Designing Navigable Interior Spaces in Affordable Housing for the Visually Impaired in Kenya

Abstract

Background: Universal Design is a guideline that makes all designs usable by all people to the greatest extent possible without need for adaptation, a tool that the government of Kenya chose not to implore when designing the affordable housing units for the sighted population and left out the visually impaired. Problem: Affordable housing is an initiative that was brought for by the previous jubilee government to offer accommodations to all Kenyans at an affordable cost of living. Although Affordable housing in Kenya right now is built for the sighted population. Inclusivity in their designs does not measure up to the universal design principles hence visually impaired persons cannot access, navigate or experience the privilege of affordable housing in Kenya. Objective: This paper seeks to assess the navigability of the housing units, establish the challenges face by a visually impaired person in the space and propose principle elements for designing navigable interior spaces for them. Design: The paper has used qualitative and quantitative methods to collect the necessary data for the research. Setting: The study was carried out in Ngara. Subject: The paper studies the visually impaired person and their navigation in the affordable housing unit environment . Results: The research results revealed that the affordable housing units where not designed to accommodate the needs of a visually impaired person hence the need for the government to consult the universal design guidelines when designing for all.. Conclusion: This paper concluded that when designing for all, then all stakeholders should be present from the initial stages of the design conception. Also involving expert with knowledge of matters like universal design is key for successful designs.