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Hello, I am an Independent Living Advocate for the visually impaired. I travel a lot on my own and with my guide dog. I thank the people at Bi-State Development Agency who had tactile grids placed on the sides of there platforms. Many people in the area assume that all traffic signals have auditory signals and when we explain they do not they ask why. I hope you understand it is not just the blind who depend on the tactile strips along platforms I know many a person who has said when they feel the change they realize they are close enough to the edge. Please consider that the accessible systems are needed and in the future with our growing senior population more folks will suffer from some form of a vision problem. You may be one of us one day.

Virginia Fischer

I am a visually impaired traveler who has used platforms with tactile warning strips along the edge. The sighted people say they depend on these bumps also and they noticed that both my guide dog and myself stayed a safe distance from the edge. They think it is a great idea in the Metrolink system in St. Clair county of Illinois. They also think audible crossing signs are a must. Most people wonder why they are not in use already. I work with blind people and We would like to send our support for accessible signals whether be tactile or audible.