Environmental literacy is the body of knowledge that individuals have about the spaces through which they travel. The technologies used to assist with the attaining of this spatial knowledge are the subject of this chapter.

Whereas many electronic tools are about mobility, moving safely through the spaces of the world, environmental literacy tools are about orientation information. Mobility systems tend to be worn on the body and often are about obstacle detection and/or obstacle feature identification. Orientation systems tend to be technologies that are embedded in the texture of spaces and that provide "location-based" information (access to some kind of "knowledge sharing network" or "geographic data base").

As computer technology evolves, and as smart spaces get more and more sophisticated, expect additional technologies to add to the wealth of environmental knowledge that will be accessible for blind (and sighted) travelers. For now, the following avenues are the key technology arenas:

The phrase "environmental literacy" was carefully selected to define this category because it draws attention to accessibility rights issues. It is well accepted in the culture of North America that people who are blind have a right to be literate. There is an institutional framework, backed up by the legal system, that insures the right to physical access to architectural spaces, and a right to media based (and academic) information. There is a mandate, legal and accepted, to modify all types of media (video, the internet, television, print) so that individuals who are blind can access the cultural knowledge base. Physical spaces must also be modified to accommodate individuals with visual disabilities. Technologies that assist with these mandates are often paid for by government programs. Research and development is encouraged, supported, and financially supplemented.

This is not the case for strategies and tools that assist with blind navigation. There is no cultural mandate, legal or accepted, that ensures access to orientation knowledge, to the geographical data of the culture. There are no funding avenues, little research and development support, and not much demand from consumers or professionals (primarily because of ignorance of the potential and degree of development of the technologies).

The term "environmental literacy" draws attention to the parallel between "physical space" accessibility issues and the presently unsupported right to "virtual (orientation) space" accessibility issues. Blind travelers have the right to have elevators labeled with Braille, but not the right to have GPS access (or access to any other smart space knowledge). An individual's right to access a culture's knowledge base must include the right to access knowledge about spatial location.