[Arizona-students] Crossing the Street for the Blind?

[Allison (NFB of Arizona)]

> This is likely an unpopular opinion, but I do find this technology 
> potentially helpful.  I wouldn't have always felt this way, but with all 
> the quiet cars out there, and no noise requirement laws in sight, I think 
> that we do need to do something to help blind people cross streets. 
> Moreover, even if quiet car legeslation is finally passed, what will 
> happen to all the quiet cars already out there?  I doubt anyone will 
> require those drivers to discard their cars obtained before the new law 
> implimentation.
>
> That said, I'm not sure whether the technology in the below article is the 
> solution.  I don't know.
>
> What I find concerning is the underlying belief system about blindness 
> that may have caused this research
> to be started.  These types of technology are often created because 
> someone
> (often but not always someone sighted) assumes that something will be
> abnormally dangerous for a blind person.  Usually these assumptions are
> based on misconceptions about blindness and not the realities.
>
> Here's a quote from the below piece that stood out for me.
> "Blind pedestrians are the ones most at risk at intersections."
>
> Are we really?  Who actually said this?  Is it documented somewhere?  I 
> think
> that a lot of blind folks are especially careful and are not necessarily
> more at risk than other pedestrians.  I'd be more worried about the 
> dangers
> associated with an 8-year-old crossing the street, or someone intoxicated,
> or a slower elderly person... there are lots of folks who likely have
> more safety risks than the blind.
>
> Also, I worry that this technology will prove incredibly expensive for
> everyone involved.  The article says that it's cheaper than current audio
> signal technology, but with so many of the old audio signals in place, 
> will it really
> be cost effective?  Also, the technology is linked to a cell phone which 
> makes
> its benefits limited to those folks who actually have cell phones.  It's
> true that most people do have mobile phones, but there are still some 
> folks who can't afford one.  I also imagine that this traffic software 
> will be expensive too.  And if this sort of technology truly does prove 
> effective, I don't think
> something like traffic safety should be classist, which this very well 
> could
> become.
>
> Thanks for sharing this info, Arielle.  I'm curious to learn what others
> think.
>
> JMO,
> Allison
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
> To: "Arizona Association of Blind Students List"
> <arizona-students at nfbnet.org>; <cabs at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 3:21 PM
> Subject: [Arizona-students] Crossing the Street for the Blind?
>
>
> Those crazy engineers  can come up with the wackiest  ideas...
>
> For the 21.2 million Americans who suffer from vision loss,
> crossing the
> street can be a stressful and potentially dangerous proposition.
> Thanks
> to engineers at the University of Idaho, many visually impaired
> individuals soon may have a greatly reduced risk thanks to a tool
> already in their pockets - their cell phone.
>
> The statistics for vision loss, provided by the American
> Foundation for
> the Blind, include anyone reporting difficulty seeing, even while
> wearing glasses or contact lenses. No matter the level of visual
> impairment, many conditions - including visual noise, walking at
> night
> and irregular intersections - can result in missing a crosswalk.
>
> Regardless of conditions, the new system being developed in
> Moscow,
> Idaho, will make intersections safer and easier to navigate.
>
> "Minute for minute on the road, any pedestrian is 150 percent
> more
> likely to
>
> be injured by a car than somebody driving one," said Richard
> Wall,
> professor
>
> of electrical and computer engineering. "But it is pretty
> apparent that
> the
>
> blind pedestrians are the ones most at risk at intersections.b
>
> The new technology utilizes features already available in many
> cellular
>
> phones, including communications, Global Positioning Satellite
> (GPS)
>
> functions and magnetic compasses to help visually impaired
> pedestrians.
>
> Specialized software allows these pedestrians to activate the
> crossing
>
> signal remotely without having to locate the physical button.
>
> Then, the GPS system monitors the position and direction of
> travel while
> crossing. As long as the crosser stays within the crosswalk,
> nothing
> happens. But stray outside the lines, and an audible warning
> activates
> alerting the pedestrian of their danger. It then provides
> directions on
> how to get back within the safety zone. Should the walker somehow
> end up
> in the middle of the intersection, the system automatically would
> turn
> every light red, stopping traffic and averting a potential
> disaster.
>
> "It's true that this would disrupt the timing of the signal
> patterns
> when it gets activated," said Wall. "But we would much rather
> disrupt
> them for a few seconds than for a half hour while an ambulance
> assists a
> traffic victim."
>
> To ensure people don't trigger the alarm just for fun, only those
> who
> need the help would be able to acquire the necessary software.
>
> The system requires more than software, however. It also requires
> the
> installation of new hardware in thousands of lights across the
> country.
> Luckily, Wall and his team have found a solution that not only is
> cost
> effective, it simplifies the existing system.
>
> Many crosswalks currently have handicapped-Many crosswalks curre
> provide
> help such as audio tones indicating when it is safe to cross.
> However,
> the box that controls the intersection contains a massive amount
> of
> wiring. This is necessary to connect each actuator with each
> signal so
> at any given time, the control box knows each state.
>
> Wall's new system simplifies each box to only two wires, both
> already
> required to power the signals. It uses a technology called
> Ethernet over
> power line, which allows information to be broadcast over power
> lines.
>
> The future is clear for Wall and his research team. They have
> established dates to deliver the engineering and expect field
> trials to
> commence in June. They are building prototypes supported by funds
> from
> the University Transportation Centers program, Idaho's Higher
> Education
> Research Council and their commercial partner, Campbell Company,
> who
> currently makes the accessible pedestrian signals that chirp and
> talk
> for the handicapped.
>
> "The signals we're building are more than prototypes. These
> devices
> actually can go into the field and work today," said Wall. "We're
> using
> existing infrastructure and communicating intelligence over it.
> It's
> cost effective, it simplifies the connection to two wires and it
> can be
> immediately installed in all the existing crosswalks in the
> country."
>
> If you would like more information, or to speak with the people
> involved, please let me know.
>
> Ken Kingery
>
> Science/Research Writer
>
> University of Idaho
>
> Office: 208-885-9156
>
> Cell: 614-570-3942
>
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