Disney Rides for the Blind
Not really “design” but I think this recent Disney development is quite cool. The Disney Blog reports that Disneyland now offers “Audio Description” for their rides via a Disney Handheld Device that guests can borrow for free by visiting guests relations.
Audio Description provides narrated audio for Guests with visual disabilities by describing visual attraction elements such as actions, settings and scene changes. It works seamlessly with existing show audio, enhancing each attraction with rich detail and immediately involving Guests into the experience.
Disney World has apparently been using the service for about a year, but it has just been added to Disneyland + California Adventure. According to The Disney Blog, in addition to Audio Description, the device offers services to Guests with hearing disabilities, including Assistive Listening, which was added in August and provides amplified audio at several attractions, and Handheld Captioning, which displays text in specific attractions and areas.
Hit the jump for a video that give you a sample of the experience.
I was interested in hearing a sample of these, and wouldn’t ya know it, the Disney Parks blog had a video that recreates the experience.
I wonder how it feels to move throughout the physical space of a ride (like Pirates of the Caribbean) without seeing the elements, but still having them described to you. You would sense all the changes in the direction, the movement in the water, the elevation changes, but wouldn’t necessarily be aware that there was a pirate sitting overhead swigging from a bottle of rum. Pretty neat that Disney is doing work behind the scenes to make sure everyone can enjoy their theme parks together.
