Open design approach, a project for inclusion of blind people

The paper describes a colour experience approach transforming visual images into geometric, tactile and emotional inputs. The aim of the project is to create a colour code that may enable partially sighted and visually impaired persons to perceive, by means of a haptic exploration, the sense of colour, giving it a symbolic and tactile representation through a language that goes beyond idioms and cultures. Through an empathic relationship with the object and the perception of shapes and textures, the colour can be imagined together with the emotion it may convey. Following the principles established by Munsell – HUE, VALUE and CHROMA, the Colour Code was actually born out of the Braille Code, based on the composition of the six dots enclosed in a square, from which to develop specific geometric shapes, which are assigned certain values and characteristics. The Colour Code can be reproduced on different media and in various sectors: in furnish- ings - in order to identify the objects that surround us in our daily lives; in clothing, with a labelling system giving visually-impaired persons the possibility to be autonomous in choosing a garment; in education, through 3D illustrations that may help children learn to match colours to objects; in illustration, reproducing works whose chromatic composition could not be otherwise perceived. This approach based on dialogue and on the listening experience, in collaboration with non-profit associations, blind people and experts, helps understanding the other, conveys values, and leads towards social change and social integration.