Access For Sight Impaired ConsumersAccess For Sight Impaired ConsumersRichmond News
August 6, 2010
At first blush, Rob Sleath's decision to haul the City of Richmond before the Human Rights Tribunal over what he feels is an unreasonable delay in implementing way-finding for the blind seems a bit excessive.
Citizens suffering tax and bleeding heart fatigue might well fume: "Here we go again. Let's spend hundreds of thousands to placate a small, special interest group."
Sleath is asking that existing pedestrian crosswalks be equipped with audible devices that help blind people locate the crosswalks and their activation buttons, and let them know if the light is flashing, at a cost of $150,000.
Think Sleath's demands are unreasonable? Try this: Walk across No. 3 Road, Minoru Boulevard or any other busy street in the city. But do it blindfolded.
Even if you manage to locate the crosswalk and find the button, ask yourself just how confident you are stepping out into the street not knowing if the light is flashing or whether traffic has stopped.
And if that doesn't bring you around to Sleath's side of things, just consider how much our local and senior governments spend to facilitate car traffic. We spend millions every year on roads in this city. Blind people, who are taxpayers too, can't drive. They must take public transit and to do that they have to negotiate busy streets by foot. That's dangerous enough in Richmond for those of us who can see -- a serious hazard for those who can't.
Sleath's case is unusual because the City of Richmond has a good track record when it comes to responding to the needs of people with disabilities. The city seems to be hung up on the type of system to use. Sleath wants the kind of voice messaging that is used in places like North Vancouver.
If city bureaucrats are worried about having to provide voice messaging in English, French, Mandarin, Punjabi, etc., Sleath has a good answer for this. City streets sound the same no matter what language you speak. So it really is a bit of a non-issue. The funding was approved in 2007. So what's the hold up?
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