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