I have been working for a client for years.  She passed away last year and her children now have the house and have decided to rent it for an indefinite period of time.  I was over there today and met the couple that are moving in.  The lady is blind in one eye and her vision in the other eye isn't that great although she gets around well.  She was telling us that if she comes up to a step or curb and the materials are differnet (cement sidewalk/brick step) then she is fine because she can see the texture difference.  But if the materials are the same she can't tell the height since she has no depth perception.  The owners have asked me to go  around the house and highlight the areas with the potential to be a tripping hazard.  My question - what material would be good for either cement and/or brick?  I was thinking of something like caution tape but am open to suggestions.  Thanks a lot.

I have to agree with gmaint.  Its always used around here to help people "notice" steps and their various heights.

jk,
Just a thought..... you may want to take a couple of 'test sample' boards with a few different contrasting colors painted on them to see which ones she can identify most easily first.  You may also want to consider using a CONTRASTING COLOR for the TOP SIDE of a 'drop-off' and the RISER SECTION of a STEP or RISE AREA.  The two different colors would then define a corner or change in elevation or impending drop-off for her.

Although 'Yellow' and 'Black' are commonly used colors, my suggestion above is because some elderly persons also sometimes experience some degree of COLOR BLINDNESS to certain colors and only see them in 'shades of gray'.  Even asking her which colors are easiest for her to see best might be a good idea.  Does she use any type of cane to assist her when walking around.... this also might help her to define the actual 'edge' of the step, even though they may be painted or otherwise marked.

I agree with gmaint. Here in British Columbia the building code requires that stairs for handycaped people have a 2 inch wide yellow strip at the nosing and a 12 inch wide yellow strip at the landing. Also a rough texture strip or small bumps on all hand rails at all changes in direction of the surface. (top, bottom, landings)

epbussey

JK,

GREAT advice so far.  Our front steps are concrete and, especially in low light situations on a gray Seattle-area day, the transition from vertical to horizontal, or vice-versa was difficult to see.  I put a simple white strip of ordinary latex paint on the first 1" of horizontal surface beginning at the edge.  It is amazing how much that 1" makes a difference in seeing the exact edge.  And, it holds up very well.  The slight roughness of the concrete allows the paint to get down where shoes don't wear it off.  While I understand the safety yellow that Gregg recommended, I think the white is every bit as visible, maybe even more so in some lighting situations.  Plus it doesn't look so industrial.

Taking care to make the lines look nice is not the easiest thing to do.  The corner edge is just a matter of being quite careful not to go over the edge and using a small brush.  But getting the back edge nice and straight and uniform can be tricky.  What I do is put on a 1" strip of blue tape starting at the edge.  Then I put another strip butted up right behind that and remove the first strip.  (It can be used over.)  I carefully paint up to the edge of the tape but try not to go over.  Going over encourages paint to creep under as well.

It is a bit of work, but you'll be pleased with the results and it lasts a long time.  Renew it every couple of years.  I have two steps that are composite.  They have to be renewed annually because they show wear much more quickly than those on the concrete.  I did some on a friends wooden stairs.  They wear out even more quickly than those on the composite.  Even when they have worn quite a bit they are still very effective in making the step edge quite visible.

You might consider anti-skid tread covering. The stuff is sort of like a shingle except smaller aggrate. At least in this area you can buy it at home centers fairly cheaply. It is self adhesive and has a safety yellow stripe on it. The stuff I've got, the stripe is not at the edge, but maybe two inches back. A little careful cutting would put the stripe at the edge tho. What I've used it for is in lieu of rubber pads on brake and gas pedals, and on the step to get in and out of my roadster. Been there about 4 years and has held up real well.

Every day on the green side of the grass is a good day.

Thanks forthe suggestions.

I would agree with Gmaint as well.

Posted By Taymdint on 09-02-2010 01:43 AM
You might consider anti-skid tread covering. The stuff is sort of like a shingle except smaller aggrate. At least in this area you can buy it at home centers fairly cheaply. It is self adhesive and has a safety yellow stripe on it. The stuff I've got, the stripe is not at the edge, but maybe two inches back. A little careful cutting would put the stripe at the edge tho. What I've used it for is in lieu of rubber pads on brake and gas pedals, and on the step to get in and out of my roadster. Been there about 4 years and has held up real well.

Every day on the green side of the grass is a good day.

Along the same line as Taymdint's sugestion, here is a site that has non-slip tape in different colors. http://www.harrisind.com/ns.htm

I worked at a big chain motel and we would use the yellow or bright orange safety paint and instead of non slip tape we would put sand in with the paint that way we did not have to worry about the edges of the nonslip tape coming up later on

my daughter has no 'depth perception" so when she looks down a stairwell, most of them simply make her dizzy, and she has fallen or missed steps. She has a special problem with "strait lines" accross the entire step. a possibility would to be to use a "design" such as a wavy line or a "zig-zag" design. Also she has used "scoopable" cat litter, shaken from a salt ahaker on wet paint, to give her a rough tread. this may then be painted over with a "thinned" paint. again choose colors that are acceptable to the persons sight abilities, make sure to check this in several lighting conditions. you may even want to "dot" on some "glow in the dark" paint, avaiable at most craft stores. hope this helps.god bless.

All excellent posts. I had a friend with very impaired vision. We had to pull up the tape with the grit in it as he would slide his feet to make sure he was on solid ground. When he hit the tape it would cause him to lose his balance. Just a little food for thought. Have a good day.
                                      Denny

What every you use make sure its is reflective and none slip..................

Can't see it now covered in snow.........