[nfbwatlk] Read And Weep

[Gloria Whipple]

woe is me!

What next!


Gloria Whipple
Corrisponding secretary
Inland Empire chapter
nfb of WA

cell number: 509-475-4993

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Mike Freeman
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:04 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Read And Weep

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Carl Jarvis 
To: wcb-l at wcbinfo.org 
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 3:49 PM
Subject: [Wcb-l] Press Release: Accessible Pedestrian Signal
ProgramReceivesStimulus Funds


Subject: Press Release: Accessible Pedestrian Signal Program Receives
Stimulus Funds


The following press release is forwarded to you by the DBTAC-Great Lakes ADA
Center (www.adagreatlakes.org) for your information:
PRESS RELEASE
Accessible Pedestrian Signal Program Receives Stimulus Funds
San Francisco (March 24, 2010)-The San Francisco Municipal Transportation
Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in San Francisco
including the Municipal Railway (Muni), today announced that the City has
received federal stimulus funds that will equip five additional
intersections with Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS). 

In the City 116 intersections have been equipped with the devices over the
past two and a half years, making San Francisco the national leader on this
important safety issue.

"The SFMTA remains committed to increasing access and mobility across the
City," said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA Executive Director/CEO. "We will
continue to work with our partners to provide greater accessibility for all
San Franciscans."

"San Francisco has a vibrant and diverse community of people with
disabilities who are able to live here independently," said Susan Mizner,
Executive Director, Mayor's Office on Disability. "Features such as the APS
expand the range of their independence, enriching their lives as well as the
culture of the City."

San Francisco's APS program is the gold standard that other municipalities
are emulating. The success of the program is based in large part on the
unwavering commitment of the California Council of the Blind, the LightHouse
for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the SFMTA. Collaboration between
these organizations has turned San Francisco into one of the most visitable
cities in the country for individuals who are blind. - Jessie Lorenz,
Associate Director of the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco 

The APS installed by the SFMTA meet new federal guidelines issued in
December. The state of the art signaling devices assist pedestrians with
visual impairments by emitting a rapid ticking sound in tandem with the
familiar WALK symbol displayed for sighted pedestrians. Other accessibility
features include locator tones to help those with visual impairments find
the devices, vibrating push buttons during the walk phase and audible
information such as street names when pedestrians press the push buttons for
one second or longer.

"The audible and tactile information conveyed by the APS has helped
eliminate my fear of crossing intersections in San Francisco," said David
Jackson, a blind, 30-year resident of San Francisco and a Board member of
the California Council of the Blind.

San Francisco's APS program also includes a detailed checklist for
prioritizing requests for APS and a carefully monitored maintenance program.
Members of the public can request that the signals be installed by either
visiting 311.org or calling 311.

The SFMTA's successful APS program grew out of a cooperative effort between
blind advocates from the California Council of the Blind, the LightHouse for
the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Independent Living Resource Center
San Francisco. The SFMTA and the California Council of the Blind reached a
landmark settlement on the issue in 2007. The SFMTA continues to pursue
opportunities to expand the APS program. The original agreement included at
least 80 intersections. Going forward the SFMTA will continue to work with
the community to expand the use of APS.

###

Established by voter proposition in 1999, the SFMTA, a department of the
City and County of San Francisco, oversees the Municipal Railway (Muni),
parking and traffic and taxis. With five modes of transit, Muni has
approximately 700,000 passenger boardings each day. Over 35,000 extra
vehicles enter San Francisco on any given business day, and rely on the
SFMTA to keep the flow of cars, transit vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks,
pedestrians and bicycles moving smoothly through the streets.

Media Contacts
SFMTA Contact
Judson True
judson.true at sfmta.com

Contact for blind community organizations
Jessie Lorenz
510-388-3903
jessie at ilrcsf.org

Linda Porelle
1-415-431-1481
lporelle at lighthouse-sf.org

 




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----


_______________________________________________
Wcb-l mailing list
Wcb-l at wcbinfo.org
http://wcbinfo.org/mailman/listinfo/wcb-l_wcbinfo.org
_______________________________________________
nfbwatlk mailing list
nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbwatlk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbwatlk_nfbnet.org/fairyfoot%40webban
d.com