Susan Bradley
|
October 23, 2002 |
I am a newly blinded individual. My husband and I are writing to
express out opinions about audible traffic signals and tactile warnings. I have
learned the skills of blindness to the best of my ability. I believe in myself
and in other blind people who have been good role models for me. I have gained a
knowledge that blindness can be worn down to an inconvenience; my training has
proved that this is so.
I want to be able to travel about and depend on my own senses and not on
gadgets. Your proposed final rules take that responsibility away from me. The
Access Board’s lack of belief in the abilities of the blind is astonishing. You
would rather that I depend upon technology that may put me in danger rather than
believing in myself.
If there are intersections in a community which may need audible traffic signals
or tactile warnings, then the decision to place these devices should be jointly
determined by local officials and blind consumers.
Sincerely,
Susan Bradley