Abstract:
There are 1.3 million individuals in America who are legally blind and over 8 million Americans over 16 who have a functional limitation in seeing. By 2010, the number of visually impaired persons over age 45 is projected to increase to 20 million. Among individuals who are visually impaired, 33% live in cities, 37% live in suburbs, 28% live in non-metropolitan areas (small towns), and 1% live in farm areas. In comparison to the general population, they are somewhat over-represented in cities and somewhat under-represented in the suburbs. Individuals who are blind or visually impaired often travel independently to new and unfamiliar destinations, and orient themselves to new areas and intersections. They are not generally provided instruction or orientation at every intersection they may encounter. Many features that make an intersection more accessible to an individual who is blind or visually impaired can make the intersection more useable to all pedestrians. Routinely including those features will make the streets and sidewalks more accessible to the growing population of individuals who are visually impaired.
