[Blindtlk] cleaning up the snow within bus stops

[Constance Canode]

I work from home now, but when I am out in the snow, our corners are 
a disaster and I usually stand on the top of a drift so that when the 
bus pulls up, I can just step in..no kidding.  It is always an adventure.
At 09:50 PM 1/30/2012, you wrote:
>Humberto:
>
>What do you do? You do the same thing that every other pedestrian must do.
>You suck it up and power your way through the snow, occasionally falling and
>cursing and getting back up again and going on. You wear boots perhaps and
>devices like Yaktracks (I don't like them much). You take soundings through
>the snow with your cane held vertically. You get your feet wet and curse
>Mother Nature.
>
>Remember, it's your *eyes* that don't work, not your feet/legs/balance!
>
>Muzzy Marcelino once said that snow was blind man's fog. But remember, he
>was from the Bay Area so wasn't much used to snow.
>
>Look upon all this as an adventure!
>
>Mike Freeman
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Humberto Avila
>Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 6:24 PM
>To: blindtlk at nfbNet.org; nabs-l at nfbNet.org
>Cc: blackburn.minkina at yakimaschools.org; tarinkendrick at msn.com
>Subject: [Blindtlk] cleaning up the snow within bus stops
>
>Hello all,
>
>I am running into a problem that has been bothering me to a point where I
>want to try out my advocacy skills, and I would like to share it with you.
>
>Well. here is the story.  a couple of weeks ago a major winter storm was
>upon us here in Central Washington State, and it really affected my city,
>Yakima. We had a snowfall that left about up to 5 inches of snow throughout
>the city, and the first two days that happened it went nonstop for more than
>24 hours. this left people unable to go to work and school for about two
>days, and public as well as school routes for buses were reduced or limited
>those days. this storm left me unable to ride the city bus to and from
>school, making my Dad take me to and from school for the rest of next week.
>today that still continued; My dad still drove me to school and back home.
>
>While the roads and all highways are clean, many sidewalks including
>sidewalks where there are bus stops and benches are still soaked into so
>much snow and ice from two weeks ago. And you know what is worse? the people
>or machines who clean the snow in the mornings or nights deposit all that
>snow there, leaving the piles and trails of snow into those very places I
>mentioned, especially at the bus stops. Now in fact, that snow has turned
>into ice, and the sidewalks with bus stops are even more slippery and hard
>to walk or step on.
>
>With all this mess, how is a blind person going to walk to take their
>desired public transportation? How am I supposed to step on all those
>mountains of slippery ice waiting for the bus?
>for once, this is driving me crazy and is putting my independence at risk of
>going down the drain. Like I said, my parent has to drive me to and from,
>every day, and if this continues to happen, I fear that I will lose practice
>of traveling on the city bus.
>
>what it's making things more bothersome is that, quite frankly, I feel
>embarrassed by my Dad to pick me up at the college, right in front of the
>main class building, and take me there because, well, about 99.2% of all the
>college students can DRIVE and do DRIVE their own cars, and I don't know
>what they think of me when my Dad has to do that. I am very disappointed
>with them not being able to also clean up the snow and ice from the bus
>stops and their sidewalks. I am also angry because they don't even think
>about people, especially blind or disabled, depending on buses to take them
>everywhere since they have to use those bus stops.
>
>What should I do? Where should I start from in trying to put someone to
>clear up those paths and sidewalks where there are bus stop so that I can
>travel safely and independently once again? who should I tell about this?
>which authority should know this?
>
>I wonder how sighted people are getting off and on those buses with all this
>sleek. I'm sure Ice can try out on those sidewalks and stops, however, it is
>very cold and I doubt this will happen soon enough for me to ride the bus.
>do you have any recommendations for me on this situation? Any ideas?
>suggestions? tips?
>
>your help and advice is welcome please. I'm tired of my dad having to drive
>here and there every morning and spend his gas, and embarrassed that I am
>one of those very few, or the only one, whose parents take them to college.
>I'm sure no college student wants that since we are now adults.
>
>Sincerely,
>Humberto
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