[nabs-l] FW: silent signals

Darian Smith dsmithnfb at gmail.com
Fri Sep 18 06:20:33 UTC 2009 

Dear list,
  Something I think  I would like to add is that i was very fortunate
to have been trainned at one of our three training centers, and I
believe that the training I recieved made the difference in me
becoming a confident traveler. something that I think I've done a
decent job  of stating as well as others on this list is that  not
everyone is so lucky.

On 9/17/09, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all,
>  now please consider, that I  tend to be a little analytical, and
> sometimes take a devil's advocate stance in some things, as I will
> here.  Please  keep that in  mind as you read.
> i tend to hesitate in saying "oh, you don't  need those signals, get
> good training and that will fix the issue" for two reasons.
>  1. how many blind people actually get  good training? I would  guess
> that those who do are in the minority.
> 2. I tend to believe that  that angle  is that of  a person  who's
> forgotten what it was like to not have the confidence and make due
> with what they have.   It's not easy to face down a busy intersection
> sometimes,   and  maybe in some situations, not all, but some... an
> Audable signal might be helpful.  I don't use them personally, but I
> am not going to call for their removal until we can inshure that every
> single blind person is armed  with the skills needed to travel
> effectivly.  i think the ideal is to be  trained at an NFB center  or
> by a good blind  cane travel instructor.  But  you need to be taught
> way before the age  of transition.  youth  should know  at the same
> time kids  who are sighted know how to  cross a street.
>   I'll end my take on this topic with this question... If a blind
> person was struck and killed bya car, would our knee-jerk reaction
> be"that  person should have had better skills and that would have
> saved them"?
>
> On 9/17/09, Sarah alawami <marrie12 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Yeah it will but the states  don't want to provide it. I know mine won't.
>> you hve to beg beg beg the services here and they just teach the point a
>> to
>> point b. I hate it.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Sarah Jevnikar
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 11:24 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals
>>
>> This is ridiculous. Adequate O and M training would eliminate this
>> problem
>> completely.
>> Sarah
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Sarah alawami
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 12:40 PM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals
>>
>> I think this author is making  a big deal out of nothing. Can't we just
>> listen to trafic paterns?
>>
>>  Silent signals, hazardous crossings
>>
>> Advocates urge city to add, fix devices that aid the blind
>>
>>
>>
>> By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff  |  August 17, 2009
>>
>>
>>
>> Yakir Arbib is blind. He is also a promising young pianist who daily
>> negotiates the Green Line and busy urban streets on his way to study at
>> the
>> Berklee College of Music. None of it daunts him, except the congested
>> crossroads at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street.
>>
>>
>>
>> The chirping of an audible crossing signal is supposed to alert him and
>> other visually impaired pedestrians when it is safe to cross the
>> traffic-choked street, but for several weeks the signal hasn't worked.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I wait for some nice person, or I take a chance,'' the Israeli native
>> said.
>>
>> "I don't know how I'm going to get around having to cross that street. I
>>
>> think I'll have to find a different way.''
>>
>>
>>
>> Just blocks away, at Fairfield Street and Commonwealth Avenue, another
>> audible signal for the blind was not functioning properly. Advocates for
>> the
>> blind say that at any given time, a significant number of Boston's 40
>> audible intersections work poorly or not at all, and they accuse the city
>> of
>> making maintenance a low priority.
>>
>>
>>
>> Further, they say, Boston has lagged other major cities in making its
>> streets more navigable for the visually impaired, noting that it has
>> failed
>> to heed federal recommendations that urge cities to install audible
>> crosswalk signals at new or upgraded intersections. Most glaring, they
>> say,
>> is that more than 100 intersections created as part of the Big Dig lack
>> the
>> devices.
>>
>>
>>
>> "In terms of accessibility, Boston is behind the eight ball,'' said Bob
>> Hachey, president of Bay State Council of the Blind. "It has not done
>> itself
>> proud.  It's been like getting blood from a stone.''
>>
>>
>>
>> City officials say they install new signals almost exclusively based on
>> requests from individuals and the state Commission for the Blind, which
>> also
>> fields complaints and requests. They said they are doing their best to
>> keep
>> signals working properly but would be able to address problems quicker if
>> pedestrians notify officials.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I can see why it would be incredibly frustrating to pedestrians who rely
>> on
>> them,'' said Jim Gillooly, deputy commissioner of the Boston
>> Transportation
>> Department, which is responsible for installation and maintenance. "We
>> really rely on people who use these signals to let us know if they aren't
>> working.  If we know about them, we'll get them fixed.''
>>
>>
>>
>> Gillooly said his office has not received many complaints about faulty
>> signals, adding that people should report problems for quicker results.
>>
>>
>>
>> But advocates say the audible signals are often on the blink for weeks,
>> in
>> Boston as well as neighboring communities, making some of the area's
>> busiest
>> intersections feel like a roll of the dice.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We all have crossings that we call 'pray and go,' '' said Pauline
>> Downing,
>> a Somerville resident who is blind. She is the former president of Guide
>> Dog
>> Users of Massachusetts.
>>
>>
>>
>> Hachey, of the Bay State Council of the Blind, with a German shepherd as
>> his
>> guide, visited the Massachusetts Avenue/Boylston Street intersection one
>> day
>> last week to document problems. When working properly, the chirping
>> signal
>> is supposed to sound for pedestrians walking in either direction in all
>> four
>> crosswalks - a total of eight audible signals - but as Hachey tested
>> them,
>> five failed to activate. A separate audible cue at the intersection,
>> designed to help blind people locate the walk buttons, was drowned out
>> by
>> heavy morning traffic.
>>
>>
>>
>> "That's useless,'' he said. "It's far too low given the ambient noise.''
>>
>>
>>
>> He spoke into a recorder to remind himself to notify the state
>> Commission
>> for the Blind about the problem.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Absolutely no audible signal,'' he said.
>>
>>
>>
>> To many who are visually impaired, signals that don't work are an added
>> irritation to their complaint that the city has been slow to install
>> more
>> audible signals. Some have asserted the city is bound by the Americans
>> with
>> Disabilities Act to put in signals at new and upgraded intersections,
>> such
>> as those created by the Big Dig. But Boston transportation officials say
>>
>> they are not legally obligated by the act and note that the systems can
>> cost
>> more than $10,000.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jessie Lorenz, director of public policy for San Francisco's LightHouse
>> for
>> the Blind and Visually Impaired, which two years ago successfully
>> lobbied
>> the city to install accessible signals at some 80 intersections, said
>> that
>> while the question has not come before a court, federal transportation
>> officials are recommending that new road projects include accessible
>> signals, and local leaders are beginning to take note.
>>
>>
>>
>> Not all advocates for the blind press for more signals, and some even
>> suggest it's unreasonable to expect audible signals at every
>> intersection,
>> saying vision-impaired pedestrians should not become reliant on them.
>>
>>
>>
>> "We have not tended to endorse audible traffic signals,'' said Chris
>> Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind. "We
>> believe a
>> blind person should learn cane-travel techniques, and part of that is
>> learning to hear the traffic patterns.''
>>
>>
>>
>> The relative scarcity of the devices, Danielsen said, and the risk of
>> malfunction demonstrate their limits.
>>
>>
>>
>> But complicating that view is the growing prevalence of quiet cars,
>> especially hybrids, which can have virtually no engine noise at slow
>> speeds.
>> Some say they pose safety risks for those relying on senses other than
>> sight. The federation is lobbying for federal legislation mandating cars
>>
>> meet certain decibel requirements.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Vehicles should emit a minimum level of sound so that all pedestrians
>> are
>> safe,'' Danielsen said. "Blind people need to hear the sound to
>> determine
>> speed and direction of the traffic.''
>>
>>
>>
>> But other visually impaired people say audible signals are the key, and
>> that
>> cities like Boston need to make a priority of installing new ones and
>> keeping them working.
>>
>>
>>
>> "You get excited initially when there's a new one. They give you peace
>> of
>> mind,'' said Tim Cumings, a Brighton resident who is blind. "But then
>> they
>> don't work from one day to the next.''
>>
>>
>>
>> C Copyright
>>
>>  2009 The New York Times Company
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>> <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>>     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VIP_Forum/
>>
>> <*> Your email settings:
>>     Individual Email | Traditional
>>
>> <*> To change settings online go to:
>>     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VIP_Forum/join
>>     (Yahoo! ID required)
>>
>> <*> To change settings via email:
>>     mailto:VIP_Forum-digest at yahoogroups.com
>>     mailto:VIP_Forum-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com
>>
>> <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>>     VIP_Forum-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com
>>
>> <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
>>     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/sarah.jevnikar%40uto
>> ronto.ca
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/marrie12%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dsmithnfb%40gmail.com
>>
>

More information about the NABS-L mailing list