Miguel A. Mendez

October 28, 2002

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a blind person writing to express my opposition to the instillation of truncated domes and audible traffic signals as proposed by legislation. After years of getting around my city (as well as other cities) on foot INDEPENDENTLY I am able to say that there have been vary few times in which I have WALKED IN TO A SITUATION AND WISHED THAT I HAD THE ASSISTANCE OF EITHER AN ATS OR AN INSTALLMENT OF TRUNCATED DOMES. In fact, in the areas that I have traveled on foot, truncated domes are quite rare; yet I, as well as other blind travelers have gotten around just fine. I have always used my white cane to find drop-offs and dips in the sidewalk and my cane has never failed to alert me of any such changes in my path. In my case, and in the case of many other independent blind travelers, the installation of truncated domes would be an unnecessary expense. Though rare, audible traffic signals are still much more common than truncated domes. In the situations in which I have encountered ATS, however, I have found that these are equally as useless as truncated domes. In fact, nowadays, I try to avoid crossing at intersections in which audible cues are given when the traffic light changes. This is because I rely on the sound of the traffic flow to know when it is my turn to cross the street. Audible traffic signals are more harmful than helpful because they mask and/or add to the sound of the traffic, making it difficult to make a practical decision on when to cross the street: a decision that I choose to make on the flow of traffic alone. I sincerely feel that the enormous amount of money that could be spent on installing audible traffic signals and truncated domes would be better spent if spent on training blind persons to live and travel successfully in the world as it currently exists today. Undoubtedly, it is better to spend money opening doors of equality, skill, and opportunity for the blind than to waste millions on buying dependence for blind people and teaching blind people and future generations of blind people to be dependent.

Respectfully,

Miguel A. Mendez