Guide Dogs partners with Arup on event to champion inclusive design in the built environment

The event, held at Arup’s Leeds office this week, aimed to give participants a deeper understanding of how people with sight loss navigate the built environment and the barriers they face, inspiring better design solutions for future projects.

Arup has been committed to generating social value in Yorkshire for over 30 years, championing local employment, delivering community volunteering, and embedding sustainability development into its projects.

The day featured interactive activities, personal stories from local guide dog owners about the realities of navigating the built environment, and a presentation on Guide Dogs’ recent Designing for Inclusion research report.

The report*, carried out by University College London (UCL) on behalf of Guide Dogs, uncovered the severe challenges that some street designs pose for people with sight loss and other disabilities, particularly Floating Island Bus Stops and Shared Use Bus Boarders.

These bus stops vary from place to place and often force blind and vision impaired pedestrians to step into cycle lanes with dangerous, fast-moving traffic. This has led many people with sight loss feeling scared, anxious and even avoiding using these bus stops completely. This risks limiting disabled people’s ability to live independently.

Interactive guided walks led by Guide Dogs’ Vision Rehabilitation Specialists (VRS) and lived experience volunteers also allowed Arup staff to experience firsthand the challenges of navigating city streets with vision impairment. The guided walks included stops to assess key design features like shared surfaces and cycle lanes, demonstrating how small design decisions can make a big difference to accessibility in cities like Leeds.

Lindsey Moore, a guide dog owner from West Yorkshire and Guide Dogs lived experience volunteer, said: “The cycle lanes, shared pedestrian and floating bus stop area in City Square as a visually impaired person is incredibly daunting and frightening.

“I was not certain if I was in the middle of the road, on the pavement or which direction I was heading. There were no building lines on my left-hand side for me to navigate and to find out safely and easily where I was. I just felt like I was in the middle of the road which was very frightening and extremely disorienting. This makes me feel very vulnerable.”

Adam Marsh, Guide Dogs Regional Policy and Campaigns Manager for the North of England adds: “Our mission at Guide Dogs is to help people with sight loss live the life they choose, and inclusive design is critical to achieving that.

“Our report findings underline the need for street designs to be consistently designed, planned and tested with the involvement of all potential users, including disabled people. This event with Arup is a vital step in creating environments that enable independence, confidence, and equality for all.”

Guide Dogs, which has a training centre in Leeds, supports hundreds of visually impaired people across West Yorkshire and is campaigning for various changes to improve the lives of people living with a vision impairment. For more information visit guidedogs.org.uk