[il-talk] Bells for Blind on Chicago Transit

[Patti Chang]

Have you spoken with the chair of our transportation committee, Jemal Powell? 

p.s. give to our annual appeal by sending to NFBI c/o glenn Moore po box 1065 Elgin, IL 60121.

Patti S. Gregory-Chang
NFBI President 
NFB, Scholarship Committee Chair
Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 1, 2012, at 10:46 PM, Kelly Pierce <kellytalk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Below is a news release from the Chicago Transit Authority.  It
> describes a new bell for the blind to signal when doors are opening on
> the newfangled CTA rail cars.  I have spoken with Steve hastalis about
> this recently.  Steve is a member of the NFB and serves on the CTA ADA
> advisory committee.  Steve said it stemmed from a single concern from
> ADA advisory committee member Greg Polman of the Chicago Lighthouse.
> Greg uses a guide dog and does not travel with a white cane.  The
> committee has two other members with vision impairments. Neither
> committee chair Amy Serpe, who represents the Chicago Public Schools,
> nor Doreen bogus, who represents the City of Chicago, use a travel
> aide of any kind, including a white cane.  Although Steve raised
> objections, he said these other members with visual impairments who do
> not use white canes encouraged other committee members to quickly
> approve the proposal without research or investigation.  Steve said
> that CTA representatives have not met with NFB members to solicit
> feedback about this service enhancement or take a ride on the system.
> Steve does not believe that any outreach has occurred to the ACB
> Chicago chapter either.  I am outraged and offended that such a
> substantial change is taking place without significant involvement
> from the blind community.  It is not required by the Americans with
> Disabilities Act. Audible door closing signals are required by the
> ADA. Debbie Stein and Steve have been extensively involved in
> transportation issues.  Karyn Campbell along with her husband Ray of
> the ACB have been active in transportation access issues for many
> years.  Both the ACB and NFB have been active in Chicago for decades.
> 
> I would like to discuss this with other NFB members at an upcoming
> Chicago chapter meeting.  I have ridden on these rail cars with their
> quiet ride and gentle braking and acceleration. I never felt that door
> opening was undetectable to a blind person, particularly when a white
> cane was used to touch the doors.  Additional sound could be
> distracting and disruptive rather than helpful.  Further, Steve said
> the blind bell for door opening will have the same sound as the chimes
> for door closing.  There will be no spoken announcement that doors are
> opening, as occurs on the Metro system in Washington, DC.  The blind
> bell seems intrusive and unneeded at worst and confusing and
> ill-designed at best.  I feel powerless and believe government is
> turning away from the real supports for independent blind people.  I
> look forward to working with other NFB folks on this.
> 
> Kelly
> 
> 
> 
> CTA Adds Additional Door Chime Feature to Newest Rail Cars to Assist Passengers
> 
> 
> 10/11/2012
> 
> 
> The Chicago Transit Board today approved an important upgrade to its
> newest 5000 series rail cars that will benefit visually impaired
> customers. Chimes will be added to let passengers know when doors are
> opening, in addition to the chimes that now play when doors are
> closing. The CTA decided to provide the additional audio cues to
> assist passengers after receiving feedback from customers who
> indicated they had trouble locating train car doors from the platform.
> 
> “This issue was brought to our attention because the new and improved
> rail cars were so quiet, some visually impaired customers had
> difficulty hearing the doors opening,” said CTA President Forrest
> Claypool. “The valuable feedback led us to seek the door chime
> modification to ensure the new ADA features we’re providing on the
> 5000 series work in the best possible way for our customers.”
> 
> The modification requires a software change that will be made to the
> entire purchase order of 706 rail cars. All new cars currently in
> Chicago will undergo a retro-fit, which will not impact operations.
> 
> The change order for the door chimes are at no additional cost to the CTA.
> Bombardier Transportation, a recognized leader in the manufacturing of
> mass transit vehicles, provides the 5000 series cars. To date, 126
> cars have been delivered and are currently deployed on the Green and
> Pink Lines
> 
> The total cost of the rail cars $1.137 billion, which is funded by two
> CTA bond issuances backed by sales tax receipts. The remainder is paid
> for by $150 million in federal funds.
> 
> # # #
> 
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