On Sun, 5 Sep 1999, Nancy & Paul Wohlfeil wrote:

> I have been in a few cities where audible signals were used.  I don't know
> if they were all that helpful to me as I still use a lot of residual vision.
> A disability rights group in our town is looking for information to make an
> informed decision about pursuing a grant to install audible signal controls.
> What is your take on the subject?

There was a discussion earlier this year on the list regarding this.  Many
useful documents and ideas were shared.  Be sure to check the archives for
all of this info.  The url for the archives is at the end of each message
to the list.

The suburbinization of America has created pedestrian environments where
even excellent travel skills may not be enough at times to successfully
navigate some intersections.  Both the National Federation of the Blind
and the American Council of the Blind have passed resolutions in some form
supporting limited use of audible traffic signals.  The ACB has a resource
page on pedestrian safety.  You can find it at http://www.acb.org.  At
present no standards or guidelines have been developed on a national level
as to their appropriateness, selection, installation, and use.As with any
technology for people with disabilities, this should be a resolution to a
problem identified by blind persons and not a remedy in search of a
solution.

kelly


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