This was a very well-written article. Hopefully one of these years I'll get
to an ACB convention, and see what all the fun is about. Also, I hear that
the history of the American Council of the Blind will be released at this
convention. This is something I for one cannot wait to get my hands on! For
now I'll just have to rely on the great folks at ACB Radio to bring the
convention to me right here in my house.
Jake
"I've paid my dues, time after time,
I've done my sentence, but committed no crime...
We are the champions, my friends,
And we'll keep on fighting, 'till the end!"
--taken from "We Are The Champions," by Queen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bud Kennedy" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 8:21 PM
Subject: about the ACB convention in Pittsburgh from the Post-Gazette
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Convention for blind spurs city awareness
Monday, June 09, 2003
By Virginia Linn, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Marty Mathews once was bumped over by a bus when it turned a direction
she wasn't expecting. The tricky angles of some Downtown streets and
poorly marked
construction sites make getting around a challenge, she says. And she
knows that Pittsburgh drivers often don't stop before they turn right on
a red light.
Marty Mathews, 55, a systems analyst who's been blind since birth and
lives Downtown, crosses Grant Street while walking on her lunch break.
(Martha Rial,
Post-Gazette)
"Cars are supposed to stop, but don't stake your life on it or they
might be shoveling you up."
Still, this 55-year-old systems analyst, who is blind and uses a cane,
says that Downtown is the best place to live and work because it's
convenient to
everything.
For Mathews and others who are blind or visually impaired, life is about
to get a little easier here, thanks to the arrival of the national
convention of
the American Council of the Blind July 5-12.
City engineers are scrambling to erect dozens of audible traffic signals
at intersections along the Penn Avenue corridor between the David L.
Lawrence Convention
Center and the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers. Restaurants, too, are
stocking up on Braille menus.
"I knew we needed more than the two we have," says Kathi Steeb, the
general manager of Max & Erma's restaurant on Stanwix Street. She's
expecting a shipment
of 50 more.
The council's first convention here also is sure to provide Pittsburgh
with a crash course on how to act properly around the 1,500 to 2,000
visitors who
are blind or visually impaired, as well as the 300 guide dogs they're
expected to bring.
Assisting in that effort will be 1,000 local volunteers being recruited
this week to help guide the visitors throughout Downtown and visits to
the Johnstown
Flood Museum, PNC Park and other places. Training for them is scheduled
this Saturday.
Related article:
Take a cue, you could help conventioneers
The council, based in Washington D.C., is the largest national
organization representing the blind. It chose Pittsburgh for its 42nd
annual convention a
few years ago as plans were moving ahead for the new convention center
The unfinished center poses challenges for the group, which was eager to
have a skywalk completed between the Westin Convention Center hotel and
the convention
hall so participants wouldn't have to cross busy Penn Avenue. A Sports &
Exhibition Authority spokeswoman says it's on schedule to get completed
in time.
At the same time, the authority agreed to hold off installing decorative
frosted glass panels in a hallway on the third floor of the convention
center that
council officials feared would create a virtual minefield for those who
can't see.
"I don't know who designed the convention center, but there are some
major issues related to accessibility,'' says Carla Ruschival, the
council's site selection
coordinator. "We decided just not to use parts of the center. We don't
want people leaving here really grouchy.''
Although the city wasn't among the top rated "most livable'' cities for
the blind in a survey just released by the American Foundation for the
Blind --
those honors went to Charlotte, N.C.; Berkeley, Calif.; Kalamazoo,
Mich.; and New York City -- Ruschival says Pittsburgh offers "a nice
downtown" with
smaller blocks than some larger cities.
And everyone is keeping fingers crossed that the audible traffic signals
will be in place.
Darryl Phillips, the city's project manager for traffic engineering,
says signal equipment is expected to arrive this week. Signals will be
erected at seven
intersections on Penn Avenue between 10th and Stanwix streets. More are
planned at three other intersections -- 11th Street at Smallman Street,
11th at
Penn Avenue, and Fort Duquesne Boulevard at Stanwix Street -- although
those three may not be up by July 5.
These are not the "chirping" versions like those in Oakland that stop
four directions of traffic at a time, Phillips says. They operate
similarly to regular
Walk/Don't Walk signs.
The device has a locator tone -- a ticking sound emitted once per second
-- that directs the blind person to a button to trigger the audible walk
message.
It will repeat: "Walk sign is on to cross Penn Avenue.''
It also includes a vibrating arrow to help the blind who have a hearing
impairment. The arrow vibrates when it is time for the person to cross.
The signals can be heard 10 feet from the poles (not as loud as the
Oakland chirps) and the sounds have been tested to make sure they're not
heard inside
theaters and concert halls.
There will be eight signals (each device costs $500 to $600) erected at
each four-way intersection.
"This is just a test installation,'' Phillips says. "In the month
following this, our visitors and local citizens will be helping us
evaluate these signals
to see if they meet the goals we've set out for.''
Eugene Barton, president of the Golden Triangle Council of the Blind,
who is heading up local efforts to get the city ready for the
convention, says Pittsburgh
Vision Services in Oakland and the Radio Information Service on the
South Side can print Braille and large print menus and other materials
for restaurants
and businesses.
Under the American with Disabilities Act, he says, restaurants need to
supply these menus or have waiters verbally list food options for
patrons.
Many hotels and the larger restaurants have the Braille menus, and he's
trying to spread the word to others. "For a lot of them, it's just a
matter of bringing
it to their attention.''
Because visitors are staying at the Hilton and Westin Convention hotels,
the biggest challenge will be getting them safely back and forth to and
from the
convention center.
And not a minor matter: How do you handle what all those 300 guide dogs
will leave behind?
Not a problem. Doodle Scoopers, a local company that serves 300
residential customers, will be setting up relief and removal areas
outside the two hotels
and convention center -- some offering fresh pine chips, others
concrete.
"Ultimately they like grass,'' says the company's Chris DiIorio of
Brookline. "But since Pittsburgh Downtown is lacking in that, we have to
come up with
an alternative.''
Barton says the convention will be a learning experience for all and
will have lasting effects on the city.
The key is to create a place where blind people don't need to rely on
anybody to get around. "That's what it's all about,'' Barton says.
"Disabled people
can do a lot more than they used to be able to do.''
Virginia Linn can be reached at
[log in to unmask]
or 412-263-1662.
Back
Copyright C1997-2003 PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Convention for blind spurs city=20
awareness</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Monday, June 09, 2003</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>By Virginia Linn, Post-Gazette Staff=20
Writer</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Marty Mathews once was bumped over by a =
bus when it=20
turned a direction she wasn't expecting. The tricky angles of some =
Downtown=20
streets and poorly marked<BR>construction sites make getting around a =
challenge,=20
she says. And she knows that Pittsburgh drivers often don't stop before =
they=20
turn right on a red light.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Marty Mathews, 55, a systems analyst =
who's been=20
blind since birth and lives Downtown, crosses Grant Street while walking =
on her=20
lunch break. (Martha Rial,<BR>Post-Gazette)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"Cars are supposed to stop, but don't =
stake your=20
life on it or they might be shoveling you up."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Still, this 55-year-old systems =
analyst, who is=20
blind and uses a cane, says that Downtown is the best place to live and =
work=20
because it's convenient to<BR>everything.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>For Mathews and others who are blind or =
visually=20
impaired, life is about to get a little easier here, thanks to the =
arrival of=20
the national convention of<BR>the American Council of the Blind July=20
5-12.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>City engineers are scrambling to erect =
dozens of=20
audible traffic signals at intersections along the Penn Avenue corridor =
between=20
the David L. Lawrence Convention<BR>Center and the Pittsburgh Hilton and =
Towers.=20
Restaurants, too, are stocking up on Braille menus.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"I knew we needed more than the two we =
have," says=20
Kathi Steeb, the general manager of Max & Erma's restaurant on =
Stanwix=20
Street. She's expecting a shipment<BR>of 50 more.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The council's first convention here =
also is sure to=20
provide Pittsburgh with a crash course on how to act properly around the =
1,500=20
to 2,000 visitors who<BR>are blind or visually impaired, as well as the =
300=20
guide dogs they're expected to bring.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Assisting in that effort will be 1,000 =
local=20
volunteers being recruited this week to help guide the visitors =
throughout=20
Downtown and visits to the Johnstown<BR>Flood Museum, PNC Park and other =
places.=20
Training for them is scheduled this Saturday.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Related article:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Take a cue, you could help=20
conventioneers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The council, based in Washington D.C., =
is the=20
largest national organization representing the blind. It chose =
Pittsburgh for=20
its 42nd annual convention a<BR>few years ago as plans were moving ahead =
for the=20
new convention center</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The unfinished center poses challenges =
for the=20
group, which was eager to have a skywalk completed between the Westin =
Convention=20
Center hotel and the convention<BR>hall so participants wouldn't have to =
cross=20
busy Penn Avenue. A Sports & Exhibition Authority spokeswoman says =
it's on=20
schedule to get completed in time.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>At the same time, the authority agreed =
to hold off=20
installing decorative frosted glass panels in a hallway on the third =
floor of=20
the convention center that<BR>council officials feared would create a =
virtual=20
minefield for those who can't see.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"I don't know who designed the =
convention center,=20
but there are some major issues related to accessibility,'' says Carla=20
Ruschival, the council's site selection<BR>coordinator. "We decided just =
not to=20
use parts of the center. We don't want people leaving here really=20
grouchy.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Although the city wasn't among the top =
rated "most=20
livable'' cities for the blind in a survey just released by the American =
Foundation for the Blind --<BR>those honors went to Charlotte, N.C.; =
Berkeley,=20
Calif.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; and New York City -- Ruschival says Pittsburgh =
offers=20
"a nice downtown" with<BR>smaller blocks than some larger =
cities.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>And everyone is keeping fingers crossed =
that the=20
audible traffic signals will be in place.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Darryl Phillips, the city's project =
manager for=20
traffic engineering, says signal equipment is expected to arrive this =
week.=20
Signals will be erected at seven<BR>intersections on Penn Avenue between =
10th=20
and Stanwix streets. More are planned at three other intersections -- =
11th=20
Street at Smallman Street, 11th at<BR>Penn Avenue, and Fort Duquesne =
Boulevard=20
at Stanwix Street -- although those three may not be up by July =
5.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>These are not the "chirping" versions =
like those in=20
Oakland that stop four directions of traffic at a time, Phillips says. =
They=20
operate similarly to regular<BR>Walk/Don't Walk signs.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The device has a locator tone -- a =
ticking sound=20
emitted once per second -- that directs the blind person to a button to =
trigger=20
the audible walk message.<BR>It will repeat: "Walk sign is on to cross =
Penn=20
Avenue.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>It also includes a vibrating arrow to =
help the=20
blind who have a hearing impairment. The arrow vibrates when it is time =
for the=20
person to cross.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The signals can be heard 10 feet from =
the poles=20
(not as loud as the Oakland chirps) and the sounds have been tested to =
make sure=20
they're not heard inside<BR>theaters and concert halls.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>There will be eight signals (each =
device costs $500=20
to $600) erected at each four-way intersection.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"This is just a test installation,'' =
Phillips says.=20
"In the month following this, our visitors and local citizens will be =
helping us=20
evaluate these signals<BR>to see if they meet the goals we've set out=20
for.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Eugene Barton, president of the Golden =
Triangle=20
Council of the Blind, who is heading up local efforts to get the city =
ready for=20
the convention, says Pittsburgh<BR>Vision Services in Oakland and the =
Radio=20
Information Service on the South Side can print Braille and large print =
menus=20
and other materials for restaurants<BR>and businesses.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Under the American with Disabilities =
Act, he says,=20
restaurants need to supply these menus or have waiters verbally list =
food=20
options for patrons.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Many hotels and the larger restaurants =
have the=20
Braille menus, and he's trying to spread the word to others. "For a lot =
of them,=20
it's just a matter of bringing<BR>it to their attention.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Because visitors are staying at the =
Hilton and=20
Westin Convention hotels, the biggest challenge will be getting them =
safely back=20
and forth to and from the<BR>convention center.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>And not a minor matter: How do you =
handle what all=20
those 300 guide dogs will leave behind?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Not a problem. Doodle Scoopers, a local =
company=20
that serves 300 residential customers, will be setting up relief and =
removal=20
areas outside the two hotels<BR>and convention center -- some offering =
fresh=20
pine chips, others concrete.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"Ultimately they like grass,'' says the =
company's=20
Chris DiIorio of Brookline. "But since Pittsburgh Downtown is lacking in =
that,=20
we have to come up with<BR>an alternative.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Barton says the convention will be a =
learning=20
experience for all and will have lasting effects on the =
city.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The key is to create a place where =
blind people=20
don't need to rely on anybody to get around. "That's what it's all =
about,''=20
Barton says. "Disabled people<BR>can do a lot more than they used to be =
able to=20
do.''</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Virginia Linn can be reached at<BR><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]</A><BR>or=20
412-263-1662.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Back</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Copyright ©1997-2003 PG Publishing =
Co., Inc. All=20
Rights Reserved. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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To join or leave the list, send a message to
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