Betty Hendricks

October 23, 2002

National Federation of the Blind of Monterey County


Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing on behalf of my chapter to urge that you do not implement the Architectural Barriers Compliance Board's recommendations to mandate audible crossing signals or domes for all street crossings for blind people.

I am blind, and the president of the local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind, and I assure you that I and other properly trained blind people can cross streets just fine without these expensive, noisy, confusing gadgets.

I would prefer that local agencies actually find out the priorities of the blind members of their own communities, rather than having these mandates shoved down our throats. The blind members of various communities should be offered a voice in where money is spent, not have costly decisions made for them.

These devices can be especially intrusive and problematic for those who are hard of hearing, offering confusing input that disguises what they need to be able to discern. My chapter members and I oppose these mandates for crossing devices for us. WE DO NOT NEED OR WANT THEM.

Sincerely,

Betty Hendricks
President, NFBMC