In the United States, the city of New York is forced by a federal judge to install more than 9,000 sound signaling devices to ensure the safety of blind and visually impaired pedestrians within ten years.
In ten years, New York will have to install more than 9,000 sound signaling devices for blind and visually impaired pedestrians. So decided by a federal judge on December 27, 2021. A great advance in the rights of people with disabilities, marginalized in inaccessible urban centers. This signage will be compulsory at 13,000 intersection points in order to allow them to cross the road in complete safety. For the moment, the pedestrian crossings of the metropolis are only equipped with visual indications. The judge also ordered the appointment of a federal controller responsible for monitoring the installation of these devices.
An alarm signal
The case began after a nonprofit company representing people with visual impairments sued the city last year. The judge had already ruled on the violation of the protection of disabled people. ” We hope this move is a wake-up call, not only to New York City, but also to all other transit agencies across the country that have ignored the needs of people with visual disabilities. », Told the NY Times Torie Atkinson, lawyer for the American council of the blind and two visually impaired New Yorkers who filed the lawsuit.
This decision comes in a context where many urban centers are singled out for their infrastructure unsuitable for disability, especially in France. According to an APF France Handicap / Ifop survey in January 2020 (conducted among 12,000 respondents), nine out of ten people experience accessibility difficulties when traveling in our country (article linked below).
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