FERRAMENTAS DE INCREMENTO DO BEM-ESTAR DE PESSOAS COM DEFICIÊNCIA VISUAL: ARQUITETURA INCLUSIVA E MAQUETE TÁTIL

In this article, the use of tactile models as a means to provide a collaborative medium between blind and visually impaired people and architects is presented to enable the development of the architectural project of an association center for blind and visually impaired people in the city of Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil. Therefore, three tactile models of the association center’s new project were built and used as tools for participatory design with blind and visually impaired people at Associacao Passofundense de Cegos (APACE). This paper describes the participation and interaction process between APACE members and designers in the development of the APACE project. All participants were able to understand the dimensions and orientations of spaces and were able to compare the proposed environments with the current venue. This ability allowed broad participation and propositional interaction, increasing self-esteem and the likelihood of increasing these users’ well-being in the projected spaces. The next research steps involve collaborative design of the furniture and interior spaces. Keywords: Blind and visually impaired people, design process, tactile model, laser cutter.