AccessQuotient: A Metric to Predict Accessibility of Built Environments for Visually Impaired Individuals

AccessQuotient: A Metric to Predict Accessibility of Built Environments for Visually Impaired Individuals | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article AccessQuotient: A Metric to Predict Accessibility of Built Environments for Visually Impaired Individuals Francisco Javier Rafful Garfias, Vinod Namboodiri, Siny Joseph This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7586004/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Navigating unfamiliar indoor spaces presents significant challenges for blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals due to complex layouts and limited accessible signage. This paper introduces AccessQuotient, a predictive metric for quantifying navigation difficulty in built environments. The model captures architectural complexity through decision and branching points, providing a lightweight and broadly applicable framework. Validation was conducted with participants with and without orientation and mobility (O\&M) training in a multi-level academic building, supplemented with comparative analysis across additional sites to illustrate sensitivity to architectural variation. By bridging probabilistic modeling with empirical observations, AccessQuotient offers a structured way to assess accessibility challenges before interventions are deployed. The framework establishes a foundation for extensions that incorporate environmental factors, personalization, and qualitative feedback from BVI users. Positioned alongside predictive approaches in digital accessibility, AccessQuotient highlights the potential of model-based metrics to guide inclusive design and inform accessibility standards in physical environments. Accessibility Predictive metrics Built environments Indoor navigation Blind and visually impaired (BVI) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7586004","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":534037665,"identity":"d8e599a4-885a-42d7-b3de-89613ae5ff0a","order_by":0,"name":"Francisco Javier Rafful 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This paper introduces AccessQuotient, a predictive metric for quantifying navigation difficulty in built environments. The model captures architectural complexity through decision and branching points, providing a lightweight and broadly applicable framework. Validation was conducted with participants with and without orientation and mobility (O\\\u0026amp;M) training in a multi-level academic building, supplemented with comparative analysis across additional sites to illustrate sensitivity to architectural variation. By bridging probabilistic modeling with empirical observations, AccessQuotient offers a structured way to assess accessibility challenges before interventions are deployed. The framework establishes a foundation for extensions that incorporate environmental factors, personalization, and qualitative feedback from BVI users. Positioned alongside predictive approaches in digital accessibility, AccessQuotient highlights the potential of model-based metrics to guide inclusive design and inform accessibility standards in physical environments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"AccessQuotient: A Metric to Predict Accessibility of Built Environments for Visually Impaired Individuals","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-31 07:48:20","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7586004/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"45fa8865-d46e-4ac5-9025-916fc0368335","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 31st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-26T15:41:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-31 07:48:20","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7586004","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7586004","identity":"rs-7586004","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}