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<div>Hello list members,</div>
<div>hello Katie!</div>
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<div>I'll try to answer your questions, having talked to some blind persons and some wheelchair users.</div>
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<div>1) what are the 3 most important factors to record about curb ramps?</div>
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<div>Hight of the step in cm (or in imperial units, the user should be able to choose his favorite unit in the software as he might be a traveler used to the other units.)</div>
<div>Incline in % (6% is allowed for wheelchair ramps in Germany)</div>
<div>Is it a step or is the step itself a little ramp ? (Contact me for a photo)</div>
<div>Is there another lowered curb on the other side of the road at all? Or is there a not lowered traffic island in the way?</div>
<div>For blind persons: Is there any indication of the direction to cross the road (tactile paving)? IS IT CORRECT ???!!!!</div>
<div>Is the step up or down in direction of my route - That makes a difference! (included in the sign: -5cm = down, +5cm=up)</div>
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<div>2) What curb ramp factor, if not recorded, makes the information useless?</div>
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<div>Hight of the step.</div>
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<div>Each wheelchair user can try which exact step hight he or she can cross with a wheelchair.</div>
<div>This exact value is what his software should ask vor and then calculate the route.</div>
<div>Some people with several wheelchairs need to be able to change this value frequently (or swap a profile)</div>
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<div>Categories like "high, middle or low" curb hight are worthless. They even differ in cultural habits.</div>
<div>Like for Germans all ordinary US curbs are "very high".</div>
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<div>Blind people avoid curb hights UNDER 3cm, because they are hard to detect with a long cane.</div>
<div>This value should also be changeable by the user for routing.</div>
<div>This applies only if no tactile paving is available.</div>
<div>(There are 0cm lowered curbs with tactile lines in the ground that are obvious to detect. Pictures see www.nullbarriere.de - Use google translate)</div>
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<div>3) How far would people of various abilities travel to reach a "perfect" curb ramp at a "perfect" intersection?</div>
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<div>As abilities change from day to day, this must be editable in the routing preferences.</div>
<div>Allow several profiles to save for one user.</div>
<div>(Blind person: alone, with friend, with dog, with crutch, known or unknown area, in a hurry or not. Usually accessible traffic lights are better than detectable curbs.)</div>
<div>(Wheelchair driver: With electric wheelchair, with manual wheelchar, with weak or strong company, full or empty battery in wheelchair)</div>
<div>(Some muscle deseases change with the weather)</div>
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<div>You can find the requirements I have collected for a cellphone routing software for blind users here:</div>
<div>http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/LoroDux/Requirements</div>
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<div>Contact me for details.</div>
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<div>Best regards</div>
<div>Lulu-ann</div>
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