20 Feb 2024
With its commitment to the Equality Act 2010, Natural England, the government’s advisory body on the natural environment in England, wanted to understand the unique needs and preferences of people with visual impairments in accessing green and ‘blue’ spaces (GBS).
Green spaces include parks, gardens and the countryside while blue spaces are rivers, lakes, canals and the coast.
Natural England approached us to undertake a piece of research in collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford and MyVision Oxfordshire. We also worked with partner organisations including Fight for Sight/Vision Foundation, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Guide Dogs, Disabled Ramblers, The Ramblers, Reading Association for the Blind, and Open Country.
The benefits of time spent in nature are well-known, but blind or visually impaired people face significant barriers when it comes to experiencing all that nature has to offer.
We conducted a large-scale survey of more than 750 respondents, and a series of focus groups with visually impaired people from our consumer panel and from the partner organisations. We explored how participants use green and blue spaces, what it means to access these spaces, and the challenges and barriers to access.
From our findings, Natural England identified a range of recommendations for local and national authorities and organisations with an interest in promoting inclusivity. Their report sets out these recommendations for enhancing accessibility to green and blue spaces, not only for visitors with visual impairments but disabled people more broadly.
Dr Louise Montgomery, Senior Specialist – Engagement, Recreation & Access (ERA) Team at Natural England, said:
“Natural England is committed to fostering partnerships to promote nature recovery and providing inclusive outdoor recreational opportunities for all. Our latest report focuses on improving access to nature for people with visual impairments. This research highlights the necessary steps to make natural environments accessible to everyone."
"Collaborating with RiDC allowed us to engage with people who have lived experience of visual impairments on a national scale and ensure that fully accessible data collection methods were utilised for the survey and focus groups."
"RiDC also enthusiastically conducted the research in collaboration with various organisations, employing a co-production approach to generate impactful insights.”
