Dear members of the access board,
I have been blind all my life. I have traveled both with a
guide dog and with a cane in a variety of situations.
Yes, I can tell you there are intersections at which
audible traffic signals would be *really* helpful.
Do I think we need them on all corners? NO! That would be
a ridiculous expense!
But the worst thing would be THE NOISE! When a blind
person navigates through a street crossing, the one thing he/she needs most is
to be able to focus on traffic--where the cars are, and where they are
moving. Those squacks, twitters and tones can be extremely annoying,
especially where they are not needed.
Most of us can safely cross most streets by listening to
the traffic. In those rare instances where there is truly a need for an
audible traffic signal, it should be something that we, the blind citizens who
travel the streets and use those street crossings could request.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Sincerely,
Susan Jones and guide dog Nellie
Indianapolis, Indiana
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