Amman—For 1,500 meters, a path marked by high-visibility yellow tiles stretches from the main entrance of the University of Jordan to facilities like the library, the bank and the student affairs office.

This “Safe Pathway” was recently installed to help blind and visually impaired students move around the campus independently, without having to rely on companions to guide them.

Once they get accustomed to the “road signs” in the path’s tactile surface—long straight lines indicate sections where they can safely proceed directly ahead; raised circles warn that steps or other potential hazards lie ahead—blind or visually impaired students will be able to navigate stairs and ramps safely, “away from the streets and traffic, and away from benches and trees along the sidewalks,” said Omar Abu Haniyeh, one of the project’s supervisors and a visually impaired professor at the university’s Faculty of Education... More