Sighted Witnesses Discuss Blind People Crossing Streets, Voice Their Concerns

Written by: Alana Ambrosecchia

Crossing streets might not be something we all think about regularly. After all, it is easy for us to look both ways and get to the other side of a road quickly and without any issues. However, for some individuals, like those who are blind or visually impaired, crossing streets can be a challenge, something folks familiar with Oceanside, New York know all too well.

Joy, a certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist based in New York, recently worked with a student on navigating the neighborhood's intersections independently.

"Well, safe is kind of a relative term, but there were certain crossings that I feel needed assistance… that it wasn't, it really wouldn't be a good idea to do it totally independent, whether you were a seasoned traveler or not”, she states in an interview.

Joy also mentions a fence at the end of a block where Streets Brower Avenue and Oceanside Road meet. She says that the presence of the fence could be both dangerous and confusing to blind and visually impaired individuals, since it does not represent a continuation of a block. In other words, those who are not aware of traffic in the area may have no idea whether or not they have reached the end of it.

Another challenge Joy refers to is the fact that some Oceanside Streets are not very busy. These streets also do not contain visual signals. Therefore, sighted people have a bit more leeway when it comes to driving. They rely on their own judgment as far as where pedestrians are located in relation to them but may not recognize that a visually impaired person is attempting to cross a street. Additionally, according to Joy, streets without visual signals often do not provide much audio input. This means that it is unknown when traffic will be present, which can be very challenging for someone with little to no sight at all.

A former NYPD Police officer and mother of a blind daughter, Dina Zeoli, also discusses her concerns regarding streets in Oceanside. "There's, uh, block's where there's no Sidewalk", Zeoli states. Like Joy, Zeoli also points out the absence of Traffic signals. She also mentions the fact that many neighborhood streets do not contain accessible pedestrian signals. These accessible tools assist those with vision loss in crossing the street. Generally, at lighted intersections, these individuals will listen to the flow of traffic, specifically the parallel lane nearest to them in order to determine the appropriate time to cross. However, accessible pedestrian signals can provide both audible and tactile feedback. This reassures travelers that the light has changed, which can be extremely helpful."It's difficult for a blind or visually impaired person to really know when to cross… and when to stop. They have to depend solely on their hearing to listen to see where the cars are coming from", Zeoli says.

Of course, utilizing one's hearing to determine traffic flow is not impossible. However, Dina feels the implementation of accessible pedestrian signals would greatly benefit blind and visually impaired residents in the community. Dominic Forte, a Cesspool Business Owner  has a blind stepdaughter. Through her experience, he also feels that crossing streets in the neighborhood can be challenging for those with vision loss as many roads do not contain curb cuts. Curb cuts provide a simple way for blind or visually impaired individuals to line up with crosswalks. Not having these, Forte says, makes it difficult for them to analyze the correct direction in which traffic is coming from. For example, traffic that should be parallel to someone may actually come from behind them. This could result in folks veering into perpendicular traffic, (vehicles in front of them) which is very dangerous.

Another challenge Forte brings up is the fact that drivers are permitted to Turn at a red light.  He says he noticed that at times, when they would walk places together, his stepdaughter would be confused as to why the parallel traffic nearest to her was turning. She apparently would assume, as soon as a car started moving forward, that it was going to stay straight and that she could listen to its movement in relation to her in order to cross independently. However, because one car turned, it would almost cause her to veer into the perpendicular street which, again, might result in more harm than good.

As far as how to mitigate challenges, there were a few thoughts. Being an Orientation & Mobility Specialist, Joy believes that generally, blocks should be more of a square shape.  This would avoid confusion as she mentioned relating to the fence for example. She also feels that Truncated Domes would be particularly beneficial to implement. These provide a tactile warning for individuals with sight loss, which alerts them if, say, they are approaching a street. Truncated Domes also assist folks with aligning themselves correctly to hear traffic at curb cuts, something Joy says really helps.

Dominic also feels that Truncated Domes should be implemented, especially around Oceanside's main roads. He understands that including traffic signals might not always be the best course of action. What he does feel, though, is that Accessible Pedestrian Signals must be present in all neighborhoods across New York State, not just this neighborhood. He would also like to see an increase in curb cuts around Oceanside especially. Accessible Pedestrian Signals are one thing Dina advocates for as well. She states that it would be even more beneficial if these tools can alert a blind or visually impaired pedestrian whether an individual has turned when not permitted to. She mentions Oceanside Road as an example.

"There's a Signal to make a left, and it's either green or red. But people will go through the red arrow on both sides and they shouldn't. That's, that's like a hazard”, Zeoli says. She believes that alerting individuals in this way will allow them to feel more comfortable when crossing neighborhood streets independently. They will be able to feel more confident and have an increased awareness of their surroundings at the same time.