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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2018 - 11 - 05 - ID#9uiiml
0
New Idea for blind mobility aid (self.Blind)
submitted by flockaseagullz
https://imgur.com/a/MoM0GRX

If you have any feedback on this idea let me know!
GoBlindOrGoHome 12 points 4y ago
Drawing depicts small, round-edged rails embedded in the ground on either side of a crosswalk for tactile feedback at road crossings.
bradley22 3 points 4y ago
Thanks for the description.
Marconius 11 points 4y ago
The fact that you posted a picture and didn't describe it for blind people speaks volumes. Pay attention next time. Anyways, making crosswalks more tactile with paint would be a great idea. Using rails made out of something that wouldn't wear tires too much and would be long lasting could work, though would need a lot of replacement.
bradley22 7 points 4y ago
We don’t need these railings. Blind people have mobility training to cross the road, there are also apps like soundscape to help with this.
bitstrip 7 points 4y ago
Blind people actually learn to rely on their hearing so much that they can hear when its safe to cross a road, crosswalk or not. So while this is a lovely idea, it might not be necessary as blind people don't exactly need to know how wide the crosswalk is, just that they are walking in the street which can already be detected by a white cane feeling those funny bumps you always see on sidewalk cut outs.
flockaseagullz [OP] 1 points 4y ago
Okay thank you for the feedback!
KillerLag 5 points 4y ago
Those wouldn't work in northern climates with lots of snow (Canada, Northern US, etc). The plows on the street would catch on them and either damage the plows, or more likely, damage the rails.

Most people are trained to listen to the sound of traffic and to go parallel with the traffic.

AllHarlowsEve 5 points 4y ago
In theory these aren't awful, if I'm understanding the idea properly, but in practice, we don't even have sidewalks or crosswalks everywhere we need them, corner cut outs, the raised bumps with the fancy name I forget, etc. With an audible crosswalk signal and the proper accommodations that we're already supposed to have, these wouldn't be necessary.
rkingett 2 points 4y ago
This is a good idea, but sidewalks where I live are so cracked and not kept that I usually just take cars and stuff everywhere.
[deleted] 1 points 4y ago
[deleted]
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