Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Accessible Cities in Canada or US (self.Blind)
submitted by theimpossiblesong
Hello everyone!
I'm hoping to move to a new city within the next year for grad School and work. As I narrow down my choices for where I'd like to live I'd like to factor in accessibility. Things like good public transit, subways and buses with audio announcements, stop lights with audio alerts and relitive ease to navigate by walking and using google maps . So far I'm considering cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Maryland and Boston. Has anyone lived in any of these cities? How did you find navigating them? Any other suggestions for accessible cities would be greatly appreciated!
I'm hoping to move to a new city within the next year for grad School and work. As I narrow down my choices for where I'd like to live I'd like to factor in accessibility. Things like good public transit, subways and buses with audio announcements, stop lights with audio alerts and relitive ease to navigate by walking and using google maps . So far I'm considering cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Maryland and Boston. Has anyone lived in any of these cities? How did you find navigating them? Any other suggestions for accessible cities would be greatly appreciated!
ajadoccio 2 points 6y ago
Washington DC is very pleasantly accessible. If you want to talk to someone before moving there, or just to get a feel for the option, contact Brad Miles at the VDBVI office. He lives on the Virginia side and is responsible for that area, but he could also point you in the right direction for the Maryland side.
Disclaimer: not blind but recently got out of a relationship with a blind woman, and I worked in visual accessibility until recently.
Also PM me if you want to talk about this! I can point you to a number of people to talk to if you're so inclined.
Disclaimer: not blind but recently got out of a relationship with a blind woman, and I worked in visual accessibility until recently.
Also PM me if you want to talk about this! I can point you to a number of people to talk to if you're so inclined.
KillerLag 1 points 6y ago
I work and live in Toronto, and teach O&M there. The public transit is generally accessible, but there are some occassional areas where the transit is frustatingly slow. All buses and subways are suppose to announce stops, but they also occassionally break down (So far, I've encounted only one bus this year with stop announcements broken, and I average 3-4 hours on the transit every day).
Toronto is also installing Accessible Pedestrian Signals at all lighted intersections, but it is slow going. They've also started to install Detectable Warning Surfaces for street crossings as well, but mainly when they are doing repair/replacement work.
One factor you may have to consider as well is cost of living. In Toronto (and presumably most major cities), living near the subways would cost noticably more than further away. So you have to factor in convenience for cost. For some people, saving a few hundred bucks a month but taking an extra 30 to 45 minutes each way for transit is worth it.
EDIT: forgot one more thing... winter isn't usually too bad, but it can get to -40 for some days. Slow clearance is usually decent, for busy areas anyways.
Toronto is also installing Accessible Pedestrian Signals at all lighted intersections, but it is slow going. They've also started to install Detectable Warning Surfaces for street crossings as well, but mainly when they are doing repair/replacement work.
One factor you may have to consider as well is cost of living. In Toronto (and presumably most major cities), living near the subways would cost noticably more than further away. So you have to factor in convenience for cost. For some people, saving a few hundred bucks a month but taking an extra 30 to 45 minutes each way for transit is worth it.
EDIT: forgot one more thing... winter isn't usually too bad, but it can get to -40 for some days. Slow clearance is usually decent, for busy areas anyways.
tymme 1 points 6y ago
When I moved to Milwaukee, WI, the buses had this automated through a TV/GPS type service that also played ads and such. It was discontinued while I lived there, but many drivers were in the habit of announcing anyway, and especially if I'd navigate with my white cane. I think most major metros would probably be somewhat similar.
When I moved up to where I am now (much smaller, approx 80k), it wasn't as common. However, I think pretty much all public transit is usually used to dealing with disabilities, so asking a bus driver for assistance (and sitting where they'll see you and be reminded) shouldn't make things too difficult.
Also, be mindful of how suburbs connect. In Milwaukee, most job prospects were in a suburb that technically had bus access, but was a single bus with two routes back and forth; many of the jobs were down major highways with no sidewalks.
When I moved up to where I am now (much smaller, approx 80k), it wasn't as common. However, I think pretty much all public transit is usually used to dealing with disabilities, so asking a bus driver for assistance (and sitting where they'll see you and be reminded) shouldn't make things too difficult.
Also, be mindful of how suburbs connect. In Milwaukee, most job prospects were in a suburb that technically had bus access, but was a single bus with two routes back and forth; many of the jobs were down major highways with no sidewalks.
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