Hearing in the City

[lanterna]

Hi guys.

I am a student working on proposing to the City of Portland (Oregon) a plan to make their transportation system and city sidewalks more "deaf-accessable". I am deaf, and have found difficulties when knowing if there is a streetcar approaching, or cars, or other potential threats to my safety. It's even worse if I am trying to lip read or text (I don't sign, but that would be difficult too).

Basically the "deaf-accessibility" would include more visual cues or identifiers to help alert deaf or hard-of-hearing people know what's going on (kind of like lighted smoke alarms or vibrating alarm clocks for the city).

I just wanted to share this with you guys and see what you guys think?

Thanks,
Simon

 

[drphil]

Simon: when a person is deaf must pay close attention to traffic visually. Here in Toronto we have streetcars/buses/subways. Now have a lighted sign near the driver, on the bus/streetcars. The subways have each stop well marked on the walls the name of the station: Main Street etc. announcing the street being approached. It also names each street for the blind.No help for the deaf, of course. Again being deaf one must visually cue into their surroundings when using the TTC. It seems to me the TTC is well marked.