The city of Vienna is doing this right! On their official website, under the section dedicated to audible traffic lights and other accessibility features for blind and partially sighted pedestrians, not only are the implemented solutions described in a great detail, but you can also listen to samples of how the lights will sound when they're red and green. An mp3 download of the samples is offered as well. It's cool that somebody thought it a good idea to include the sounds that an #Accessibility solution makes. I feel prepared now! https://www.wien.gv.at/verkehr/ampeln/signale/ ##Austria #Wien #Blind
For anyone who hasn't changed their ringtone in a million years or has completely abandoned the idea of those: the Austrian National Forestry department puts up the sounds of all of the beautiful nature that can be encountered within the Austrian forests in the form of mp3 ringtones. Included is everything from common birds to bears and wolves. https://www.bundesforste.at/natur-erleben/naturklaenge/ringtones.html #Sound #Ringtone #Nature #Forest #Austria #Mobile #Phones
When we see streets primarily as space to move cars, we miss out on the wonderful places for people that streets can be. And our cities are less successful for it. Actually, it’s not even good for moving cars! Rotenturmstraße’s before-&-after transformation in #Vienna via former Deputy Mayor Birgit Hebein.
Content warning: The accessibility for the blind advent calendar: day 15 - Austria
Welcome to Innsbruck, Austria again. This time we go to the main train station where I spent a part of my mobility training. Through this training I have learnt that there is a semi-independent way for blind passengers to operate the on-site ticket machine. How come semi, you might ask? Well, on the front of the machine, there is a dedicated customer service number embossed in Braille where you can call and tell the representative where you would like to go. They are able to remotely operate the machine, find your connection, choose the right ticket options for you and bring you to the payment screen. Once the payment is complete, the ticket comes out as usual. Kind of makes me wonder: if the railway staff are able to access these machines remotely, why isn't this possibility open to those who might need it for accessibility reasons? I am not sure whether this works in other Austrian cities, I haven't also heard of this implementation in any other place. Unfortunately, I have never had a chance to use this so no recordings or first-hand experiences this time. #Accessibility #Blind #AdventCalendar #Railway #Transport #Trains #Austria #Innsbruck
Content warning: Accessibility for the blind advent calendar: Day 8 - Austria (Part 2)
As there were no links today, have a binaural audio postcard from Amras, a village that became a part of Innsbruck itself some hundret years ago. The recording was taken in the lovely park near the Schloss Amras castle which is located somewhat uphill and makes for a good basic hike for starters. Recording made using the Ambeo Smart headset hooked up to an iPod touch 7th Gen. The recording is a 1:26 long collage of several clips taken in the park. Clip 1: Birds chirping with some cars driving past in the background (the park was located directly over a highway); Clip 2: The call of a group of peacocks mixed with footsteps and somewhat strong wind blowing into the mikes; Clip 3: A waterfall flowing to my right and footsteps over a wooden bridge; Clip 4: Moving further past the waterfall so that it's moving in the stereo spectrum and a white cane hitting the wooden bridge; Clip 5: Another perspective of the waterfall; Clip 6: Clearly can't get enough of waterfalls; Clip 7: The last sounds of a waterfall, peacocks and the white cane; I recommend listening in headphones for the best spacial experience. #Accessibility #Blind #Austria #AudioRecording #BinauralRecording #FieldRecording #Nature #AdventCalendar
Content warning: Accessibility for the blind advent calendar: day 8 - Austria (Part 1) - expand the content warning to open the window for today
For almost one year and a half I had the pleasure of living in Innsbruck, the charming Austrian city which is the capital of the Alpine region of Tirol which is very popular with tourists. While my stay there was heavily marked by the Covid situation, lockdowns and a really difficult start to building a stable social life, it presented me with some highlights of interest to us so here are they: - A tiny version of the Czech remotes system, at that time capable of triggering the audible traffic lights, currently also the talking public transport info boards; - an exceptional training of the public transport drivers who always stopped the bus right in front of you as long as you stood at the designated, tactile spot; opened the door and told you the bus/tram line they were driving; - a tactile line going across what seemed to be all of the city's market square which made for a nice walk through the city center; - the general feeling of safety that encouraged me to take long walks and explore the city by myself; - the amazing community around my former workplace, Freirad, the social, community-driven radio station that focused on giving voice to those who wouldn't find it in the mainstream media. This meant tons of content from marginalized groups, a wealth of diverse cultural, music and linguistic spectrum and plenty of social initiatives on air. Of course, blind and partially sighted radio hosts were more than welcome and I was happy to be a part of this journey, organizing workshops for prospective hosts with visual impairments, including a really fun group of kids and spreading the word about the importance of accessibility which was always well-received. My former show on Freirad aired for the last time today so it's a bit of a chapter closing. #Accessibility #Blind #Austria #BuildEnvironment #PublicTransport #Radio #AdventCalendar
