Voices With Vision - In Conversation With Chris Edwards

Braille, Independence and the Future of Inclusive Wayfinding

Following the strong response to our Inclusive by Design: The Future of Braille – Innovation, Independence and Accessibility webinar hosted by Australian Disability Network, we continue our Voices with Vision series with one of the panellists who helped shape that inspiring discussion.

Chris Edwards, General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Advocacy at Vision Australia, has spent many years advocating for accessibility and inclusion across Australia. Through his work in policy, government relations and community engagement, Chris helps reduce barriers and discrimination for people who are blind or have low vision.

Chris also brings lived experience to this work.

He lives with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye condition that gradually reduced his vision over time. After losing most of his remaining sight during his teenage years and twenties, Chris now has no usable vision. To navigate daily life, he relies on a combination of Braille, assistive technology and his Seeing Eye Dog.

Braille has been part of that journey for the past two decades.

As discussions around technology and accessibility continue to evolve, Chris offers an important perspective: Braille is not a relic of the past. It remains a critical tool for literacy, independence and everyday navigation.

Above: Chris Edwards with his seeing eye dog Odie. Image Credit: ABC News.

 

Braille As A Foundation For Independence

Braille is one of the key tools Chris uses to access information and navigate the world with confidence. “Braille remains an essential part of a blind person’s life. There are things you can do in Braille that remain challenging to do with technology.”

While assistive technology plays an increasingly important role, Chris describes his approach as a balance.

“I’ve been using Braille as an adult for the last 20 years. While I’m a confident Braille user, I blend it with technology.”

This combination allows him to move seamlessly between digital information and the physical environment.

For example, Braille labels on everyday items can make daily tasks faster and simpler.

Being able to quickly read a label on a spice jar with Braille, without needing to reach for a phone or an app, is often the most efficient solution.

 

Braille and Literacy

Braille is often associated with books or longer text, but Chris emphasises that its role extends far beyond that.

Braille is literacy.

While speech technology can read information aloud, Braille allows people to understand spelling, punctuation and word structure in ways that audio alone cannot.

“With Braille, there’s something beneficial in learning a word through touch rather than just hearing it.”

This tactile connection to language remains one of the reasons Braille continues to play such an important role in education and independence.

Above: Braille Tactile Signs produced for Transport NSW Bus Stops allow ease of navigation for blind and low vision users.

 

Understanding The Built Environment Without Sight

At a recent World Sight Day event hosted by Braille Tactile Signs Aust., Chris guided the audience through a simple but powerful exercise.

He asked participants to close their eyes and imagine completing a familiar task without vision.

“It helps people realise how daunting something can feel when you can’t see,” he explained.

“But for someone who is blind, those tasks become everyday activities once you develop the right skills and strategies.”

When entering an unfamiliar building, Chris begins gathering information immediately through sound, touch and environmental cues.

“If I enter a large building, I try to understand what’s around me. For example, a coffee shop in the corner can help me orient myself.”

From there, wayfinding features such as Braille Tactile Signs often play a critical role.

Braille Tactile Signs are typically installed in consistent locations near lifts or doorways. When placed correctly, this consistency allows Chris to locate them quickly and confirm where he is.

These details can make the difference between independence and uncertainty.

Above: At the Braille Tactile Signs Aust. World Sight Day 2025 Event, Chris Edwards leading a guided visualisation of lived experience.

 

Above: A powerful moment as the audience imagine navigating a morning on public transport without sight as guided by Chris Edwards.

 

Above:  Stepping into another perspective, even for a few minutes, can change how we design spaces.

 

 

When Wayfinding Works, and When It Doesn’t

When accessible design is implemented thoughtfully, navigation becomes intuitive.

However, when accessible features are missing or poorly maintained, everyday tasks can become significantly more difficult.

“It’s frustrating when you move from an inclusive environment to one that creates uncertainty.”

Chris recalls situations where Braille on lift panels had worn away, with dots missing entirely, making it impossible to identify the correct floor.

In these situations, audio can support navigation where it is provided. However, when Braille and tactile signage fail and no audio is available, the result is a space that is not safe, accessible or inclusive.

Some newer buildings now use glass touch panels in lifts instead of physical buttons. Without tactile indicators, these systems can be difficult, or impossible, to operate without assistance.

Outside of these moments, Chris lives with a high level of independence; confidently navigating environments and even skiing black runs. These barriers are not about capability, but environments that fail to support it.

These experiences highlight a critical point raised during the Future of Braille webinar: accessibility must go beyond technical compliance.

Above:  A best practice example of Braille and Tactile Automatic Door Signage produced by BTS Aust. for Zentry. 

 

Beyond Compliance: Designing For Real Use

Chris believes the most effective accessible environments consider how people actually navigate spaces in practice.

“Focus on quality and consistency, think about what information someone needs and where that information should be placed.”

Placement, durability and accuracy all matter.

When Braille Tactile Signs are designed and installed correctly, it supports confident navigation through buildings and public spaces.

When it is poorly designed, incorrectly installed, or falls apart it can create confusion rather than clarity.

 

Braille And Technology: Complementary Tools

Technology has transformed access to information for people who are blind or have low vision. Chris sees Braille and technology as complementary tools rather than competing ones.

“Your vision can complement your Braille skills,” he says.

“The key is being aware of whether the way you’re doing something is creating barriers.”

In many situations, Braille provides an immediate and reliable solution where digital tools would introduce additional steps or friction.

For navigation, quick tactile access to information can be invaluable.

 

Looking Ahead

As conversations around inclusive design continue to evolve, Chris remains optimistic about the future.

When designers, builders and decision-makers take the time to understand lived experience, environments can be designed in ways that genuinely support independence.

The goal is not simply to meet minimum standards.

It is to create spaces that work for everyone.

By focusing on quality, consistency and user experience, inclusive wayfinding can remove barriers rather than introduce them.

And for people who are blind or have low vision, that difference can shape how confidently they move through the world.

Above: Chris Edwards with his seeing eye dog, Eva, at our World Sight Day event 2025

 

Above:  From left to right, Claudia Gatt (BTS Aust.) Chris Edwards (Vision Australia), Brandon Ah Tong (IAPB) Roland Gatt (BTS Aust.)

 

Voices With Vision

This article is part of our Voices with Vision series, where we speak with advocates, professionals and community members who share lived experience of blindness and low vision.

Their insights help shape better conversations around accessibility, inclusive design and the future of wayfinding in the built environment.

If you know someone whose experience or perspective would be valuable to share as part of this series, or if you would like to participate in a future interview, we would love to hear from you.

Contact our team at marketing@BrailleTactileSigns.com.au or call 1800 787 287.