Juan Haro

October 15, 2002

To whom it may concern:

I would like to share my views with you regarding audible signals and truncated domes. I believe that these potentially hazardous and expensive features for the blind not be installed at every intersection. I believe that they are not necessary in most cases and they are not a financial burden that tax payers should be required to pay. As a tax payer, I find the price of these signals and domes ridiculously priced. As a pedestrian, I find these signals and domes a nuisance to the blind and sighted communities. As a blind individual, I find these signals distracting and potentially dangerous because they block my hearing. The domes create a hazard for people wearing certain types of shoes.

I believe that the money can be better spent by providing blind individuals with the proper training to travel independently utilizing audible traffic cues, logic, and specialized skills used to determine the traffic flow. Training from the Louisiana Center for the Blind is versatile and gives students the skills to travel safely and confidently anywhere. No audible traffic signal is needed after undergoing a training program at the Louisiana Center. I am almost sure that it would be cheaper to provide the blind with training rather than having to change the environment for all of the blind. Teaching someone to fish is more effective than handing someone a fish.

Juan Haro