[Ct-nfb] [Ctabs] December Meeting of the Waterbury Area Chapter

Wed Nov 23 15:51:11 UTC 2016

Hi, All!

I would like to weigh in on the topic of audible signals.

I honestly felt they were a huge help to me, especially in an unfamiliar city where I wasn't sure how wide the street crossings were.  Also, at times I'm sure many of us have a tendency to veer a little bit and when the signal on the other side of a street is beeping, it helps to keep us on a straight path.

I think we need to have an open mind about this issue as many blind people don't have the dexterity it might take to cross a street and therefore, we can't use a boiler-plate type of attitude toward what blind people are capable or not capable of doing.  We, as with sighted people, have different ways to cope with situations and I know that the NFB frowns on audible signals and when the domes were placed on the edges of train platforms were an issue many years ago, the organization fought against them.  When I travel on trains, I find the domes most helpful, even though my cane skills are very good.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.  I certainly don't mean to demean anyone for their opinions, but I'm just stating mine.  ☺️  Thanks and I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Esther

Sent From Esther's Amazing and Awesome iPhone 7+!

> On Nov 21, 2016, at 7:20 PM, Mary Silverberg via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> All,
> As a partially sighted person, I rely on audible signals when crossing complex intersections. I do not view this as a crutch to dependancy. When  the Town of West Hartford began the installation of these signals when replacing older equipment, several of us with a variety of disabilities went out with the Town engineers and the installers to  optimize the volume with time of day and  length of time to cross. I welcome these signals in every larger city in which  I must navigate.
> 
> Mary Silverberg 
> 
>> On Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 6:07 PM, bob morrissey via CT-NFB <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hey Justin,
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Why do you feel so opposed to audible cross walks?   Is it a dependency issue when the function is not working?
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> As a partially sighted person, I find an audible signal very helpful when crossing a busy intersection.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> But, I'm open minded and willing to hear your thoughts.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Thanks.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Bob Morrissey
>> 
>> 203-272-3278
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> From: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Justin Salisbury via CT-NFB
>> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 4:42 PM
>> To: Connecticut Association of Blind Students
>> Cc: Justin Salisbury; 'ct-nfb at nfbnet.org'
>> Subject: Re: [Ct-nfb] [Ctabs] December Meeting of the Waterbury Area Chapter
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Hi Lucia,
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Thanks for sending this out! I’m so glad to see that our Waterbury Chapter is already speaking out against the custodialism that yields audible crosswalk signals. If we didn’t have the Waterbury Chapter working on this, Waterbury could become as bad as Honolulu, with audible crosswalk signals almost everywhere. It really gets in the way of teaching my students how to cross streets safely. I’m working on a research article for the orientation and mobility profession on exactly why the implementation of audible crosswalk signals are bad for blind people. It’s too bad that I haven’t published it already because it could be great support for the Chapter’s argument.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Good luck, and please let me know how I can help!
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Justin
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Justin M. Salisbury, MA, NOMC, NCRTB, NCUEB
>> 
>> Opportunity Ambassador
>> 
>> National Federation of the Blind
>> 
>> Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu
>> 
>> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> William Butler Yeats
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> From: Ctabs [mailto:ctabs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of llee--- via Ctabs
>> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 10:40 AM
>> To: NFB of CT list serve <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>; CTABS List serv <ctabs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: llee at nfbct.org
>> Subject: [Ctabs] December Meeting of the Waterbury Area Chapter
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Help Us Build Our Future
>> 
>> Attend Meetings of Our New Waterbury Chapter!
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> The National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut (NFB of CT) invites you to join our new Waterbury Chapter. We hold our meetings at the Silas Bronson Library, 267 Grand Street, on the Second Saturday of each month.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> On December 10th, our meeting will concern audible crosswalk signals in the City of Waterbury. Our State Representative Gerry Reyes, several Aldermen and a City Engineer will attend our meeting to discuss this issue. Plan to attend this important meeting!
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> To learn that you are greater than what most sighted people believe they see, meet us at the Silas Bronson Library on Saturday December 10th from noon to 2:00 PM.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> For further questions, please contact Josefina Martinez at 203-578-6471, or call our community outreach office at 860-289-1971.
>> 
>> 
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> 
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