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

Sat Nov 26 15:54:57 UTC 2016

Justin,
you are right with instruction in crossing streets. only main streets 
have audible signals. the side streets do not & we need to learn to 
cross them safely. i personally like the audible signals in town, but at 
home i need to know how to cross the side streets. if we have to choose, 
then instruction wins out.
Eileen Torow

On Fri, Nov 25, 2016 at 02:49 AM, Justin Salisbury via CT-NFB wrote:

Aloha, My Federation Ohana:

I am surprised by the responses I’m reading here. I feel like a lot of 
folks seem to feel the need to justify their own use of audible crossing 
signals. When we are having policy discussions, it is important to 
remember that we are talking
  about the governmental decisions about certain programs and resources; 
if we criticize a program or resource, we are not criticizing the people 
who choose to use it. If we advocate for the end of subminimum wages, we 
are not criticizing the people who choose
  to work for subminimum wages; we are saying that those people deserve 
better. When an orientation and mobility instructor, like me, abides by 
professional standards of safety with street crossing techniques, it is 
not a criticism of the individuals who choose
  to use them.

We are currently lacking two things: proper mobility instruction and 
audible traffic signals at every lighted intersection. As an 
organization, we can choose to advocate for both, either one, or 
neither. Because the conversation is occurring,
  it is obvious that we are not interested in sitting out completely. 
Since the two contradict each other, advocating for both of them seems a 
bit inefficient. Thus, we are left with the decision of which one we 
want.

Safety is my first concern because none of the rest of the discussion 
matters to a dead blind person. There are two primary safety concerns. 
First of all, not all cars obey the traffic lights. A blind traveler can 
react to the change in
  the light, but this does not necessarily mean that the cars are all 
acting according to the light. If drivers did not run red lights, then 
we would not have the common expression that I just used, “to run red 
lights.” Someone reacting to the light change is
  vulnerable to cars that do not obey the light cycle, and that is a 
risk. I suppose there is also even potential for the audible signal to 
malfunction, and my life is just too precious to risk with that. Second, 
the sound of the audible crossing signal interferes
  with a person’s ability to hear the traffic sounds which they should 
be using to make their crossing. It is harder to hear the traffic sounds 
when anything else is competing for the air waves. This reduces safety 
when crossing.

There are a lot of well-meaning people who do not know the things I just 
mentioned and who maybe do not know how blind people travel safely and 
independently who might expect blind people to use the audible crossing 
signals to cross streets.
  This is dangerous. If there is no audible signal, then it will be more 
apparent that the blind traveler is to use something else, thus 
continuing the problem-solving process. If the problem-solving process 
is aborted because of the presence of an audible crossing
  signal, then the choice of street crossing technique will likely be 
one of compromised safety.

I really appreciate Nathanael’s mentioning of where the money is going. 
In the National Federation of the Blind, we have to choose what our 
priorities are and where we ask society to spend money accommodating us. 
One such way is with the
  provision of orientation and mobility services to help us adapt to a 
system built around the needs of the sighted. Another means could be the 
provision of more audible crossing signals. The installation of these 
signals costs money, and there are a lot of
  lighted intersections in Connecticut. If our state spent that money 
there instead of on orientation and mobility services, then one mobility 
task would be addressed, and it would be addressed with compromised 
safety. If the state chose to spend money on orientation
  and mobility services, then blind people could become better travelers 
in any situation and not need audible crossing signals.

As an organization, we can make the choice to advocate for better 
orientation and mobility services so that blind people can travel more 
safely, confidently, and independently in any situation. This would 
communicate a raised set of expectations
  for blind people, set more blind people free, and give the State of 
Connecticut a bigger bang for its buck. We could also choose to request 
that the state and local municipalities install audible crossing 
signals, perpetuating a lower set of expectations and
  anchoring ourselves to a method of street crossing which compromises 
our safety.

The choice is ours. May we choose wisely.

Yours,

Justin M. Salisbury, MA, NOMC, NCRTB, NCUEB

Opportunity Ambassador

National Federation of the Blind

Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu <mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury 
<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: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Mary Silverberg via CT-NFB

Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2016 8:31 AM

To: NFB of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>

Cc: Mary Silverberg <marysilverfox at gmail.com>

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

Esther,

Well stated. Yes, each of us uses a variety of coping mechanisms to deal 
with life's challenges. There should be room for all of them. Life is 
about choice and having options.

Mary

On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 10:51 AM, Esther Levegnale via CT-NFB 
<ct-nfb at nfbnet.org <mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

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 <mailto: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 <mailto: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 <tel:203-272-3278>

From: CT-NFB [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org 
<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 <mailto: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 <mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury 
<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 
<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 <mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org> 
>; CTABS List serv <ctabs at nfbnet.org <mailto:ctabs at nfbnet.org> >

Cc: llee at nfbct.org <mailto: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 <tel:203-578-6471> , or call our community outreach office 
at
860-289-1971 <tel:860-289-1971> .

_______________________________________________

CT-NFB mailing list

CT-NFB at nfbnet.org <mailto:CT-NFB at nfbnet.org>

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org>

To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
CT-NFB:

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox%40gmail.com 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox%40gmail.com>

_______________________________________________

CT-NFB mailing list

CT-NFB at nfbnet.org <mailto:CT-NFB at nfbnet.org>

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org>

To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
CT-NFB:

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale%40sbcglobal.net 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale%40sbcglobal.net>

_______________________________________________

CT-NFB mailing list

CT-NFB at nfbnet.org <mailto:CT-NFB at nfbnet.org>

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org>

To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
CT-NFB:

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox%40gmail.com 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox%40gmail.com>

_______________________________________________

CT-NFB mailing list

CT-NFB at nfbnet.org

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org>

To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
CT-NFB:

http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/setorow%40optonline.net 
<http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/setorow%40optonline.net>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/attachments/20161126/0a6ee5b4/attachment.html>