Saying No to Detectable Warnings Everywhere

Saying No to Detectable Warnings Everywhere

The Braille Monitor

January 2003

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Saying No to Detectable

Warnings Everywhere

by

Carla McQuillan

Carla

McQuillan

From the Editor: Carla

McQuillan is president of the Oregon affiliate and a member of the NFB board

of directors. Since the public hearing on detectable warnings and audible traffic

signals (conducted by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance

Board) took place in Portland, Carla played an active part in organizing the

NFB's response to the hearing. In the following article she describes what the

experience was like. This is what she says:

James Gashel, NFB director

of governmental affairs, announced at our national convention in Louisville

that there would be a public hearing October 8, 2002, in Portland, Oregon, on

the proposed federal guidelines for pedestrian traffic as they relate to accessibility

for the disabled. Specifically, we in the NFB were concerned about the proposed

requirement to install audible traffic signals at every intersection where walk/don't-walk

signs currently operate and detectable warnings at every street crossing nationwide.

Since the hearing was to be held in my home state, I felt compelled to contact

the hotel to make some preliminary arrangements for the event. I had never even

attended a demonstration, much less organized one, but with a few helpful hints

from Peggy Elliott, I figured I was up to the task.

After

being unable to obtain reasonable rates at the Hilton (where the hearing was

to take place), I spent some time negotiating with the Days Inn down the street.

I reserved a block of twelve to fifteen hotel rooms and scheduled a dinner for

twenty-five to thirty people for the evening preceding the hearing. In the weeks

that followed I was contacted by Jim McCarthy, assistant director of governmental

affairs, who informed me that the goal was to get 200 people to the hearing.

"No problem," I said, swallowing hard: "I'll contact the hotel

and see what I can do."

After

Sunday brunch, October 6, my mom, my husband Lucas, our son Duncan, and I sat

plastering slogans onto protest signs. Lucas looked at me and said, "Well,

now we know what the organized blind are doing; I wonder what the disorganized

blind are doing." That evening, James McCarthy, Kimberli Sollenberger,

and I met in Portland to discuss strategy, write press releases, and contact

the media. We walked down to the Hilton to scope out the area and plan the logistics.

Monday evening people began arriving for our dinner and strategy session.

Nicolas Crisosto, California:

I'd been told to expect a dinner meeting the evening we arrived and an opportunity

to get some more information about the activities for the day of the hearing.

Since I'd never been to an NFB-sponsored protest, I had no idea what to expect.

To my surprise the meeting was a full-blown rally with many more people than

I'd imagined. Clearly the NFB intended to make its presence known. The evening

was informative, but, more important, it was an opportunity to motivate the

attendees and remind us all why the issues were especially relevant. The blind

needed to speak for the blind, and that's what we were going to do.

"As

the logistics were discussed, people kept volunteering, and the energy was palpable.

It was fantastic to have NFB members from all over, not just Oregon, getting

involved. I was thrilled to find other national scholarship winners representing

their affiliates as well. It all reminded me why we need the NFB--to stay connected

and organized."

Gloria

Mills Hicks, Florida: "The first thing we noticed was how busy and bustling

the downtown area was."

The energy in the room

where we gathered for dinner was phenomenal. Approximately seventy-five people

were present, representing fourteen different states. Gloria and Dan Hicks from

Tampa, Florida, won the award for having traveled the farthest. It was a great

pleasure and honor to introduce James McCarthy to the assembled crowd. He became

a member of the NFB of Oregon in the mid nineties. Now he was back in Oregon

as a representative of the National Center to articulate the Federation's position

on detectable warnings. As I listened to his professional and eloquent presentation,

I felt grateful for his leadership and proud to be part of our dynamic organization.

The next several hours were some of the most energizing and memorable in my

fourteen years with the NFB. We planned our strategy while members put together

picket signs, making up chants and slogans in the process.

Mike Freeman, Washington:

"Everyone left the session with a sense of excitement, anticipation, and

dedication to the cause."

We met for a continental

breakfast in the morning, after which Mr. McCarthy led a small group to the

Hilton to sign up to give public testimony. The plan was for the rest of us

to follow, en masse, brandishing canes and signs. After closing up breakfast

in the suite, I headed downstairs to meet my colleagues in the lobby, only to

find it inadequate to contain our numbers, which had spilled out into the parking

lot. Carolyn Brock of Portland went around distributing Whozit stickers while

other members handed out sandwich boards that read "Jeepers Creepers, Lose

Those Beepers," and "Chirping Walk Signs Are For the Birds."

Eventually, we were all ready to begin our five-block march through the streets

of Portland to the Hilton hotel. I stood at the driveway of the Days Inn parking

lot, herding members onto Sixth Avenue. The line of Federationists seemed to

go on forever.

Mike Freeman: "We

didn't need audible pedestrian signals, nor did we need detectable warnings

to walk the streets with safety and grace."

Caught up in the energy

and excitement of that moment, hovering in the world between planning and execution,

I believed in my heart that it was really going to work--we were going to make

a difference. As the last Federationist passed me, I knew that the beginning

of that long line was at least two blocks down the street, approaching the Hilton.

Unfortunately, if I wasn't at the Hilton when they arrived to tell them to stop

and form the picket line in a circle, they might have kept on going all the

way to the light-rail station. Getting a grip on reality, I asked Denise Mackenstadt

to bring up the rear and herd the stragglers. I proceeded at a dead run past

my colleagues, toward the front of the procession. Just as I caught up with

the front of the line heading north, we were met by Mr. McCarthy and the members

who had gone ahead to sign in to give testimony. After some brief high fives

and backslapping in the middle of the street, we learned that several of our

members were now scheduled to testify both in the morning and in the afternoon.

The sidewalk in front of the Hilton was a good twenty feet wide. Our members

were able to march in an imaginary ellipse on the sidewalk, leaving room for

passersby to walk without trouble and without hindering pedestrian traffic.

This impressed many observers.

In

the beginning some carried picket signs and chanted while others simply walked

back and forth across the street, proving to onlookers that blind people don't

require detectable warnings to cross safely.

Don Burns, California:

"While we waited for a green light, a city bus locked its brakes and came

to a screeching halt. From across the street a pedestrian ran through the red

light in an apparent attempt to tell us not to cross and nearly got himself

run over. `The light is red!' he yelled.

"I

replied, `I know,' and when the flow of traffic started again, we crossed the

street."

Mike

Freeman: "Some Federationists crossed Sixth Avenue so that chanting with

antiphonal responses could be set up. Such chants as: `Got our canes; got our

minds. We don't need those beeping signs!'; `Chirp, chirp, beep, beep! We know

how to cross the street!'; and `Light's green; cars go! We can read the traffic

flow!' echoed around the area."

It was a typical chilly

October day in Portland, and many people were not dressed for the cold. Never

in that long day, however, did I hear anyone complain or ask to go inside, aside

from the occasional "Can I go to Starbucks for hot chocolate? I'll be right

back, I promise!" We couldn't have asked for a more dedicated and devoted

crowd of Federationists. Everyone present represented this organization with

style and dignity.

Occasional

reports from inside the hearing room were brought to those of us on the street

as Federation leaders testified in opposition to the proposed regulations.

Arlene Hill, Louisiana:

"In the meetings many blind people spoke both for and against the subject.

I happened to be seated by a woman who works on cycling paths for Portland transportation.

She was surprised that blind people had disagreements on the subject of detectable

warnings. When Ramona Walhof was speaking, she asked if I was in agreement with

her. When I said yes, she said, `Good, so am I.'"

After a while, for a change

of pace, we decided to send members out in all directions to distribute leaflets

and discuss our position with the citizens of Portland. Teams went to the light-rail

station, McDonald's, Starbucks, and various other locations. We discovered that,

when we were circling in a picket line, people were unable to talk with us.

When we went out, it was easier for members of the general public to stop us,

ask questions, and understand what we were doing.

Carolyn Brock, Oregon:

"One young man in particular asked for an explanation of our position on

audible traffic signals. When I started to explain, he interrupted me and asked,

`But how do you know when it's safe to cross the street?'

"`Come

on,' I said, `let's cross this one.'

"We

stood at the corner with cars passing directly in front of us, and a bus roared

by. I turned to my new friend and asked, `Do you think this is the time we should

walk out into the street?'

"He

laughed and said, `Okay, I got it.'

"Then

the light changed, the cars in front of us stopped, and the parallel traffic

started moving on our left. `Come on, let's go', I said, and grabbed his arm

and pulled him across the street. Safely on the other side, I asked him, `Is

that enough, or should we go across a few more streets?'

"He

laughed again and said, `No, I got it the first time.'

"Then

he thought for a minute and said, `So what I understand is that you people are

protesting against the culture of dependency.' Then he was gone. I just regret

that I didn't have time to give him a hug."

Just before noon, we regrouped

in front of the Hilton to greet the Access Board with a boisterous round of

chants as they left to go to lunch. Those of us who stayed the whole day went

back to the hotel afterward for a group luncheon. While most of us enjoyed our

lunch, some of our Arizona contingent continued their march in front of the

Hilton. I am reliably informed that a member of the Washington Council of the

Blind spoke to the manager of the hotel, attempting to persuade him to prohibit

the Federation from demonstrating outside. The manager refused. After a lengthy

exchange, the Council member left without accomplishing anything except to alienate

the manager. The Hilton manager then shook hands with several Federationists,

saying that we were absolutely right and to stick to our guns.

The

only time that I spent in the hearing room as an observer was the thirty minutes

before my own testimony. Near as I could tell, there were about a dozen council

members present in the hearing room and none visible out on the streets. One

of the most distressing comments that I heard from an individual testifying

that afternoon was to the effect that, if the world was full of audible traffic

signals, detectable warnings, and high-contrast signage, those who are a little

more shy about their vision impairment could be secretly disabled. I am deeply

proud to be a member of an organization that believes in my capacity and potential

as a human being. How sad to feel the need to ignore, hide, or dismiss a simple

characteristic that in no way affects one's ultimate success and destiny.

It

was a long day. As I got on the city bus to head for the train station at the

end of the day, the bus driver looked at me and said, "You were in that

protest, weren't you?"

I

said, "Yes sir, I helped to organize that protest. Would you like to know

what it was about?" At that point the bus driver gave a lengthy and articulate

response about our position regarding audible traffic signals and detectable

warnings. He had been approached by Federationists on the street and had read

our leaflets and literature. He said, "It is counterintuitive to say that

blind people don't need audible traffic signals, but after hearing your arguments,

it makes perfect sense."

Kay Burrows, Washington:

"I left Portland, tired and sore, but I was very proud to have been able

to participate in our demonstration. We were a great example of our motto: `Changing

what it means to be blind.' The ten months I have been a member of the NFB have

been an exciting experience. This is an incredibly diverse group of people.

I am no longer embarrassed to use a white cane. I carry it like a badge of honor.

It is proof that blindness is only an inconvenience, not the end of independence."

More important, perhaps,

than a successful demonstration were the excellent media contacts we established

in the process of speaking our minds. NFB members were interviewed by and aired

on two TV news programs, KTLK AM news, and two newspapers--Willamette Week

and the Oregonian. All of them encouraged us to maintain contact and

to notify them of future developments. For the first time in my experience,

all of these media outlets were willing to cover a story about blind people's

efforts to be responsible citizens, fighting to save tax dollars. Too often

we are portrayed, not as participants in life, but as those who depend on the

support, goodwill, care, and protection of others.

We made an impact on a

lot of people's lives that day, blind and sighted. The man who risked his life

needlessly to stop a blind man from crossing the street, the bus driver who

no longer thinks audible traffic signals are logical, the young man who recognizes

our fight against the culture of dependency, and the hotel manager who supported

our demonstration are only a few of those whose lives we touched. One thing

is certain--the citizens of Portland will not soon forget the National Federation

of the Blind.

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