Designing the world for those who cannot see it

How do we create environments and communication that work even when sight cannot be relied upon? During an afternoon of learning at The Cell, students and university lecturers in architecture and visual communication can explore how visual impairment changes the way we navigate, access information and experience our surroundings.

As an architect or visual communicator, you help shape how people experience, understand and use their surroundings. But how well does the built environment work for someone who cannot see?

During this afternoon at The Cell, together with St. Erik Eye Hospital and the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired Stockholm Gotland, we explore visual impairment and the challenges faced by people with visual impairments in society.

Through lectures and practical exercises simulating different forms of visual impairment, you will experience how colour, contrast, light, signage, orientation, spatial design and information can change when sight cannot be relied upon. You will have the opportunity to discover barriers you may never have noticed before – and consider how your professional expertise can help make everyday environments easier to navigate and more inclusive.

For those studying or working in architecture, this is an opportunity to discover how public spaces and environments can create a sense of safety or uncertainty depending on how they are designed. For those studying or working in visual communication, it is a chance to question the assumption that sight should be the sole carrier of information. What does it take for printed or digital communication to be understood by people with different types of visual impairment?

Programme

In collaboration with the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired, St. Erik Eye Hospital and The Cell as part of Eye Week 2026.

13:00: Lecture by ophthalmologist Stefan Löfgren from St. Erik Eye Hospital, held in the exhibition.

13:30–16:00: Presentations and exercises with the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired. Experience what it is like to rely on hearing, touch and memory without visual input, both when navigating a space and when using smart digital technology.

16:00: Audio-described tour of the exhibition with the Audio Description Programme. Open to the public.

17:00: End of programme. You are welcome to stay and explore the exhibition.

18:00: The Cell closes.

Practical information

When: 8 October
Cost: Free