05-16-2016, 04:50 PM
(05-16-2016, 02:26 PM)kwliving Wrote: I'd like to address what I highlighted not because I think you had bad intent, but because I want to speak up about the perspective of disability.
Blind people don't need taking care of. They are also people and should be acknowledged as such, as in blind people or people who are blind or vision impaired.
Regarding the Japanese intersections you referred to, they were (re)designed so that a person with any type of vision impairment doesn't have the common barriers we have here. It allows them to cross the road safely and independently. Needs were accommodated that allowed independence.
Barriers are often attitudinal. If we can change people to believe that most disabilities can be overcome by improving the environment we live in, everyone could live in a much more accessible world. Often barriers can be removed at little or no extra cost. Convincing people of that proves to be the difficult task.
*soapbox off*
You are splitting hairs here just to take offense where none is intended. Obviously he meant taking care of issues that arise from being visually impaired such as adding street markings or auditory crossing signals.