看見�看不見的城市：視障者在城市空間中的移動經驗

Abstract

閱讀許多探究視障者身體能力與空間經驗的研究，研究者透過一個系統性的整理，解釋視障者擁有的認知空間的能力，例如：方向與位置關係、距離、空間大小、形狀、材質、氣候、光線等等。本篇論文則從受訪者的經驗出發，看見每位受訪者會根據自己身體的獨特性：視覺的狀態、天生的方向感、身體運動能力，甚至是個性經驗，選擇適合自己的認知途徑與生活方式。下雨天的時候，明眼人沒有傘不能走，可是有些視障者有傘卻不好走。許多因為視網膜病變而逐漸失去視力的視障者，會經歷一段太陽下山就不願出門的灰姑娘歲月，視覺改變方式會帶給視障者不同的地理經驗與生命經歷。相對的，生活空間也會改變視障者所選擇的感知方式，從靠近市場的家搬到靠近馬路的家，視障者會因應環境條件選擇最適合這個場所的認知形式。因此，本篇論文首先想要透過每一個獨特的受訪者說明視障者身體的多樣性，讓人理解視障者不是一個模糊的、同質的群體，而這些多樣認知、理解空間的方法，也不是消極的、不得不的接受，而是積極的選擇、創造最適合自己身體能力、環境的空間認知經驗。 這篇論文第二件希望傳達的事情是，空間不是一個單純外在於身體的位址，而是整體社會與視障者個人內心的認同價值共同形塑的環境。因此大眾意識影響了空間生成的形式與使用的結果，視障者在公共空間中感受到的各種身體處境，不論是來自空間實體設計、無形的空間規範，既是社會文化的縮影，也是空間與社會相互互動的結果。因此，如同每一個人的人生一樣，視障者在城市中的生活存在著能動性的豐富能量，卻也有著感受痛苦、身體受到箝制的焦慮。於是，社會安排了無障礙環境的佈局，親切的服務，有時候卻是視障者急欲迴避的地方。到底空間哪裡出了錯？透過視障者身體的放大鏡，顯現出是城市空間中空間、社會與人，主流大眾與次群體間有形、無形的拉鋸戰。 而本篇論文最希望能表達出，即使環境有如此多社會處境與實體空間所造成的困難，每位視障者依然能根據自己的身體特質，發展出各種屬於自己的生存策略或抵抗方式。那也許只是一次又一次的言語溝通，或是沉默而堅毅的表現自己的能力，甚至在公共空間中奔跑逃離僵硬的無障礙規範，這些散落在各個章節中的微小的、屬於身體的，一點一滴的反抗，希望能讓這篇論文的讀者看見視障者身體的能量與聲音。對於視障者來說，重要的不是同情式、優越角度的關心或懷疑的幫助，而是「選擇」的權利。

Reading many study of visually impaired people’s physical ability and experience of space, the researcher systematically explains the visually impaired people’s cognitive ability of space, such as: the relationship between direction and position, distance, space, shape, material, climate, light and so on. This thesis is based on the experience of the respondents, showing that each of the respondents choose their own cognitive approach and life style according to uniqueness of their bodies: the state of vision, innate sense of direction, physical exercise capacity, and even personal experience. How the vision changes brings the visually impaired people different geographical and life experiences. In contrast, living space also affects visually impaired people’s perception. Moving from the market side to the road side, the visually impaired people select the most appropriate form of recognition based on the environmental conditions. Therefore, this thesis firstly would like to explain the diversity of the bodies of visually impaired people, showing that visually impaired people is not a vague and homogeneous group. Visually impaired people are not forced to accept these diverse recognition and means of space understanding. Instead, they create the experience of space recognition that mostly suites their physical ability and the environment. The second thing this thesis would like to convey is that space is not simply an externally physical location, but the environment shaped together by the whole society and the inner value of visually impaired individuals. Therefore, the city life of the visually impaired people is of rich energy, but they also feel pain and anxious because of the inconvenience of the external environment. However, each visually impaired person is still able to develop his/her own survival strategy according to his/her physical characteristics. For visually impaired people, the important thing is not sympathy, concern with superiority or doubtful assistance, but the right to choose.