Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>

Peter, You didn't include Glen's email in your forward.

There is no certain way to solve this kind of issue.

How ever, no matter how good you (Glen) are with a cane, I
strongly advise you to get the services of a trained professional mobility
instructor from either the San Francisco or Boston schools.

These folks are the best and may well spot cues even partially sighted hot
travelers would miss.

Generally tactile markings have been very unsuccessfull in the real world
because you're so busy getting the heck out of the way of cars
you'll loose the marks with your feet and then have to wander around trying to
find them.  The only exception generally thought to be acceptable is for such
immediate danger situations as subway platform edges.

I doubt the ability of any glued down tile to survive in a roadway for long,
even the local subway system is installing cast tiles in sawn out grooves
at platform edges.

Are you really sure that there is no difference between roads and sidewalks?
Almost always walks are concrete and  roads are blacktop.

The difference with shoes or cane should be obvious.

I have seen rare installations where the crosswalk is polished concrete
and the surrounding roadway is blacktop.  This is not just edge strips which
you can lose, but the entire crosswalk.  That might work pretty well,
but is quite expensive to install and hard to keep level.

If there is power available at critical intersections, Talking Signs can lable
things for you and give some aid in finding correct walks.

See:
http://www.talkingsigns.com

You should also contact BeeZee Benson at Boston College who is the most
expert person I know with regard to "way finding" research.

Be very sure you do your homework, know what's been done and what has or has
not worked.

The worst thing you can do is go off half caned trying stuff and later
find out you've been re-inventing dull sand paper when somebody knows how to
do it well.

There are also "way finding" lists, maybe someone here can point Glenn at
some of those.

Tom


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