[gui-talk] Fwd: Congress Funds Signage Project for Visually DisabledTravelers in Seattle

[Steve Pattison]

>From: John Rae thepenguin at rogers.com
>To: AEBC aebc at blindcanadians.ca
>
>Congress Funds Signage Project for Visually Disabled Travelers in Seattle PR
>Newswire, via Yahoo, September 11, 2006
>
>BATON ROUGE, La. - The Federal Transit Administration has announced that
>Sound Transit of Seattle, Washington has been selected to receive a grant
>for $2,000,000 to make Seattle the host city for the Remote Infrared Audible
>Signage (RIAS) Model Accessibility Project (MAP). RIAS/Talking Signs.
>technology, currently marketed by Talking Signs, Inc. of Baton Rouge, LA,
>provides orientation and wayfinding access for people with visual, cognitive
>and learning disabilities. Talking Signs. technology was first developed by
>Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute of San Francisco.
>
>Talking Signs. is an orientation and wayfinding accessibility system that
>allows blind travelers to locate and identify landmarks, signs, and places
>of interest. It utilizes speech messages stored in labeling transmitters
>which broadcast directional, repeating human voice messages that are silent
>and invisible to the general public. However, travelers unable to see or
>read print signs scan the environment with hand held receivers and hear the
>messages to locate restrooms and other sites in buildings; identify
>approaching buses, locate bus shelters, and hear 'walk' and 'wait'
>announcements at crosswalks.
>
>Recently, Seattle Sound Transit participated in a pilot project with King
>County Transit, ITS Oregon, TriMet and the City of Portland and AMTRAK
>investigating the value of RIAS/Talking Signs. technology in providing
>orientation and wayfinding access for people who have visual disabilities or
>otherwise have difficulty reading signs. Testimony of the subjects of the
>pilot project was positive in every case. Marlaina Lieberg, Chairman of the
>Access Committee of Sound Transit five years ago, was responsible for
>promoting Sound Transit's interest in making their system accessible to
>sight disabled transit patrons.
>
>RIAS technology has been implemented in projects across the United States
>and in Japan, Norway and Canada. The significance of the RIAS Model
>Accessibility Project in Seattle is that this revolutionary accessible
>signage technology has previously not been implemented before to provide a
>seamless signage path for travel between buses, trams, trains and thorough
>transit stations on a regional basis.
>
>The RIAS MAP was mandated by Congress in the 2005 Federal Public
>Transportation Act (SAFETEALU in DC language). It calls for a three-year
>evaluation of the effects of RIAS on work life, education, community
>integration and improvement of independence and quality of life for people
>who have visual, cognitive and learning disabilities. The Secretary of
>Transportation will make a report of the results to Congress in October
>2009.
>
>Talking Signs, Inc. in partnership with Luminator of Plano, Texas, has
>successfully installed the system on public transit buses in Lansing,
>Michigan and Colorado Springs, Colorado. One visually disabled traveler in
>Colorado Springs said: "It was really remarkable. It cuts us loose of all
>the strings of co-dependence. Just knowing which bus is where, and you can
>zero in on the door, walk on and find a seat. If I'm grumpy, or have
>laryngitis, I don't have to ask anyone for help."
>
>Polara Engineering of Fullerton, California will supply RIAS/Talking Signs.
>crosswalk audible "walk" and "wait" systems. When the traveler approaches an
>intersection, the RIAS receiver gives a message such as: "Traveling west on
>the 200 block of Grove Street approaching Larkin Street. Larkin Street is
>two lanes one way south." When preparing to cross at the curb, users hear
>the street name and the "walk" and "wait" message transmitted to the
>receiver from the pedestrian signal across the street. Because the signal is
>directional, users can properly orient themselves for effective street
>crossing and instantly know when the pedestrian signal changes from "wait"
>to "walk".
>
>It is anticipated that the visually disabled population will be increasing
>as baby boomers age. They will rely more and more on public transportation
>as time goes by. Transit authorities across the country will be looking at
>RIAS/Talking Signs. technology to provide a more independent means for this
>segment of our society to use public transit. It is anticipated that transit
>agencies will soon be including RIAS in their annual grant requests to FTA.
>
>Jeff Moyer, who is blind, and serves as Vice President of Talking Signs,
>Inc., reflected, "This technology is as important to those of us who are
>blind or who can't read, as ramps and curb cuts are to individuals who use
>wheel chairs. RIAS MAP will provide the first regional access to the public
>transportation environment in history."
>
>Congressman Richard Baker, (R-LA) was the sponsor of the legislation along
>with co-sponsors in the House, Stephen LaTourette (R-OH) and Eleanor Holmes-
>Norton (D-DC) and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) in the Senate. Richard Baker
>said of the RIAS MAP this week: "If the Federal Transit Administration
>brands the project as successful and meaningful in three years, doors could
>be opened for much broader funding in the next transportation bill." The
>devotion of the House and Senate sponsors and their staffs was responsible
>for its inclusion in the Federal Transportation Act of 2005.
>
>
>      Contact: C. Ward Bond
>      President, Talking Signs, Inc.
>      812 North Blvd
>      Baton Rouge, LA
>      225 344-8212
>      ward at talkingsigns.com
>
>
>http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060911/dam022.html?.v=64

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
Skype:  steve1963
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com 
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