Kenneth Rosenthal
|
October 23, 2002 |
The Seeing Eye, Inc.
Re: Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way (June 17, 2002)
Dear Mr. Windley:
As President of The Seeing Eye I would like to commend the US Access Board for
its work on the Draft Guidelines on Accessible Public Rights-of-Way and in
particular on the sections on Accessible Pedestrian Signals and Detectable
Warnings.
I am aware, through my frequent conversations and correspondence with blind
graduates of The Seeing Eye, that the many changes in the pedestrian environment
and traffic control systems along with quieter cars have made independent travel
more challenging for many of them over the last 20 years or so. In fact we have
had to increase the training time required of our dogs from three to four months
in order to be sure that they are adequately prepared for this increasingly
challenging environment.
As Chairman of the International Federation of Guide Dog Schools for the Blind I
have the opportunity to travel abroad to Australia and Britain for meetings and
consultations with my colleagues in the profession. I have often noticed, in
particular in Australia, that pedestrian facilities such as ramps and pedestrian
pushbuttons are much more uniform and accessible to blind pedestrians than those
I am familiar with in the United States.
I understand that the solutions proposed in the Draft Guidelines would result in
a pedestrian landscape that would resemble, rival and possibly even exceed
Australia’s. Our commitment to all of our citizens is of paramount importance
and should be second to none. Thank you for your work towards this end.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Rosenthal
President
KR/km
cc: Lukas Franck
Prepared by Kenneth Rosenthal, approved and signed in his absence.