Future Journeys Workshop 1
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.
- Invisible effort: Many people underestimate the mental and emotional work that goes into navigating the world with sight loss.
- Social connection: Small interactions and social codes can strongly influence whether someone feels included or supported.
- Design for confidence: Surfaces, signals, signs, technology and staff behaviours all contribute to whether a journey feels possible, safe and dignified.
“It completely undermines your trust. You think a crossing is there, but it’s moved – and you’re told ‘don’t step out!’ That breaks your confidence completely.”
Lived Experience contributor on misplaced tactile paving
“I’d just like the assistance to be given with a smile, not a grimace. That makes you feel like you’re being an inconvenience.”
Lived Experience contributor on seeking assistance
Mapping real journeys
In the afternoon, teams created empathy maps and journey maps. They watched a documentary film showing a real journey from the perspective of a person with sight loss. The film highlighted moments of confidence, fear, frustration and resilience.
The groups identified where barriers appear and why. These included unclear signs, inaccessible ticket machines, unreliable audio announcements, cluttered pavements and the stress of having to ask for help. They also saw determination, adaptability and independence – strengths that inclusive transport design should foster.
The key insights they uncovered were:
- Sight loss can make a simple journey feel complicated. It requires a lot of concentration, problem solving and sensory effort.
- Feeling safe depends on trust. Assistance from a sighted person often builds confidence more effectively than technology alone.
- Familiar places help people feel confident, while unexpected changes can take that confidence away. Busy streets, silent vehicles and cluttered pavements can make spontaneous travel feel impossible.
- Many public spaces are designed for sighted people. Poor contrast and visual clutter can make it much harder for people with sight loss to get around.
Facilitators captured insights from each group to feed into the next stage of the design process, where participants begin to imagine what inclusive transport could look like in future scenarios. The goal is a system that restores predictability and trust, while leaving room for spontaneity and joy.
What’s next?
To end the day, participants were asked “what if?” questions. Ideas included more reliable real-time information, calmer stations, unobstructed pavements and confident, independent travel.
People from across the transport sector agreed that inclusion is not a nice-to-have, it’s a measure of quality. Future Journeys isn’t about small fixes, but about building a shared vision of how people, data and infrastructure connect to create fair and accessible travel. Participants reflected on the unique opportunity to connect lived experience with professional insight and to understand what it means to both use and deliver integrated inclusive transport systems.
As the workshop closed, there was a real sense of momentum. Challenges were transformed into ideas and people left feeling motivated by what they had learned – and by the changes they could start to make.
Get involved
The first Future Journeys workshop was just the beginning. Creating inclusive, confident and spontaneous journeys is a collective effort – and your input matters.
We’ll be sharing updates, stories and insights as the project evolves. Sign up to receive updates and hear about opportunities for you to get involved in the project.
You can also join the conversation on social media using #FutureJourneys, and tag @RNIB and @MotabilityFoundation. Tell us what resonates with you and spread the word.
