Henderson and Gwen Beavers

August 19, 2002

 

To Whom It may Concern:

 

We are Gwen and Henderson Beavers, and our address is 905 Elliott Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902. 

 

We are both legally blind, and Gwen is totally blind.  We have traveled on streets both alone and together, and we feel that the blind do not need detectible warnings such as truncated domes or audible traffic signals.  In fact, we feel that these so-called warnings can be a distraction.  Most of the time, the traffic noise is so great that audible signals cannot be heard.  In areas quiet enough to hear the audible signals, traffic is light enough to make them unnecessary.  In areas with truncated domes, there could be accidents because a person could  catch their heel in the dome and stumble.  Also, we feel that to spend money on such detectible warnings would be wasted.

 

Thank you for considering these comments.

 

Sincerely,

Henderson and Gwen Beavers