A San Francisco architect who developed sudden blindness has carved out a successful career as a consultant to architectural firms.
Shortly before he was laid off, Downey had found a blind computer scientist who had devised a way to print online maps through a tactile printer; it worked for architectural drawings too... then I realized that the way he reads his drawings is not dissimilar to the way we experience space. He’ll be walking through a plan with his index finger, discovering things, and damn, he’s walking through the building!” They talked through other issues. Load-bearing columns that seemed likely to snag a cane. A dramatic staircase that would deposit patients in the center of a big, disorienting room...
The rest of the story is at The Atlantic.
Link. Photo credit Don Fogg.
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