Paco Tello advocates for tactile paving to aid blind people
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In Madrid, Paco Tello works with the ONCE, a Spanish organization supporting people with disabilities, to promote accessibility for blind and visually impaired people.
Tello, who has both visual and auditory impairments due to Usher syndrome, explains that tactile paving, buttons, strips, and color contrasts on surfaces, helps blind people navigate independently. These “tactovisual references” provide information about surroundings that people without disabilities often overlook.
Tello uses a guide dog named Garbi, and relies on tactile paving to confirm routes when he is familiar with an area. The paving alerts him to potential hazards like train platform edges and directs him towards stairs or crosswalks. He describes how different textures signal changes in terrain, such as the approach to a street or the presence of a staircase. These ground signals create mental maps for blind people, allowing them to understand their location and move freely.
Tello emphasizes the connection between accessibility and autonomy, arguing that without accessible environments, tools like canes become less effective. He points out that improperly installed or obstructed paving, covered by vehicles or construction, can negate its usefulness. Tello believes true accessibility will be achieved when people with disabilities have the same access to spaces as everyone else.
