Alfreda Trusty

October 22, 2002

I'm certain that you are a very busy man, therefore, I'll be brief. I'm writing to request that you will consider using any influence that you have to see that we, the blind community, can have access to the same information that you sighted individuals have at street crossings and intersections. This is especially important since many times we are standing there alone with no one sighted nearby to give us visual input. Traffic sounds can be deceptive and making a crossing at the wrong spot or at the wrong time can literally be fatal for us. If we have audible signals and/or talking signs this danger is definitely minimized. Perhaps you might stand at a busy street corner and shut your eyes, and then attempt to cross it. I'm sure if you do this that you will get a better picture of what confronts us on a daily basis. Granted, many blind people may say they don't need these audible signals, but sometimes people speak out against the most practical things to appear unafraid or to hang onto a measure of pride. Personally, I think safety as a pedestrian is more important than unnecessary pride that will get us killed.

Thank you for giving our cause, as a "want-to-be" self-sufficient mobile community, your kind consideration.

Alfreda Trusty