As a totally blind senior
at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and part-time adaptive
technology instructor, I routinely travel not only my campus but my city
and many other major metropolitan areas including Denver, Austin,
Louisville, Philadelphia, and Memphis. I find that my skills as a blind
traveler allow me to travel safely in any environment, regardless of
whether it has been "modified" to meet my needs. When I come to an
intersection, I simply listen for a moment or two, to hear the flow of the
traffic and determine the geometry of the intersection and when it is safe
to cross. My long white cane easily warns me, through tactile feedback,
when the slope or curb of an intersection is coming.
I believe that detectable warnings and audible traffic signals should be
used sparingly, if at all. I would hate to see my beautiful Colonial
campus defaced with strips or bumps in loud colors at every intersection
or, even worse, with the jarring beep of audible signals destroying the
peace of a Williamsburg night. Please save my campus and all the other
beautiful places that "modification" would deface. Use detectable
warnings only when the transition between sidewalk and street is virtually
flat, and save the ears of America by installing tactile traffic signals
when you have to "modify" an intersection at all.
Best,
Chancey Fleet
index
next comment
