Masaryk University, specifically a team from the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Science led by social geographer Robert Osman, is working on a research project focused on the accessibility of urban public transport for people with visual and hearing impairments.
The project was created in cooperation with the Brno Public Transport Company (DPMB) and the university’s Teiresiás Centre, which has been dedicated for over 25 years to implementing the principles of universal design and supporting individuals with specific needs. Thanks to its expertise, the centre helps ensure that the project’s outcomes meet the needs of the target groups. Among other things, Teiresiás staff are continuously working on improving the accessibility of DPMB’s website and mobile application, providing translations of selected texts into Czech Sign Language (ČZJ), and preparing tactile plans of selected vehicles for visually impaired passengers.
In the initial phase, the research team from the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Science focused on identifying barriers in the transport environment through interviews with nearly forty blind, deaf, and hearing-impaired individuals. Based on these interviews, a database of barrier situations was created, highlighting obstacles to fully utilizing public transportation.
In the second year of the project, interviews were also conducted with DPMB employees – ranging from drivers and training center staff to company leadership and managers. The goal was to determine what options the transport company has for addressing these barriers.
“We created the database based on interviews with nearly forty people with visual and hearing impairments. Another source of information came from interviews with representatives of the Brno Public Transport Company, including management and around twenty drivers. Out of 178 suggestions, we eliminated nearly 50 due to their infeasibility. For the remaining ones, we worked with respondents to explore possible solutions,” explained Robert Osman, the project leader.
Based on these findings, a database of proposed solutions was compiled, from which 12 specific barrier situations were selected for this year. DPMB has committed to actively addressing these and exploring practical solutions.
The project thus brings concrete steps to improve the accessibility of public transportation and strengthens collaboration between the academic sector and municipal institutions, with the aim of increasing the inclusivity of the urban environment.
Photo: Robert Osman
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