LightHouse provides business and government accessibility services to those who have low vision, are blind or Deaf-blind. One way we do this this is by partnering with other organizations and city and county-wide task forces on projects and programs across the Bay Area to promote accessibility. LightHouse’s Media and Accessible Design Laboratory (MAD Lab) has their accessible handiwork displayed all over museums and other public spaces in the Bay Area. Now we’re venturing outdoors!
In May 2020, the MAD Lab partnered with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) on a long-term project creating accessible tactile signage and outdoor exhibits in parks and outdoor recreational spaces in the Bay Area. Our team devoted hundreds of hours in design, production, project management (and love, of course!) to bring durable, in-place tactile maps and informational plaques to eleven different GGNRA parks.
This project began after the culmination of Gray vs. GGNRA, a landmark settlement agreement to significantly improve access to GGNRA parks. This agreement is the first comprehensive settlement in the country that will increase the accessibility of a federal park system, and MAD Lab has been engaged with GGNRA, providing solutions and services every step of the way. These new maps and Braille park guides will significantly improve access and enhance the experience for thousands of GGNRA park goers with blindness, low vision or mobility disabilities for generations to come.
MAD Lab’s work is proudly displayed at Muir Beach, Fort Mason, Fort Funston, Battery Alexander, Gerbode Valley, Mori Point, and Eagles Point. Among the next parks to have MAD Lab signage are Crissy Field, Tennessee Valley, and the Presidio Coastal Trail. We encourage all our community to go out and explore these maps and outdoor informational signage in person. And when you do, tag us on social media @lighthouse_sf on Twitter and @lighthouseblind on Instagram.
To learn more about the products and services MAD Lab provides you can visit the MAD Lab section on our website. To contact the MAD Lab with questions or inquiries, contact madlab@lighthouse-sf.org.
