lighting meets the residents' needs. The data obtained showed that the lighting in Manchester House meets or exceeds all the appropriate recommendations and is considered good or adequate by the vast majority of residents. What few complaints there are concern over-brightness rather than insufficient light. There is little doubt that these few complaints could be eliminated by arranging more flexible switching of the lighting installations in the dining room and corridors and providing a dimming facility for the bedhead lamps. Overall, it is concluded that the lighting of Manchester House could serve as a model for other homes for the elderly partially sighted.