New Audible Pedestrian Signals Tested
In Grand Haven, Michigan, new audible crossing signals are being tested to guide visually impaired citizens across one of the busiest streets in the town so that they have easier access to shopping and entertainment.
The new signals feature an audible instruction for when it is safe to cross the street. The activation button itself also features a small speaker that emits a short chirping noise so that any visually impaired person should be able to find it with relative ease.
There are currently four other locations in Michigan which utilize this technology and it has proved to be very successful in every instance.
Amy Shreiner, an orientation and mobility specialist for the Michigan Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired said, “While you can see the walk/don’t walk lights, my clients can’t. You are modifying their environment so that they can have access.”
Hopefully, the success of these programs in Michigan will spread to other states. With the addition of these relatively simple systems, towns and cities can greatly increase accessibility to their blind and visually impaired citizens, allowing them greater freedom and independence.
To read the original article, please go to http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/296988210472745.bsp
In the Netherlands we have these kinds of systems, called rateltikkers (rattletickers literally) for years on crossings that are regularly used by the visually impaired and crossings close to railwaystations.
This is good news, but what on earth has kept the U.S. from providing these crossings until now? In the UK we have had them since the 1960s if my memory serves. Most UK towns will now have them on major roads.
Most of the UK crossings have the audio beeps, but some have cones underneath the button mechanism that rotate when the walking man is green. This enables deaf-blind people to cross as well. Sometimes the cones are substituted for audio in situations where the audio would cause a disturbance.