[nabs-l] FW: silent signals
Domonique Lawless
dlawless86 at gmail.com
Sun Sep 20 23:08:44 UTC 2009
Darien,
I think that you make a very good point. I’m sure that everyone on
this list has at one point said or thought that if blind people don’t
have the training then they should go out and get it. There are still
blind people all over the country that have still not heard about the
Federation. Their voc rehab services are substandard or nonexistent
and if they have ever had an O and M lesson it was probably to teach
them how to find the buttons on the telephone poles and get from point
A to point B. I think that this article should serve as a reminder to
us that our jobs as federationists are not even close to being done.
We still have more people that need to be taught Braille and to travel
independently and we still need to show the world that it is perfectly
acceptable to be blind.
Just My Thoughts,
Domonique
On 9/19/09, Teal Bloodworth <tealbloodworth at gmail.com> wrote:
> you would think so. There are federal grants for just about anything that
> has to do with city or public land. even sidewalks or blended curbs or
> ramps. Probably talking to a state representative that is local would be who
> yu need to talk to.
>
> -Teal
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jason Mandarino" <blind.subscriber at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:05 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals
>
>
>>I thought it was interesting in an earlier post; it looked like there may
>>be
>> a federal grant or piece of legislation pushing this concept? I am curious
>> for although I find the signals to be very annoying, they are also
>> inconsistent.
>>
>> Perhaps that is the largest annoyance to me, for I have to ignore the
>> audible signals as they are relatively different per city. Savannah has a
>> chirping signal in some areas, and then in others they have a counting man
>> who announces when to walk. When I have been in Raleigh they have a
>> beeping
>> signal that turns into a space shuttle or something when it is time to
>> cross.
>>
>> I can not help but laugh at what sighted people think up, and as I have
>> already said, I end up ignoring it so I don't get ran over!
>>
>> However, my concern with the mobility seems to fall into the same category
>> as the Braille literacy. It does not seem difficult to me to cross the
>> road,
>> and it looks like people from the Federation training centers would say
>> the
>> same. Regardless of the road issue, I am more concerned about the lack of
>> principles in travel, and Jennifer Kennedy and I have had this
>> conversation.
>> With the right principles you ought to be able to take crappy sighted
>> information and translate it into a working route for your own needs. As I
>> explore new areas of my city or campus, I enjoy having the ability to be
>> independent with the minor help of solicitation. Now I am sure part of
>> this
>> is a confidence matter, but there are plenty of technique issues to be
>> addressed as well.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Jedi
>> Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 7:03 PM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: silent signals
>>
>> NABSters:
>>
>> I have to agree that excellent cane travel teachers are few and far
>> between. Or, let me rephrase that. There are loads of teachers who are
>> excellent at what they teach regardless of philosophy, but very few who
>> adopt a philosophy based on the idea that its respectable to be blind.
>> Based on that, I also agree that there are loads of ill equipped blind
>> persons roaming the streets who could definitely benefit from audible
>> signals rather than just sitting at home.
>>
>> On the other hand, having signals everywhere isn't that fantastic
>> either. They're loud for one thing, not to mention annoying to both the
>> blind and sighted alike. They also give creedence to the notion that
>> the blind are helpless without them.
>>
>> I personally propose a hybrid solution (no pun intended as I have no
>> desire to see anyone killed by one regardless of skill level). I
>> propose vibrotactile solutions that one can either use or ignore. Or,
>> those who want traffic signals can carry an application on their cell
>> phones that receives them much like our GPS solutions work. That way,
>> those who want them can use them, there is little maintanence required,
>> deaf/blind people can benefit, and the casual signal user can determine
>> when to use them.
>>
>> Respectfully,
>> Jedi
>>
>>
>> Original message:
>>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>>>> ------------------------------------
>>
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