Visual Impairment and Lighting: Comparing Guidelines and Illumination in Homes

Universal Design aims to ensure that as many people as possible can participate equally in society, with equal access to housing, education, workplaces, institutions, and public spaces. In the construction field, many of our existing guidelines still need to catch up regarding the diversity of user needs and preferences. Recent developments in low vision rehabilitation have underscored the pivotal role of domestic lighting in fostering independent living and enhancing the quality of life for people with visual impairments. Moreover, several stakeholder organizations and associations in the field of low-vision rehabilitation have published lighting guidelines for this target group. A direct comparison of the different guidelines is difficult, as their focus, vocabulary, and level of abstraction differ: the rehabilitation process focuses on optimizing lighting to support and aid the individual’s abilities in the existing environment. It is not directly related to the design- or construction process. Yet, how do the guidelines for lighting fit the actual settings and conditions in Danish homes of people with incipient vision loss or visual impairment today?

In this paper, a selection of these guidelines is assessed and analyzed in relation to three lighting categories: illuminance, luminance, and the visual system. The guidelines are also compared to the initial findings of an ongoing field study. This field study, a crucial component of the research, investigates the role of lighting for individuals experiencing incipient vision loss. This comprehensive approach, which includes both theoretical guidelines and real-world observations, ensures the reliability and relevance of the research, providing a solid foundation for the findings. The practical implications of this research are significant, as it provides valuable insights for architects, researchers, and individuals with visual impairment. Through observations and walk-along interviews in their home environment, we get their personal narratives and observe their lived everyday environments. 37 walk-along interviews were conducted from October 2023 – March 2024 during dark hours. The preliminary findings of the field observations, including observations and measurements, are compared to the guidelines of both the context of building design and -construction and the context of low-vision rehabilitation and stakeholder organizations.