Ruby Ryles, Ph.D
September 26, 2002
 

 
To:        U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board)
 
From:  Ruby Ryles, Ph.D.
            Coordinator, Professional Development
            Professional Development & Research Institute on Blindness
            Louisiana Tech University
            
Re:      Audible Traffic Signals (ATS) & Detectable Warnings
 
As the Coordinator of Louisiana Tech University's Orientation & Mobility Master's degree program, I am opposed to the Access Board's guidelines which would mandate ATS at all street crossings.  Most blind people can and do safely traverse the vast majority of intersections with only adequate training.  My O&M instructors find that ATS at standard intersections are more of a hazard than a help for their blind students because ATS produce competing and confusing noises to the traffic sounds needed for safe crossings.  The addition of locator tones would simply be a nightmare of noise for a blind person crossing a street using proper travel skills. Hopefully, the incredible cost alone of this proposed project will kill the idea before it becomes the fiasco it definitely would. Generally, the environment does NOT need to be adapted for blind people, but blind people need good training to adapt to the environment.  Much of the current training is not good - THAT is where the $$$ and the change must occur.
 

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