The Good and Bad Gallery

My collection of good and bad steps and accessibility practices has been growing for a while now, with one picture taken back in December 2021. I decided to put this together to show how much of an impact some simple changes can make to the accessibility of a place.

As you can see below, incredible differences can be made with small changes like a bigger sign or a painted edge on a step. Not only does it make them easier to see, it also sends a message that a business has thought about the variety of abilities that might walk through their door. By making an effort and some small changes, it really sends a message of “we have thought about you and you are welcome here”, which is really powerful.

It is simply joyous to find these examples because it makes me feel cared for, looked after and included. Not only that, it also makes me more likely to recommend and to return to these places. This has to be a business owners dream scenario!

In contrast you can see below how poor design can have a detrimental impact on the accessibility and enjoyment of a place. When doing something simple like going to the bathroom is made more difficult due to a design flaw, it taints the entire experience.

There is a huge variety of images and examples here and I’ll keep adding to this album as I find more. Hopefully it will inspire others to make some positive decisions about the design of their businesses and public areas. I have included the location and explanation for why these are good or bad examples under each picture.

If you have come across some good or bad examples and want them included here, please email me at hello@lifeintheblurrylane.com

Good Steps

A photo taken from a standing position looking down on two steps and my feet wearing pointed black boots. Each step is grey concrete with a bright yellow painted edge.
Steps outside the NCBI HQ in Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland. Each step has a very bright contrasted edge
A picture taken from a standing position looking down on my feet standing on the 2nd from last step. The steps have a contrasted colour and tactile edge. My feet are in black and cream runners.
Steps at the Supervalu Shopping Centre in Raheny, Dublin, Ireland. Each step has a contrasted and textured edge
A picture taken from a standing position looking down at three wooden indoor steps. The top step has tactile floor spots in gold. Each step has gold tactile edging.
Steps in H&M Home in Paris, France. Each step has a tactile edge with tactile bump dots at the top step
An image taken from a standing position, looking down at a set of three steps. Each step is made of stone, with a faded yellow edge on each. A black handrail is on the right hand side.
The steps at the reception of Camping Les Pres Hauts, Sisteron, France. Each step has a bright contrasted edge
An image looking down onto grey concrete steps that have a textured edge. My feet wearing white runners can be seen as can the end of my pink flowery dress
Steps in a metro station in Paris, France. Each step has a tactile edge
An image looking down onto two steps made of red stone with a grey concrete edge. My feet wearing white runners can be seen as can the end of my beige jacket
Steps in Disneyland Paris, France. Each step has a contrasted edge
An image looking up a flight of steps. The bottom steps has a row of white raised dots running the length of it. The following steps going up have a smaller row of white tactile dots on the right hand side only
Steps in a train station in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Each step has a tactile and spotted edge. The bottom step has a longer pattern than the middle steps which denotes the end of the set of stairs
An image taken from the top of a flight of wooden steps. The first and last have a white painted edge. The rest of the steps have no edge and are made of brown wood. The lighting is poor.
Steps inside the Military museum in The Bastille, Grenoble. A painted edge on the first and last step denotes the start and end. A contrasted edge on each step would be better and the lighting needs to be improved
a set of steps with yellow painted edges on the top and bottom steps
A set of steps in Marburg Germany. the contrasted edge make them easier to see
A well contrasted step in Utrecht central station. This indicates when the set of steps is finished
A photo looking down from the top of a set of stairs. Each step is painted with a contrasting edge. Aoife's feet in white runners can be seen at the bottom
The stairs at Kilbarrack train station, Dublin

Bad Steps

Internal curved steps made from grey concrete. There are no contrasted edges or handrails. The photo is taken from the bottom of the stairs looking up to the top
Internal steps in the Museum in the Sisteron Citadel, France. Steps have no contrasted edge and are indistinguishable from one another
Picture taken from a standing position looking down on one step beside a swimming pool. The ground is made from brown, red and beige stones. A blue swimming pool can be seen at the top of the image
Poolside step in La Baume La Palmeraie, Frejus, France. Step has no edge and is indistinguishable from the ground below. Surrounding ground is multi coloured which is difficult to navigate
Picture taken from a standing position looking down on one step beside a swimming pool. The ground is made from brown, red and beige stones. A blue swimming pool can be seen at the top of the image
Poolside step in La Baume La Palmeraie, Frejus, France. Step has no edge and is indistinguishable from the ground below. Surrounding ground is multi coloured which is difficult to navigate
This image shows cream tiled steps which are indistinguishable from one another
Steps outside the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, Paris, France. Steps have no edge and are indistinguishable from one another
A picture taken from a standing position looking down at my feet in silver runners. The ground is made of grey concrete tiles. There are tram tracks at the top of the picture. There is an indistinguishable step in the centre of the image.
A step beside the Luas Tracks on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, Ireland. Step has no edge and are indistinguishable from the ground below. It is also right beside a Luas/tram track
A picture taken from the top of a set of steps made from black decking. there are indistinguishable from one another. There is a blue swimming pool visible in the background
Poolside steps at La Baume La Palmeraie, Frejus, France . Very poor lighting and dark coloured steps make them very difficult to see and distinguish. These were also very steep
A picture taken standing at the top of a set of 4 corner steps. The steps are tiled in small brown tiles of various colours. There is very low contrast between each step
Steps to the bathrooms in Campingplatz Hutten-Heiligenborn
A picture taken from a standing position looking down on one step. The step is built from concrete bricks with a grey edge. There is low contrast between the step and the ground below. My feet can be seen at the bottom wearing purple and blue crocs
A step outside the bathrooms at Camping Schutzwiese Wasserbillig

Examples of Good Accessibilty Practices

An image of a zebra crossing witha strip of tacticle paving running down the middle
Zebra crossing outside a supermarket in France. Tactile element included to support those who use a cane
An image showing two signs, both have a white background and are about 4 feet in height. Both have a huge letter M and black arrow pointing right. One sign has a large number 7 in a pink circle and the other has a large number 8 in a purple circle
Signs in a metro station in Paris, France. Signs are very big with good contrast
This image shows a handrail which has the platform number printed on it alongside the braille version
A handrail in a train station in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Braille and tactile sign in an accessible location
An image of a white wall with a giant letter A and a screen showing information about the next trains arriving at the platform
A wall sign in a Paris metro station, France. Sign is very large, good contrast and screen with information to support at eye height
An image of a yellow box with a sticker of a person walking with a cane. It is affixed to a black pole at a pedestrian crossing
A yellow audio box at a pedestrian crossing in Paris, France. Clear image of a person with a cane. Good contrast between pole, box and image. Great extra audio support
An image of the inside of a shopping centre. There is a sign for the toilets at the top centre. The sign is a light filled box with a white background and blue images of a man and woman.
Toilet sign in the Saint Genis 2 Shopping Centre in Lyon, France. Sign is large with good contrast and very well lit
An image showing three bathroom signs placed vertically on a tiled wall. Each sign has braille at the bottom. The top sign has a figure of a man and a woman. The middle sign says WC with an arrow pointing left. The bottom sign has the symbol of a person in a wheelchair. All signs have a white background with black images or text
Toilet signs with braille in Camping Cent Vignes, Beaune. Good contrast and tactile element to support. Universal symbols used
A close up image of a silver button with braille above, one a white pole. The braille says Porte, which means gate in French
A tactile sign at the exit gate to Camping Sandaya in Paris. Tactile element of braille included
I am holding a small black audio device with a keypad and small screen. It is attached to a red lanyard around my neck. A display of old military paraphernalia can be seen in the background
An audio guide was given as standard at the Military Museum in The Bastille, Grenoble. There was no extra charge and we didn’t need to ask for it
A set of concrete steps with a yellow sign on the wall at the top. The sign is large, with a yellow background, black text and says Toilettes
The sign at the top of these steps is a good example of an accessible sign. It is bright yellow, with large contrasted font.
An image of a handrail that has braille and tactile signage saying SV 21 - 22. The handrail is stainless steel and the steps are dark concrete in the background
Tactile signs and braille on a handrail in Zurich central train station Tactile signage on a handrail is great to support independent travel
A bus stop with a real time information screen on top and two yellow boxes on the pole. White tactile paving is in a square underneath
A bus stop in Marburg Germany The tactile paving tells users where the bus stop and audio information box are
A pole showing two yellow boxes. One at waist height and one about 5.5 feet high. The Bottom box has an I symbol on it
An audio beacon and audio information box on a bus stop in Marburg, Germany. This tells users where the bus stop is and allows them to hear the real time bus information which they cannot read
An image of a grey metal sign with a description of the corresponding building in tactile lettering and braille.
A tactile sign in Marburg University. This sign is accessible to those who cannot read due to sight loss
A pedestrian crossing box with a metal plate on top that has a metal arrow pointing in the direction of the crossing
A pedestrian crossing with a metal vibrating plate on top in Marburg, Germany
The toilet signs in City Camping Rotterdam – these are really clear, well contrasted and a good size
The outdoor bathroom sign in City Camping Rotterdam. This is on the outside of the toilets, is a good size and well contrasted
A pedestrian crossing in Rotterdam which says “wait” in a more visible spot until the light turns green
Tactile and braille signage on a train station handrail in Utrecht. This makes it easier to read and understand
Large print signs in Utrecht central station. These are large and well contrasted which makes them very easy to see
A black handheld rectangular audio guide with white buttons.
The audio guides at the Anne frank house (these were given out to all guests)

Examples of Poor Accessibility Practices

A close up of a sign into a ladies bathroom. The sign is small, with a gold background and fading black image of a woman in vintage dress and hat.
A bathroom sign in Camping Trois Pucelles in Grenoble. Sign is too small and faded. It is unclear what the image is
This image shows the entrance to the men's and women's bathrooms. The walls are painted with palm trees and a blue sky. The bathroom signs are painted on a brown background and the lettering is indistinguishable from the background
The entrance to the bathrooms in Camping Trois Pucelles, Grenoble. Poor contrast between sign writing and background. No lighting to support
An image of an old, rusted sign on a red door. The writing on the sign is very unclear and very difficult to read
The outdoor sign to the bathrooms in Camping Trois Pucelles, Grenoble. Sign is too small, old and rusted. No symbols to support text
An image of a interior cubicle sign. The sign is small and laminated, which causes a reflection. The background of the sign is green leaves, and there is an image of a toilet in white on it.
Indoor cubicle signs in Camping Cent Vignes. Low contrast between background and symbols. Laminated finish causes shine from the window making it harder to read
This image shows a red wire stretching between two sunbeds. The ground underneath is back wooden decking. the red wire is hard to see and distinguish from the surrounding environment
A red wire holding the sunbeds together in La Baume La Palmeraie, Frejus, France. There is incredibly difficult to see and poses a significant trip hazard
A toilet sign for the ladies toilets. It is on a white background, with a back outline of a female superhero, wearing a cape. The only way to see if it is a woman is by her hairstyle, which is shoulder length
The ladies toilet door sign in Hobo Camping, Courmayeur, Italy. This sign is very unclear as to what it is. The size and contrast are good
An entranceway to bathrooms. The walls are dark grey, with a white tiled floor. The sign for the mens, is the outline of a man, wearing a suit and hat. It is in gold and well lit. The entrance to the ladies on the right has a large sign of a woman who is wearing a dress, hat and high heeled shoes.
Entrance to a set of bathrooms in a shopping centre in Italy. While it is well lit, the signs for mens and womens are unclear
A brown wooden door with a small oval shaped sign on it. The sign has a black, white and grey image of a doe with a red banner saying Damen. This is a very small sign and it is unclear and difficult to read
The ladies bathroom sign at Harz Mountain Camp
A very small, one seater blue and silver car is parked diagonally across tactile paving. The surrounding area is built up office blocks and shops. The ground underneath is a grey yellow colour and the tactile paving is white. It runs the length of the photo
A car parked across tactile paving in Amsterdam