[nfbwatlk] Frustrations of a Blind Street Walker!
Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR)
Bennett.Prows at HHS.GOV
Fri Jun 15 09:08:16 CDT 2007
Ok, now that the title of this rant has gotten your attention, I will
settle down and say what I think. I take the bus to downtown Seattle
every day. Many blind and also visually dependent people do. It's
advertised as the way of the future. Take public transit, and leave the
stress behind.
Well, they didn't count on the construction industry, the city
officials, (both fathers and mothers), and just business in general. As
summer approaches, I am writing only to vent my frustrations about
downtown inaccessibility to pedestrians.
I am not necessarily a "route traveler". I do however get off the bus,
and have to go a specific direction to get to my office. (North.)
It seems that the sidewalks on most streets is blocked on random days,
during random hours, and for no particular reason except that someone is
contemplating digging a hole, or has dug a hole and left it for another
day, or something else. So, on one day, I travel along one street
(trying to stay on the sidewalk), and I find some newly placed
construction tape blocking my path in the middle of the block. It's
alright to go half a block, but then I'm apparently not supposed to go
further, unless, ..., using my travel skills, I go into the street
staying close to the curb, (provided there isn't a cone or parked car in
the way), and continue on my way. I don't want to have to back track,
two or three times during a trip from my bus stop to my office, five
blocks away, just because of some construction obstruction.
On another day, I'm walking happily along, on a street that I easily
traveled the day before, thinking about what I think about most, ...,
nothing, when, I cross the street, and ... boing!... As I run into
the new tape, which my cane has slid under, I wonder whether there are
hidden cameras somewhere with gleeful construction folks viewing my
process, saying, "hey, let's watch the blind guy bounce off the tape."
I must add here, that the terrain I *can* travel in also periodically is
obstructed by sandwich signs, or those folding advertisements for the
"specials of the day" for a restaurant. You'd think that the
enterprising businessperson would at least put a Braille translation on
the sign so that as I stop to pick up the sign I have knocked over with
or with out my cane, (meaning maybe with my leg), I could read it.
(that is, I could read it before I pinch my finder in the hinges of the
heavy folding obstruction.
Anyway, it was raining this morning, I found some new blocked sidewalks,
and have to figure out another way to get from my bus stop to the
office, and was wet and frustrated, so thought I'd write this to my
friends on this list. Have a *great* day, and remember, its Friday!!!
Oh, by the way, happy fathers' day to the dads, and ..., the city
*fathers* too!
/s/
Bennett Prows
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Ok, now that the title of this rant has gotten your attention, I will settle down and say what I think. I take the bus to downtown
Seattle
every day. Many blind and also visually dependent people do. It’s advertised as the way of the future. Take public transit, and leave the stress behind.
Well, they didn’t count on the construction industry, the city officials, (both fathers and mothers), and just business in general. As summer approaches, I am writing only to vent my frustrations about downtown inaccessibility to pedestrians.
I am not necessarily a “route traveler”. I do however get off the bus, and have to go a specific direction to get to my office. (North.)
It seems that the sidewalks on most streets is blocked on random days, during random hours, and for no particular reason except that someone is contemplating digging a hole, or has dug a hole and left it for another day, or something else. So, on one day, I travel along one street (trying to stay on the sidewalk), and I find some newly placed construction tape blocking my path in the middle of the block. It’s alright to go half a block, but then I’m apparently not supposed to go further, unless, …, using my travel skills, I go into the street staying close to the curb, (provided there isn’t a cone or parked car in the way), and continue on my way. I don’t want to have to back track, two or three times during a trip from my bus stop to my office, five blocks away, just because of some construction obstruction.
On another day, I’m walking happily along, on a street that I easily traveled the day before, thinking about what I think about most, …, nothing, when, I cross the street, and … boing!... As I run into the new tape, which my cane has slid under, I wonder whether there are hidden cameras somewhere with gleeful construction folks viewing my process, saying, “hey, let’s watch the blind guy bounce off the tape.”
I must add here, that the terrain I *
can
* travel in also periodically is obstructed by sandwich signs, or those folding advertisements for the “specials of the day” for a restaurant. You’d think that the enterprising businessperson would at least put a Braille translation on the sign so that as I stop to pick up the sign I have knocked over with or with out my cane, (meaning maybe with my leg), I could read it. (that is, I could read it before I pinch my finder in the hinges of the heavy folding obstruction.
Anyway, it was raining this morning, I found some new blocked sidewalks, and have to figure out another way to get from my bus stop to the office, and was wet and frustrated, so thought I’d write this to my friends on this list. Have a *
great
* day, and remember, its Friday!!! Oh, by the way, happy fathers’ day to the dads, and …, the city *
fathers
* too!
/s/
Bennett Prows
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