This adjective defines the inability to see; lack of sight. However, there are several degrees and levels of blindness which degrees severity, viz: legal blindness, visual impairment, low-vision, significantly visually impaired, etc.
Published in Chapter:
A Smart City for the Blind: Marburg as a Case Study
Dago Schelin (Philipps University of Marburg, Germany), Péricles Varella Gomes (UniBrasil University Center, Brazil), and Verônica Isabela Quandt (Universidade Positivo, Brazil)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-5062-5.ch005
Abstract
In this chapter, the authors present the German city of Marburg as an alternative model for the conception of a smart city. Marburg's historical relation with its visually impaired citizens has shaped not only its infrastructure but also its human framework. Generally, smart cities are equated with world-class major metropolitan areas, with international airports, use of high band internet, internet of things, and other IT infrastructures. However, Marburg might be considered a smart city according to other criteria. This case study articulates the uniqueness of what Marburg has been able to achieve using a diverse approach of cultural acceptance of the blind, becoming a world reference for other small cities. The authors suggest that Marburg can serve as a model for other cities. This hypothesis was reached through critical investigations into concepts of smartness and disability, intersected with the insights obtained in a focus group interview.