Do Curb Cuts Affect Mobility Training?
By Branco, Bob; Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind,Publication Date: August 31, 2011
Article discusses difficulties encountered by white cane users navigating intersections with sidewalk curb cuts. Curb cuts are mandated by law to accommodate wheelchair users. Blind people are taught to search for the curb with their white canes while trying to locate an intersection. The author, who is blind, contends that it is difficult to detect many of the curb cuts with a cane, as some of them are designed with different slope grades. The result can be that blind pedestrians may think they are walking down a slight hill, when in fact they are crossing a street. Suggested solutions to this perceived problem are designing all curb cuts with the specifications prescribed by law, and mobility instructors changing their curriculum to include training in navigating the curb cuts.
Published by: Matilda Ziegler Publishing Company for the Blind, Inc.
Matilda Ziegler Publishing Company for the Blind, Inc.
Link to text: http://www.matildaziegler.com/2011/08/31/op-ed-with-bob-branco-do-curb-cuts-affect-mobility-training/
