Project updates
December 2025
Future Journeys Workshop 1
December 8, 2025
Building understanding through lived experience
On 6 November 2025, RNIB and the Motability Foundation brought people together for the first Future Journeys workshop – a key step towards reimagining how travel works for blind and partially sighted people.
The project uses speculative design, which focuses on exploring ‘what if’ scenarios rather than solving today’s problems. The aim of this approach is to spark new ideas and imagine what the future could look like if travel is truly inclusive. Right now, one in three blind and partially sighted people rarely or never use public transport. Transport systems aren’t built around their needs.
At the workshop, our Lived Experience Community (LEC), made up of blind and partially sighted people, joined transport authorities, operators, designers, technologists and policymakers to explore what inclusive travel could look like. Everyone was encouraged to learn through empathy, imagination and collaboration.
Throughout the day, participants explored how information, technology, environments and human support combine to shape confidence, trust and autonomy when travelling.
Empathy in action
The morning session focused on exercises that helped participants understand what travel can feel like for people with sight loss. Using simulation eyewear, 360-degree videos and live demonstrations, sighted participants experienced the uncertainty caused by unclear announcements, difficult wayfinding and inconsistent signage.
“It was quite scary… and this was in a safe environment. I definitely wouldn’t want to go outside. I’d be really worried.”
Workshop participant experiencing simulated sight loss
“It really shows how dependent we are on sight, how much we take it for granted – and how the world is designed around it”
Sighted participant
Members of the LEC then shared honest reflections about the reality of travel. They spoke about anxiety of not knowing whether a bus is coming, frustration when information conflicts, and the loss of spontaneity when every journey needs detailed planning. These stories helped everyone to understand the everyday barriers blind and partially sighted people face.
What we discovered
- Confidence and trust: Confidence can drop very quickly when information is unreliable or environments change suddenly. Trust is fragile but can be rebuilt with consistent, supportive design. [...]
