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66 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, July 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2004 To the blind, new crosswalk markers are Braille for the feet By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Hearing a car slam its brakes right beside him at a Medford intersection, Ron Tompkins knew he’d made a mistake and used his white cane to feel his way back to the corner. "I just about got clobbered one day," said Tompkins, 64, a Talent resident who has been legally blind since birth. For blind pedestrians, navigating intersections can be life-threatening. "A lot of us use the wheelchair ramp to find the intersection," he said, but because wheelchair ramps aren’t standard, you never know if you’re aimed across the crosswalk or right at the center of the intersection. For people like Tompkins, a new system of raised crosswalk markers — like Braille for the feet — is a life- saver. Advertisement The city of Medford will be installing Blind Sign strips today at the four crosswalks at Eighth Street and Central Avenue beginning at 9 a.m. Invented by Kevin Stockton of Roseburg, who was blinded by a shotgun blast to the face when he was 40, the blind signs are 2-foot-long raised red plastic strips glued to sidewalks that "show" visually impaired pedestrians which direction to head for the crosswalk. Sherrie Messer, the Medford Lions Sight and Hearing Center director who has been advocating for the system, said the blind signs will be put in at 10 downtown intersections over the summer. The Medford Urban Renewal Agency is contributing $5,100 to cover materials for 10 intersections, and the city of Medford is contributing up to $7,000 for the installation. Messer is looking for more money to get even more installed around the city, especially around bus stops. Ralph Browning, public works traffic technician, said the city hasn’t determined where to install the remaining nine sets of Blind Signs. "Ultimately we’re trying to identify the busiest sections for the sight-impaired pedestrians," he said. Blind Signs have been used in several cities, including Roseburg, Corvallis, Portland and Eugene. Daryl Ackley, a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Oregon Commission for the Blind in Medford, said several hundred people in Jackson County are legally blind. "That would mean dozens of people who use canes in the Medford area," he said, adding that it’s the cane users, as opposed to travelers with wheelchairs or guide dogs, who would benefit the most from the guide strips. "It’s a growing population of folks," he said. "I see somebody almost every day." Mark McKeirnan, who teaches orientation and mobility in public schools through Southern Oregon Education Service District, said it’s not easy finding a crosswalk when you can’t see it. "There are two issues: When to go, where to go," he said. The "when" is easier to figure out because pedestrians can listen for sound cues from traffic, but "where" is the tougher challenge, he said. One misguided turn can mean being totally lost for a blind person, he said. "The ‘where’ would be helped by these blind signs," McKeirnan said. "It gives a person a straight shot for the street." And for people like Tompkins, it’s an inexpensive solution to a dangerous problem. "This is what we’ve been needing for a long, long time," said Tompkins. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times